February 2012
1 post
February 23, 2012
Stephen,
I am slowly catching up on your podcasts – my only chance to listen (having two small boys at home) is on my way to work four days a week. Every day I feel like writing in because the podcast always seems to touch some part of me. Yesterday I listened to Contagion, which I was incredibly moved by – but today, listening to Man in the Closet, I felt something else. I was touched by the...
January 2012
1 post
January 4, 2012
It’s my birthday today and I’m watching your birthday, a present from my wife. I’m newly 41, solidly into a new decade, old enough to think “already? again?” instead of “Yay! Cake!”. This year, perhaps for the first time since I was 14, I’m having a good birthday. I didn’t know your name before Thanksgiving. I’d seen you in a couple of movies, and in Glee, a show I watch only so I understand what...
July 2011
3 posts
July 12, 2011
Hello Stephen,
I wanted to tell you about a special moment I shared with someone over some of your stories. First, I wanted to say I am the father of three wonderful children, two girls and a son.
My middle child, my younger daughter, is somewhat special. She suffers from bipolar disorder and ADD. We expect children to live in their own worlds, and often they do and it tends to be a happier...
July 3, 2011
Dear Stephen
Your stories on the Tobo files have really helped me through a hard time in my life. I have listened to episode 35 too many times to count. I ended a relationship with my college sweetheart about 4 months ago and felt all the feelings you described in episode 35. I’m sure your pain was greater than mine but it was good hear in a true life story that someone else had felt the...
July 2, 2011
Hey Stephen,
I’m a fan, plain and simple. My husband introduced me to the Tobolowsky files a few months ago. I have this routine where I’d walk our 7 year-old to his school and then get about a 2 mile walk in every day. I’ve been doing this for over 2 years now. I love my walks. It’s the one time of day that I have all to myself. Once I return home, I’ve got a...
April 2011
2 posts
April 27, 2011
Dear Stephen, I recently took a 5-day road trip with my 16 year old son to look at colleges. He’s only a sophomore, so it’s early, but I’m trying to soften the blow and slowly adjust to the thought of him not living with us. This trip was the most time we have spent alone together since he was a toddler. He’s grown into a wonderful young man, surprisingly good natured for a...
April 21, 2011
Stephen,
Some days I just hate you.
I’ve been catching up on the podcast you and David Chen have put together. I wrote you before to tell you how moved I was after hearing your story about your mother. It got me thinking about my parents. They’re still alive, thankfully, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking about the day I won’t have them anymore. I’m in my...
December 2010
1 post
December 10, 2010
Dear Mr. Tobolowsky, My name is M_______. I’m a senior BFA Acting major getting ready to graduate from ______ University. This past year has brought on many changes in my department and in myself. Professors I’ve looked to as mentors have been fired for mysterious reasons, parts I’ve yearned to play have been granted to best friends, and fears of graduation and the unknown have seemed to...
November 2010
2 posts
November 10, 2010
Hi Stephen, Near the end of the film Manhattan, Woody Allen recites a list of what makes life worth living, for him. He names great works of art like “the second movement of the Jupiter Symphony, and… Louie Armstrong’s recording of ‘Potatohead Blues’..” If I were to make a list like that today, I’d put your podcast on it. I am so grateful for the...
Conference Hour
Dear Stephen,
Just over six months ago, I started a new job that demands a two hour commute each way (first off, it’s rather depressing seeing the moon on a morning commute - second, yes the job is worth it). The struggle to find something to do during those commuting hours has been at times quite difficult. Just shy of a month ago, I was introduced to your podcast. I am still in the...
August 2010
4 posts
August 31, 2010
Dear Mr. Tobolowsky— My wife and I listen to podcasts before falling asleep every night. I just learned of yours and wanted to tell you that I was still up at 1 am last night after devouring episodes 34 and 29. Big fan of Groundhog Day, so when I saw that you did a podcast, I was intrigued. You tell a great story and I was both moved and entertained. I was reminded of when the red sox...
August 11, 2010
Dear Stephen,
I wanted to write to you about an experience I had regarding my first encounter with The Tobolowsky Files. To say I am a struggling actor here in Los Angeles is an understatement. The last 12 years has been a harrowing existence in rejection and sacrifice that should have sent me packing long ago, however since I grew up here in LA, quitting was never really an option. Sometimes,...
August 8, 2010
Dear Stephen, On a recent 2000-mile road trip between tiny Socorro, NM and even tinier Pointe Au Baril Station, Ontario, I conducted an experiment to determine the effect of continuous immersion in the Tobolowsky Files on human subjects. The subjects were: my two teenage sons (13 and 17) and my wife — confined to a minivan. I started Episode-1 south of Albuquerque, and introduced it in a...
August 1, 2010
Dear Stephen—
I am late to the Tobolowsky Files and am currently playing catch-up, but I wanted to thank you. You are a very talented writer and I appreciate the thought that you put in to your stories. I also want to thank you for saving me on a recent road trip. I had to drive my mother (who is about your age) from Arlington, Texas to San Antonio. I love my mother dearly, but we talk...
July 2010
3 posts
July 6, 2010
Hi Stephen, first of all the usual praise that has to be repeated over and over again because you deserve it: Your show is the best thing that could happen to the media “Podcast”. Keep it up, no matter what other people might say. I really hope for many many many more new stories. But now to the topic of my mail:Every Friday evening when I start iTunes and see a new file...
July 5, 2010
Hello, My name is Matthew, I am a student filmmaker at ________ College. Naturally my love and interest in all things film has led me to Slashfilm.com, and for the past few months I have been checking /film everyday and once a week seeing this thing called the Toblowsky files pop up. Never checked it, and didn’t care. I had listened to many of the other /filmcasts and found them to...
June 23, 2010
A few months ago I got a new iPod, a fact I am not proud of. I was looking for podcast to fill my idle time driving and at work. I saw a picture of you standing on a beach with your knife hand poised in front of you. I thought, Its Sammy Jankis/Tor Eckman! So I clicked subscribe. That was one of the best decisions I have made. After playing catch-up, you were somewhere in the teens when I...
June 2010
1 post
June 6, 2010
I have been listening to your podcasts for several months now and I feel compelled to let you know how much I have enjoyed your stories. They have, as you have pointed out, taken an interesting side road from your original podcast format; a side road that becomes unexpectedly beautiful, one that allows you (and us) to savour the views and reflect a little, without the hurried rush to end the...
May 2010
4 posts
May 12, 2010
Hi - I wanted to say thank you for your stories. I’ve been listening to them with my son since not long after he was born - he’s eight months old now, and he recognizes your voice. It makes him smile. Your joy for life is an amazing thing. The wee man and you seem to be on the same page, everything interesting and exciting and life a great adventure to tug me along to. I look forward...
May 9, 2010
Dear Stephen, I thought I’d add to what I’m certain is a torrent of appreciative and grateful emails, and let you know what a pleasure it has been to listen to your stories. I’m a bit a of a latecomer to the podcast and have managed to listen to the entire first season in around 5 or 6 days. And what a joy. What a diamond in the rough this show is. It’s strange; I have...
May 3, 2010
Hey Stephen, My name is __________ , I’m a designer/illustrator based in ________ , and I was born in _________ , to Chinese parents…I’m 31 years old, currently freelancing, and I’m trying to break into the world of animation directing, and in our line of work, the most important thing to learn, and the most fulfilling aspect of it, is storytelling. To me,...
May 1, 2010
I just want to thank you for your inspirational podcast. I am 17 years old and about to graduate from high school. I have recently been forced to give up on my dream college for financial reasons, and your podcast has been instrumental in my healing process. I had been fixated on this school for several years, and upon being accepted, it consumed my thoughts. This made it all the more difficult to...
April 2010
7 posts
April 19, 2010
Hey Stephen, My name is ________. I’m an undergrad at ________ University majoring in media production. I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your podcast. I graduate next week, then I’m headed to LA for an internship at _______. It’s a very scary step for me. I’ve had this rain cloud of potential failure hanging over my head lately. I feel like one of those...
April 17, 2010
Dear Stephen, I’ve wanted to write to you for a while, but decided that writing to you about how great, funny and touching your podcast is would just be boring to read. Today, however, I feel compelled to share my thoughts with you on The Dangerous Animals Club. When you talked about not really *knowing* your children, my thoughts immediately jumped to my 11-year-old son. These thoughts were...
April 15, 2010
Dear Mr Tobolowsky - As a rule, I’ve always been more of a text centered type. I’ve given podcasts a shot, but never took to them - so many struck me as random babbles and ego trips. Then along came your podcasts a few months ago when I was too sick to get out of bed and was stumbling through the online world looking for something to keep me occupied. Was it the tempo of your...
April 13, 2010
Hey Stephen! I discovered your podcast a couple weeks back and have been listening to it non-stop. I have a 45-50 minute commute to work and I have gotten sick of my entire library of music on my iPod so I turned to NPR. But I can only take so much of NPR sometimes… So I looked into podcasts and eventually found Comedy Death Ray Radio, a UCB comedy talk show with a bunch of hilarious guests...
April 11, 2010
Stephen, I had to write to you; you need to know the tremendous influence you’ve had on me this year. Let me start by saying I have been hooked to your podcast since episode 1, and with every single episode, I grow to love your stories more, and my respect for your storytelling abilities deepens. You have a definite gift, and I’m so thankful you’ve decided to share it with all...
April 6, 2010
Dear Stephen,
I had to write to tell you how much I enjoy listening to your podcast “The Tobolowsky Files”. I have been a subscriber for a while, I had to write to you today to tell you how much your story It’s Not My Dog touched me.
I work as a graphic designer for an educational publisher and am usually plugged into my iPod listening to various fav podcasts as I work on my...
April 12, 2010
Dear Mr. T (without the bike-thick gold chains of course), My father is no tech genius by any means, but I’ve been introducing him to the world of podcasts as we sit and listen to our respective headphones during work. We listen to headphones because there’s no way we can agree on the music he or I would choose to blast as we each try and cut more intriguing puzzles than each other. ...
March 2010
12 posts
March 30, 2010
Hello Stephen,
My name is _______, and I am a musician/artist currently living and working in ______. I just wanted to let you know that, after a crazy death defying trip to India, I have finally caught up on all of your incredible stories over at The Tobolowsky Files. My brother and I started listening to your stories as soon as you guys started, and have been totally awed and inspired (awe...
March 29, 2010
I would just like to thank you for your amazing podcast, the Tobolowsky Files. It is such a joy to hear these awesome stories told by a natural storyteller. My friend recommended the podcast to me and since I downloaded the first episode, I haven’t been listening to much music on my ipod.
Your podcast has pretty much made life just a bit more tolerable for me. I am at a fairly stressful...
March 28, 2010
Mr. Tobolowsky, My name is ________, I’m a comedy writer. And for that reason, I’m sure it isn’t hard for you to believe that I wash dishes nights to pay the bills. A few days ago, I came across your podcast and subscribed immediately as I am a fan of your acting. That night, during my dish shift, I listened to the first ten episodes(in numerical order, due to my compulsions. A...
March 25, 2010
Hi Stephen, I have been listening to this podcast, the Tobolowsky Files, almost from the very beginning and I am a big fan. You’re stories are insightful, entertaining and make my day at work that much better. It reminds me of an audio version of Michael Crichton’s “Travels.” If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it! It is a collection of short stories about...
March 22, 2010
Hi Stephen, I’m an actor, singer and pianist navigating this crazy business in New York. A friend of mine just turned me onto your awesome podcast and I’m officially hooked! I’m loving every bit of it, from your travels in Thailand to children’s theatre in Spanish (been there, done that!). A few episodes really stood out for me recently. I just so happened to finish...
March 19, 2010
Dear Mr. Tobolowsky, While I enjoy listening to your stories every week, your most recent tales of travel compelled me to take up my pen for two reasons: (1) to thank you for sharing and (2) I am in a caravan driving along Highway 21 in Utah en route to Eureka, Nevada. Ten of us are spread between three vehicles, touring four western states to bring Shakespeare to school kids. (One...
March 11, 2010
We would like to thank you for your good company. We recently made our monthly 100 mile trek to Amish Country in Lancaster County, PA from South Jersey in search of cheese and smoked meats and we hooked the MP3 player up to the radio. The Tobolowsky Files made this 2 hour plus trip just breeze by. Yes, as we passed quaint Amish buggies, rolling farm land, and chain restaurants, Olive Garden,...
March 6, 2010
I have always been fascinated with the practice of drawing connections; between people, between places and experiences. I am sure you have heard the statistical quasi-fact that every person in the world is connected through six or less acquaintances, and certainly you’ve heard of the “Six degrees of Kevin Bacon” game, where movie trivia buffs can connect any film actor with actor...
March 6, 2010
Hi Stephen, I’ve listened to maybe half of the Tobolowsky Files now.. I’m recommending to everyone I know, and I cant begin tell you how enlightening it is to listen your stories when I’m stuck in traffic. I always wondered each time you close the show with your email address, what do people actually write to you about? But tonight, the episode I was listening to felt so similar...
March 5, 2010
Stephen, the wife and I have really enjoyed the last few episodes, maybe it’s because they take place in Illinois, maybe it’s just because the’re so engaging. Either way they’re great. I’m always excited to hear people reference Carbondale, the home of Southern Illinois University. All you did was mention it but a nondescript reference when it comes to Carbondale...
March 5, 2010
I don’t have anything to ask you or anything too profound to say about any specific aspect of your podcast, I just wanted to write to you and tell you how much I appreciate your stories. I’m in my early twenties and the stories that you tell on the Tobolowsky files are especially resonant for me in this time of my life. I am frequently brought to tears and fits of laughter thanks to...
February 28, 2010
With each episode I make sure I can listen to it in solitude and silence so I can soak in every tale. I kind of have a tradition of going out on my back porch late at night with a short cigar and plugging in my headphones. Something about your stories mixed with the nighttime atmosphere seem to make them even better than they already are. (As if that were possible.)
The stories you tell are so...
February 2010
10 posts
February 22, 2010
I live in Italy and work in Venice. Unfortunately, I live near the Dolomites so I have quite a commute in the morning: a minimum of two hours if all goes well. Things seldom go well. Your stories have been a welcome addition to the experience. Some of them have rattled in my head long after the podcast was over. Some of them have led me into the temptation of passing your (nonacting) anecdotes off...
February 18, 2010
Dear Stephen, I want to thank you for these great stories you’ve been sharing on your podcast. I am fairly new to the podcast world and have not been too bowled over with my choices until now. You have that great transportative quality that in my opinion is really rare, Spalding Gray had it, the ability to transport someone into the story completely. I’m an actor here in L.A. and run...
February 15, 2010
I just want to tell you that i thoroughly enjoy all of your stories! I’m a 20 year old college kid and have just realized how much enjoy learning and reading. I took high school for granted, but now I truly realize the joy that can come from learning. I’ve listened to This American Life for the last year and now your podcast has taken over as the number one podcast I look forward to...
February 14, 2010
Dear Stephen, I write you after listening to your latest podcast, “Dating tips for actors”. I listened to it after a long, exhausting day of studying and I have to say, it really made me smile. I found your “sociological” study extremely interesting and entertaining, though, being in medicine, I can’t say I’d be impressed with a dermatologist. ;) I also really...
February 13, 2010
Your stories are just such a delight, such treasures to savor, and I’ve been evangelically spreading word of them. Thanks again so very much. I’m going now to check out the pictures AND the hair! And again, thank you — you have such an utterly unique way to tell us the truth about not just your life, but life, and More Life, and I hope you understand what an enormous contribution...
February 9, 2010
Stephen, Just to get it out of the way, it was hard for me to write Stephen rather than Werner Brandes, as Sneakers was the first role of yours I clearly recall viewing. I have been listening to your podcast since the first episode, being a listener of the /Filmcast. Each and every installment has been a joy to hear, but recently it has become a help as well. Let me explain; On Sunday, January...
February 7, 2010
Hello Mr. Tobolowsky!
I’ve always been moving around as a missionary kid. My parents have been in the ministry for as long as I can remember. My father, being a pastor, would get called to conferences, and though I don’t remember it, my mum told me my father wasn’t there a lot for my young childhood. When I was six, almost seven, I moved to the States from __________ with my...
February 6, 2010
Dear Mr. Tobolowsky, This is the first time I have ever taken the liberty to invade another person’s privacy just to tell them that I am a fan. I have, recently, been listening to your podcasts and it suddenly struck me while wiping tears from my face, that your stories are some of the most wonderful stories I have ever heard. Your sharp wit, humor and tenderness are awe inspiring. I do...
February 5, 2010
Hi there, sorry to inundate you with a complimentary e-mail sent to a probably already massively filled inbox but I just wanted to say thank you. I really have been enjoying your pod cast immensely. It breathes life into a broke film maker like myself. It makes me feel like all of our special moments in life have their own place, not just the great movie worthy moments we try and re-capture. ...