The Parrot and the Potbellied Pig

Original stories from David Sedaris, Jonathan Goldstein, and others, on two animals who don't even seem like they should know each other, much less appear on the same radio show. Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks with Rosie Schaap about an unlikely love affair between a dog and a parrot, and how the dog betrayed the bird's trust, never to regain it. (7 minutes) Parrot: This parrot story began as a journalism school assignment. Then, for reporters Alex Lane and Eric Holm, it became something much bigger. They tell Ira the epic tale of a rare parrot stolen by "Johnny," or John Bryant Davila as he likes to be called now, from the Central Park Zoo in 1999. They say it's the best story they've ever worked on, but after years of telling it to friends and strangers, Alex and Eric aren't always sure of where the facts stop and the embellishment begins. So they decide to go back to the main characters and find out. (22 minutes). Pig: A friend tells Jonathan Goldstein how a trip with a pot-bellied pig ended up revealing his character and making his girlfriend leave. Jonathan Goldstein is the host of the radio show Wiretap on the CBC, where a version of this story originally aired. (14 minutes) Combo Platter: David Sedaris reads a new story that explores the age-old question: Can a parrot and a pot-bellied pig find happiness in a world that only wants to pigeon-hole them? David's most recent book is Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. (12 minutes)