Journalist Mark Bowden ("Bow" like "Cow") for The Philadelphia Inquirer. He's just concluded a three part series (September 10-12, 1995) of articles on police corruption in Philadelphia. Most of the corruption was centered at the 39th Police District, and involves potentially thousands of cases in which persons have been falsely arrested and imprisoned.
Publisher and editor Richard Stratton of the magazine Prison Life. The magazine is written for and about prisoners, and includes such regular features as In Cell Cooking and Cellmate of the Month. It also includes legal advice, medical and health tips, and fiction, poetry, and art by prisoners and ex-prisoners. Stratton spent eight years in prison for pot smuggling. This year HBO began a series of documentaries on life behind bars with the Prison Life magazine.
Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new film "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar" starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo. . . in drag.
Political scientist, specializing in women's studies, Amrita Basu. She teaches at Amherst College, and has just edited a collection of essays on women's movements worldwide, The Challenge Local Feminisms: Women's Movements in Global Perspective, (Westview Press).
Reporter Vicky Que is a reporter at WHYY in Philadelphia, and is attending the NGO Forum on Women, and the Conference on Women in Beijing.
Dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones. He founded the acclaimed Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company with his partner and lover, Arnie Zane. Their partnership lasted 17 years until Zane's death in 1988 from AIDS-related complications. Jones has been a recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Award. His recent work, "Still/Here" is what he terms a "poem" about death. It's based on a series of "survival workshops" he conducted with people across the country who are dealing with illness and death.
World Music critic Milo Miles on Chinese rock star Cui Jian. His latest album is "Balls Under the Red Flag" (Look for it in local Chinatown music stores).
Psychologist and Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education Howard Gardner. He's written a new book, Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership, (Basic Books) in which he profiles a number of leaders, exploring the link between creativity and leadership. Gardner has written thirteen books, and is also a recipient of the MacArthur Prize Fellowship. He'll talk with Terry about his theory of multiple intelligence which was the subject of his 1983 book Frames of Mind.
Independent film director Robert Rodriguez. At the age of 23 he made the Spanish-language action film, "El Mariachi" for $7,000. His techniques for keeping the budget down included, shooting before lunch so he wouldn't have to buy the actors lunch, and using a wheelchair that he'd borrowed from the local hospital for a dolly. Rodriguez's film won the Sundance Audience Award in 1993, and went on to be distributed nationally. He's just completed the sequel "Desperado" starring Antonio Banderas.
Eric Lomax was captured by the Japanese during World War II. He was used as forced labor to help build the Burma-Siam railroad. He was also tortured by the Japanese. He has reconciled with the Japanese interpreter present during his beatings. His book The Railway Man: A P.O.W.'s Searing Account of War, Brutality and Forgiveness (W.W. Norton & Company 1995) chronicles his story from WWII and his life 50 years later.
Ben Sandmel and Luderin Darbone are two members of the Cajun band "The Hackberry Ramblers." Darbone is a founding member of the band who is now in his 80s. The Ramblers started in 1933 in Louisiana. The Ramblers were among the first Cajun bands to abandon the accordion's dominance for the more American guitar-fiddle string band sound. In 1993, The Ramblers released their first album in 30 years titled "Cajun Boogie." prior to this album the Ramblers recorded on the Bluebird Label.
Book Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Bonfire of the Humanities: Television, Subliteracy, and Long-Term Memory Loss, by television critic David Marc. Marc's latest book looks at the diminishing role books are playing in our lives in the new electronic information age. Bonfire of the Humanities is published by Syracuse University Press July 1995.
Rock and Roll Historian Ed Ward looks back at the impact Record Producer Dave Bartholomew had on the New Orleans music scene. He produced recordings for Fat's Domino, The Hawks, Lloyd Price and Shirley & Lee. Bartholomew's work as a record producer was collected by EMI in an anthology in 1992.
Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Beyond Rangoon" the new adventure film directed by John Boorman, who also directed "Deliverence," and "The Emerald Forest."
Former Tuskegee Airman Robert Williams. He was with the Army Air Corps "Fighting 99th" the first squadron of Black fighter pilots in World War II. Now, after 45 years of trying he's gotten a studio interested in making a movie about the squadron. The new HBO movie, "The Tuskegee Airmen," stars Laurence Fishburne; Williams is the co-executive producer. The film debuts August 26th.
From the trio Yo La Tengo, singer/guitarist Ira Kaplan, and drummer Georgia Hubley. They are married. The band is a cult favorite and hails from Hoboken, New Jersey. They have seven albums to their credit including the latest, "Electr-o-pura" (on the Matador label). One reviewer says the band blends "fragile, delicate beauty with raw, bash-it-out crudeness better than anyone."
