Sewing the Shadow on Peter Pan
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Aired Monday, October 2, 2006. [MORE]
Sharpness of Mind
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Aired Monday, September 25, 2006. [MORE]
Unanticipated Sincerity
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The other day, the Urban Man heard about an unexpected event. A last-minute email told me that a well-known singer had an unanticipated night off and felt like playing an impromptu gig inside a hip local gallery. At the same time, an artist would drop in to do a little "action painting" in response to the music...
Aired Monday, September 18, 2006. [MORE]
Labor with a Capital L
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Aired Monday, September 4, 2006. [MORE]
Bulking Up at the Ballpark
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Tonight the Urban Man finds himself high in the stands at Dodger stadium, where the last of the sun has lifted above the outfield seats, and the rim of Chavez Ravine glows steady in a fierce August twilight. I haven't been to a ball field in about 10 years, so forgive me, I'm not here so much for the game as the traditions. I want to enjoy the sound of the organ and the smell of the beer. I want to wave a little pennant and sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game...
Aired Monday, August 28, 2006. [MORE]
Summer Pledge Drive Week 2
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Aired Monday, August 21, 2006. [MORE]
Summer Pledge Drive
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Aired Monday, August 14, 2006. [MORE]
Days of Careless Joy
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Now it's deep summer, and the Urban Man finds himself far from the city, drifting along in the family minivan with uncertain ambitions of pleasure. By now we've come far north, to a place of many trees and ocean vistas... Aired Monday, August 7, 2006. [MORE]
The Price of Wonder
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It's summer, and the urban man has gone to the movies in search of childlike wonder. Tonight, I've chosen Lady in the Water, even though friends said they hated it; even though critics wailed and bloggers laughed. You see, I heard that Paul Giamatti plays a middle-aged shlub who rediscovers his inner child, and I wanted some of that action for myself. Besides, director M. Night Shyamalan looks so young I figure he's still pretty close to his subject. Aired Monday, July 31, 2006. [MORE]
The Life of Ivy
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Aired Monday, July 24, 2006. [MORE]
How to Have a Midlife Crisis
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This year, as the Urban Man hits his late forties, he finds himself planning his male midlife crisis. Come summer, I figure I'll connect with my inner warrior, put aside civilized malaise, and start to "rage against the dying of the light." Aired Monday, July 10, 2006. [MORE]
The Melting Pot Test
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It's a few days before the 4th of July, and the Urban Man finds himself heading out into the American melting pot looking for a used car. Truly, you can't understand our patchwork nation until you've driven around the endless grid of Los Angeles on a hot afternoon, testing the honesty of your neighbors--few of whom will share your particular ethnic characteristics. Aired Monday, July 3, 2006. [MORE]
The Tortoise and the Hare
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Lately there's been a lot of talk about the rising economic power of India. Me, I have mixed feelings on the subject. On the one hand, I remember touring the Punjab, where they cared for me gently in their five-star hotels. Along crowded riverbanks, I found the air thick with incense, vegetarianism, and apparent good intentions. And I recall thinking, "When they seize control of our major industries, the people of India may treat us well. After all, they have an old civilization, and they can teach much about how to maintain our dignity in the midst of poverty... you know, when the happy bubble of the American Century finally bursts." Aired Monday, June 26, 2006. [MORE]
Public Beauty, Part 3
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This morning, in a bright 10am haze, the Urban Man finds himself roaring into Griffith Park on an unauthorized, but long-delayed mission. I'm here to do a little survey on behalf of Col. Griffith J. Griffith, the man who donated this vast tract of land back in 1896. Yes, just for today, I have appointed myself heir and agent to the large and foolish man I have seen in yellowed photographs: A man who wore handlebar moustaches, showy watch fobs and carried a gold-topped cane. Griffith made a bundle here, then granted us the famous Observatory and Greek Theatre along with the largest municipal park in the nation, located smack in the center of the fourth wealthiest city on earth. Aired Monday, June 19, 2006. [MORE]