Ira Glass

Ira Glass returns to Houston to let us in on the drama of presenting America to Americans

Comments (0) By PAULA BELTRÁN Thursday, Oct 7 2010

More About

Writer/broadcaster Ira Glassknows he faces an intimidating task every time he steps onstage for a live performance. "The novelty of seeing somebody you hear on the radio all the time is good for a few minutes at least," he says. "After that, I'm just trying to totally amuse the audience in every possible way I can think of over the course of an hour." The host and producer of This American Life, Glass has covered a variety of subjects on his show, from Katrina (This Is Not My Beautiful House) to the story of an activist accused of spying on other activists (Turncoat), and even teenage employment (Babysitting). In an age when most forms of entertainment include an overload of bells and whistles, his genius as a storyteller has people listening to the radio. During today's presentation, he'll discuss the behind-the-scenes goings-on of American Life,as well as some of the favorite topics he's covered. (And, yes, that was him Lisa Simpson was listening to in this season's opening episode of The Simpsons.) A question-and-answer session follows the show. 8 p.m. Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. For information, call 713-227-4772 or visit www.spahouston.org. $24 to $59.
Sat., Oct. 9, 8 p.m., 2010