The Urban Man
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Every week, The Urban Man sets out to fathom Los Angeles: its mystery, its poetry and its beautiful conundrums. Along the way, he often gets personally involved with his subject and fraternizes with the natives.
RECENT SHOWS
Rational Debate
Legacy Player:
Like most Americans, I know it's my patriotic duty not to engage in rational debate. I know how crucial it is to stake out a clear position, then demonize the opposition. Here's a couple tips: If a fact doesn't jibe with your opinion, say, "That's old news…bring me something new!" Or if you feel yourself getting swayed, say, "Wait, that sounds suspiciously like the opinion of so-and-so, a person I hate..."
Zen and the Art of the Buffet Table
Legacy Player:
Despite the high price of food, I hear that people are becoming overweight in most parts of the world. It's not just two-thirds of Americans anymore, but folks in Mumbai and Moscow, Stockholm and Shanghai. Me, I figure you can't blame mere TV or processed foods: There must be some deeper explanation. Something Freudian or Jungian or perhaps...Eastern...
A Differential Calculus
Legacy Player:
I don't know about you, but I sometimes wish I could remember the higher math I studied back in school. I'm sure I could find some use for those fancy equations about curves and inflection points and rates of change here in the big city...
Manifest Destiny
Legacy Player:
Once again, the Urban Man has gone looking for reassurance that I'm still living in the American Century. I mean, now that the dollar is plunging, the euro is rising, and the Chinese are sucking up the world's oil, I often find I need a little Yankee ego boost...
Superheroes
Legacy Player:
Each summer, like most Americans, the Urban Man seeks out the sweet reassurance of the superhero movie. Sitting in the dark, I too fly with careless abandon. I too survive magnificent catastrophe. I too become the mild-mannered citizen reluctantly donning spandex to save the earth...
Memorial Day
Legacy Player:
Last week, in preparation for Memorial Day, the Urban Man went looking for memory. I'm no expert in the subject. I mean, memory is something I generally outsource, like gardening or car repair. I've turned history over to the History Channel and Ken Burns. I've turned personal recollection over to my email archive and a little store of photos located on a flash drive. As for mere information, well, Mr. Google now remembers everything for me...
That Beatific Grin
Legacy Player:
Here in L.A., lots of people seek out gurus. Me, I think that's not due to any inherent local flakiness; I think it's due to our great local ambition. You see, Angelenos have a desire not merely to succeed, but to escape the desire for success. We want to stop caring, yet triumph beyond our wildest expectations. We want to achieve "everything," then see "everything" as unimportant...
The Maritime Metaphor
Legacy Player:
Here in the Metropolis, everyone needs some kind of metaphor to get them through the day. Maybe you use a "mountain climber" concept, in which you're like, clawing your way up various sheer cliffs. You encounter ice and unreliable ropes…but you continue to rise. A metaphor like that can really keep you going...
The Circle of Life
Legacy Player:
The other day the Urban Man had a vision of his place in the Circle of Life. I assure you, it was an uplifting moment that reminded me of my greater purpose in society...
Tethering an Angel
Legacy Player:
Like most residents of L.A., the Urban Man wishes that angels were easier to track down. If only they would appear reliably or allow us to tether them permanently to our lives. You do see those funky statues scattered around town, but they’re not enough.
Public Displays of Affection
Legacy Player:
It's springtime in Los Angeles, and the Urban Man has gone looking for public displays of affection. You know, hands slipped into hands during sidewalk strolls, quick pecks on cheeks by couples seated in restaurant booths...
Mastering 'It'
Legacy Player:
Like most in the metropolis, the Urban Man would like to master it. You know...it. I'm sure I don't have to spell it out. If I just leave the blank, your mind should fill with tumultuous images: late nights, pouty billboards, closed drapes, rounded forms, gentle preludes and symphonic endings. If it is, as they say, the underlying force that creates everything from tall buildings to dark restaurants, then it needs no introduction...
Evading Mere Logic
Legacy Player:
Here in L.A., we're good at evading logic. Usually this only requires high production values and snappy dialog. I mean, if the explosions are big enough, the audience will forget that the car ran out of gas before the last commercial break. Give the hero a black leather trench coat, and no one will realize that he could have, you know, gone to the police three scenes back. And yes, if the lyrics of her song are well-phrased, no one will notice that the heroine has no way of actually supporting that sweet orphan...
The Palace of Distraction
Legacy Player:
Like most Americans, the Urban Man tries to stay as distracted as possible throughout his day. There's coffee, there's YouTube, there's email, blogs, Brittany, Brad, Hillary, Barack, and Angelina. And if all that fails...which it never does...there's the ceaseless reconfiguration of my digital devices...
Spring Flu
Legacy Player:
Last week, when the world financial system got a spring flu, so did the Urban Man. I also found myself in bed, one moment spiking 104, the next shaking with chills. I also tuned in the BBC at 3 a.m. and fell prey to fever dreams. The markets got a $200 billion shot from Ben Bernanke. Me, I made do with over-the-counter drugs...
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Host
Marc Porter Zasada
The Urban Man with Marc Porter Zasada’s poetic meditation on life in Los Angeles.
Schedule
Live
Tapes & Transcripts
Click the Full Details link to view the complete transcript. Tapes are not available.
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