This American Life

464: Invisible Made Visible


Listen Later

The radio version of an episode we did live on stage and beamed to movie theaters. David Sedaris, Tig Notaro, Ryan Knighton, and the late David Rakoff in his final performance on the show. The other half of this two-hour show was visual, including dancers, animation, and more. You can watch it on YouTube.

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

  • Ira interviews Ryan Knighton, a blind guy who had a very peculiar experience with a hotel room telephone. (7 minutes)
  • Act One: Ryan Knighton tells a story about trying to get his daughter to understand his blindness. (7 minutes)
  • Act Two: Famous people are supposed to be somewhere else, invisible to us. Comedian Tig Notaro tells this story about repeatedly running into Taylor Dayne, who was a pop star in the late 80s and early 90s. At the end of the story, we have a little surprise for Tig. (16 minutes)
  • Act Three: David Rakoff tells this story, about the invisible processes that can happen inside our bodies and the visible effects they eventually have. (15 minutes)
  • Act Four: Ira Glass's sister once met David Sedaris, and commented that he was much nicer than she thought he would be, given his writing. David replied, "I'm not nice, just two-faced." In this story, David shares the thoughts running through his head as he attempts to buy a cup of coffee. (8 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org

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

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

This American LifeBy This American Life

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

85,221 ratings


More shows like This American Life

View all
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

38,617 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,910 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,252 Listeners

The Moth by The Moth

The Moth

27,248 Listeners

Snap Judgment by Snap Judgment and PRX

Snap Judgment

11,564 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

31,986 Listeners

99% Invisible by Roman Mars

99% Invisible

26,160 Listeners

TED Radio Hour by NPR

TED Radio Hour

22,125 Listeners

Criminal by Vox Media Podcast Network

Criminal

37,288 Listeners

Invisibilia by NPR

Invisibilia

21,719 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,466 Listeners

Heavyweight by Pushkin Industries

Heavyweight

16,770 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,001 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

15,947 Listeners

The Good Whale by Serial Productions and the New York Times

The Good Whale

1,061 Listeners