G. Gordon Liddy orchestrated the Watergate break-in. After serving four-and-a-half years of his prison sentence, he joins the show to discuss his book "Will" and his role in the crime. (PARTIAL INTERVIEW)
Ruth Kobart is an actress. She joins the show to discuss her current roles as Miss Hannigan in the musical "Annie," now playing in Philadelphia at the Forrest Theater. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
Actor, Herschel Bernardi currently stars as Tavia in a production of "Fiddler on the Roof," currently playing at the Academy of Music. He joins the show to discuss his career in theater, film, and television. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
Philadelphian pianists, Peter Scheiner, Uri Caine, and Dave Posmontier have been playing in the area for years. They discuss the Philadelphia jazz scene and the life of working musicians. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
Dr. Walter Lear, President of the Institute of Social Medicine and Community Health, and Professor Jose Arias, a professor of economics and former Salvadorian Minister of Agriculture, join the show to discuss the political situation in El Salvador. (INTERVIEW BY RALPH FLOOD)
Calvin Tomkins is a writer and art critic for the New Yorker. His latest work, "Off the Wall: Robert Rauschenberg and the Art World of Our Time," is a biography of both Rauschenberg and the American visual arts of the 1940s-1970s.
Vernel Bagneris is a playwright, actor, and dancer. He wrote, directed, and acts in the musical "One Mo' Time," now playing in Philadelphia. The musical is set in 1920s' New Orleans and draws heavily on the jazz from that time and place. It centers around a touring group of vaudevillians performing at the segregated Lyric Theater. Bagneris describes it as a "piece on Black theater history." He joins the show to discuss the musical, the black vaudeville circuit, black face, and the benefits of live performance.
Mark Kramer is the author of the book "Three Farms: Making Milk, Meat And Money from the American Soil." Kramer joins the show to discuss the American agricultural and livestock industries and their effects on the environment and small farms.
Randy Weston is a jazz pianist and composer. He travels and performs extensively in Africa, and African influences infuse his music. He is playing a rare American concert in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia-born musician made his mark performing with John Coltrane before striking out as a band leader. He explains the continual evolution of his approach to the piano.
The music writer sees a populist potential in rock music. If anyone can pick up a guitar, he claims, then anyone can make something full of emotion, regardless of their technical abilities. He recently published a book about the band Blondie.
Gambian folk musician Bai Konte discusses how he both learned and now teaches the kora, a West African 21-string lute. He performs along with his son Dembo Konte and anthropologists and musicians Marc and Susan Pevar. Filmmaker Oliver Franklin, who made a movie Bai Konte, also joins the conversation.
Writer Todd Gitlin explains how media portrayed and often misrepresented the political activities of Students for a Democratic Society and other activist groups associated with the 1960s' New Left.
Author Elizabeth Janeway explores how power structures create social divisions between the men and women both in U.S. and abroad. She considers what cultural and legal changes can be made to elevate the status of women from all backgrounds.
Author John Rechy has made a career writing novels and nonfiction about gay men, particularly their sexual behavior. While critical of sadomasochism, he views promiscuity as a revolutionary act which signals a radical break from mainstream heterosexual behavior.
Journalist Sidney Blumenthal argues that political strategists have replaced party bosses during election seasons. The former's job of creating a coherent and appealing media narrative for a candidate continues even after an election comes to an end.
Morgan and Johanna Sibbett discuss the moral, ethical and legal implications of rational suicide. As a married couple, they have decided such an option would be best if either of them faced terminal illness.
