This American Life

699: Fiasco!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

We leave the normal realm of human error and enter the territory of huge breakdowns.

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.

• Prologue:
  Jack Hitt tells the story of a small-town production of Peter Pan in which all the usual boundaries between the audience and actors dissolve entirely. (6 minutes)
• Act One: Jack Hitt’s Peter Pan story continues. (18 minutes)
• Act Two: The first day on the job inevitably means mistakes, mishaps, and sometimes, fiascos. A true story, told by a former rookie cop. (13 minutes)
• Act Three: Comedian Mike Birbiglia talks about the time he ruined a cancer charity event by giving the worst performance of his life. Here’s a hint: He improvised. About cancer. (10 minutes)
• Act Four: Journalist Margy Rochlin on her first big assignment to do a celebrity interview: Moon Unit Zappa in 1982. Midway through the interview: fiasco! (7 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

This American Life privacy policy.
Learn more about sponsor message choices.

More Great Podcasts:

NPR News: 01-04-2025 4PM EST

NPR News: 01-04-2025 4PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy... Read more

January 4, 2025. NCL investing in Galveston! JetBlue fined 2million for late flights! Carnival sails out of Charleston for the last time!

The Guru is upset he did not get the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but Soros did! Silver Airways files for bankruptcy! Not surprising! DOT fines... Read more

Catching up with Jonathan Ford | Bears Weekly

Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer go in-depth with Bears defensive lineman Jonathan Ford about his NFL journey and preview storylines to watch in the Bears... Read more

2025 JUST STARTED AND AMERICA IS ALREADY ON SOME BULL$#!T -Time To Hunker Down... What to expect in 2025.

The Deron Harris Podcast Season #3 EP #143 - 2025 JUST STARTED AND AMERICA IS ALREADY ON SOME BULL$#!T -Time To Hunker Down... What to... Read more

What Happens When AI Agents Start Making Their Own Money? The Don Gossen Interview

In this episode, I speak with Don Gossen, a seasoned AI entrepreneur who works on new ways to handle payments among AI agents. We explore... Read more

Thursday Afternoon Monday Morning Podcast 1-3-25

Bill rambles about destroying sand castles, the years flying by, and having a dog. (00:00) - Thursday Afternoon Podcast (32:55) - Thursday Afternoon Throwback 1-3-17 -... Read more

Celebrity Jobber with Jeff Zito - Robin Thicke

Robin Thicke is our guest this week on Celebrity Jobber with Jeff Zito. What would have been if Robin had never gotten his big break?... Read more

Classic Replay | Music Saved Me with Singer-Songwriter Mary Gauthier

Join us for the powerful Music Saved Me Classic Replay with singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier. Mary is a Grammy-nominated artist whose songs have been covered by... Read more

Erica and Mark The Phone Call - Episode 35

This phone call was recorded 12/27/24 Two days after Christmas and they catch up... As Mark ages out more things are breaking on him since... Read more

Older posts