The name of the show is “This American Life,” and for Ira Glass — the show’s creator, producer and host — it has been the vehicle for a wonderful life as a multimedia journalist, broadcaster and storyteller.
“This American Life” is by design sometimes thought- provoking and sometimes humorous, sometimes dark and sometimes ironic. If one show’s theme is inspired by current events, the next may be inspired by some timeless bit of human nature.
“What makes (the show) different from other radio shows is that it is stories, often about everyday people, but they have a plot, so they unfold like little movies for radio,” Glass said, calling from his New York City office.
“Stuff happens. You get caught up in the characters, hopefully, and there are funny moments and moments with a lot of feeling, and people listen, I think, because they want to see what is going to happen to the people in the story.
Glass will be talking about his life at the center of “This American Life,” where he’s been for more than 24 years, when he takes the stage Saturday at the Hawaii Theatre for a multi-media performance, “Seven Things I’ve Learned.”
“‘SEVEN THINGS I’ve Learned’ is really just an excuse to tell a bunch of stories and show video clips and play audio clips,” Glass said. “I have gear, so I can sort of recreate the sound of the radio show around me with quotes and music.
“It’s just an excuse to tell a bunch of stories that are really fun in front of an audience,” he said, with a hint of self-deprecation. “A lot of my day is thinking about what makes a good story and what will make a story work and how to structure a story, so the things that I actually do during a day involve crafting facts into stories.”
Although he works with stories, Glass said he prefers to describe himself as a reporter.
“I feel like I’m a reporter. ‘Storytelling’ always has a kind of like mushy kind of feel to it. Like it doesn’t seem as grown up a job or something. It seems like its somebody’s weekend hobby or something,” he said.
“‘Storytelling’ kind of puts you at the kids’ table. I go out and interview people and talk to them and try to get the facts correct. Of course it’s not like people are so crazy about journalists these days, but that’s a more accurate way to describe what I’m doing. …
“Sometimes these stories are about small personal things, and sometimes they’re about big things in the news. We just did an episode at the (southern) border trying the explain the president’s ‘Remain in Mexico” policy, or we did an episode a few weeks ago on Hong Kong where we went out with protesters and explained why they’re doing what they’re doing in more depth than I think you can get into in a daily.”
SEARCH FOR “Ira Glass” online, and Glass may come up as a motivational speaker. He isn’t, but understands why people think of him that way.
“There’s a video on line — it’s only like four minutes long — that is so popular. I’m saying encouraging words to creative people about how to make ‘work,’” he said. “That video is actually more popular than my actual radio show! There are all sorts of people for whom all they’ve ever heard of with me is that video.”
The concept of “work” is something Glass feels strongly about. He points out that no one is very good at something when they first start doing it, and there’s only one way to get better.
“The video is very much about how, when you want to do any kind of creative work at all, at first you’re just not that good. When you look at your own work (you think) ‘Oh! This isn’t so good.’
“The question is what do you do at that moment. That’s a very hard thing for a lot of people (to do), and the answer is that the only way out of that ‘hole’ is just make a lot more work and learn as you go.”
Getting back to “This American Way,” Glass describes the show as “easier than print” for the type of work he’s been doing since 1995.
“There’s something (special) about hearing someone’s voice where it carries so much feeling and emotion, and just the intimacy of radio is such a powerful part of the medium,” he said.
”The fact is that when you have an interview with someone and they’re talking from the heart about something that means something to them, there’s such an immediacy to it,” he said. “It’s just very very hard to beat.“
“SEVEN THINGS I’VE LEARNED”
With Ira Glass
>> Where: Hawaii Theatre
>> When: 8 p.m. Saturday
>> Cost: $55-$85
>> Info: 528-0506, hawaiitheatre.com
