KCRW's 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.

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Episodes

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  Jerusalem Stories
  Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:44:00 EDT Author: podmaster@kcrw.org (Marc Porter Zasada)
  

  This month the Urban Man is taking a summer sabbatical from cheerful L.A. to occupy an apartment just a few blocks from the latest bulldozer attack in Jerusalem. Like every visitor to this Holy City, I try to pretend such stories have nothing to do with me...

   

  
  
  
  
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  The God of Random Things
  Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:44:00 EDT Author: podmaster@kcrw.org (Marc Porter Zasada)
  

  Everyone knows that L.A. is not ruled by the Author of Peace & Plenty, but a local deity known as the god of random things. He’s the genii who builds a Moorish house next to a Cape Cod. Who sews a patch of fake fur on a polyester warm-up jacket. Who chauffeurs six Elvis impersonators to the same event. Who causes you to miss your big break, along with the exit to the Five....

  
  
  
  
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  The Dark Desire
  Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:44:00 EDT Author: podmaster@kcrw.org (Marc Porter Zasada)
  

  As most people are aware, life is not fair. And of course, in recent years, we are often reminded not to whine about it—sometimes by radio talk show hosts, sometimes by bestselling authors, and sometimes by important national leaders. Nevertheless, despite the failures of "fairness" over the years, despite its mathematical impossibility and political misfortunes, the dark desire persists...

  
  
  
  
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  Someone Else's Passion
  Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:44:00 EDT Author: podmaster@kcrw.org (Marc Porter Zasada)
  

  Each summer, like many in this town, it troubles me that I don't know how to surf. I mean, I'm a dedicated Angeleno with decent health and decent balance, and hey, everyone looks good in a wetsuit...

  
  
  
  
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  Rational Debate
  Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:44:00 EDT Author: podmaster@kcrw.org (Marc Porter Zasada)
  

  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..."

  
  
  
  
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  Zen and the Art of the Buffet Table
  Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:44:00 EDT Author: podmaster@kcrw.org (Marc Porter Zasada)
  

  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...

  
  
  
  
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  A Differential Calculus
  Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:44:00 EDT Author: podmaster@kcrw.org (Marc Porter Zasada)
  

  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...

  
  
  
  
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  Manifest Destiny
  Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:44:00 EDT Author: podmaster@kcrw.org (Marc Porter Zasada)
  

  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...

  
  
  
  
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  Memorial Day
  Mon, 26 May 2008 14:44:00 EDT Author: podmaster@kcrw.org (Marc Porter Zasada)
  

  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...

  
  
  
  
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  That Beatific Grin
  Mon, 19 May 2008 14:44:00 EDT Author: podmaster@kcrw.org (Marc Porter Zasada)
  

  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...