This American Life - Free Podcasts

[xyzzy]

Starting Monday, TAL will be offering a free podcast through iTunes (or any other podcatcher)!

Details here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/pages/podcasts.html

It's just for new shows, but still. I've been waiting for this for a while.

Plus, individual shows available for 95 cents from iTunes. I don't know if that's new or not, but I didn't know about it.

[xyzzy]

What, no love for TAL on the forum? C'mon. It's the best thing on the radio.

[Shwicaz]

I love this american life.

thanks for the heads up.

[Kensington]

Just last night I declined to pay .95 for a show I was mildly interested in hearing, so this is good news.

Earlier this Summer, it used to possible to just save the MP3 files from the website without paying, but that apparently was a security crack that they have apparently since corrected.

I still don't think I'm willing to pay for the old episodes, but I'll definitely listen to the new ones if this is true.

[xyzzy]

Just last night I declined to pay .95 for a show I was mildly interested in hearing, so this is good news.

Earlier this Summer, it used to possible to just save the MP3 files from the website without paying, but that apparently was a security crack that they have apparently since corrected.

I still don't think I'm willing to pay for the old episodes, but I'll definitely listen to the new ones if this is true.

It's straight from their website. I don't know why it wouldn't be true.

[Kensington]

Little TAL trivia:

When the show first premiered in the Fall of 1995, its title was "Your Radio Playhouse." This was changed to "This American Life" within the first few months.

I was also a big fan of the show which begat TAL. Ira Glass and his then partner Gary Covino hosted a Friday night Chicago Public Radio program called The Wild Room, and it was very much the spiritual grandfather of This American Life. Ira and Gary had great chemistry together, and the show was as much about their interactions and topical discussions with each other as it was about the produced segments that would eventually come to characterize This American Life.

The Wild Room came to an abrupt halt in the Spring or Summer of 1995 as Ira left to begin his TAL preparations and Gary took the unusual tact of berating Ira on the air for, as Gary saw it, abandoning him and stabbing him in the back. It made for a couple of rivetting broadcasts as Gary basically imploded on the air. He basically felt that Ira had deceived him by creating TAL instead of allowing the both of them to make The Wild Room into something bigger and better.

The final Wild Room, minus Ira, was a rambling wallow in victimhood on the part of Gary. It was also a naked, completely vulnerable, spellbinding performance that remains with me to this day. I wish there were archives available, but I can find no trace of it.

[TRILL, THE CARBON BASED LIFEFORM]

Thanks. I got the special podcast where they played their best stories that for one reason or another they can't ever rerun on the show. It was good.

[xyzzy]

Thanks. I got the special podcast where they played their best stories that for one reason or another they can't ever rerun on the show. It was good.

What was this? I missed it.

[TRILL, THE CARBON BASED LIFEFORM]

What was this? I missed it.
Whoops, it was actually released as an audiobook. It's "This American Life Special Collection: Favorite Shows You May Have Missed."

[xyzzy]

Whoops, it was actually released as an audiobook. It's "This American Life Special Collection: Favorite Shows You May Have Missed."

Cool. I'll check it out.

[redsplitwig]

Y'know, I've always enjoyed writers from this show and I've got a cd of stories from it, but I've never listened to it. Now I will. Thanks to whoever posted this, I'm sure you're not as bad as they say.

[DrMachine]

awesome

[Jamie Howdeshell]

ooooh, nice.

hopefully, itunes will be offering it in a nice easy-to-consume mp3 format and not that protected bullshit.

[Ryan_ZOOM_Turner]

nice.

[Dannñ B]

Good. I've been wanting to get into this.

[xyzzy]

Available now!

It's a repeat (recordings for someone), but it's a good show.

Fiasco! is up next. Another repeat, but one of my all time favorites.

Subscribe!

[Ben]

Whoa, that's awesome! I love TAL and I've got a road trip coming up this week!!

[Jamie Howdeshell]

sweet.

i'm on it like vomit.

[MattJohnson]

Yeah, this is cool.

[Shane W]

I was listening to the Archives on the website today and a show from 1997 nearly turned my stomach. Episode # 27 The Cruelty of Children - Act 2 at about the 30 minute mark is when it starts. It's a must listen.

[sonnylarue]

It's the best radio currently on the air.

I always listened to the old eps at their site, and recopmmend the one about Cicero,Il. a very interesting crime ridden city.

Also the one about spending 24 hours at a chicago coffee shop, the Golden Apple ( a great diner)

I listen to the new shows every week. Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris are always hilarious when they're on, and Ira is a cool sounding dude.

[Shane W]

It's the best radio currently on the air.

I always listened to the old eps at their site, and recopmmend the one about Cicero,Il. a very interesting crime ridden city.

Also the one about spending 24 hours at a chicago coffee shop, the Golden Apple ( a great diner)

I listen to the new shows every week. Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris are always hilarious when they're on, and Ira is a cool sounding dude.

I listened to the 24 hour diner a few weeks ago, Great stuff. And listening to the archives has been my first exposure to Sedaris, it's odd since I'm more familiar with Amy than him, so I keep picturing Jerry Blank telling these stories.

[Jef UK]

I listened to the 24 hour diner a few weeks ago, Great stuff. And listening to the archives has been my first exposure to Sedaris, it's odd since I'm more familiar with Amy than him, so I keep picturing Jerry Blank telling these stories.

That's hil-aar-ious.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m306/amw0165/tripback.jpg