story
I am a football fan. I have worked every major and minor holiday at some point over the years, but I have never worked on Superbowl Sunday. So hear me now and believe me later: I don’t care about the halftime show. I love music, but I can live without it for those 15 minutes between halves. That time is better spent… well, you know, going to the bathroom. Making a sandwich. Grabbing another beer. The real important stuff that we can’t do during commercials anymore because the damn commercials are so Culturally Significant now. I don’t even remember any halftime shows until the Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction.” And that I would’ve forgotten too, except for the hue and cry that went up the next day. I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d seen when Justin grabbed at Janet’s jacket and a flap opened up. It all happened so fast, and frankly, I hadn’t been paying close attention. But suddenly, America’s foundations were rocked by a brief glimpse of a breast, and the Super Bowl halftime show – a way of killing time and entertaining the non-football fans – became a Thing. Like the Super Bowl itself. I can’t help feeling a growing suspicion that the game itself has become perhaps only the second or even the third most important thing in this annual show. This year, with Colts set to dominate the proceedings, the game may well be an afterthought by halftime. (Sorry Saints fans, just trying to be realistic here.) But will a 12-minute medley of The Who’s greatest hits, with their larger-than-life selves scrunched onto a TV screen, really make this a memorable Super Bowl? I’m guessing not.
Show episodes
It's that weird time between Christmas and New Years, when all everyone wants to do is chill and be comfy. So, on this episode, we’ve got three stories that’ll feel like you’re putting on a cozy, oversize, ever-so-warm sweater. This episode was hosted by Marc Sollinger. Storytellers: Kristy Arnett Moreno has a cancer s
Host Meg Wolitzer presents three stories about finding solutions to complex problems, and to simple ones. T. C. Boyle tackles evolution and government intervention in “Top of the Food Chain,” read by Zach Grenier. In Matthew Ryan Frankel’s “Carapace,” a young boy struggles with feelings at a family funeral—with the hel
Stories about the intersection of Christmas and retail, originally broadcast in 1996 when our show was only a year old. Including David Sedaris's "Santaland Diaries" about the seasons he spent working as an elf at Macy's. Christmas and Commerce
This episode originally aired on December 16th, 2014. If you've been moved by a story this year, text 'GIVE25' to 78679 to make a donation to The Moth today. A special holiday edition of The Moth Radio Hour: Simon Doonan encounters challenges when called on to decorate the White House for Christmas, a man is hesitant t
How one block in Portland, Oregon became a movie-set war zone that lots of people think is a real war zone. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription — or to give one as a gift!Prologue: What the movie Hearts of Darkness and right-wing influencers have in common. (8 minutes)Act One
As the weather outside gets colder and colder, and it seems like Spring will never return - The Moth is sharing stories all about the magic, and the misery, of winter. From traveling down icy roads, to finding warmth with your loved ones. So instead of going outside, why don't you bundle up, pour a mug of hot cocoa, an
