Behind the Scenes [politics]

As the political events of this month have begun to settle, I want to turn your attention back a few years to the Clinton administration. Joe Lockhart became the Press Secretary for the Clinton White House on the day Clinton was impeached. Talk about a rough day. He shares what happens on his first day and some of his experiences at the White House in this story, told in NYC:

A good friend of mine, Catherine Burns, is the Producer at a non-profit storyteller collective in New York City called The Moth. The Moth features real people telling true stories in front of live audiences. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always entertaining. I couldn’t recommend their podcast more! It’s a great way to kill 10 minutes, check it out if you’re into things that are awesome.

Twice a month they hold “story slams” in NYC which are events where anyone in the audience can drop their name in a hat and have a chance to tell a story. Uncoached and frequently with little or no rehearsal, these events are immensely fun, and an unusual weekday event if you’re getting bored of the local bar on Tuesday. They also hold more formal events where they have five or six of the best storytellers tell more polished stories. These are the ones that are on the weekly podcast.

On a side note: a few years ago, my then girlfriend went to the Moth’s biggest event of the year, the Moth Ball. Moby was telling a story, and afterwards came over to the table where my then girlfriend was sitting with our friend, Catherine, and starting chatting up my girl. He hung out at the table all night with her, eventually asking her out, but she turned him down flat. I mention this only to brag that my wife turned down the advances of an international superstar DJ and picked me instead. Bada bing.