Paisley Rekdal, Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Utah and the state’s poet laureate, joins us to discuss the places where identity intersects with politics, and why it’s important to confront the language we use when defining cultures.
Read moreThe Comforts Of Pop Culture
Roy Wood Jr., Nate Sloan, Charlie Harding, and Linda Holmes, join us to talk about how pop culture can at least provide a respite in a world of bad news.
Read moreQueen Latifah, Lil’ Kim And The History Of Women In Rap
Music journalist Kathy Iandoli joins us to talk about the contributions of Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa and other woman artists – and why the contributions of women in rap are so often overlooked.
Read moreGuiding Jazz’s Next Generation
Bart Marantz has dedicated his career to teaching jazz, and he joins guest host John McCaa to talk about the next generation of jazz greats.
Read moreWhat You Didn’t Know About Paul Simon
Robert Hilburn joins us to talk about the Paul Simon biography he co-wrote with Paul Simon.
Read moreA Conversation With St. Vincent
St. Vincent joins us to talk about her musical influences, how she writes a song and what it’s like to perform with your heroes.
Read moreVan Cliburn’s Cold War Victory
Stuart Isacoff takes us back to 1958 to relive Van Cliburn’s stunning victory at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow.
Read moreNotes On Listening
This hour, we’ll talk about taking a more holistic approach to listening to music with “New York Times” music critic Ben Ratliff.
Read moreA Trip To Tin Pan Alley
This hour, we’ll talk about why the music of Gershwin, Porter and other greats fell out of favor and how those tunes found a new audience with the author of “The B Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song.”
Read moreSaving the Opera
This hour, we’ll talk with Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally, the creative team behind the new opera, “Great Scott.”
Read moreSinging A Sultry Tune
From sonnets to T-Swift, love songs have brought couples together and addressed the pain that sometimes comes with courtship. We’ll talk with music historian Ted Gioia about how these tunes have changed our culture.
Read moreFrom Spirituals to Smash Hits
What do rock ‘n’ roll, the blues and jazz all have in common? They all have roots in African American protest songs, says Baylor University associate professor Robert F. Darden.
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