Monday 5/4/20
I linked to this episode of X Minus One in a recent post, but I'm going to put it up here all by itself. I will be writing about it, as it's the best radio program I have ever heard, and easily the funniest. The episode is called "How-2," and it features one of my all-time favorite characters, a transsexual robot named Albert, who is essentially Melville's Bartelby in reverse. The story is by Clifford D. Simak. I've been listening to this two or three times a day, every day. I can't believe how good it is. The "you worry too much, boss," thing becomes funnier and funnier each time it's used. This really is a perfect work of art and entertainment--which can be two very different things, but here they overlap. That's what I'm always interested in--the overlap. But do yourself a favor and listen to this. Don't think, "Oh, it's from the 1950s, it can't be funny." And it's not just funny, but also smart, relatable, poignant, with multiple levels, and in our increasingly mechanized society, it's certainly germane right now. I think we are reaching a point where a robot would be more alive and more human than many humans. That's part of what is going on here. Albert may be my favorite character in anything. He's up there, certainly. I love this episode so much. The voices and the timing--by everybody--is just so nuanced and spot on. Also, the On air section of the website is completely up to date. Going to take a while with everything else.

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