This is another of my favorites from This American Life. It also happens to come from the same episode as "Up Where the Air is Clear".
Note from the editor: As you can read in the comments, this work is called "Title" and was written by Greg Allen in 1989 and is part of the show "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind Blind." As is any work that is penned anywhere (in the US at least), this is copyrighted material, so don't go thinking I am the creative genius behind it.
The following script was transcribed by myself from the audio of the short as performed by the Neofuturists on This American Life Episode 241.
"Title"
Person 1: Statement. Statement. Statement. Question?
Person 2: Agreement.
P1: Reassured statement. Confident statement. Overconfident statement.
P2: Question?
P1: Elaborate defensive excuse.
P2: Half-hearted agreement
P1: Insecure statement. Distracted statement. Absurd statement.
P2: Clarification question?
P1: Panicked bullshit explanation! Quick meaninless comic non-sequiter
P2: [laughter]
P1: [laughter] haha, fake laughter, haha, fake laughter
P1: Accidental compliment of physical characteristics.
P2: Pleased response.
P1: Shocked continuation of meanililess comic non-sequiter.
P2: [laughter]
P1: haha, relief laughter, haha.
P2: Superficial compliment.
P1: Self-assured agreement as denial.
P1: Exagerated statement. Exagerated statement. Grossly exagerated statement.
P2: Clarification question?
P1: Extremely exagerated elusidation.
P2: Mental compliment with accidental double entendre.
P1: hohoho, confident laughter, haha.
P2: Embarassed laughter, haha.
P1: Confident suggestive proposition.
P2: Violent denial!
P1: Aghast repetition as question.
P2: Disgusted, violent denial!
P1: Defensive incriminating implication.
P2: Offended retort.
P1: Aggressive childish insult.
P2: Disbeleiving retorical question?
P1: Aggressive childish insult.
P2: Stunned silence.
P1: Aggressive childish insult!
P2: Defensive childish response!
P1: Aggressive childish insult!
P2: Defensive childish response!
P1: Aggressive childish insult!
P2: Defensive childish response!
P1: Attempted condescending conclusive statement!
P2: Brilliant scathing remark with iterary allusion and longterm devestating scatalogical implications.
P1: Pathetic self revelation.
Check them out at Neofuturists.org; And of course, check out This American Life here.
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Ah, yes. You were telling me about this. I like.
I just found this on This American Life... I almost died, when I first heard this. Do you know if this skit is anywhere on Youtube?
I'm not sure, but I may try to put it up on here.
Just so you folks know, this play was written by myself, Greg Allen, in 1989 and is appropriately called "Title". It is one of over seven thousand plays written for my on-going show "Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind", an ever-changing attempt to perform "30 Plays in 60 Minutes". I'd appreciate it if you would include the title of the piece, the author, and note that it is copyrighted material. If anyone would like to perform it please contact me through The Neo-Futurists website. Students get the rights to perform this play all over the world all the time. Thanks.
Actually, now that I look at it, there are some errors in this transcription of the script as well so contact me for the real McCoy.