Wednesday 2 January 2013

Crunkle

Who doesn't love the delightful crunkle of Ira Glass's voice? That low-down layer of warm rasp that reaches out and holds you, makes you smile, makes you nod in appreciation and agreement and share his outrage, bewilderment, enjoyment. (It's particularly apparent when he does a little 'I ... I ... I' pause.)

Well, here's more Ira than you can shake a stick at. A four-parter of Ira on the art of storytelling. A recent commencement speech at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism (god, he's adorable. And smart! So smart. And he talks about one of my favourite This American Life pieces, set on an American aircraft carrier). An older piece on the joys of the RadioLab podcast. And old but so, so good: Glass's radio manifesto.

And if you're not in the mood to read-read, try this two-minute snippet of animated type on good taste, creativity, and sticking with it.

2 comments:

suse cairns said...

Aah, there is such power in revisiting ideas that you've come across before, but with a gap from the first visit, and the next, and the next, and the next. Because each time, when you meet the idea, you meet it anew, with different learning under your belt, and a new perspective on the ideas.

Thanks for posting Courtney. This is one such piece that I've encountered before (although in different formats), and each time I've come across it, it gives me something else. Oh to be able to create things that can always speak to their audiences, and that can morph and change as their listener or reader does.

Happy New Year!

Courtney Johnston said...

"Oh to be able to create things that can always speak to their audiences, and that can morph and change as their listener or reader does."

That's really interesting. I'm researching a short essay on Colin McCahon and Rita Angus at the moment - a close reading and placement of two significant works - and it's such a clear reflection of how discrete objects can become 'timeless' (although they, of course, have their context' but commentary (which is what I certainly largely do, and I'm going to extrapolate this to you too) has difficulty morphing and changing.

And happy new year to you too. May it rain good fortune upon you :)