Stephen Dubner

No.

I think if you say that, that means you are. Yeah, that was bad. Can you cut that out for me?

I think if you say that, that means you are. Yeah, that was bad. Can you cut that out for me?

I think if you say that, that means you are. Yeah, that was bad. Can you cut that out for me?

It turns out that the theater's PA system had crashed. We had been told earlier that it was a new system, state-of-the-art, but, well, I don't know what happened. The next hour was pretty chaotic. The microphones aren't working, speakers aren't working, keyboard player can't get any sound out of his keyboard setup. Meanwhile, Ari Emanuel, the most famous agent in show business...

It turns out that the theater's PA system had crashed. We had been told earlier that it was a new system, state-of-the-art, but, well, I don't know what happened. The next hour was pretty chaotic. The microphones aren't working, speakers aren't working, keyboard player can't get any sound out of his keyboard setup. Meanwhile, Ari Emanuel, the most famous agent in show business...

It turns out that the theater's PA system had crashed. We had been told earlier that it was a new system, state-of-the-art, but, well, I don't know what happened. The next hour was pretty chaotic. The microphones aren't working, speakers aren't working, keyboard player can't get any sound out of his keyboard setup. Meanwhile, Ari Emanuel, the most famous agent in show business...

is waiting backstage. What the f*** are these people doing? And then suddenly the system starts working again, at least partially. By now, it's way past the scheduled start time. So we hustle up, we wish each other good luck, and we start the show. We hang out for a little bit more at the theater and then we go to a little after party, mostly friends and family, maybe 40, 50 folks.

is waiting backstage. What the f*** are these people doing? And then suddenly the system starts working again, at least partially. By now, it's way past the scheduled start time. So we hustle up, we wish each other good luck, and we start the show. We hang out for a little bit more at the theater and then we go to a little after party, mostly friends and family, maybe 40, 50 folks.

is waiting backstage. What the f*** are these people doing? And then suddenly the system starts working again, at least partially. By now, it's way past the scheduled start time. So we hustle up, we wish each other good luck, and we start the show. We hang out for a little bit more at the theater and then we go to a little after party, mostly friends and family, maybe 40, 50 folks.

And that's when our excellent editor, Ellen Frankman, comes up to me with a look on her face that I couldn't quite figure out. In retrospect, she looked ecstatic. Really ill. She was shaky. Her face was pale. So I ask her what's wrong. And she tells me that in addition to the audio failures we had earlier, there was another even bigger failure. The show had not been recorded, she says.

And that's when our excellent editor, Ellen Frankman, comes up to me with a look on her face that I couldn't quite figure out. In retrospect, she looked ecstatic. Really ill. She was shaky. Her face was pale. So I ask her what's wrong. And she tells me that in addition to the audio failures we had earlier, there was another even bigger failure. The show had not been recorded, she says.

And that's when our excellent editor, Ellen Frankman, comes up to me with a look on her face that I couldn't quite figure out. In retrospect, she looked ecstatic. Really ill. She was shaky. Her face was pale. So I ask her what's wrong. And she tells me that in addition to the audio failures we had earlier, there was another even bigger failure. The show had not been recorded, she says.

And I didn't understand. I asked her to repeat herself. She said they didn't record the show. At least one journalist had recorded the entire Ari Emanuel interview, but it's iPhone on the lap quality, not radio quality. So we ditched that recreation idea.

And I didn't understand. I asked her to repeat herself. She said they didn't record the show. At least one journalist had recorded the entire Ari Emanuel interview, but it's iPhone on the lap quality, not radio quality. So we ditched that recreation idea.

And I didn't understand. I asked her to repeat herself. She said they didn't record the show. At least one journalist had recorded the entire Ari Emanuel interview, but it's iPhone on the lap quality, not radio quality. So we ditched that recreation idea.

Sometimes we go to war with our neighbors, and sometimes those neighbors are rats.

Sometimes we go to war with our neighbors, and sometimes those neighbors are rats.

Sometimes we go to war with our neighbors, and sometimes those neighbors are rats.

That is Bobby Corrigan. He is an urban rodentologist, a former rodent researcher who now works for the city of New York.