This American Halloween.
October 29, 2011 2:32 PM Subscribe
Help me take my Ira Glass costume to the next level.
Here's my costume so far.
I think the clothes and wig are alright, so I'm looking for little (and easily made) accessories that work.
Ira Glass mannerisms are appreciated as well.
If you don't think my costume looks like Ira Glass at all, suggestions for alternate ideas are welcome. Thanks.
Here's my costume so far.
I think the clothes and wig are alright, so I'm looking for little (and easily made) accessories that work.
Ira Glass mannerisms are appreciated as well.
If you don't think my costume looks like Ira Glass at all, suggestions for alternate ideas are welcome. Thanks.
Ridiculously obscure Halloween costumes #237: pre-TAL Ira Glass. scroll down
posted by roger ackroyd at 2:35 PM on October 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by roger ackroyd at 2:35 PM on October 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
NPR tote bag
posted by kimdog at 2:35 PM on October 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by kimdog at 2:35 PM on October 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Some sort of device which you can use to play interstitial music during conversational lulls.
posted by padraigin at 2:37 PM on October 29, 2011 [19 favorites]
posted by padraigin at 2:37 PM on October 29, 2011 [19 favorites]
Best answer: Make sure you always sound as if you have a slight head cold.
posted by scody at 2:44 PM on October 29, 2011
posted by scody at 2:44 PM on October 29, 2011
Best answer: That is an awesome suggestion padraigin!
OP, not sure if you saw this in the Ira Glass Sex Tape FPP, but you can pick interstitial music from these playlists.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 2:44 PM on October 29, 2011
OP, not sure if you saw this in the Ira Glass Sex Tape FPP, but you can pick interstitial music from these playlists.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 2:44 PM on October 29, 2011
Ira Glass usually wears a skinny black suit to public events.
posted by Foam Pants at 2:45 PM on October 29, 2011
posted by Foam Pants at 2:45 PM on October 29, 2011
Or carry an NPR mug, and use it for all your drinking. not that I think Ira Glass is a lush. I just think it would be funny. And I'm enjoying thinking anything is funny.
posted by bilabial at 2:46 PM on October 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by bilabial at 2:46 PM on October 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
Get a fake head louse and paint it white.
posted by brujita at 3:06 PM on October 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by brujita at 3:06 PM on October 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
not that I think Ira Glass is a lush.
you should listen to the recent WTF with marc marron that has ira glass. he talks about getting wasted on stage and throwing up.
posted by cupcake1337 at 3:07 PM on October 29, 2011
you should listen to the recent WTF with marc marron that has ira glass. he talks about getting wasted on stage and throwing up.
posted by cupcake1337 at 3:07 PM on October 29, 2011
Bring your girlfriend, constantly berate her about how she doesn't talk about YOU enough.
posted by dunkadunc at 3:46 PM on October 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by dunkadunc at 3:46 PM on October 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
If you do the interstitial music (which is a fantastic idea!), might I recommend a few pieces of music they completely overuse on TAL? Philip Glass' Japura River and Metamorphosis (skip ~35 seconds in), and music from the Amelie soundtrack, like this.
posted by soleiluna at 4:16 PM on October 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by soleiluna at 4:16 PM on October 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
You need to carry a pro tape recorder with a mike. Either an old pro Walkman (still a great way to record) or something like that.
posted by Ideefixe at 4:29 PM on October 29, 2011
posted by Ideefixe at 4:29 PM on October 29, 2011
Best answer: how about have your friend go in the room first with a boombox, turn it on and when people look you enter the room and say something like...
today on public radio: theme show. Radio Free Halloween. . first story, zombie competition. a story of what happens when a group of friends start competing for the best zombie costume, and inevitable fallout after. second story: Terror at Target. A holiday piece by David Sedaris where he describes the sheer terror of shopping for a last minute halloween costume at Target. Act 3. Radio gaga. In which a radio host goes mad and travels through the airwaves and possesses people on halloween to dress up like him and wreaks freddykrueger like havoc on parties.
posted by ian1977 at 4:34 PM on October 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
today on public radio: theme show. Radio Free Halloween. . first story, zombie competition. a story of what happens when a group of friends start competing for the best zombie costume, and inevitable fallout after. second story: Terror at Target. A holiday piece by David Sedaris where he describes the sheer terror of shopping for a last minute halloween costume at Target. Act 3. Radio gaga. In which a radio host goes mad and travels through the airwaves and possesses people on halloween to dress up like him and wreaks freddykrueger like havoc on parties.
posted by ian1977 at 4:34 PM on October 29, 2011 [3 favorites]
Ideefixe definitely has the music selections right. To add to the playlist, the Goodbye Lenin soundtrack is a TAL goldmine. You could fill a whole TAL soundtrack with just Yann Tiersen and Phillip Glass.
posted by just_ducky at 4:52 PM on October 29, 2011
posted by just_ducky at 4:52 PM on October 29, 2011
I agree that he should have a necktie and a dark suit (there are plenty of photos online for reference). He's nerdy, but well-dressed nerdy, at least in the promotional photos. Maybe add some gray to the temples?
Even though the show is heard on NPR stations, his show is distributed by Public Radio International (which Glass jokingly referred to as NPR's arch-enemy).
And randomly say things like "act one" and "by our boss, Mr Torey Malatia."
"...who wanted to clear up something he once said about me: 'Not that I think Ira Glass is a lush. I just think it would be funny. And I'm enjoying thinking anything is funny.'"
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 7:05 PM on October 29, 2011 [4 favorites]
Even though the show is heard on NPR stations, his show is distributed by Public Radio International (which Glass jokingly referred to as NPR's arch-enemy).
And randomly say things like "act one" and "by our boss, Mr Torey Malatia."
"...who wanted to clear up something he once said about me: 'Not that I think Ira Glass is a lush. I just think it would be funny. And I'm enjoying thinking anything is funny.'"
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 7:05 PM on October 29, 2011 [4 favorites]
Sir, what you've got there is sort of the Garrison Keillor if SNL was doing Keillor. For the Ira Glass you need a dark suit with a white shirt and a skinny tie. Even in the comic book this is what he wears.
For sound recording that looks fancy, if you have a smarty phone, Gig Baby is a cheap multi-channel recorder
but beyond playing music under what you say, i'd fake tal interview everyone about their lives with a walkman or something
posted by FatRabbit at 9:52 PM on October 29, 2011
For sound recording that looks fancy, if you have a smarty phone, Gig Baby is a cheap multi-channel recorder
but beyond playing music under what you say, i'd fake tal interview everyone about their lives with a walkman or something
posted by FatRabbit at 9:52 PM on October 29, 2011
Yeah, he's not as frumpy-vintage as that. He's geek-chic and actually dapper.
Get a radio mic with an "On the Air" sign.
Maybe hand out posters of his advice on how to succeed and be creative.
posted by barnone at 10:47 PM on October 29, 2011
Get a radio mic with an "On the Air" sign.
Maybe hand out posters of his advice on how to succeed and be creative.
posted by barnone at 10:47 PM on October 29, 2011
KCRW would be rad.
"From WBEZ Chicago" would be better.
posted by barnone at 10:48 PM on October 29, 2011
"From WBEZ Chicago" would be better.
posted by barnone at 10:48 PM on October 29, 2011
I just realized, if you're gonna carry around a mic and recorder, why not use them to actually interview people for a piece to submit to TAL? I'm not sure if Glass would appreciate your impersonations, but that would be interesting. But I'm not sure what kind of Halloween/scary story theme you could use that they haven't already been done.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 4:57 AM on October 30, 2011
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 4:57 AM on October 30, 2011
Always talk like you are reading it. Speak a little faster than normal, but put lots of dramatic pauses in. Thank your armada of producers once an hour.
Wear a sign around you neck saying "This costume brought to you by Kraft Foods, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, JP Morgan Chase, The Snidler Family Foundation, Microsoft, The Edna B. and Charles X. Scrimshaw Foundation, and Listeners Like You. Thank you!"
posted by gjc at 6:05 AM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Wear a sign around you neck saying "This costume brought to you by Kraft Foods, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, JP Morgan Chase, The Snidler Family Foundation, Microsoft, The Edna B. and Charles X. Scrimshaw Foundation, and Listeners Like You. Thank you!"
posted by gjc at 6:05 AM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
Give an apologetic, long-winded plea for a donation, explaining how expensive it was to put your costume together, at the beginning of each conversation.
posted by BobbyVan at 7:25 AM on October 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by BobbyVan at 7:25 AM on October 30, 2011 [3 favorites]
I have no suggestions other than to say, holy crap, in that long hair pic he kinda looks like Neil Gaiman.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:54 AM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:54 AM on October 30, 2011 [1 favorite]
At the end of conversations, be sure to note (in a hurried-but-jovial tone) that management oversight is provided "by our boss, Mr. Torey Malatia, who would like you to know that..." ...and then here you have a sidekick say something totally ridiculous and/or outrageous, as if it's a radio clip that's been taken out of context from a previous story.
posted by scody at 1:29 PM on October 30, 2011
posted by scody at 1:29 PM on October 30, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by cupcake1337 at 2:33 PM on October 29, 2011