Crimebusters & Crossed Wires: Stories from This American Life

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 11, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Shout Factory
• ASIN: B0000TG9WY
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,798 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #69 in Music > Miscellaneous > Radio Shows
  • #77 in Music > Miscellaneous > Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Squirrel Cop - A Police Officer Somewhere on the East Coast

2. Loser - fiction by Aimee Bender, read by Matt Malloy

3. Flight vs. Invisibility

4. Watching the Detective

5. The Greatest Phone Message of All Time

Disc: 2

1. Jesus Shaves

2. Say It to Me in Guy Language

3. When the Wall Came Tumbling Down - A Teenager and His Dad

4. Everyone Speaks Elton John

5. Music Lessons

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If storytelling and oral history often seem like endangered species in a culture dominated by disposable infotainment, NPR host Ira Glass could be seen as something of a preservationist, his low-key passion for the magic moments that inform everyday life the driving force behind his successful This American Life radio series. This second series anthology culls its 10 stories onto two discs loosely centered around notions of "Crimebusters" and "Crossed Wires." And while professional writers like Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris (whose bemused take on nationality-diverse French class attempting to explain their various impressions of Easter is characterized by mounting, masterfully constructed hilarity) participate, they are hard-pressed to better the tales of everyday people that are the collection's de facto focal points: a rookie cop's efforts at corralling a household-invading squirrel turning into chaotic slapstick worthy of Sellers or Benigni; a Beverly Hills teen and his father making war, then peace over a spiraling drug problem; Starlee Kline and Mekons founder Jon Langford forming a band of strangers solely through classified ads. Less enamored of their own voices and ideas, those tales of "everyday people" are the collection's true treasures. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

Crimebusters and Crossed Wires is a collection of ten stories, with true tales of (sometimes hapless) crimefighters and investigators of all sorts on one CD, and real-life adventures in miscommunication on the other.

From a bungling, squirrel-chasing cop who burns, bloodies, and tears apart a new house in pursuit of the rogue rodent, to a father who resorts to tapping his drug-using teen’s phone, Crimebusters and Crossed Wires offers comical and poignant insight. Among the storytellers featured are best-selling writers David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WARNING: Don't listen to this one with a full bladder!, November 27, 2004

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Crimebusters & Crossed Wires: Stories from This American Life (Audio CD)

THe first story alone (about an unfortunate incident involving a squirrel and a couple of rookie policemen) had my husband and I laughing SO hard we collapsed onto the nearest chairs. The rest of the excerpts from THis American Life are equally fun to listen to, but we still think the squirrel story is the topper. If you're taking a road trip, this will definitely keep you awake and its a nice choice for a snowy or rainy afternoon, when you just want to veg out. Excellent!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take a moment...listen to a story or two..., December 12, 2003

By 

earlymorningsun (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crimebusters & Crossed Wires: Stories from This American Life (Audio CD)

I you're familiar with the radio show This American Life, then you know the vibe of this CD. If you're not familiar, you're in for a treat. These stories give you the perfect excuse to turn off the TV, unplug the phone, and do something that we never really do anymore in this fast-paced world: listen to stories. Being a musician, I love the story about forming a band from the classified ads. Tragic and hilarious...been there! Get this CD, you'll really enjoy it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This American Life Rocks!, December 19, 2004

By 

Miles Price (Bloomington, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crimebusters & Crossed Wires: Stories from This American Life (Audio CD)

This second volume of "the best" of "This American Life" is another gem! Each of these stories is amazing in its own right, and each is a perfect example of what a phenomenal show TAL really is.

Most of these stories are on the humorous side, which is really just one side of the show; however, it's still a well-rounded collection. If you are trying to turn someone on to the show, this is an excellent CD to introduce them to it.

The only thing that I didn't like about the CD was the time between Vols. 1 & 2. Come on, TAL...give us more of the best!