Current Obsession Wednesday: Everything is Alive (Podcast)

What: An unscripted interview with an inanimate object, that is existential AF. It is hosted by Ian Chillag who seems to be super hilarious in a very NPR way, in which I would totally want to be his friend. In this podcast, he interviews objects who can, for storytelling purposes, talk.

Sidenote: I don’t listen to NPR, mostly because before podcasts I thought I didn’t like non-fiction. Once I realized I enjoyed non-fiction when it was presented well, I had too many podcasts lined up to go back and educated myself on NPR shows. SO, although I am familiar with NPR’s particular style, and I can name some of their shows, that is pretty much all I know of them.

Why & Where to start: The first episode I listened to was NOT the first episode, it was actually, episode five: “Ana, the Elevator”. I highly recommend starting with ep. 5 because it is light and positive while still raising interesting questions about civilization, interactions with other people, and yourself. I felt beautifully lost in this interview, while listening on my drive along the Mass Pike surrounded by trees on rolling hills.

The first episode of the show is “Louis, Can of Cola”. I love this interview and I am glad I did not start here. It is dark, morbid at times, and the comparisons drawn between soup cans and classism are a little too real. It made me tear-up a bit, it was heavy, and maybe hit too close to home to be considered funny. We all fear big life things like, not being accepted, not meeting others’ expectations, and ‘what comes next?’.--well, Louis does too.  

If you like thought-provoking art OR funny improv podcasts, Everything is Alive is definitely worth checking out.