← This American Life
883: Call Your Parents
Mar 22, 2026 · 59 min
In the early days of the radio show, Ira did a series of interviews with his parents that completely changed his relationship with them. This week, he returns to those interviews.
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- Prologue: Ira talks about why four conversations reveal how his relationship with his parents changed. (4 minutes)
- Act One: Ira’s mom, Shirley, is invited to lead a discussion about how to get along with your adult children. Her adult children question her expertise. (9 minutes)
- Act Two: Ira asks his parents for advice on how he should build the radio show. His parents don’t hold back. (9 minutes)
- Act Three: Ira talks with his dad, Barry, about Barry’s own brief and doomed career in radio. (21 minutes)
- Act Four: An interview with Ira’s mom that, to this day, makes Ira’s skin crawl. (13 minutes)
Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org
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