Part Two
Ira Glass does not have a particularly soothing voice. Nor is it necessarily autoritative, comforting, or pleasing. If anything, he comes across as arrogant, "annoying" according to Michael, and at times almost whiney. Think of Michael Musto or Woody Allen. I thought he was gay, but apparently he's very much hetero. None of this ever stopped him from being on the radio.
Ira Glass is the host of "This American Life", the theme for the week here at Paraphernalia. He has spent more than 30 years working in Public Radio. He has been doing TAL since 1995. After listening to quite a few of the shows, I was interested in who this guy was, what he looked like, where he came from. The more I read about him or listen to him outside of the program, the less I like him. But I don't have to like him because I love what he does and it's not like I have to spend time with him in person.
This is an excerpt from the Wikipedia entry on Ira :
For a time, he dated cartoonist Lynda Barry and moved to Chicago in 1989 to be with her. He called Barry his "little ghetto girl" and she does not remember the relationship fondly. Barry is quoted in a 1998 Chicago Reader article as saying of Glass, "I went out with him. It was the worst thing I ever did. When we broke up he gave me a watch and said I was boring and shallow, and I wasn't enough in the moment for him, and it was over." In the same article, Glass is quoted on his feelings about their breakup: "I was an idiot. I was in the wrong. About the breakup... About so many things with her. Anything bad she says about me I can confirm."
We live, we learn.
There is a 4 part series interview with Ira on YouTube about his ideas on storeytelling that is interesting.
I'm tempted to start a "WTF" category for this one. I'm not even sure how to describe her to you. Lady Raptastic is a character unlike any other. I'm currently obsessed with her podcasts. They make me laugh out loud. 
