David Rakoff, Essayist and Performer, Dead at 47

Writer, performer, and frequent NPR contributor David Rakoff has died following a three-year battle with cancer. Rakoff was born in Montreal, and lived, variously, in Toronto, London and Japan before settling in New York City, which he called "the great love of my life" and was the subject of much of his writing.…
There Is No Such Thing as a 'Larger Truth': This American Life's Rich History of Embellishment
Mike Daisey has been roundly and justly castigated for selling his bullshit stories about visiting the Foxconn complex in Shenzhen, China, to This American Life. But even some of his harshest critics are buying into the idea that, in some contexts—just not "journalistic ones"—it's OK to tell little lies in service of…
What Else Has Mike Daisey Lied About?
Monologuist Mike Daisey, we've all learned, is an excellent liar. Now, let's see what else Daisey has lied about in his decades-long career, besides many of the facts in his story about investigating Foxconn. Here's one.
This American Life Retracts Explosive Foxconn Episode, Says It Was 'Partially Fabricated'
In January, American Public Medial show This American Life aired a powerful episode exposing labor practices at the Foxconn factory in China which make Apple products, based on the monologuist Mike Daisey's work "The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs." The episode detailed Daisey's harrowing trip to Shenzen, where he…
The Simpsons Spoofs "This American Life"
One of the best parts of any weekend is tuning in to listen to Ira Glass' sultry voice on "This American Life." Here, Lisa Simpson puts on her favorite radio show - today's theme: Condiments, in 5 acts.
A Healthy Overdose Of Twee
Pinko Culture Overload: rocker Andrew Bird, This American Life, comic book artist Chris Ware. Apart, there's at least one you hate. Smashed together? A wonderful, 3.5 minute video concerning a mouse and a mousehead.
Jack Shafer Exposes Malcolm Gladwell's Lies About Lying
Remember when I freaked out that Malcolm Gladwell, the most successful pop-non-fiction writer of our time, was bragging about pulling pranks at the Washington Post? And remember how I was further irked that Gladwell was lying about lying? And remember how Pareene was like seriously, Rebecca, this is tired? Actually,…
This American Social Awkwardness
Last week, Ira Glass, host of This American Life spoke with This American Life contributor David Rakoff at UC Berkeley. What a nice thing for the students! But the engagement was spoiled by New Yorker writer Cynthia Gorney, who can't moderate an event to save her ass. The Berkeley student paper wrote, "In addition to…
Malcolm Gladwell's Newspaper Daze
Malcom Gladwell was on precious radio program This American Life recently, telling some stories of his earliest days of "real" journalism at the Washington Post. He apparently had a bet with a colleague to determine which of them could be the first to insert a couple amusing phrases into the venerable paper. First was…
