Ira Glass

Margie Rocklin. She covers film and television in Los Angeles. Moon Unit Zappa's memoir, Earth to Moon, was published in August. Today's program was produced by Nancy Updike and myself, with Paul Toffoli, Spiegel, and Julie Snyder. Attributing editors for today's program, Jack Hitt, Margie Rocklin, and Consigliere Sarah Vow.

Production up for this rerun from Henry Larson, Stone Nelson, and Matt Tierney. This American Life is delivered to public radio stations by PRX, the public radio exchange. Become a This American Life partner, which has you all kinds of bonus content, ad-free listening, and hundreds of our favorite episodes of the show right in your podcast feed. Go to thisamericanlife.org slash lifepartners.

Production up for this rerun from Henry Larson, Stone Nelson, and Matt Tierney. This American Life is delivered to public radio stations by PRX, the public radio exchange. Become a This American Life partner, which has you all kinds of bonus content, ad-free listening, and hundreds of our favorite episodes of the show right in your podcast feed. Go to thisamericanlife.org slash lifepartners.

That link is also in the show notes. Thanks as always to our program's co-founder, Mr. Torrey Malatia. He walks into our studio at the end of each and every episode. every single broadcast to grimly assess the damage.

That link is also in the show notes. Thanks as always to our program's co-founder, Mr. Torrey Malatia. He walks into our studio at the end of each and every episode. every single broadcast to grimly assess the damage.

I'm Eric Glass. Back next week, there's more stories of This American Life.

I'm Eric Glass. Back next week, there's more stories of This American Life.

This is not a setting where Chris was used to learning anything important, much less having his whole world rocked by something somebody said. He was 15, in health class, in San Juan Capistrano, California. As Chris remembers it, it was the beginning of the period. Class was just beginning to settle down. The teacher was also the school's basketball coach.

This is not a setting where Chris was used to learning anything important, much less having his whole world rocked by something somebody said. He was 15, in health class, in San Juan Capistrano, California. As Chris remembers it, it was the beginning of the period. Class was just beginning to settle down. The teacher was also the school's basketball coach.

That is such... It's real. It's very true. But, like, what a funny thing to say to a bunch of kids.

That is such... It's real. It's very true. But, like, what a funny thing to say to a bunch of kids.

But then the teacher kept going. He wasn't done. He got very specific and said, OK, you might stay in touch with a few friends from high school.

But then the teacher kept going. He wasn't done. He got very specific and said, OK, you might stay in touch with a few friends from high school.

That is a very thorough and vivid and not inaccurate picture of the future that it's amazing that he went into that much detail.

That is a very thorough and vivid and not inaccurate picture of the future that it's amazing that he went into that much detail.

Because he's actually one of the producers on our show, Chris Bedderev. And he says he remembers the other kids in class kind of shrugging this off. Like, yeah, whatever. But he couldn't. Did you think it was true?

Because he's actually one of the producers on our show, Chris Bedderev. And he says he remembers the other kids in class kind of shrugging this off. Like, yeah, whatever. But he couldn't. Did you think it was true?

Before this moment, Chris hadn't bothered picturing what the future was going to be like very much. He had a vague sense that things were going to get better and better. But now, thanks to this random speech by this otherwise forgotten teacher, he realized the future he was facing... It's going to get...

Before this moment, Chris hadn't bothered picturing what the future was going to be like very much. He had a vague sense that things were going to get better and better. But now, thanks to this random speech by this otherwise forgotten teacher, he realized the future he was facing... It's going to get...

In fact, his senior year approached. His graduation day approached. Chris says that this tiny two-minute speech by this teacher totally colored how he was seeing it. He loved his friends.