Marti Noxon

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How far will we go to get money? And once we’ve got it, what should we spend it on? The first half of this show is on making money, and the second half on spending it. Prologue. Marti Noxon used to wo

rk for a company that did "product placement" for the movie industry. And when some auditors came to check that clients were being correctly billed, the company’s bosses took unusual steps. Namely, they hired actors to play the employees who were supposedly on the payroll. (7 minutes)

Act One. Mothers of Invention. Five stories of people doing what they think they have to, in order to make ends meet. A suburban dad makes what seems like a rational choice (to him, at the time, anyway) to start robbing laundries and banks. A trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange describes how he got rich from the Chernobyl disaster. They all talked with Alex Kotlowitz. Amy Drozdowska-McGuire produced the stories. Versions of them first appeared on Chicago Public Radio’s series Chicago Matters, which gets funding from the Chicago Community Trust. (29 minutes) Act Two. That Guy. This American Life Producer Diane Cook investigates that moment when you realize you’ve become "that guy" you’ve always hated, and how the simple act of purchasing deodorant can lead to that moment. (9 minutes)

Song: "That Guy," The Family Guy

Act Three. Mall Rat. John Hodgman provides an occasionally true account of seven days spent at the Mall of America. After crossing mall officials, he goes rogue, drinking from the flume ride and exploring what he describes as a secret tunnel lined with human skulls. The story is part of his book, The Areas of My Expertise.

Song: "Meet Me At the Mall," Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen