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This American Life

I Want What I Want

2/22/20261 hr 1 min

People deciding to do things that most of us do NOT choose to do. 

Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.

Prologue: A new documentary called The Boys and the Bees captures a moment where a six-year-old has a very unlikely wish, and his dad decides to grant it. Host Ira Glass talks with filmmaker Arielle Knight about what happens next. (9 minutes)Act One: John Tothill tells the story of Edward Dando, a 19th-century British glutton who would eat hundreds of oysters at a time and then run out on the check. Joh...

Clips

Why The Breakup Card
“I have needed you”
The Rom-Com Mismatch
The Accidental Address Text
Dad’s Teachable Edge

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Speaker 00:01

    Support for This American Life comes from Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which, uh, means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home. Redfin agents close twice as many deals as other agents, so when you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it. Get started at redfin.com. Own the dream. To make our newest bonus episode of This American Life, [door opening] Ira Glass went digging.

  2. Ira Glass· Host0:35

    Okay, we're in.

  3. Speaker 00:36

    Digging for an old recording in a storage space with 70 boxes of old tapes.

  4. Ira Glass· Host0:41

    [laughs] Oh, my God.

  5. Speaker 00:43

    And as luck would have it- I can't believe it.

  6. Ira Glass· Host0:45

    This is the one, two, three. This is the fourth box I'm opening, and literally right here, [box moving] I think this is exactly what I was looking for.

  7. Speaker 00:54

    To hear what he found, plus dozens of other exclusive bonus episodes, and most importantly, to help us keep making the show, subscribe at thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners.

  8. Ira Glass· Host1:04

    Okay, I really am stunned.

  9. Speaker 01:06

    That link is also in the show notes of this episode. Thanks.

  10. Speaker 2· Soundbite1:10

    First floor.

  11. Speaker 01:12

    A quick warning: There are curse words that are un-beeped in today's episode of the show. If you prefer a beeped version, you can find that at our website, thisamericanlife.org.

  12. Ira Glass· Host1:26

    There's a new film out that's in, uh, festivals called

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