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Radiolab, the trick of all tricks.

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Never been done by anyone.

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Anyone. Ever.

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Oh my goodness! Oh! Hello!

0:39

On the Edge, from Radiolab. Listen

0:41

wherever you get podcasts. Hey

0:51

everybody, this is Melissa Harris-Perry,

0:54

host of The Takeaway. Now as

0:56

we end our show this week on June

0:59

2nd, we've been showing appreciation

1:01

and paying tribute to our production

1:03

crew, our control team, our engineers,

1:05

our interns, you, and

1:07

some other folks. I mean, it is

1:10

truly a team that makes The Takeaway

1:12

every day. And every single

1:14

person plays a critical

1:17

part.

1:18

Sometimes the work that folks are doing isn't

1:21

on the on-air product, but

1:23

instead they're taking care

1:26

of their teammates, keeping schedules

1:28

and vacations and sick days in check,

1:31

organizing travel for me and for

1:33

producers to talk with communities outside

1:36

of our offices, making sure

1:38

subscriptions are covered and logistics are squared

1:40

away. Just all the jobs and

1:42

tasks that are absolutely necessary

1:45

to keeping a daily news operation,

1:48

well, operational.

1:50

For us, someone who is

1:52

a critical part of that team, someone

1:55

we simply couldn't do our jobs

1:57

without,

1:58

is our longtime executive.

1:59

assistant David Gable. This

2:02

is David. David is

2:05

literally the kindest person

2:07

you could even imagine. He's

2:10

lived, it feels like sometimes, a lot

2:12

of different lifetimes.

2:14

Which makes sense since he's an actor,

2:16

a pro on the silver screen.

2:19

He has a magnificent

2:22

voice with impeccable

2:24

delivery. The majority of human

2:26

beings are not yet human beings

2:29

at all, but simply

2:31

machines for the creating

2:33

of wealth for others. His

2:36

baking ingenuity is renowned

2:38

in this industry, which trust us, runs

2:41

mostly on sweets and caffeine. A

2:44

total mensch. Always

2:47

eager with a warm greeting and

2:49

an inquisitive mind. David

2:52

makes you feel believed

2:55

in, seen, listened

2:58

to. He's

2:59

a driving force of good

3:01

morale for us, and he just always

3:03

has been. Last year in the thick of

3:05

the pandemic, I took myself on a little solo

3:08

hiking trip weekend and

3:10

spent a good amount of time also writing in my journal

3:13

all the things I was grateful for. This

3:15

year I'm vaccinated, I'm comfortable

3:17

traveling, I'll be joining friends for

3:20

dinner, and I'm still going to write in my

3:22

journal all the things I'm grateful for.

3:24

One of them being, I get to work at the takeaway.

3:27

But beyond that, David was so

3:29

much more than a logistical godsend.

3:32

He was part of our pitch meetings and

3:35

regularly contributed ideas and thoughts

3:37

to other folks segments, as well

3:39

as some of his own.

3:40

I think we would take everyone on the

3:42

takeaway team, and we are a very diverse

3:44

team, and have them each write down the definition

3:47

of queer on a piece of paper, and one by one

3:49

read them, we would get wildly different

3:51

answers. So what

3:54

does it mean?

3:55

He was a guest on the show many

3:57

times, speaking about his experiences

3:59

in life. and often in a role

4:02

when he was talking about very personal

4:04

moments with younger folks.

4:07

Really imparting this wealth

4:09

of knowledge we've all come

4:12

to look to him

4:13

for. I'm still HIV positive, but

4:15

I can't pass it on to anyone, and that's a huge

4:18

change and a great relief. The first

4:21

decade or so was lots

4:23

of unknowns, lots of medications, lots

4:26

of changes. I still have

4:28

to be sure I have health insurance, but

4:31

I am

4:32

grateful that I am here, I am healthy,

4:35

I have a non-detectable

4:38

viral load, which means I can't pass it on to anyone.

4:40

All of that's terrific. It

4:42

certainly hasn't gone away, but

4:44

there are a whole bunch of us who

4:47

lived through it and are here to tell

4:49

the tale. He voices many

4:51

of our funders and our copy, and

4:54

we've even used his perfect voice as

4:57

a disclaimer

4:58

more than a few times. Today's episode

5:00

of The Takeaway contains discussions of biology

5:02

and physiology from across the animal kingdom and contains

5:05

language that some audiences may find inappropriate

5:07

for young listeners.

5:08

David Gable

5:10

is a wonderful man and an important

5:12

voice on this show, let alone on the

5:14

air. He has no doubt influenced

5:17

how this show sounds and feels in

5:19

his seven years with The Takeaway.

5:23

He's influenced everyone on the crew

5:25

in so many ways and inspired

5:27

us equally.

5:29

He's a force for good in this

5:31

world, and we love him

5:34

dearly.

5:35

We send all of our love and thanks

5:37

to David Gable, and we hope that

5:39

you tip your hat to this crucial

5:42

part of our team as we wrap

5:44

things up here at The Takeaway.

5:47

I'm Alyssa Harris-Perry. Thanks

5:49

for listening, and thank

5:52

you, David.

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