Mr. Glass himself, looking a little less sweaty.

Public radio nerds, light your torches and sharpen your pitchforks (this, not this)—Ira Glass’s honor is under attack. The mastermind and host of WBEZ Chicago’s “This American Life” is the star of a celebrity sex tape, Public Radio Nerd No. 1, Austin Williams, explains. 

Well, sort of. Julian Joslin, (also older brother of CC junior Isabella), and Michael Grinspan, both CC’09, created a brilliant 11-minute parody episode of TAL in two acts (including a closing credits Torey Malatia joke) in which Ira decides to make a sex tape, on air, with Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. Joslin’s take on the icon’s nasal delivery and writing style is spot on. It’s good enough that we’re willing to bet at least one person now believes they’ve heard their favorite radio host’s coital noises. The video is ridicule born out of love, of course; you don’t mimic Ira Glass that well unless you’ve listened to a whole lot of his show. That may have been lost on the man himself, though, who couldn’t even make it through a complete listen.

The real Ira, in the Village Voice:

“I’ve listened to about three minutes of it. His imitation of my writing and delivery are so dead-on, it was hard to keep listening and I stopped. If I had to articulate why, I think it was because hearing his version of me, made what I do on the air seem kind of dumb. And the impersonation was so good, I couldn’t really pick a fight with it. So I had to decide, do I want to see myself as kind of trite and dumb? Seemed better to stop. Maybe I’ll go back sometime.”

Buck up Ira, we love what you do. (Check out the Blue and White interview with him from way back when). As for the other voices, Huffpo explains Julian trolled NPR footage and spliced Terry from nine different “Fresh Air” episodes. And to TAL devotees, watch at your own risk: listening to the podcast while folding your laundry on Sunday mornings will never be the same.

Before AND after shot via Wikimedia Commons.