From Break-ups to Make-ups

A little while ago This American Life did a show on break-ups and in particular break-up songs. I posted a little link to it here on Analogue at the time. Last week Ira Glass and Co. followed this up with an equally enthralling story of a make-up. Ok, so maybe that’s not technically the theme of the show; that would be “Going Big“. It’s the idea of really pushing the boat out, going to extremes to get results, or as they put it:

Stories about people who take grand, sweeping approaches to solving problems of all sorts.

Maybe you can see where this is going. This week they’ve told the story of a man who hired singer/songwriter David Berkeley to play a private concert for him and his girlfriend in his living room. The sole aim of this ‘big gesture’ was to get them back together, as their relationship was heading down the tubes. The scale of this guy’s determination is staggering but what really makes this tale so entertaining is that it’s told through Berkeley’s eyes as he’s subjected to the most awkward concert he’s ever played. Not to mention the fact that he might have to do it all over again…

It’s classic stuff. It’s in Act Two of the show, so around the 35 minute mark. Listen to it on their podcast.