692: The Show of Delights

This American Life

Society & Culture, News, Politics, Arts

4.6 • 88.8K Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2023

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In these dark, combative times, we attempt the most radical counterprogramming we could imagine: a show made up entirely of stories about delight.

Prologue: Ira Glass talks to Bim Adewunmi about her understanding of delight through American pop culture and the summer she spent in the US as a 19-year-old. Ira then hands the show over to Bim as guest host. (10 minutes)
Act One: Bim talks to poet Ross Gay, whose book inspired today’s show, about the discipline and rigor of seeking and holding onto delight. (8 minutes)
Act Two: Producer Robyn Semien captures a special morning for her five-year-old son, Cole, who is doing something delightful for the very first time: he’s getting to ride the school bus. (4 minutes)
Act Three: Producer Miki Meek speaks to Noriko Meek, her 72-year-old mother, about discovering delight late in life. (8 minutes)
Act Four: Producer Dana Chivvis follows the night zookeeper at the Denver Zoo as she doles out snacks and tucks the animals in. (9 minutes)
Act Five: What happens when a dealer of delight gets depressed? Podcast host Tracy Clayton talks to Bim Adewunmi about the road back. (17 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

Transcript

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0:00.0	In these dark and confusing and combative times,
0:04.0	we're basic facts don't seem to matter anymore.
0:07.0	And every week brings more news where you think,
0:09.0	is that really happening?
0:11.0	We thought here at our show we would try the most radical,
0:13.0	counter-programming imaginable.
0:15.0	And so today we bring you a show about delight.
0:19.0	And our story starts with my coworker, BIM, Adalwunmi,
0:22.0	growing up in East London in Nigeria,
0:25.0	learning about America from afar.
0:28.0	I just remember the feeling of swimming in a lot of American culture.
0:31.0	I watched a lot of sitcoms.
0:33.0	I've been watching Roseanne, I dream of Jeannie, family matters.
0:37.0	It was a hatch-podge of Americana, a deep dive on Marital Monroe,
0:40.0	but also the books of Maya Angelou,
0:42.0	and also the Cosby Spin-Off Show, a different world.
0:45.0	And I remember kind of thinking, God, there are so many different types of Black people,
0:49.0	doing their own version of Black people things.
0:52.0	And that was really interesting to me.
0:54.0	BIM knew there were problematic things about America, of course.
0:56.0	You didn't know that.
0:58.0	But at the time I was like, yay, American pop culture, this is great.
	...

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