Ira Glass Audio

Ira Glass, the creator and host of the public radio program This American Life,  is an excellent reference when trying to learn about starting in the field of media. As expected, I recently read an article about him that can be found at the link I put in his name.

According to his article, Jay Allison on Transom introduces him with-

Transom welcomes Ira Glass, the Pied Piper of public radio (the getting people to travel with him part, not the drowning rats and disappearing children part). Ira is a radio hero because of the way he listens, and the way his listening summons stories you remember. He is a champion for the Many Voices that public radio’s mission says it values. This American Life is not the voice of record, but a record of the voices around us. The stories are as fully strange and hopeful and funny and harsh and romantic as America itself…and occasionally all at the same time. They sprawl outside the usual standard-issue broadcast confines, telling about the way it actually was, what it felt like, what really happened. Ira is their shepherd, their piper. But it was not always that way. Ira’s Transom Manifesto, which will appear in serialized form over the course of his time with us, begins with his utter lack of talent at this work. We think Ira’s failures will give you hope.

He is all that to Jay Allison and more. But at the moment, he is an excellent model of reference for me in my journey through media. It is mostly his explanation with his topics. These can be also looked at as advice from him. All of this can be found in his manifesto.

• Learning Curve
• Force Yourself to do a lot of Stories
• Create your own projects
• Have your own agenda
• Imitate others

With the topic of ‘Learning Curve’, he discusses about how he had a difficult time starting out in his first career. Despite such an outlook, he persevered through into the success he is today. With the ‘Force Yourself to do a lot of Stories’, he is rather blatant about it. Keeping oneself busy is pretty important.

The lesson he discusses that I consider to be the most valuable is the ‘Have your own Agenda’ topic. Having an agenda is pretty important. Planning out of what one should do is a natural course that one encounters with anything. Asking yourself of what your intentions are for anything is an often process I do.

I often ask myself ‘what should I do about this’ often. I want to know how I should go about it. This usually helps me get some wave of inspiration for something. Such as if I want to scramble an egg or chug it raw. Even this assignment is the result of such thinking.

Although I say it helps, there are cases when such a process is a debatable decision in time. My mind doesn’t exactly possess any photographic memory. There are times when it forgets and changes a lot. What was meant to be a review of Ira Glass has now become a rambling over my forgetfulness. Despite having a plan written out for myself beforehand, I somehow strayed from my original goal.

But no matter. It gets the job done in a way.