Off The Rack

Transcript

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

Say hello to our next contestants Andrew Rabin and Imani Denson-Pittman.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Imani, you're a theater guy.

IMANI DENSON-PITTMAN: Yes.

EISENBERG: You do some stage managing.

DENSON-PITTMAN: Yes.

EISENBERG: When you want to sit down and relax and pull out your favorite magazine, what do you choose?

DENSON-PITTMAN: Oh, probably Entertainment Weekly (laughter).

EISENBERG: Entertainment Weekly - good, yeah.

DENSON-PITTMAN: I have it in my bag.

EISENBERG: You have it in your bag right now. Good, yeah, so you're in theater. Entertainment makes perfect sense. Andrew, you're a lawyer - wait a second - who defends those who are suing the police.

ANDREW RABIN: Yeah, that's right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Wow - for wrongful arrest.

RABIN: So hopefully none of the police officers are listening right now.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) Well, I'm pretty sure - NPR - nope.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: What is your periodical of choice?

RABIN: I'm going to say Sports Illustrated. I read a lot of Sports Illustrated, but I've read a whole lot of People also.

EISENBERG: I like that - I thought you were, like, going to go highbrow-low bar and you went medium-medium.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: It's good. OK, this round is called "Off The Rack," and it says that Jonathan Coulton wrote this game. Is this really extra credit here?

JONATHAN COULTON, BYLINE: Well, I - listen, Ophira, you know how I work, right? I'm more of an ideas guy.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) Yeah.

COULTON: I'm not always great with the follow-through. And here's - what happened is I did have an idea for this game.

EISENBERG: Yeah.

COULTON: And I took it to Art Chung and art was like, yeah, you should write it up. And then I didn't for two years.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: And then Art finished writing it, so really it's a collaboration.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) You were the - you were the creative inspiration.

COULTON: I was the creative - here's my idea.

EISENBERG: OK.

COULTON: And here's a game. This game is about magazine titles that have been changed by one letter so that they appeal to a more niche audience, and tell a funny joke.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: All right, so you got that. Each answer is going to be famous periodical with one letter changed. And you have to give us the new name.

DENSON-PITTMAN: OK.

EISENBERG: Sure.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Yeah, sure, if you say so.

EISENBERG: A magazine known for its swimsuit issue is now publishing hand-drawn images of pants that only go down to your knees.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Imani.

DENSON-PITTMAN: Skorts Illustrated.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Puzzle guru, John Chaneski, what's your ruling?

JOHN CHANESKI, BYLINE: Yeah, sure.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: See, we we're going to go with Shorts Illustrated, but then you took it one step further...

DENSON-PITTMAN: Sorry.

EISENBERG: Didn't you?

COULTON: I got to say...

EISENBERG: I love it.

COULTON: Skorts Illustrated is funnier.

EISENBERG: It's amazing.

COULTON: That's typically the answer.

EISENBERG: It is amazing.

CHANESKI: Would you like to write for the show, Imani?

DENSON-PITTMAN: Sure, sure, yes.

COULTON: Actually, all you have to do is come up with an idea and walk away and they take care of it.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: All right, let's try this one.

EISENBERG: Let's try it.

COULTON: A fashion magazine edited by Anna Wintour is changing its mission, but it's really being ambiguous and nonspecific about what it is.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Andrew.

RABIN: Vague.

COULTON: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: It comes out every once in a while.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: This entertainment magazine used to shout out how celebs are just like common folks, but is now running pieces about soft-spoken people who lack confidence.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: You guys don't read magazines, do you?

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Puzzle guru, John Chaneski, how about a hint?

CHANESKI: These are the kind of people who will inherit the earth.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Imani.

DENSON-PITTMAN: Us Meekly.

EISENBERG: Us Meekly, yes.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: A monthly general interest magazine that features life in these United States is a doing a 180 and running condensed articles on the grim personification of death.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Andrew.

RABIN: Reapers Digest?

COULTON: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: They're finally talking to their demographic.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: This is your last question - a rock magazine, founded by Jann Wenner, now reviews a type of cake pastry that's often served at tea with jam and clotted cream.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

(LAUGHTER)

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Imani.

DENSON-PITTMAN: Rolling Scone.

COULTON: Yeah, that's right.

(APPLAUSE)

CHANESKI: Congratulations, Imani, you won that game, nicely done.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Earlier we had to put children's book author Mo Willems in a timeout, but he's done now. So coming up we're going to put him in the puzzle hotseat to see if he remembers about furry, happy monsters. Stay tuned. This is ASK ME ANOTHER from NPR.

(APPLAUSE) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.