With the rise of more and more forms of media, the American storytelling tradition has become increasingly fractured. Praise be then for This American Life, a weekly radio anthology of stories that never fail to move even the most casual listener. Lies, Sissies, and Fiascoes purports to be a best-of compendium, but at two discs there's plenty more where this comes from. --Randy Silver
Amazon.com
Are you a sucker for a well-told story--one that'll make you hoot with pleasure, drop your mouth in disbelief, tear up with empathy? If that be the case, you're likely already a fan of the brilliant beyond-hip This American Life. If you're not yet familiar with the Public Radio show and its ingenious host, Ira Glass, Lies, Sissies & Fiascoes will tickle your ears and engage your sense of wonderment. Underscored by adroitly chosen musical bits from Jonathan Richman to Liz Phair to Yo La Tengo, The Best of TAL springs into action illustrating the criterion for true fiasco with Jack Hitt's lively narrative of an uproariously bad production of Peter Pan. David Sedaris recounts reeling off insults and complaints in iambic pentameter as a teen bitten by the Drama Bug (which bites "Jews, homosexuals and plump women who wear their hair in bangs" the hardest). Dishwasher Pete tells how he duped the Letterman show, Scott Carrier gives a moving account of how his life unraveled and came back together during the season he conducted interviews with schizophrenics, and Ira Glass sounds off on getting over heartbreak. --Paige La Grone
This American Life: Lies Sissies & Fiascoes,Ira Glass,Rhino / Wea,Pop,Spoken,Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows,Spoken Word
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ASIN: B00000I725 Release Date: 1999-05-04 |
Tracks:
- Peter Pan - Mr. Jack Hitt (An Interview)
- Drama Bug - Mr. David Sedaris
- Letterman! Cookies! - Mr. Dishwasher Pete
- Mr. Loh's Not Afraid To Be Naked - Ms. Sandra Tsing Loh
- Teen Getaway - Ms. Cheryl Tryku
- Shooting Dad - Ms. Sarah Vowell
Tracks:
- Get Over It! - Mr. Ira Glass
- Hands on a Hardbody - Rob Bindler
- The Test - Mr. Scott Carrier
- Xmas Freud - Mr. David Rakoff
- Apology Line - Ms. Marissa Bridge (An Interview)
Amazon.com's Best of 1999
With the rise of more and more forms of media, the American storytelling tradition has become increasingly fractured. Praise be then for This American Life, a weekly radio anthology of stories that never fail to move even the most casual listener. Lies, Sissies, and Fiascoes purports to be a best-of compendium, but at two discs there's plenty more where this comes from. --Randy SilverAmazon.com
Are you a sucker for a well-told story--one that'll make you hoot with pleasure, drop your mouth in disbelief, tear up with empathy? If that be the case, you're likely already a fan of the brilliant beyond-hip This American Life. If you're not yet familiar with the Public Radio show and its ingenious host, Ira Glass, Lies, Sissies & Fiascoes will tickle your ears and engage your sense of wonderment. Underscored by adroitly chosen musical bits from Jonathan Richman to Liz Phair to Yo La Tengo, The Best of TAL springs into action illustrating the criterion for true fiasco with Jack Hitt's lively narrative of an uproariously bad production of Peter Pan. David Sedaris recounts reeling off insults and complaints in iambic pentameter as a teen bitten by the Drama Bug (which bites "Jews, homosexuals and plump women who wear their hair in bangs" the hardest). Dishwasher Pete tells how he duped the Letterman show, Scott Carrier gives a moving account of how his life unraveled and came back together during the season he conducted interviews with schizophrenics, and Ira Glass sounds off on getting over heartbreak. --Paige La GroneCustomer Reviews:
A few great ones, the rest mediocre.......2004-06-04
For example, "Shooting Dad" by Sarah Vowell is a terrific essay about Sarah's relationship with her gunsmith father. Well-written, funny, sharp and poignant. But compare that with the dreck that follows: "Get Over It!" by host Ira Glass, where he mopes at length about his recent encounter with a former girlfriend. Sarah Vowell once stated in an interview that radio stories are "edited down within an inch of their lives", but Ira's segment -- full of his own deep sighs, his laughter at his own comments, his voice often choked with emotion -- seems to have undergone no editing whatsover. It reminded me of the scene in "Broadcast News" where William Hurt's TV reporter character inserts a shot of himself shedding a tear during an interview. It reeks of "look at me, aren't I so 'real'"; that is, until you realize that it was created with multiple takes.
As for the rest, I enjoyed Sedaris's "Drama Bug" and Bindler's "Hands on a Hard Body", but many of the others struck me as mediocre for one reason or another.
This American Life from PRI is fabulous!.......2003-12-16
Mostly good stories from NPR's radio show.......2003-01-29
The only segments I did not like in this set, in fact, are the first one on each disc; these happen to be the ones that feature the show's host Ira Glass. I found "Peter Pan" (a piece about a small town drama production that goes awry) to be patronizing and overly long; the remainder of the first disc was very funny. Opening the second disc is "Get Over It!", a segment in which Mr. Glass explores an awkward weekend with an ex-girlfriend for whom he still has feelings. Although it has a good ending, I thought that he was just begging for sympathy with this story, and I felt manipulated. It's admirable in a way that Mr. Glass is willing to showcase his private pain for our entertainment, but not if he's going to make it a pity party.
But otherwise I think the compilation is great and I thank him for creating and hosting the show. I recommend it for anybody who's been a fan of the show (and most of you will probably enjoy Mr. Glass's pieces more than I did).
disappointed baby boomer.......2002-11-22
Absolutely compelling and entertaining!.......2002-10-17
Lies, Sissies, and Fiascos is a wonderful blend of sarcasm and sentiment, of tenderness and hilarity. Host Ira Glass's voice is soothing and familiar, and you really can't lose when it comes to anything involving David Sedaris. Sandra Tsung Loh's entry is one that is particularly memorable to me. She tells about how her relationship with her father is enriched when she views him through the most unlikely viewpoint imaginable: that of a local punk rock band, which has idolized her father and thinks of him as some kind of spiritual icon.
I immensely enjoyed listening to this CD, and I will return to it and find the stories familiar, not repetative (as I would with some audio books). Highly recommended.
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