Ethan HohnStaff member | Elevators get tired after a long day. Pillows get irritated by dust mites. Teeth try to avoid rubbing against a foreign mouth during a kiss because it’s uncomfortable. Ever consider the feelings of inanimate objects? Everything is Alive dives into the thoughts of these objects, giving them a voice through intimate interviews. Ana is an elevator. Consider her life. Buttons being pushed, up and down all day, people coming in and out of you. It really is a unique experience that people never get to see. Ana was taken out of her shaft for an interview with Everything is Alive host, Ian Chillag, who, before this episode, has interviewed a bar of soap, a lamppost, a can of cola, and a pillow. Each episode is unscripted, and anything could happen. Each subject is a little different from the last: some are awkward, excitable, hostile, or just a bit off. Ana’s episode is pure and emotional. She goes through the life of an elevator with Ian. Buttons pressed, up and down. She tells him about the first time an elevator goes to the highest floor it’s seen. “Now they all feel the same to me, but there was definitely a time when, you know, the first time I went to 15, 16, or 17 it was a little bit of a, like, ‘Woah, I’m all the way up here, never gone this high before.” Ian goes on to tell Ana about Frank Lloyd Wright’s plans for a mile-high building, asks her if she’s ever fallen in love with one of her passengers, and shows her pictures of “outside.” This seems to be where everything in the podcast really comes to life. He shows Ana a video of Times Square, where she sees her first tree, in a pot near a building. She asks why the tree is in a pot, and Ian says, “This one is trimmed down, manicured, so it can be in the city. There are places where it’s not.” And, of course, Ana is curious of “What would a tree do if nobody stopped it.” And she sees a forest, and pictures herself sitting in it, interacting with the wildlife. She sees pictures of stairs, returns to the idea of her life, and feels fulfilled. Near the end of this episode of Everything is Alive, there really is some growth felt in Ana. She is refreshed and ready to go with her life and her job. As are we. |