And what’s going on with you?
Rajani recommends the following: from last weekend’s This American Life on the theme “Allure of the Mean Friend,” a segment by Mike Albo, excerpted from his story “The Underminer,” a character whom he describes as “that passive-aggressive friend who makes you feel like committing suicide every time you see him.” It’s read with such a chirpy, breezy tone. So hilarious. You simply must listen for yourself; it’s Act Three—jump to about 34m 55s into the program (RealAudio). A bit of the one-sided conversation:
You’re here early. Oh my god, do you have my scarf? Did you bring it?
No, that’s okay. No, it’s just that I got it in India when I was there and it’s just this really beautiful thing and I really treasure it. It’s just really important to me. It’s not like the cheaply made Barneys co-op stuff that you buy. I don’t mean you buy, I mean “you buy.” Oh, I wish you would’ve remembered. No, that’s okay. You’re so flaky. […]
Oh, order something? No, no, I’m not drinking anymore. Oh, no, go ahead, have fun. I’m just not drinking anymore. I just realized there’s a little bit more to life. But go ahead, have fun. You’re so crazy.
A quick web search turned up another piece, “Introducing: The Underminer,” which appeared a few months ago in The New York Observer.