PRI Arts and Entertainment Podcast
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Teen Diaries and the Power of Being Your Own Storyteller
Sixteen years ago, producerJoe Richmangave group of teenagers tape recorders and asked them to report on their own lives. Armed with recording equipment, they told their stories, and "Teenage Diaries" -- compelling radio that gave listeners an unexpected lens into the lives of ordinary teens -- was born.
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Isabella Rossellini's new TV show about motherhood set...
Isabella Rossellini, the acclaimed actress and director, is out with her own new look at motherhood in a sometimes-disturbing series set to debut on the Sundance Channel.
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Darcy James Argue's 'Brooklyn Babylon' almost never was
Brooklyn Babylon is one of the most anticipated compilations of jazz music this year — but with roots as a score for a multimedia epic, composer Darcy James Argue spent a long while debating with himself on whether he should even release it to the public separate from the multimedia.
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American actor vies to play role of Napoleon on 200th...
Mark Schneider is a big deal among the war re-enactor set. He's often tapped to play the role of Napoleon, and he's in the running to play Napoleon in the biggest re-enactment in years: the 200th anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo.
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Appropriating images for art: When is it OK?
Last year the artist Richard Prince was sued by Patrick Cariou, a photographer, for copyright infringement. Prince had used dozens of Cariou’s pictures — arty portraits of Rastafarians in Jamaica — in his paintings. This practice of appropriation, incorporating other people's work into new artworks, is well established in the art world, and Prince has based a successful career on it. But a federal judge ruled for Cariou last year, and if Prince loses his appeal, a swath of contemporary art...
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Handwriting a much debated window into people's inner...
Handwriting can say a lot about a person. At least that's what the French think. Others say its overblown. But according to Philip Hensher in a new book, we all seem to agree that handwriting is something that's highly personal. And something we rarely do any more.
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The Neuroscience of Jazz
Charles Limb is a professor of otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins Medicine who has a sideline in brain research; he’s also on the faculty at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. He wants to know what happens in our brains when we play piano. Simple: stick a musician in an fMRI machine, and see what happens.
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Irish actress plays singular role in Broadway's...
The Testament of Mary is all about Mary. In fact, it has no other characters. Fiona Shaw plays the singular role in the new Broadway show, out this week. In it, she struggles with whether she did a good job of raising Jesus Christ.
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Borgia's Jeremy Irons has perfected role of being bad
In movies and TV shows, you need a bad guy. Often, when directors and producers are looking for a bad guy, they look to Jeremy Irons, who's filled the bill in movies from Reversal of Fortune to the Lion King. His most recent endeavor, Showtime's The Borgias, returns on Sunday.
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Thatcher's legacy includes activists songwriters who...
Margaret Thatcher was controversial in her life. As the world contemplated her legacy, a number of musicians who composed songs opposing Thatcher's time as British prime minister recalled how they felt and the songs they wrote while she was in office.
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Legendary Indian classical musicians bring songs to...
Shivkumar Sharma and Zakir Hussain are widely known for their distinctive, Indian music. It's an example of the type of music that's also a uniting force for the country's Hindus and Muslims. The two musicians have brought their music to the United States.
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Tom Hanks says he aspires to appear in a completely...
Tom Hanks, the movie actor known for his leading roles in Big, Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan, is staring on Broadway right now, in Lucky Guy, about a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. But Hanks, who has played roles that don't have to say much to make a big impact, isn't done yet.
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For Mexico's Maya people, baseball, or bax'abola, a way...
Mexico's Maya people have a culture that is distinct, and all their own. So while the rest of Mexico goes nuts about soccer, the Mayans are more baseball people. And that love for baseball continues, even when those people move to new places, like the U.S.
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Walking with Benjamin Britten
“After lunch, every afternoon, Benjamin Britten would go out walking,” notes Chris Watson, a professional sound recordist. “During that walk, which was maybe an hour, maybe 90 minutes, he would consider and edit in his mind his morning's work on his compositions.” Watson, who has collaborated with legendary nature filmmaker David Attenborough, retraced many of Britten’s routes with his recording equipment to make “In Britten’s Footsteps,” a sound portrait of composer’s world.
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Edie Falco, TV star, finds her place on screen playing...
Edie Falco worked for years on your typical network TV shows. But when she moved to the premium channels for roles on Oz and The Sopranos, her career really took off. Now appearing on stage and on screen, she often finds herself playing the role of a woman who is deeply troubled.
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New play about Isaac Newton tells story of time he...
Lucas Hnath's play about Isaac Newton takes a fresh approach to sorting fact from fiction. While telling the tale of the time Isaac Newton supposedly put a needle into the back of his eye, a narrator helps the audience separate sort out what's real by writing actual facts on a chalkboard.
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Book 'Ghana Must Go' explores the lives of Afropolitans
Drawing from her own family's experiences, author Tayi Selasi's first novel follows a family's journey of leaving its former home and life behind for a new land. Though her novel is a story of immigration, the stories are primarily focused on the emotional lives of these characters.
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Provocative artist Charles Krafft goes public as...
1)Charles Krafft has generated a wide following for his provocative art. But until recently, he wasn't especially controversial. But a reporter recently uncovered, and confirmed, that Krafft doesn't believe in the Holocaust. 2)Stephane Hessel inspired the Occupy Wall Street movement with his writing, and powered protest movements around the globe. But as those movements seemingly sputter out, Hessel had one more book of advice, specifically for protesters in Spain. It's set to be released...
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Musicologist collects Saharan music with cellphones;...
1) Traveling from the U.S. west coast to West Africa, a Portland-based musicologist set out to record traditional guitar music. But once he arrived, he discovered a specific cell phone technology had become a major component of the Saharan music culture. 2) Jamaica Kincaid's story is the story of a thousand immigrants. Sure, the details are almost certainly unique to her - becoming a successful author almost instantly isn't exactly common. But she turned difficult circumstances into a new...
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Spanish priest commissions graffiti work to brighten up...
1)Father Ramon Borr decided his Spanish church wasn't quite as lively as he wanted. So he found a couple of graffiti artists and told them to liven things up. 2)Millions of dollars have been generated for creative projects through Kickstarter. But not all projects that meet their fundraising goals are successfully brought to completion. And that can sometimes lead to headaches, hurt feelings, or worse.
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NFL faces class action lawsuit from thousands of former...
1) Thousands of former professional football players and their wives have filed a class action lawsuit against the National Football League. Now, the NFL is faced with ameliorating the problem, as well as, perhaps, a legal battle that the organization could lose. 2) Argo has been one of last year’s most celebrated films. Ben Affleck directed the movie and stars as the CIA operative who masterminded the escape of six US embassy employees from Tehran during the 1979 hostage crisis. That man’s...
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Hungarian surf rock band breaks new ground in nation's...
1) Hungary's not a country you associate with coast lines. And for good reason. It's land-locked. But a new surf rock band is bringing a new type of sound to the country's culture -- and it's decidedly less dreary than usual. 2) Fans of action or zombie movies will have new releases to choose from at this weekend's movie theater box office. But before you make the trip, the Movie Date podcast co-hosts give their thoughts on two of the three new releases.
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Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel gets...
1) The release of an action-packed version of the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel is one of a string of Hollywood's retellings of internationally loved stories. A folklore scholar explains why the Brothers' collection is still popular today. 2) Lara Bello's new Flamenco album is inspired by an American. But its roots, and its title, are absolutely Spanish. Bello grew up in Granada, surrounded by Flamenco culture. And her new album reflects that culture.
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Bolshoi Ballet director could lose eyesight after acid...
1) The art director for the Bolshoi Ballet is being treated by doctors in Moscow after an acid attack outside of his Moscow apartment Thursday night. Some believe the attack is linked to his professional work with the theater, which hasn't been welcomed with open arms. 2) When Meehan Crist was younger, her mother had a concussion. It changed her mother's life, so much so that sometimes she'd walk into a room and not remember where she was. When Crist found out what happened, it sent her on a...
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Zero Dark Thirty 'remarkably accurate' yet still...
1)Zero Dark Thirty, the critically acclaimed film that looks at the events leading up to the death of Osama bin Laden. The film, though, has not been without controversy, particularly on Capitol Hill, where several senators have been outspoken critics. 2)The World Kora Trio took Paris's Africolor music festival by storm recently. The musical group is comprised of a Frenchman, an American and a Malian, together performing modern, funky music with traditional instruments.
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Small theaters struggle to go digital and resolution...
The motion picture industry is saying goodbye to film and hello to digital. That's meant all new projectors and often new sound systems too for movie theaters. For some, small theaters, where profits are few and far between, that expense has been a lot to bear. Also, two years ago, on a long car trip, Michael and Elizabeth Singer decided to make resolutions for each other. The funny thing is that it worked. So last year, they decided to do it again.
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Mind Games: Designing with EEG; Iraq in Retrospect:...
1) EEG — electroencephalography — is almost a century old, and it’s creeping out of the research lab and the neurologist’s office. Headsets embedded with electrodes to read electrical activity in the brain are commercially available, and designers are using that information for all sorts of purposes. 2) Iraq in Retrospect: The slim work of fiction, “The Yellow Birds” by author Kevin Powers is showing up on lots of "Best of 2012" book lists. Like the narrator of his story, Powers was a...
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Charlie Brown soundtrack preserved by Library of...
1) Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack differentiates itself in noisy Christmas season: The soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas certainly isn't new, but it does stand out. Christmas music is filled with jingle bells and snowmen, but not so with Vince Guaraldi's work. His soundtrack has been recognized and preserved in the National Recording Registry from the Library of Congress. 2) Physicists produce physics horror flick 'Decay' in an effort to increase understanding:...
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Teen innovator from Sierra Leone wows MIT; New movie...
1)How do you get from a culture that depends on aid to a culture that promotes innovation? The story of Kelvin Doe, a 16-year-old from the West African nation of Sierra Leone, offers hope. 2)Franklin Delano Roosevelt is often remembered as the American President who stopped Adolf Hitler's march across Europe. In a new movie, Hyde Park on Hudson, film writer Richard Nelson tells the story of a pivotal weekend in Roosevelt's presidency -- and presents the man in a new light.
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Hip-hop artist sings out against homophobia, plus Not...
1) Hip-hop artist makes waves with song attacking homophobia: Macklemore is a hip-hop artist made famous for challenging the norms. His biggest hit right now is about the second-hand shops where he buys clothes. But he's also become famous for another song he released recently, Same Love, which promotes acceptance of same-sex marriage. 2) Turkish TV show Behzat C draws ire of censors, adoration of public: Behzat C is one of the most popular shows on Turkish TV, with the public at least....
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For the Love of Lincoln, plus Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie...
1) For the Love of Lincoln: With the new Steven Spielberg biopic "Lincoln," lots of new Lincoln books, and the 150th anniversary of the civil war, it seems the 16th president is hotter than ever.2) Faking It: Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie Taylor: Jerry Uelsmann is a giant of surreal photomontage, and he still works in that labor-intensive, non-photoshopped way.
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Titanic's Morse Code Messages Brought to Life by Audio...
The only surviving real-time record of the sinking of the Titanic 100 years ago are the transcriptions of Morse Code messages sent to and from the ship via Marconi Wireless–the most advanced long-distance communication of its time. On the 100th anniversary year of the disaster, an audio artist has used voice synthesis software to bring those messages to life.
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Author's new book examines recent musician's...
Johann S. Bach composed his music some three centuries ago, but even today it takes on new life in unexpected places. In a new book, author Paul Elie looks at the musicians who are taking Bach and casting it in a new light.
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Expert says Rotterdam art heist likely an inside job,...
Tens of millions of dollars worth of art was recently stolen from a Rotterdam art museum and now signs are emerging that the entire thing may have been connected to illegal drugs. But a security expert says it also likely was done by someone with inside knowledge.
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Buying art from Costco and the best high school movies
On this week's download: 1) Want a Warhol for your wall? Go to Costco and 2) What are the best high school movies?
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Steampunk defined, plus Phil Lynott's mom
1) What exactly is steampunk? We’ll meet some musicians who are making the dusty Victorian era new all over again. 2) The mother of deceased lead singer from Thin Lizzy discusses musician's early life.
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A Euro Crisis Thriller and Andrew McCarthy
1) What if Germany did decide to abandon the euro and go back to the Deutsche Mark? A former financial journalist in Berlin has written a thriller based on that scenario. Spoiler alert here: it doesn’t end well. 2) Andrew McCarthy's career has been broad. He's had highs and lows, and his new book documents that journey.
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In new memoir, Salman Rushdie tells tale of life as...
Salman Rushdie knows what it's like to be a wanted man. After he published his novel The Satanic Verses, the leader of Iran issued a call for his death. Rushdie went into hiding, with armed guards protecting him at all times. He's telling that story now in his new book, Joseph Anton: A Memoir.
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Famed composer Philip Glass
Philip Glass could have been on the downhill portion of his career when he became famous. The man who created a four-and-a-half hour opera that many people couldn't follow broke out in a big way and has become one of the most influential composers in the United States.
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The legacy of David Foster Wallace
New Yorker staff writer D.T. Max has written the first major biography of author David Foster Wallace. He talks about the work and life of Wallace on Studio 360.
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Inside the cruel world of underage models
A new documentary called "Girl Model" looks at the world of underage modeling through the eyes of a 13-year-old Russian girl named Nadya. From The Takeaway.
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Wheelchair ballet performer Sue Austin
Artist Sue Austin amazed spectators at the Paralympics with her underwater wheelchair ballet performance. From PRI's The World.
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The Heavy live in studio
The Heavy's new album is called "The Glorious Dead," and they're currently touring North America. They talk about their sound and perform live on Studio 360.
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New science fiction by China Mieville
China Mieville discusses his novel "Embassytown," which features aliens that speak a strange language in a strange way -- with two voices simultaneously. From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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How the Minstrel Show influenced modern hip-hop and...
Authors Yuval Taylor and Jake Austen document how today's black music and entertainment is influenced bythe Minstrel shows of late 19th and early 20th centuries. From The Takeaway.
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Alex Anwandter: musician and closeted activist
How Chilean pop musician Alex Anwandter found himself linked to a brutal hate crime and became an outspoken critic of his country's homophobia. From PRI's The World.
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How campaign soundtracks rock the vote
Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" is high on Barack Obama's campaign playlist; for Mitt Romney, it's Kid Rock's "Born Free" -- what these songs say about the candidates. From Studio 360.
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'My American Unhappiness'
Dean Bakopoulos' novel is a mordantly funny satire about the psychological state of the nation. From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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Everything is a remix: creativity is stealing
Kirby Ferguson, a filmmaker and creator of the four-part video series, "Everything is a Remix," says we have to accept the ugly truth that creativity is stealing. From The Takeaway.
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Marjane Satrapi on her new film
Satrapi combined live action, animation, and even puppets to construct a magic-realist 1950s Iran in "Chicken with Plums." From Studio 360.
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Invented languages from Hollywood to Bollywood
There's a long tradition of languages invented for fiction, from Elvish to Klingon. Now there's Dothraki, created for HBO's Game of Thrones. From PRI's The world.
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Remembering Julia Child and the 'Joy of Cooking'
Judith Jones, legendary editor at Knopf, talks about discovering French cooking and her long friendship and partnership with Julia Child. From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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Jennifer Egan's polyphonic narrative
Is
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Bluegrass with a Mongolian Twist
Tom Pang is a Mongolian musician who is bringing new sounds to Shanghai by playing the mandolin with American bluegrass players. From PRI's The World.
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Woody Harrelson on his new Off-Broadway show
With
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The earth slows in new novel, 'The Age of Miracles'
In her debut novel, "The Age of Miracles," Karen Thompson Walker explores childhood and natural disasters. From Studio 360.
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Caravan Palace: Electro-Swing from France
French band Caravan Palace blends Gypsy jazz and swing with a mix of electronics and live instruments. Their new album is called "Panic." From PRI's The World.
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Interview with director of Ai Weiwei documentary
Alison Klayman talks about her new documentary, "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry," and the man at the center of it. From The Takeaway.
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Author Don Lee addresses the young Asian American...
The perceptions, stereotypes and realities of three Asian-Americans play out in Don Lee's new novel, "The Collective." From Here and Now.
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Great music you never need to hear again
Music critic Tim Page talks about his list of great music -- like "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band," "Take Five" and "La Boheme" -- that he never wants to hear again. From Studio 360.
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Interview with Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey
Natasha Trethewey is the first African American to hold the title of Poet Laureate since Rita Dove in 1993. In this interview she talks about her poetry and why she writes. From The Takeaway.
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Aboriginal art brings in $40 million annually to...
Paintings by aboriginal artists in Australia can fetch up to $20,000, and are providing indigenous communities with a source of much-needed income. From PRI's The World.
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Dirty Projectors live in-studio
Dave Longstreth, the Dirty Projectors' lead guitarist and songwriter, talks about his music inspirations and the band's new album, "Swing Lo Magellan." From Studio 360.
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Interview with 'Savages' author
Author Don Winslow says he wrote his 2010 bestseller "Savages" in a pretty snarky mood. The book was critically acclaimed and is now a film. From Here and Now.
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A new 'Streetcar' on Broadway
It isn't easy to put a fresh spin on "A Streetcar Named Desire," but a new production on Broadway aims to shake things up, putting black and Latino actors in the lead roles. From Studio 360.
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'Mission to Lars'
The new documentary "Mission to Lars" follows Tom Spicer, an autistic 40-year-old man, on his journey to meet his music idol, Metallica's Lars Ulrich. From PRI's The World.
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Live in-studio: Bahamas
The music of singer-songwriter Afie Jurvanen, who records as Bahamas, is a lush mix of guitar, voice, and drums. From Studio 360.
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Artist pays homage to L.A.'s unseen workers
Ramiro Gomez is leaving life size cardboard cut-outs of gardeners, nannies and housekeepers are popping up on streets and parks all over Beverly Hills, California. From Here and Now.
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Interview with 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' director
The new movie "Beasts of the Southern Wild" is a Louisiana fairy tale with a six-year-old hero, Hushpuppy, who lives with her father in an isolated bayou netherworld. From Studio 360.
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Korean Jazz Pianist Hey Rim Jeon
Hey Rim Jeon is a classically trained pianist, but after hearing a recording of Oscar Peterson, she got hooked on jazz. From PRI's The World.
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'Letters to J.D. Salinger'
Editor Chris Kubica talks about his project, "Letters to J.D. Salinger." Kubica asked dozens of authors to sound off to Salinger by writing him letters -- even if Salinger will never read them. From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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Interview with Late Night's Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon talks about how he gets huge musical acts to join in on his spoofs and his second comedy album, "Blow Your Pants Off." From The Takeaway.
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Interview with 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' Director
How Timur Bekmambetov approached the making of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," the new movie which re-imagines the American Civil War with blood-sucking undead. From Studio 360.
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Thelonious Monk and the Heiress
A new book tells the story of jazz genius Thelonious Monk and a colorful patron of jazz in the 20th Century: the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswater. From PRI's The World.
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Girl in a Coma
The San Antonio band Girl in a Coma formed over a junior high obsession over the tortured music of Morrissey. The band just won an Independent Music Award. From Studio 360.
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Playing Judy Garland
Actress Tracie Bennett has gotten rave reviews and a Tony Nomination for her portrayal of Judy Garland in her waning hours, in "End of the Rainbow." From Here and Now.
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Exploring magic in America
Author Christine Wicker interviewed people who believe themselves to be magical creatures -- like elves, and vampires and witches -- and wrote about them in her new book. From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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Mad Men Style
Hand it to "Mad Men": on its own, it has reshaped the way we think about the 1960s. Much of that is the work of costume designer Janie Bryant, whose outfits and shifts in style signal the tensions of 1960s America. From Studio 360.
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Anoushka Shankar's Indian-Splanish fusion album
On Anoushka Shankar's latest album called
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Alabama Shakes on touring with Jack White
The band members of the Alabama Shakes talk about life before, and after, Jack White, and their purposely unpolished sound. From Here and Now.
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Tony-Nominated 'Clybourne Park'
Bruce Norris explains how he came to write "Clybourne Park," his play about race, class, and gentrification, which has racked up a number of Tony nomiations. From Studio 360.
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Faroe Islands' Teitur
Singer, songwriter Teitur talks about his new album, "Let the Dog Drive Home" -- a collection of songs that he says is about just letting go. From PRI's The World.
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Innovative fiction: Helen DeWitt
Helen DeWitt talks about her novel, "Lightning Rods," which focuses on a bizarre solution to sexual harrassment in the workplace. From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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Interview with Men in Black director Barry Sonnenfeld
Barry Sonnenfeld on his third installment of the Men in Black movie franchise, making movies and his his cinema hero, Stanley Kubrick. From Studio 360.
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Longtime friend remembers folk icon Doc Watson
Doc Watson, the legendary folk and bluegrass musician died Tuesday at the age of 89. Wayne Henderson, a guitarist and master craftsman of guitars and other instruments, and Watson's longtime friend, recounts their time together. From Here and Now.
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TV medical dramas and real life medicine
Billy Goldberg, an emergency-room physician, thinks TV medical dramas like "House" and "Grey's Anatomy" directly affects our expectations for treatment. From Studio 360.
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James Bond Meets Bollywood Soundtrack
The songs on the new album "You Me Bullets Love," by Australian band The Bombay Royale, sound like the soundtrack to a long lost Bollywood-James Bond film. From PRI's The World.
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Swedish crime fiction writer Jens Lapidus
Criminal lawyer by day, crime fiction writer by night, Jens Lapidus says he's the anti-Stieg Larsson. His novel,
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Interview with filmmaker Mark Duplass
Mark Duplass the emerging master of the lovable loser genre in Hollywood, and his latest film "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" stars Jason Segel as a 30-year-old stoner settled in to his mother's basement. From Studio 360.
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Canadian folk rockers The Wooden Sky's Americana sound
The Toronto-based band, Wooden Sky, joins The World anchor Marco Werman in the studio to play songs and talk about their new album, "Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun."
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John Irving on sexuality and New England
John Irving talks about his new novel, "In One Person," which tells the story of Bill Abbott, a bisexual boy growing up in the Irving-esque small New England town of First Sister, Vermont. From The Takeaway.
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Tommy Womack's second act
Nashville singer and songwriter Tommy Womack on the ups and downs of a life in music, and the release of his new album. From Studio 360.
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A new spin on 'Romeo and Juliet'
Monadhil Daood's "Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad," opened to rave reviews in Iraq, and is now showing at the World Shakespeare Festival in the United Kingdom. From The Takeaway.
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Interview with 'Sookie Stackhouse' author
Charlaine Harris talks about the new book in her best-selling vampire series, "Southern Vampire Mysteries," which has been made into the HBO series "True Blood." From Here and Now.
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Fugees John Forte subject of new documentary
Musician John Forte talks about his recent tour of Russia, which was chronicled in the new documentary, "The Russian Winter." From PRI's The World.
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Marina Abramovic's retrospective
HBO revisits performance artist Marina Abramovic's retrospective at MoMA with a documentary of the same name. From Studio 360.
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Karen Levine on the story of 'Hana's Suitcase'
Hana Brady perished as a child in a Nazi death camp. Karen Levine's book documents how years later, a Japanese schoolteacher tracked down Hana's suitcase, and then her surviving brother in Toronto. From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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Heavy Metal in Havana: Musicians and Fans
The World's Marco Werman talks with Spin Magazine's David Peisner about the small, but committed community of metal heads in Cuba.
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No Pulitzer prize awarded this year
The Pulitzer board failed to award a prize in fiction this year. Literary critic Steve Almond says Americans put too much importance on literary contests, and contests in general. From Here and Now.
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Film ratings: PG-13 vs R
Kirby Dick, who wants to see an overhaul of the current ratings system for films, says that the ratings board is deliberately opaque, refusing to identify its members or their criteria. From Studio 360.
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British wonder kid Ed Sheeran
At just 21-years-old, Ed Sheeran is already a household name in the his native England. Now he's in the US to introduce his flavor of folky pop to American listeners. From PRI's The World.
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Hip hop's poet laureate
Saul Williams, author of "The Dead Emcee Scrolls," has been hailed as hip hop's poet laureate. He reads some of his work and explains his "meta-fiction." From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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Dirty Art
Every piece in Swept Away, an exhibition at New York's Museum of Arts and Design, is made up of, dust, trash, or pollution. From Studio 360.
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Comic-Con: The Movie
Comic-Con International attracts 130,000 attendees each year. Morgan Spurlock takes a closer look at the history and the die-hard fans of the mother of all comic book conventions in his new movie. From The Takeaway.
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New authorized documentary about Bob Marley
The new documentary about reggae icon Bob Marley due out in late April -- director Kevin MacDonald says the film focuses on Marley as a man rather than a musician. From PRI's The World.
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Broke TV: Primetime reflects current economic struggles
Shows like '2 Broke Girls' and 'The Client List' have a "times-are-tough" theme aimed at appealing to Americans living through a tough economy. From Studio 360.
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Grief and coping explored in Dan Chaon's 'Stay Awake'
Chaon talks about his latest collection of short fiction, which explores the space between real life and the dream world, and how people react in extreme situations. From Here and Now.
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Lang Lang on his journey to becoming a world renowned...
Lang Lang talks about his autobiography, "Journey of a Thousand Miles," and his latest album, "Live in Vienna," which features his first recordings of Beethoven's Sonatas. From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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Julie Otsuka on her award-winning 'The Buddha In The...
"The Buddha in the Attic" -- about Japanese picture brides -- recently won the 2012 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. The book's author, Julie Otsuka talks about her research and how it shaped her story. From Here and Now.
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Willem Dafoe on his latest films and some of his most...
Over 30 years and 80 films, Willem Dafoe has played a vampire and Jesus Christ; a drug dealer and the Green Goblin. This spring, he's particularly prolific, appearing in three new movies, including "The Hunter." From Studio 360.
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Danish Hip Hop Queen Karen Mukupa
Karen Mukup, a Danish-Zambian rapper from Copenhagen, has been dubbed the Danish hip hop queen. In her new album "Human," she raps about her mixed race. From PRI's The World.
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Novelist Anne Lamott on fiction and nonfiction
Studio 360's Kurt Andersen talks to Lamott about the lasting influence of her nonfiction work, 'Bird by Bird,' and how her life experiences make their way into her writing.
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Interview with British actress Emily Blunt
Blunt talks about her new role in "Salmon Fishing in The Yemen," based on a best-selling British novel about a Yemeni sheik's improbable dream to bring the sport of salmon fishing to his country. From Here and Now.
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Mieville's groundbreaking fiction
In this uncut interview on To the Best of Our Knowledge, China Mieville talks about his latest novel, "Embassytown" -- one of this year's nominees for the Nebula Awards for science fiction.
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Fighting the 'war on women' with comedy
Female entertainers like Amy Poehler have taken on the
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Carolina Chocolate Drops champion African American...
The Carolina Chocolate Drops must be the only band with a new album -- "Leaving Eden" -- that features both the banjo and a human beat box. From Here and Now.
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Funnyman Will Ferrell talks about his first...
In this interview with Studio 360's Kurt Andersen, Ferrell says he was excited to take on an unconventional project that would surprise the audience: 'Casa de mi Padre' is the big-screen version of a shoddy telenovela.
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Interview with jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette
Jack DeJohnette has played drums with the likes of Miles Davis and Keith Jarrett. But on his new CD he composes and plays acoustic piano. From Here and Now.
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Roger Shimomura: An American knockoff
Kansas-based artist Roger Shimomura was one of the 120,000 Japanese sent to internment camps during WWII. The memories of barbed wire and guard towers have influenced his artwork ever since.Shimomura's paintings are currently featured at the Smithsonian. From Studio 360.
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Barr Brothers move past 'Guitar Hero' to indie music
Brad and Andrew Barr played experimental rock and had a song featured on Guitar Hero. But now they're focusing on the Montreal indie scene. From Here and Now.
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Pico Iyer's fascination with Graham Greene
For 25 years, the writer Pico Iyer has felt an almost mystical connection to Greene, whom he never met. He chronicles that obsession in "The Man Within My Head." From Studio 360.
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A National Ballet in Spain
A Spanish ballet dancer has been on a seemingly quixotic mission for years: to create a national ballet in his homeland. As The World's Gerry Hadden reports, he's still at it despite Spain's economic downturn.
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The history behind 'Incident in New Baghdad'
The Oscar-nominated documentary short "Incident in New Baghdad" recounts the tragic day in Iraq where two U.S. Army helicopters opened fire on a group of men, killing eight. The film's director dicsusses the history behind the film. From The Takeaway.
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Secrets of a Blonde Bombshell
stuff in front of her allfemale swing band. Decades later, a news reporter discovers that Hutton was black and had been passing as white. From Studio 360.
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Patton Oswalt's science fiction fantasy archetypes
The comedian Patton Oswalt reads the title essay from his new memoir: "Zombie, Spaceship, Wasteland." As Oswalt sees it, we all fall into one of these three science fiction fantasy archetypes. From Studio 360.
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Funk Doctor George Clinton gets honorary doctorate
George Clinton received his honorary doctorate degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston last week. In this interview on Here and Now, he talks about the lifestyle of funk, the DNA of hip-hop and going mainstream.
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The science behind those tunes that get stuck in your...
How often does a tune intrude on your thoughts and plays and replays in never-ending loops? Scientists call these intrusive musical thoughts "ear worms." From PRI's The World.
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A new film explores Mexico's drug war
Gerardo Naranjo, the director of the new film
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Mathematical art
Mathematician artists explain why understanding math is so important to understanding what underlies art. From Studio 360.
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Chile protesters' anthem
Chilean-French singer Ana Tijoux explains why she is uncomfortable with her song becoming a protesters' anthem in Chile. From PRI's The World.
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Author Margot Livesey pays tribute to 'Jane Eyre' in new...
"The Flight of Gemma Hardy" takes place in Scotland, has a mid-20th-century heroine and explores the life of exhiles. From Here and Now.
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Musical time capsule: "Desert Island Discs"
From JK Rowling and Grace Kelly to Sir David Attenborough and Alice Cooper, numerous celebrities, heads of state and musicians have shared their musical selections on "Desert Island Discs" for 70 years.
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'Wings"; Oscar's First Best Picture
Excavated from Paramount's vault, "Wings" is finally available on DVD after a lengthy restoration process. The film features spectacular aerial photography, massive numbers of extras, and was the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. From Studio 360.
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The Daily Show's Wyatt Cenac comes to public tv
Wyatt Cenac host the fourth season of "AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange," a documentary series profiling men and women from across the African Diaspora. From The Takeaway.
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A new book brings Anne Frank back to life
Shalom Auslander talks about his new book, "Hope: A Tragedy," which imagines Anne Frank still living and still hiding in a rustic farmhouse outside New York City. From Studio 360.
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1989 music and politics
Music critic Joshua Clover talks about the historic events of 1989 -- the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Tiannamen Square protest -- and how they changed the music of the time. From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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A revamped 'Porgy and Bess' on Broadway
A new production on Broadway is entitled "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess," but it's not the one George and Ira presented in 1935. Audiences will get new dialogue, back stories, and orchestrations. From Studio 360.
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Understanding Haiti through comics
Cartoonist Matt Bors is editing a comic strip about life in Haiti since the earthquake. It's drawn by a Haitian cartoonist and written by a Haitian reporter, both based in Port au Prince. From PRI's The World.
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Captain Beefheart's 'Trout Mask Replica'
Last year, the Library of Congress inducted a Captain Beefheart record into its National Recording Registry. "Trout Mask Replica" (1969) is part free jazz, part blues, part beat poetry. From Studio 360.
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Zepher Press aims to bring more foreign literature...
Jim Kates, Zephyr Press director, says readers shouldn't be put off by foreign books, if the translations are done properly. He gives his picks for best foreign works of 2011. From Here and Now.
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'Haywire' director Steven Soderbergh and actress Gina...
Steven Soderbergh's latest risky endeavor, "Haywire," hits theaters on Friday. The film stars newcomer Gina Carano as a mixed martial arts fighter who seeks revenge after being betrayed during a mission. From The Takeaway.
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Barcelona's Ma?a Vidal
Maa Vidal is part-French, part-Japanese-American and makes music as diverse as her background. From PRI's The World.
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Writer Edwidge Danticat on the best American essays of...
The collection, "The Best American Essays Of 2011, edited by Edwidge Danticat, featurs essays by the late journalist Christopher Hitchens and authors Chang Rae Lee, Katy Butler and Zadie Smith. From Here and Now.
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Novelist Jonathan Safran Foer has an 'aha' moment
The September 11-themed novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," has been made into a movie that's currently out in theaters. In this interview on Studio 360, Foer describes how his creative drive was fired by assemblage artist Joseph Cornell.
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Pink Martini and Saori Yuki pay tribute to Japanese pop...
Retro-swing band Pink Martini's latest album, '1969,' features Japanese pop star Saori Yuki and pays tribute to Japanese pop hits from 1969.
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Angelina Jolie on why she made 'In the Land of Blood and...
In this interview on Studio 360, Jolie tells Kurt Andersen about her directing and screenwriting debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," a film about the 1990s civil war in the former Yugoslavia.
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Country music may be going through a sea change
Call it an indicator of economic times but in the time it took pickup trucks to go from stripped down working class boxes of mud and steel to plush seated luxury vehicles, country music went from the folksy tinny common man voice of Woody Guthrie to the likes of Tim McGraw singing about the perils of being rich. From The Takeaway.
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'The Future of Us' asks what we can learn from our...
The new novel takes place in 1996, when its main characters find their future Facebook pages and decide to make some changes for their 30-something selves. From Here and Now.
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Global Hit: 2011 music picks
The World's Marco Werman and April Peavey discuss their favorite CDs and interviews of the year.
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Robopainter
AARON is the world's first cybernetic artist: an artificially intelligent system that composes its own paintings. Incredibly, the system is the work of one man, Harold Cohen, who had no background in computing when he began the effort. From Studio 360.
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Sara Gruen on 'Ape House'
In her new novel "Ape House," a family of bonobo apes are captured to be the main attraction in a reality TV show. Sara Gruen tells To the Best of Our Knowledge she studied linguistics and learned a system of lexigrams so she could communicate directly with the apes housed at the Great Ape Trust in Des Moines, Iowa.
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The evolution of Sherlock Holmes
Sarah Montague traces Sherlock Holmes' evolution and reveals how the character keeps changing to suit the times. From Studio 360.
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Movie review: 'War Horse,' 'The Artist' and other...
Film critic Rafer Guzman and culture producer Kristen Meinzer discuss all of this week's new releases: 'War Horse,' '"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,' 'We Bought a Zoo,' 'The Artist.' From The Takeaway.
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Lou Beach's 420-character stories
The new collection of short stories -- extremely short stories, just 420 characters long -- by Lou Beach are vivid descriptions and narratives that are at once funny, sad, and bracing. From Studio 360.
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Soul singer Michael Kiwanuka
Michael Kiwanuka's music is steeped in the earnest soul ballads that dominated radio airwaves in the 1970s and his voice echoes Bill Withers and a host of soul giants. From PRI's The World.
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Kate Winslet talks about new movie, 'Carnage'
In 'Carnage,' directed by Roman Polanski, the strains of marriage and parenthood loom large. Kate Winslet describes how she went about tackling her new role. From Studio 360.
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Interview with author Michael Ondaatje
As a child, Michael Ondaatje took a long ocean voyage from Sri Lanka to England. In this interview, he explains how the voyage is the seed of his novel "The Cat's Table." From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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Awards buzz for 'Beginners,' starring Christopher Plummer
The end of the year movie awards season has begun and the indie film "Beginners" has been picking up plaudits, including Oscar buzz for Christopher Plummer. From Here and Now.
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Hip-hop artist Dessa doesn't fit the mold
Thirty year-old Dessa has been making waves, both as a solo artist and as a member of the Minnesota hip-hop collective, Doomtree. Dessa doesn't fit the typical mold of a rap artist she's white, female and from Minnesota. She's just released "Castor The Twin." From Here and Now.
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A Nashville star's secret stash of Soviet art
Why does a country music megastar and all-American guy like Ronnie Dunn half of what was Nashville's biggest act, Brooks Dunn have a house full of paintings from the Soviet Union? It's a long story, and he shares it with Studio 360.
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Inuit singers-songwriters Elisapie Isaac and Simon Lynge
The World's Global Hit profiles two different singers of Inuit ancestry Elisapie Isaac from northern Quebec and Simon Lynge from Greenland. The musicians talk about their current work and what inspires them.
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David Cronenberg on his new drama, 'A Dangerous Method'
Director David Cronenberg's new film is a straightforward historical drama "A Dangerous Method" is based on the real-life case of Sabina Spielrein, a woman who sought treatment from Carl Jung and became his lover. Cronenberg talks about the relationship between Spielrein, Jung and Jung's opponent, Sigmund Freud. From Studio 360.
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The Decemberists' Colin Meloy on his new children's...
Colin Meloy, the lead singer and chief songwriter of the band The Decemberists, has just written a children's book called "Wildwood" his wife Carson Ellis illustrated the novel. "Wildwood" is the first of what will be a continuing series of stories about one middle school girl's adventures with mythical creatures. From The Takeaway.
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Teaching photography to Saudi Women
Saudi Arabia doesn't seem like the best place for aspiring female photographers -- women aren't allowed to go out on their own and photography is generally frowned upon. But one professor tried to inspire women to become shutterbugs anyway. From Here and Now.
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Kirsten Dunst on 'Melancholia'
Earlier this year, Kirsten Dunst won a best actress nod at Cannes for her performance in the role of Justine, who confronts impending doom alongside her sister, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) in Lars von Trier's "Melancholia.". From The Takeaway.
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Argentina's La Bomba de Tiempo
One of the hottest shows in Buenos Aires, La Bomba de Tiempo ("Time Bomb"), is a percussion explosion -- 18 musicians dressed in bright red overalls playing djembes, bass drums, claves and congas. From PRI's The World.
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Delving into Haruki Murakami's new novel '1Q84'
Music plays a significant and recurring role in all of Japanese author Haruki Murakami's novels. That's especially true in his new 900+ page epic, '1Q84'. From Here and Now.
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I want my MTV ... 30 years later
Veteran music journalist Craig Marks tells the story of MTV -- how the channel started, and within just a few years, became a cultural juggernaut, transforming the music industry and creating a new generation of megastars. From Studio 360.
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Artist Vita-More's transhumanist future
Kurt Andersen talks to Natasha Vita-More, an artist who imagines a future in which humans are freed from the constructs dictated by nature a transhumanist. From Studio 360.
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Kate Beaton's webcomics give new life to the humanities
In "Hark! a Vagrant," Kate Beaton's webcomic series, political figures and literary characters are re-imagined and skewered as petulant children, jaded superheroes and Victorian dude-watchers. From The Sound of Young America.
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Portuguese Jazz singer Sara Serpa releases 'Mobile'
PRI's The World profiles Sara Serpa, a Portuguese jazz singer, who became interested in travel literature soon after her arrival in New York City. Serpa's new CD "Mobile" is about wanderlust.
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Interview with J.C. Chandor, 'Margin Call' writer and...
J.C. Chandor says there are no heroes and villains in his new film,
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Gregory Maguire describes his last Oz book, 'Out Of Oz'
In 1995, author Gregory Maguire first re-imagined the world of Frank Baum's Oz books in "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West." Now, Maguire is bringing that world to a close in his fourth and final book in the series, "Out of Oz."
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The Takeaway's Movie Date review of 'Harold & Kumar' and...
Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and Kristen Meinzer, The Takeaway's culture producer, give their reviews of
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Doc Watson and Abigail Washburn
Abigail Washburn picked up the banjo as a hobby, and it eventually turned into a record deal. Her new album is City of Refuge. From Studio 360.
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Jeffrey Eugenides romances the novel in 'The Marriage...
A new novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides follows three college students graduating in the midst of an economic downturn. Eugenides's new novel is set in 1982. It's called 'The Marriage Plot.' From The Takeaway.
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Aimee Bender's 'Origin Lessons'
Before Aimee Bender wrote, 'Origin Lessons,' she decided to bone up on her science by speaking with Nick Warner, a professor at the University of Southern California. Kevin Pariseau reads Bender's short story. From Studio 360.
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Revisiting 'Shooting Beauty'
Courtney Bent first sought to take photos of people with physical disabilities but soon realized her subjects should be their own photographers. Here and Now discusses the photo exhibit and documentary, 'Shooting Beauty: Everyone Deserves A Shot.'
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Tomas Transtromer wins Nobel Prize for literature
The Swedish Academy has awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature to 80-year-old Swedish poet Tomas Transtrmer. 'Through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality,' the Academy said. Patrik Henry Bass talks with The Takeaway.
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Is life too short for re-reading?
Kurt and Anne Fadiman debate the notion of re-reading. Kurt argues that there are too many great books, new and classic, to be discovered; he can't ignore them to spend hours with an old favorite. From Studio 360.
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Fanboy turned Batman obsession into blockbuster films
Author and producer Michael Uslan is a self-described comic book nerd. He chronicles his odyssey to bring Batman to the silver screen in his new book, 'The Boy Who Loved Batman.' From Here and Now.
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Seo-Young Chu on 'Do metaphors dream of sleep?'
Seo-Young Chu is the the author of 'Do Metaphors Dream of Literal Sleep?: A Science-Fictional Theory of Representation.' In the book, Chu argues that science fiction is a kind of 'high-intensity realism." From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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Harry Potter for grownups
Authors we used to call 'serious' and 'literary' -- shorthand for writers who wrote realism -- are suddenly writing about the magical and supernatural. Studio 360 talks with Lev Grossman, book critic and literary novelist.
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Celebrating The Supremes and Temptations, 50 years on
Motown celebrates the 50th anniversary of both groups this year, and we pay tribute with Renee Graham, Here and Now Pop Culture Critic. We also remember Esther Gordy Edwards who was known for founding the Motown Historical museum.
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Yang Ying's jazzy take on Chinese folk music
Chinese musician Yang Ying has played the traditional two-stringed erhu for many dignitaries, including American presidents. Later she founded China's first all-girl rock band. From PRI's The World.
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Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy's spin on 'The Whole Love'
The Chicago-based alt-rock band Wilco has been very busy lately. In their new album, the band experiments with strings, synthesizers and an electronic sound. And some songs have a retro feel. From Here and Now.
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American Icons: Nirvana's Nevermind
Twenty years ago this month, a new sound blasted the cobwebs out of every radio station in America. As part of our series on American Icons, Studio 360's Trey Kay investigates why Nevermind was never forgotten.
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Chuck Close and Christopher Finch on Close's Career
Today, Chuck Close is in his early 70s -- still painting, with brushes strapped to his hand -- and now is the subject of a biography by his friend Christopher Finch. Close and Finch talked with To the Best of Our Knowledge about Close's painting career.
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Oregon's 'Blind Pilot' goes from busking to big-time
On Tuesday, the Portland, Oregon-based band Blind Pilot releases their CD, 'We Are The Tide.' Founders Israel Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski met as college students, and in London they started busking, or performing on the streets. From Here and Now.
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New film documents the Black Power movement
In the late 1960s for nearly a decade, Swedish TV crews came to America and filmed interviews with leaders of the Black Power movement. A new movie, called 'The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975' brings the footage to American audiences. From The Takeaway.
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Responding to September 11 with music
In the weeks and years following September 11th, 2001, classical composers began to respond to the tragedy through their work. Here and Now listens to and discusses some of these pieces.
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Molly Peacock on late life creativity
Poet Molly Peacock fell in love with the work of Mary Delaney (maker of botanically-correct floral collages, now housed in the British Museum) and has written a meditation on both the artist and on late-life creativity. From To the Best of Our Knowledge.
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Outstanding films of '86
Boston Globe film critic Ty Burr says that 1986 was a great year for films, but he has a few standouts: David Lynch's 'Blue Velvet,' Jonathan Demme's 'Something Wild' and James Cameron's 'Aliens.' From Here and Now.
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Danny Pudi
Danny Pudi is an actor and comedian, best known for his role as the pop culture-obsessed Abed Nadir on the NBC show Community. From The Sound of Young America.
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Bluesman David 'Honeyboy' Edwards dies at 96
Chicago bluesman David 'Honeyboy' Edwards died on Monday. He was 96. Our partner the BBC prepared this segment, where Edwards, in his own words, recounts his life, and reflects on his legacy. From The Takeaway.
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Serbian blues musician Ana Popovic
American blues greatly influenced a young Ana Popovic. She grew up in Belgrade, in what was then Yugoslavia. Now this Serbian blues musician has released her new album 'Unconditional.' From PRI's The World.
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Lauren Beukes and South African sci-fi
The winner of this year's Arthur C. Clarke Award, more or less the Pulitzer of sci-fi, is a journalist and novelist from Cape Town. Lauren Beukes' novel is called 'Zoo City.'
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Revisiting choreographer Mark Morris' 'Resurrection'
One of the country's most recognized modern dance troupes, the Mark Morris Dance company, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Here and Now's Lynn Menegon talked with Mark Morris back in 2002.
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Bangalore's Yours Truly theatre improv troupe
Improv is becoming a tool for overseas theater companies to work toward social goals. In Bangalore, India, a young company called Yours Truly Theatre is one of only a handful of Indian theater groups working with improv techniques. From PRI's The World.
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My parents' extreme tango makeover
After taking dance lessons on board a cruise ship, Yowei Shaw's parents turned their lives upside down for the tango. Their daughter observed that if tango solved some problems, it created others. From Studio 360.
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