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<div><SPAN contentEditable=false style="DISPLAY: inline-block"></SPAN>Ira Glass uses the same concept of a "musical lead-up and bed" - even using some of the same tracks, e.g. <SPAN class=correction id="">MC</SPAN> 900 Ft Jesus track "Buried at Sea" from "One Step Ahead of the Spider" which is used by Joe in "Mountain Rain" from 1996- listen to the first seconds of "Buried at Sea" here: <A href="http://lf.org/milosz/temp/900ft.mp3">http://lf.org/milosz/temp/900ft.mp3</A></div>
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<div>This is one of the ways in which the "sonic style" of <SPAN class=correction id="">TAL</SPAN> is a direct descendant from Joe <SPAN class=correction id="">Frank's</SPAN> work, whose influence has been repeatedly acknowledged by Glass.</div>
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<div>While I think it's a VERY GOOD show, maybe even GREAT, I don't agree that This American Life is "ground breaking" - it's just a story anthology. It's cast in a hip, ironic post-modern style, but it's just a story anthology, which has been a format used by radio <SPAN class=correction id="">documentarians</SPAN> since at least the 1930's. </div>
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<div>I also want to say something more about Ira Glass and <SPAN class=correction id="">TAL</SPAN> - much to the credit of Ira and his staff and the management of Chicago's <SPAN class=correction id="">WBEZ</SPAN> which produces it, <SPAN class=correction id="">TAL</SPAN> does NOT shy away from controversial topics and has, quite often, a lot of "meat" in it's content. Sure it has the light <SPAN class=correction id="">Sedaris</SPAN> stuff, and other ironic humor, but it also has had some very strong content, very well presented. </div>
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