I'm with Kyle. This guy's nailed the TAL way. It's no stirring indictment - there's no bite like you might expect from a top notch Gouda or Gorgonzola - but hey, for 2:35 minutes, it deserves a chance to shine on air and garners its share of chuckles. Well-produced, coherent.
Didn't work for me at all, like 14year olds making a home movie. Nothing like KUOW's "Rewind" doing 'this american car talk,' at least there the person SOUNDED like Ira glass. Not suitable for NPR's 3min slots in so many ways...
Well,it was bound to happen:"This American Life"paints itself into a corner that's easily susceptible to parody.
"This American Cheese",clearly with a loving cheekiness ,takes the aural timbre of "TAL"and boils it down to such an accurate portrayal,some might think this is Ira himself who was taking a swipe at self-mockery. Of course,anyone who's ever listened to "TAL"enough times will easily recognize the basic recipe(quirky background music,diary-like vocal presentation,Glass's signature nasal delivery replete with pauses)so almost anyone could pull off something similar. However,being that this is the first time I've ever heard such a blatant parody,it's rather fresh and needs to be added onto the next"TAL"live CD. Good stuff. The"Fonzie/Fondue" segment is pretty amusing,too.
Comments for This American Cheese
Produced by Dr. Paul Slavens
Other pieces by Abby Goldstein
Rating Summary
3 comments
Rachael Myrow
Posted on April 04, 2004 at 07:22 AM | Permalink
Review of This American Cheese
I'm with Kyle. This guy's nailed the TAL way. It's no stirring indictment - there's no bite like you might expect from a top notch Gouda or Gorgonzola - but hey, for 2:35 minutes, it deserves a chance to shine on air and garners its share of chuckles. Well-produced, coherent.
Jake Warga
Posted on March 09, 2004 at 10:08 PM | Permalink
Review of This American Cheese
Didn't work for me at all, like 14year olds making a home movie. Nothing like KUOW's "Rewind" doing 'this american car talk,' at least there the person SOUNDED like Ira glass. Not suitable for NPR's 3min slots in so many ways...
Kyle Garrett
Posted on February 19, 2004 at 02:11 PM | Permalink
Review of This American Cheese
Well,it was bound to happen:"This American Life"paints itself into a corner that's easily susceptible to parody.
"This American Cheese",clearly with a loving cheekiness ,takes the aural timbre of "TAL"and boils it down to such an accurate portrayal,some might think this is Ira himself who was taking a swipe at self-mockery. Of course,anyone who's ever listened to "TAL"enough times will easily recognize the basic recipe(quirky background music,diary-like vocal presentation,Glass's signature nasal delivery replete with pauses)so almost anyone could pull off something similar. However,being that this is the first time I've ever heard such a blatant parody,it's rather fresh and needs to be added onto the next"TAL"live CD. Good stuff. The"Fonzie/Fondue" segment is pretty amusing,too.