The podcast, \u201cThis American Life,\u201d engages listeners from all across the United States each week with collections of true stories. Episode 714, released on August 14, titled, \u201cA Day at the Beach,\u201d aims to bring listeners to experience the beach as the end of summer nears. Host Ira Glass begins the episode by discussing his own experiences with the beach before introducing a story about a 66 year old man who was a lifeguard at Jones Beach in New York State. As we listen to the story we come to understand the man\u2019s passion for lifeguarding and are drawn in by the story of how he comes to leave his beloved job and sue the state for 5 million dollars over speedos and jammers. In the second act of the episode, we meet Shane Dubow, who tells the story of his experience kayaking around deserted beaches in Baja California, where he receives medical help from a peculiar man named Johnny Tequila. Finally, in act 4, we delve into a more serious beach story, told by David Sedaris who loses his youngest sister to suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout the episode, humor and seriousness are woven together with light jokes, music and sound effects, transitions between narrators and audio clips, and the transitions between the acts themselves. In the beginning of the episode, sounds of waves crashing against the beach set the atmosphere for a relaxed, enjoyable beach vacation. However, Ira Glass begins by discussing his dislike of the beach. He jokes about how uncomfortable it is to lie under the sun for hours, and how he \u201cha[s] no desire to ever be seen in a bathing suit by anyone ever for the rest of [his] life.\u201d He also tells us about his 7 day beach vacation he goes on because the people he loves love the beach. Giving this introduction both draws in listeners by letting them relate to the host and think about their own beach experiences and shows listeners what the episode will be about. Interestingly, the topics Glass discusses in the first few minutes are very similar to the topics of the four acts in the episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although Ira Glass is the host the stories are each told by different narrators, each of whom are introduced at the beginning of each act. Act 1 is set up so that narrator, Dana, narrates a conversation that she has with the character of the story, Roy Lester. This allows the listener to feel a part of the conversation with Roy, while also allowing the narrator to comment, and add both context and humor to the story. An audio clip of Roy\u2019s argument with the director of Jones Beach State Park is also included which helps the listener understand and sympathize with Roy to an even greater extent as he is told he will not be allowed to take the swim test unless he wears a speedo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Act 2 is also set up as a conversation, but instead of having a narrator, Alex, a producer has a very friendly conversation with his friend Shane, about Shane\u2019s beach story. This creates a much more lighthearted atmosphere. Shane talks about the amateur chiropractor who helps him by saying, \u201c[it\u2019s] a simpler life– just crack people’s necks, drink tequila, sing in the cantina, and go home to my naked lady. Did I not tell the story to make it seem good? It seemed great.\u201d Act 3 is a very short excerpt from a 1979 podcast episode from \u201cOcean Hour.\u201d The excerpt is narrated by an anonymous man who discusses the wonders of living on the beach, where everything he needs to live is delivered to him by the ocean. The atmosphere is very peaceful and inspiring, and I felt that Act 3 set up Act 4 and helped smooth the transition from Act 2. Finally, in Act 4, the entire story is told by David Sedaris, who tells his own story about his beach vacation. However, although this story takes place on the beach and matches the theme and atmosphere of the rest of the podcast, I felt that it wasn\u2019t really about the beach. It was about the loss of his sister and the impact this has on him as he reminisces about the beach vacations his family would take during his childhood and about his memories of his youngest sister. Although there are still light moments as he tells the story, it is much more somber as he often mentions how his family of formerly six siblings, now only has five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this episode, the use of Ira Glass and other producers\u2019 commentary, as well as music and sound effects, help fit together four individual beach stories into a single, much more captivating \u201cThis American Life,\u201d beach experience episode.
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795 Words
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