This American Life 881: I Want What I Want
Feb 22, 2026
John Tothill, comedian who riffs on the 19th-century oyster glutton Edward Dando. Tobin Lowe, producer who follows Evan Roberts as he calls up an old flame to argue they should have stayed friends. Zoe Chace, reporter delivering courtroom dispatches from a landmark federal Antifa-related trial in Texas. They cover outrageous appetite and survival, reconnecting with an ex over Zoom, and a surprising mistrial tied to courtroom theatrics.
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Beekeeper Dad Lets Son Get His First Sting
- Filmmaker Arielle Knight documents a Georgia beekeeper, Nehemiah Ray, letting his cautious six-year-old Carver get intentionally stung to teach him bravery.
- Carver hesitates, then endures a forearm sting, beams afterward and is called a real beekeeper, making the moment emotionally resonant.
Gluttony Versus Modern Greed
- Tothill reframes gluttony as humble celebration rather than sin, arguing modern society prizes greedy optimization over joyful indulgence.
- He juxtaposes Silicon Valley 'gym bro' greed with Dando's simple embrace of pleasure to make the moral point.
Comedian Performs Through Life Threatening Appendicitis
- Tothill describes joining a clinical malaria trial and later ignoring severe abdominal pain to continue Edinburgh Fringe shows.
- He ultimately needed emergency surgery for ruptured appendix and calls his determination reckless but luck-saving.