FEATURE - September 2015
FastForward speaks with Ira Glass, radio personality and producer of NPR's “This American Life”
By Isabel Rodriguez, C.C. Clark, Jack Lamarre, Rakesh Shah, Gemma Calandra, Sophie Devincenti, and Christine Watridge from Tamalpais High, University High, Marin Academy, Branson, and Redwood High Schools
Ring, ring. A Skype call pops up on screen. The face of none other than Ira Glass, radio personality and producer of “This American Life,” appears, smiling and waving at us. His enthusiasm, as well as his quirky personality is infectious. Every question we asked sparked stories and thoughts that came pouring out with no filter.
Ira Glass, producer of NPR's “This American Life”
FEATURE - September 2015
FastForward speaks with Ira Glass, radio personality and producer of NPR's “This American Life”
By Isabel Rodriguez, C.C. Clark, Jack Lamarre, Rakesh Shah, Gemma Calandra, Sophie Devincenti, and Christine Watridge from Tamalpais High, University High, Marin Academy, Branson, and Redwood High Schools
Ring, ring. A Skype call pops up on screen. The face of none other than Ira Glass, radio personality and producer of “This American Life,” appears, smiling and waving at us. His enthusiasm, as well as his quirky personality is infectious. Every question we asked sparked stories and thoughts that came pouring out with no filter.Ira tells us that many people still ask, “When is the grown-up gonna show up?” No one seems more passionate about his work than Ira Glass. When asked why he went into radio, he replied, “Because it felt like something more.”
For thirty years, Ira Glass has been in the business of informing the public of relevant or entertaining stories. For a person whose name is as synonymous with radio journalism as his, Ira Glass, looks strikingly non-traditional. Thick-rimmed glasses and impeccable hair aside, there is something very informal – one could even say casual - about him. His light-hearted humor, the nasal tenor of his voice, and even his style of speech are a complete antithesis to the rehearsed, mechanical cadence of a conventional reporter. We at FastForward wondered: just how did Ira Glass defy all the tropes of his profession to become an icon of modern radio? Excited to be sitting right in front of him, we tuned in to find out.