This American Life: Lies Sissies & Fiascoes

Dishwasher Pete, Sarah Vowell, Scott Carrier, Ira Glass, Jack Hitt, Sandra Tsing Loh | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 4, 1999)
• Original Release Date: May 4, 1999
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B00000I725
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,611 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Peter Pan

2. Drama Bug

3. Letterman! Cookies!

4. Mr. Loh's Not Afraid to Be Naked

5. Teen Getaway

6. Shooting Dad

Disc: 2

1. Get Over It!

2. Hands on a Hardbody - Rob Bindler

3. The Test

4. Christmas Freud

5. Apology Line

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Collection of Awesome Storytelling, April 17, 2001

By 

Bryan Bickford - See all my reviews

This review is from: This American Life: Lies Sissies & Fiascoes (Audio CD)

Even though I had heard most of these stories already on This American Life, I never questioned whether or not to buy this double CD set. These uniquely American tales are timeless and universal in appeal. Even the more esoteric selections -- Scott Carrier's The Test or Dishwasher Pete's Letterman! Cookies! -- are enthralling and entertaining. It's the kind of collection about which one might honestly be able to say that the David Sedaris story is not the best piece, and this is from a person who has laughed outloud in the work bathroom while reading Sedaris' stories. Like many other reviewers, I've found special joy in sharing this CD with my friends and family. I've given it to co-workers as goingaway presents, loaned it to family members who've set out on long drives, played it for in-laws huddled around the fire on Christmas Eve, and recommended it to friends who faced the prospect of hours sitting and waiting to be picked from jury pools. One of the best things to come from this CD is the reminder of just how special the radio show This American Life is, and how lucky we are to be able to listen to the stories that Ira Glass and his staff cull from everyday life and present to us so entertainingly every week. This set is but a taste of the kinds of stories one can listen to every week on NPR. By the way, my favorite stories are Ira's Get Over It! and Jack Hitt's Peter Pan. The first for personal reasons, which I suppose a lot of guys can relate to, and the second because it's just damn funny. Listening to this collection is a little like living small parts of real lives -- every story is so rich, so real. It is This American Life and worth reliving again and again.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This American Life can be addictive, September 5, 2000

By 

Sara C. Nelson "georgethecat" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This American Life: Lies Sissies & Fiascoes (Audio CD)

Always a big fan of Public Radio, I stumbled across this radio show about 6 months ago. I have since listened to every episode ever since and was delighted to find that I could listen to any episode online.

This CD is filled with an assortment of the best TAL stories out there. The narrators present their own stories, among my favorites include Sarah Vowell's "Guns" and Cheryl Trykv's "Teen Getaway". Some of the stories will defintely cause you to laugh out loud. This is also a CD you will want to listen to over and over.

Ira Glass is truly a genius in my book, as with the rest of the TAL staff and contributors. Storytelling is really a lost art that has won a place in my heart and one that is not easily duplicated in other forms. TAL is truly a unique experience and concept.

If you crave something different and delightful, this CD is a must purchase!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WORTH A LISTEN, March 11, 2002

By 

MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: This American Life: Lies Sissies & Fiascoes (Audio CD)

If you have never heard THIS AMERICAN LIFE on N.P.R., this is your easy way to become addicted. The subtitle of this collection of eleven "self-relevatory radio monologues" is "an assortment of favorites, both grotesque & dainty."

What is THIS AMERICAN LIFE? In a nutshell, it is a weekly, hour-long radio show with a different overall theme each week. The hour is divided into acts---each act presenting one main speaker/writer whose subject is somehow connected to this week's theme. The themes? How about "Family Ties," or "Amateurs vs. Professionals," or "Holiday Treasures." You name it...you can be sure THIS AMERICAN LIFE has aired it or will air it soon.

Host Ira Glass has one of the most singular voices ever to narrate a radio show. At the top of the second CD, Glass talks about getting over (NOT getting over?) a doomed love affair. Perfect. You'll find yourself yelling at the radio (or CD) "Stop it. Let her go. Don't be a patsy." It's happened to all of us. And that is the key to THIS AMERICAN LIFE. Every one of the 60 minutes, every week, has happened somehow, some way to ALL of us. And yet, because of the originality and talents of the various writers, it all seems new and incredibly entertaining. "Christmas Freud" where the narrator (David Rakoff) actually sat in a chic clothing story window pretending to be Sigmund Freud for extra holiday money and David Sedaris' "Drama Bug" are two of my favorites. But then, all eleven are worth a listen. Better yet, tune in weekly.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.