One of the great discoveries of the summer for me has been The Tobolowsky Files, a (roughly) bi-weekly podcast of "stories about life, love, and the entertainment industry as told by character actor Stephen Tobolowsky." I can say with equal certainty that you probably don't know that name, and you probably know this face:
His credits include Groundhog Day (as insurance salesman Ned Ryerson), Memento (as the cautionary character Sammy Jankis), and Mississippi Burning (as KKK head Clayton Townley). You've seen him in something. In addition (and more relevantly to this post), he's one of the best storytellers I've ever heard. His stories are moving, well-written, and occasionally hilarious, and they're (perhaps more importantly) conscious reflections on the human experience: youth, heartbreak, success, regret, marriage, parenthood, aging, hoping. I think they're wonderful. For the even mildly intrigued, here are some of my favorites:
Episode 4: "The Alchemist" - Stephen explores his most vivid memories of his mother and wonders why those memories, and not others, stuck.
Episode 22: "The Dangerous Animals Club" - Young Stephen and a neighbor boy try to catch every potentially lethal animal in Texas.
Episodes 26-28: "Dark Matter," "Three Honeymoons," and "The Afflictions of Love" - For those ready for a greater commitment, a trilogy of stories about Stephen's marriage to Ann.
Episode 34: "A Good Day at Auschwitz" - An elderly man at Stephen's synagogue is a survivor of Germany's invasion of Poland and, later, multiple death camps.
Episode 39: "Contagion" - Conspiracy and racism on the set of Mississippi Burning.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment