It's the Rolling Stones' 40th anniversary. The Stones' entire early catalog has been re-released. Today rock historian Ed Ward presents the first of a two part series about the music of the Rolling Stones. He'll talk about their early years.
Birnam Wood is a whooshingly enjoyable new novel by Eleanor Catton, a New Zealander whose previous book, The Luminaries, made her, at 28, still the youngest person ever to win the Booker Prize.
Poet Sekou Sundiata died this week at age 58; the cause was heart failure. Sundiata, who taught literature at New York City's New School University for many years, was considered one of the fathers of the spoken-word movement. He wrote the plays Blessing the Boats, The Circle Unbroken is a Hard Bop, The Mystery of Love, Udu, and the 51st (dream) state. His albums include Longstoryshort and The Blue Oneness of Dreams. We remember him with excerpts from interviews that originally aired in May 1994, April 1997, and November 2002.
A new report issued by the nonpartisan advocacy group Common Cause gauges the voting infrastructure in 10 swing states. Tova Wang, the primary author of the report, discusses the findings.
New York-based artist and musician Laurie Audience's work initially catered mostly to her fellow artists. Now signed to the Warner record label, she is beginning to develop a broader fan base.
Coleman, who died in 2015, had a knack for writing catchy melodies in a distinctive voice. Saxophonist Miguel Zenón loves Coleman's music and put together a quartet to play some.
Father James Martin is associate editor of America the national Catholic magazine. Hes written a new memoir,Searching for God at Ground Zero, (Sheed & Ward) about the days following the September 11th attacks when he abandoned his editing duties to go and be with the rescue workers at the site of the ruined World Trade Center. Hes also the author of a memoir about his spiritual journey from the corporate world to the priesthood: In Good Company: The Fast Track from the Corporate World to Poverty, Chastity and Obedience
He died August 14th at the age of 78. The cause was cancer of the liver. The Corcoran Gallery in Washington DC recently ran the first major retrospective of Rivers work, covering five decades of his output (it ends August 19th). Rivers has been called the father of Pop Art, and is considered one of the most important artists in the figurative tradition. He was part of a loosely knit association of poets and painters who were young, poor and ambitious in New York in the 50's.
In a new book, lawyer/journalist Adam Cohen makes the case that the Supreme Court has been "a right-wing court for 50 years," siding with corporations and the wealthy — and against the poor.
Cinematographer Stephen Burum. His latest film is Brian De Palma's "Casualties of War." This is his third film for De Palma; his first was "Body Double." He also shot "The Untouchables," which was nominated for the American Society of Cinematographers Award. Burum got his start as an assistant to Francis Ford Coppola on "Apocalypse Now." His other films include "St. Elmo's Fire," "The Outsiders" and "Rumble Fish."
Twenty years later, the core surviving members of the original cast are back, and so is the show's proudly liberal spirit. If you're in tune with that, then Murphy Brown, once again, is for you.
Director Richard Linklater salutes the courage of our troops while casting a hard eye at the government machinery that sends them into battle. Justin Chang calls Last Flag Flying an elegiac comedy.
Ken Tucker pokes fun at the notion that the video cassette revolution would spawn legions of avid movie collectors. Increasingly, he argues, the movies available for home rental are either teen comedies or movies you can see on late-night TV.
Author James Ledbetter says many of the nation's worst economic catastrophes happened while on the gold standard. His new book traces the fascination with gold as a symbol of permanence and quality.
Author Adam Rogers says there are lots of myths about what causes hangovers. His new book, Proof: The Science of Booze, explores these and other scientific mysteries of alcohol's effect on the body.
Hoblit's new made-for-TV movie dramatizes the groundbreaking Supreme Court case. The film has faced criticism from anti-abortion activists -- even though several have admitted to never having seen it. Hoblit is best known for producing television programs like Hill Street Blues, which broke conventions by relying heavily on hand-held cameras and degraded film, and pushing the boundaries of what kind of material was appropriate for broadcast.
Petersen and her partner and co-author, Charlie Warzel, make the case that the pandemic has created a rare opportunity to rethink the shape of work life — including the 9-to-5 workday.
