Remember how excited you were when the teacher announced it was time to go sit on the carpet and listen to her read a story? I loved it, and all these years later I have been able to recapture a similar feeling.Whether you realize it or not, you know who Stephen Tobolowsky is. Undoubtedly, you have seen him several times in various movies and tv shows. He may have one of the largest imdb lists ever. Like most everybody else, I recognized him, but never really knew who he was. This past fall he was a guest host on one of the movie podcasts that I enjoy listening to. Shortly after that he started his own weekly podcast called the Tobolowsky Files, in which he tells stories from his life. I was interested, so I listened to the first episode. I was immediately a fan. Stephen Tobolowsky tells these great stories so eloquently and personally. When I listen I feel like I am right there with a friend; hearing him recount a story from his life to help me better understand my own. I love listening to stories, especially when they are being told with the sincerity and personality that Mr. Tobolowsky brings to them. This may sound really cheesy, but I kinda feel like he is a friend now. He obviously has no clue who I am, but I feel like I know him well. When I see him in a role I feel like understand who that person really is.
They just finished up their first "season" of stories, and are about to get cracking on season two. This podcast has become an important part of my week. I put my headphones on and listen. It makes me feel completely relaxed and allows me to put things into perspective. It makes me want to write down stories from my own life to better understand the impact those times had on me, and the meaning I can take from them going forward.
Now that I have sufficiently built up your expectations for this podcast to a point that it can't possibly achieve, I want to urge you to check it out. It may not be for everybody. I definitely connected with it from the beginning, and I think you should give it a chance. If you listen to the first couple episodes and don't like it; thats fine, you don't have to continue. For me it is a worthwhile use of 45 minutes out of my week.
Links
http://www.slashfilm.com/category/features/slashfilmcast/the-tobolowsky-files/
http://www.facebook.com/stephentobolowsky
http://twitter.com/tobolowsky
http://tobolowsky.tumblr.com/
