This American Life Archive

133: Sales 25.06.1999 ↓

We accompany a Hollywood screenwriter as he tries to sell a movie idea and find ourselves asking, is the art of commerce better than the art of art?

132: Father’s Day ‘99 18.06.1999 ↓

Photographer Joel Meyerowitz goes on a last big trip with his father, who has Alzheimer's, and his son.

131: The Kids Are Alright 04.06.1999 ↓

Stories in which young people take matters into their own hands, broadcast for the tenth anniversary of the crackdown at Tiananmen Square.

130: Away From Home 21.05.1999 ↓

Stories of people going home to places they've never been before.

129: Advice 14.05.1999 ↓

What if you asked people for advice and actually took ALL of the advice that everyone gave you? Sarah Vowell tried exactly that.

128: Four Corners 30.04.1999 ↓

We try to tell the story of life in America through portraits of life in four different states across the nation.

127: Pimp Anthropology 16.04.1999 ↓

A former pimp tells how he and three childhood friends became pimps in the 1970s in Oakland, California.

126: Do-Gooders 09.04.1999 ↓

Two do-gooders try to change things in their hometown for the better. But the more they try, the more people resent them.

125: Apocalypse 02.04.1999 ↓

Fundamentalist Christians and Orthodox Jews are combining forces to breed a perfect red cow that could bring about the end of the world.

124: Welcome to America 19.03.1999 ↓

Stories of people moving to this country: what they see and hear that those of us who were born here don't.

123: High Cost of Living 26.02.1999 ↓

Stories of people who choose not to live every moment to the fullest or smell the roses.

122: Valentine’s Day ’99 12.02.1999 ↓

Stories of impossible love and heartbreak.

121: Twentieth Century Man 29.01.1999 ↓

What happens if you're too good at throwing everything out and starting over?

120: Be Careful Who You Pretend to Be 22.01.1999 ↓

Three stories of people pretending to be something they're not, and what happens to them.

119: Lockup 08.01.1999 ↓

Stories of the lives of prisoners in the United States, and the lives of their families.

118: What You Lookin’ At? 18.12.1998 ↓

Stories about seeing and being seen, taped before a live audience in Town Hall in New York City.

117: You Gonna Eat That? 11.12.1998 ↓

The family table is stage on which many family dramas are played out.

116: Poultry Slam 1998 27.11.1998 ↓

Our annual program about turkeys, chickens, and fowl of all types.

115: First Day 13.11.1998 ↓

A rookie cop and a squirrel, and other stories of first days on the job.

114: Last Words 23.10.1998 ↓

Stories of people's last words before death.

113: Windfall 16.10.1998 ↓

What happens when you suddenly strike it rich?

112: Ladies and Germs 02.10.1998 ↓

How irrational fear of germs means that you aren't going to get good apple cider in your local supermarket this fall.

111: Adventures in the Simple Life 11.09.1998 ↓

I thought this was supposed to be easy.

110: Mapping 04.09.1998 ↓

The world redrawn by the five senses.

109: Notes on Camp 28.08.1998 ↓

We attempt to bridge the gap of misunderstanding between camp people and non-camp people.