Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen
PRXStudio 360 with Kurt Andersen
The Peabody Award-winning Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, from PRX, is a smart and surprising guide to what's happening in pop culture and the arts. Each week, Kurt introduces the people who are creating and shaping our culture. Life is busy – so let Studio 360 steer you to the must-see movie this weekend, the next book for your nightstand, or the song that will change your life. Produced in association with Slate.
© Public Radio International
The Peabody Award-winning Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, from PRX, is a smart and surprising guide to what's happening in pop culture and the arts. Each week, Kurt introduces the people who are creating and shaping our culture. Life is busy – so let Studio 360 steer you to the must-see movie this weekend, the next book for your nightstand, or the song that will change your life. Produced in association with Slate.
© Public Radio International
These are the stories that introduced America to its dark side.
Discover the hidden magical, religious, and spiritual realms of the United States.
History, Blackness, and life in the South.
A new podcast from The Peabody Awards
An audio documentary series exploring the changing nature of monuments in America today.
Nixon at War - Ep 1 October Surprise
Alec Baldwin conducts Kurt Andersen’s exit interview, TV writers school us on the art of the finale and Rosanne Cash plays one last song for the road.
Jacob Lawrence’s epic series of paintings shows the northward journey of millions of African Americans from the Jim Crow South to cities in the North.
The show’s original producers reflect on the creation of Studio 360 and its 20-year broadcast run.
The revolutionary “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” how Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” changed everything and finding solace in a TLC lyric.
The film studio that dates back to when New York was the movie-making capital — and is still thriving.
Romantic advice and pop music with Delilah. The improbable starmaker that brought us Yanni and John Tesh. And why Bim Adewunmi still loves the “Sweet Valley High” books.
Academy Award contenders including Quentin Tarantino, Adam Driver and Antonio Banderas.
A live album that captured the rage and hope of the civil rights movement.
How “12 Angry Men” spawned the modern courtroom procedural, and how Kris Maddigan composed a jazz score for Cuphead, the video game.
How Wynton Marsalis became immersed in classical music, and why Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love” has drawn such wide and diverse admiration.
How a dark comedy got so dark and so funny.
Two segments from our new series, New York Icons, are both from midcentury and both uptown: the original “West Side Story” Broadway production and the famously controversial photo from Garry Winogrand, a street photography pioneer.
Ranky Tanky performs live and explains the influence of Gullah music. Why Tig Notaro loves a song by Nickelback — and doesn’t care if you hate them. And mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton’s take on performing songs about women that were intended to be sung by men.
The philosophies of a master street photographer, and the story of how he took his most controversial picture.
"My distrust of technology comes entirely from that movie.”
It’s HAL’s world — we just live in it.
A short story turned radio drama by Kurt Andersen.
How the Brill Building cranked out hits in the late ’50s and early ’60s ... and why that era’s “Mugmates” wasn’t one of them.
A whole episode about the cultural impact of glass, from Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” and Bauhaus-inspired glass skyscrapers to composer Philip Glass and unbroken glass ceilings.
How a bunch of teenagers in a midtown Manhattan office building changed pop music.
An American Icons look at Patricia Highsmith’s “Ripley” novels. Perfumer Tanwi Nandini Islam creates a fragrance based on Toni Morrison’s “Beloved.” And writer Sadie Stein goes to bat for the word “moist.”
The aria "Un bel dì vedremo " captures Butterfly's unwavering faith in her reunion with her American husband and her unflagging desire for a better life.
Director Jennifer Reeder on her new film, “Knives and Skin.” The story behind the infamous 1969 literary hoax, “Naked Came the Stranger.” And screenwriter Oliver Butcher makes a case for a film that’s often snubbed as corny, “Love Actually.”
Wynton Marsalis and the evolution of swing rhythm, but with a classical twist.
Giving Willa Cather’s “My Ántonia” its due. Cartoonist Lynda Barry professes her love for the oft-maligned “The Family Circus.” And Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins on why he’s not always trying to paint the prettiest picture.
This is the show that changed the Broadway musical — and how New York City sees itself.
What Sylvia Plath’s novel and a landmark salsa album owe to the city.
The widely loathed font serves a noble purpose.
Choreographer Mark Morris’ musical obsessions, Carmen Maria Machado on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and how "Rocky and Bullwinkle" was “The Simpsons” of its time.
Jamie Barton puts a bisexual spin on classical music.
The making of “The Bell Jar,” and the unmaking of its author.
The portraits of everyday people that Amy Sherald painted after her official Michelle Obama portrait, and the unlikely making — and legacy — of “96 Tears” by ? and the Mysterians.
How a centuries-old musical tradition inspired the Billboard-topping jazz hits of Ranky Tanky.
An American Icon two-fer: rewatching the movie that made an art of talking back to movies, and John Ford’s racially problematic masterpiece.
How Kate Bush’s album captivated musicians as varied at Outkast’s Big Boi and singer Julia Holter.
How Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” changed everything, and Liz Phair on her new memoir.
Antonio Banderas on his latest Almodóvar collaboration, Rick Baker on the Joker’s makeup and the complicated wonder of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.”
A look back at the early days of the seminal band.
How Fred Wilson’s art challenges the conventions of museums. Remembering the legendary performer and acting teacher Uta Hagen. And how a random song from the 1980s became known as “The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet.”
Hari Kondabolu is in the host seat, with fellow comic Hannah Gadsby and hip hop impresario Sophia Chang.
Extra: New York Icons: ‘Siembra’
Writer Ashley C. Ford, indie artist Vagabon and remembering Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ready to Die.”
Playwright Michael R. Jackson, artist Molly Crabapple and the creators and cast of “Felix Starro,” a new musical from the Ma-Yi Theater Company.
Lots of actors moonlight as waiters or baristas to pay the bills. Alex Kramer moonlights as a spy.
With Margaret Atwood’s sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale” forthcoming, a look at the novel’s impact, including Ann Dowd, who plays Aunt Lydia on the Hulu adaptation, and how Louise Erdrich and Megan Hunter also wrote about pregnancy in their dystopian novels.
How film noirs inspired Portishead’s album “Dummy,” gave novelist Karen Russell a creative breakthrough and launched the career of composer Carter Burwell.
The acclaimed mystery writer tells Kurt about her fascination with Poe, and why Baltimore is a “good noir town.”
The oddity of Sha Na Na at Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix’s searing performance of the national anthem, how Sly and the Family Stone’s album “Stand” sounded a note of hope in a turbulent time, and the surprising, life-changing influence of that other Woodstock — the “Peanuts” character.
How Leonard Cohen lives on for artists and fans, Nick Waterhouse performs live, and why Bim Adewunmi still loves the “Sweet Valley High” books.
In a 2014 interview, the late Nobel Prize laureate explains why she began writing: She couldn’t find the novels she wanted to read.
Along with serving up a generous helping of dirtyish jokes and goofy parodies, “Mad Magazine” changed the way we consume pop culture and how we talk about world affairs.
In this Peabody Award-winning show, Kurt Andersen sets sail in search of the great white whale.
John Leguizamo on his one-man play “Latin History for Morons.” Plus how the updated version of ‘Oklahoma!’ took a bold approach to choreography. And trying to bring peace to LA gangs in the wake of Nipsey Hussle’s death.
How the debut B-52’s album wedded punk with fun.
The mystery and mastery of singing, with Billie Holiday’s “Lady Sings the Blues,” Eric Whitacre and the Silver Lake Chorus
Lynn Shelton on her new movie, “Sword of Trust,” a studio visit to see how Ursula von Rydingsvard make her enigmatic sculptures, and how the villain from “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” changed everything for a fourth grade boy.
How the comedian dissolves into multitudes of characters, from his mother to Andrew Jackson, in his one-man plays.
Live on stage with Yo La Tengo, Aasif Mandvi and Friends Who Folk.
Julio Torres and Ana Fabrega of “Los Espookys,” what Hollywood gets wrong about Stonewall and when two artists independently come up with the same original-seeming idea.
This is a new American hero.
John Cameron Mitchell’s podcast musical about a cancer patient, Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s tragically funny novel about divorce, and how Steve Von Till balances being a metal guitarist in Neurosis and an elementary school teacher.
How Van Morrison and John Lee Hooker inspired the retro-styled music of Nick Waterhouse.
How Regina Spektor prepared for Broadway, plus the real drama behind “Salt of the Earth” and finding oneself through “Finding Nemo.”
“There are no rules out here. Do not expect to be treated with a complicated civility.”
Why Elaine May’s 1987 flop “Ishtar” deserved better, the stars of “Booksmart” on their favorite on-screen friendships and how watching “Star Trek” as a boy changed everything for Ronald D. Moore.
“My distrust of technology comes entirely from that movie.”
BFFs Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever share their favorite on-screen friendships.
An all-theater episode, including deconstructing the patter song, Taylor Mac’s latest on Broadway and how so much Shakespeare ended up in so many parks.
How the legendary jazz singer transformed pain into art on her 1956 album.
Herzog on "Meeting Gorbachev," “When Doves Cry” at 35, and directing TV comedy.
John Cameron Mitchell on the origins of his new musical podcast.
It’s HAL’s world — we just live in it.
Karl Ove Knausgård’s book about Edvard Munch and Ani DiFranco’s about herself. Plus Pete Seeger’s centennial and really catchy — but patriarchal — songs.
Author Ali Smith on her post-Brexit novel “Autumn”
How “Horses” by Patti Smith helped ignite the punk explosion, plus Susan Choi on “Trust Exercise” and a published poet who’s also a cop.
Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks on “White Noise” with one of its stars, Daveed Diggs. Plus the rich history of the folk song “In the Pines,” and the art of being a supernumerary.
For over half a century, Merce Cunningham’s work was marked by his consistent embrace of innovation expanding the frontiers of contemporary dance.
Frederic Tuten’s Zelig-like connection to New York, plus cartoonist Cathy Guisewite on creating “Cathy,” and the music of Helado Negro.
This is the album that helped forge punk’s DIY attitude with its fusion of free-form rock and poetry.
Filmmaker Jia Zhangke, David Remnick, and others on why we’re so obsessed with the gangster myth.
How a fun file on Susan Choi’s hard drive turned into her new novel, Trust Exercise.
What happened when iconic filmmaker Agnès Varda and artist JR teamed up for a road trip? They brought art to the people of rural France.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” the woman who created the Creature from the Black Lagoon but didn’t get credit, and how reading “The Metamorphosis” created a metamorphosis for one writer.
After prosecuting the O.J. Simpson case, Marcia Clark turned to writing courtroom-drama novels and a new TV show. Plus the mystery of “Cracks,” a “Sesame Street” cartoon that terrified kids — and then disappeared.
Jia Zhangke on his latest film about the lives of working-class Chinese, Ash Is Purest White, and the movies that shaped him.
The improbable starmaker that brought us Yanni and John Tesh. Plus director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, and Nat King Cole at 100.
Heidi Schreck’s memoir-tinged play about the Constitution hits Broadway, plus making Broadway autism-friendly and the magic-realist documentary “301 Hollywood.”
A Baltimore police officer turns to poetry to understand his experiences on the job.
“This Is Spinal Tap” at 35. Plus N.K. Jemisin on “How Long 'til Black Future Month?” and the mythology — and musicality — of Robert Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues.”
Two nominees — actor Richard E. Grant and “Black Panther” costume designer Ruth E. Carter. Plus how a movement director helped Rami Malek embody Freddie Mercury.
The Sesame Street cartoon that terrified children and created an obsession.
Sex on the screen: first times, an intimacy coach and bisexual pride. Plus, “Reality Bites” at 25.
The past, present and future of country music.
Kids on the spectrum — and their families — let it go at a special performance of Frozen.
How Natasha Wimmer translates Bolaño, plus theater about gynecology’s unconscionable founder, and fine art made of carpet.
Dance, movement and the music that moves you to dance.
The wildly beautiful aria that drives Samson wild.
A new exhibit at the Guggenheim suggests it was Hilma af Klint who invented abstraction — so why has she been practically unknown for the last century?
The quietly enduring impact of Nickelodeon’s “Doug,” plus artist Rina Banerjee and the migrant-camp play, “The Jungle.”
How John August fell in love with screenwriting -- and illuminates the craft for aspirants.
Some of our favorite stories from the last year: Daniela Vega, the drudgery of a movie and TV quality control technician, novelist Lauren Groff’s complicated relationship with Florida and an oral history of the hip-hop pirate radio station WBAD.
Some of our favorite stories from the last year: Library music, The Noid and Angélique Kidjo.
How a new play puts the audience inside a migrant camp.
John Ford’s problematic masterpiece “The Searchers” and an inexplicable love for Hallmark Christmas movies.
The Muppets, picture books and other childhood pursuits you never outgrow.
The literary con artist talks about her criminal past — now adapted into the Melissa McCarthy film, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
A scholarly look at why men in classical art are so slightly endowed, plus how a writer thinks about her day job as a respiratory therapist and holiday fiction from Kurt Andersen.
Lyricist Alan Jay Lerner’s centennial, and more theater magic with impresario Jack Viertel and “Sweat” in the Rust Belt.
Where a troubled teen discovered Sylvia Plath: in a Charlie Sheen TV movie.
America’s love affair with a motorcycle, plus Georgia O’Keeffe’s Southwestern masterpieces and how Jimi Hendrix summed up the Vietnam War with a single guitar solo
A haunting opera about Homestead Act settlers, plus new leads in the Gardner Museum heist, a White Album obsessive, and a Buffalo Tom member’s day job in the leafy suburbs.
How the Harper Lee classic still finds fans — and detractors.
Nathaniel Kahn’s documentary about the art market, plus the making of a Talking Heads masterpiece and Kenneth Lonergan on writing plays and movies.
The art of finishing — how creative people get unstuck and creative projects get back on course.
How Sweat, the Pulitzer Prize-winning labor drama by Lynn Nottage, made the jump from Broadway glitz to blue-collar communities.
How a perfumer concocts a scent from Toni Morrison’s “Beloved,” the mysterious betrayal at the heart of the documentary “Shirkers,” and making sense of “American Pie.”
The many aspects of speculative fiction: sci-fi, fantasy, horror, alternate history and everything else otherworldly.
Stacey Rose is a playwright, screenwriter, director, producer and...a respiratory therapist.
Theresa Rebeck on the most famous actress of her day, Justine Bateman on fame waxing and waning, and a pirate radio station that got too famous for the FCC.
Millennials and boomers do battle in “Boomer1,” learning to love Lawrence Welk, and Argentine experimental musician Juana Molina performs live.
The song where everyone knows the words, but few what know what those words mean.
Ethan Hawke embraces the aging process, the enduring power of Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks,” and the genre-defying music of Balún.
The golden age of grunge — and moving beyond dumb grunge cliches — in the Pacific Northwest.
How a dark comedy got so dark and so funny.
How Ann Dowd makes her dystopian character on “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Aunt Lydia, more believable, and how hippies in the late ’60s started obsessing over Doomsday.
What’s it take to win entertainment’s grand slam?
The guitarist who Dave Davies and Jimmy Page worshipped.
Liz Diller on her favorite use of architecture in film, a classic Richard Pryor album turns 40 and a noteworthy summer for black cinema.
How the politics of the past, and today, inspire art, music and poetry.
Poet Maya Phillips talks about how rap elevates this modern dramedy about race, friendship, and a rapidly gentrifying Oakland.
The curious world of vintage stock music libraries, a groundbreaking radio thriller, and America’s most prestigious cinema: the White House.
Studio 360 presents a special bonus episode of another great podcast — Hit Parade.
How “Walden” holds up, “I Will Survive” at 40 and Leonard Bernstein’s concerts for children.
As conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein changed the way audiences understood classical music.
Ken Jennings on the history — and ubiquity — of comedy, Picasso in Mira T. Lee’s new novel and a performance by Roomful of Teeth.
The art of children at play: playground design, imaginary friends and the unlikely histories of Barbie and the Frisbee.
Forty years ago, Steve Martin made comedy history with “A Wild and Crazy Guy” and “King Tut.”
A citywide art survey in Ohio, a biblical reading of Beyoncé and the mastery — and misery — of a quality control technician.
A reading by acclaimed poet Marianne Moore and Chicago filmmaker Jim Trainor on his “anti-Disney” animal educational film.
How a hit record saved the whales and how certain whale songs become hits.
Author and Historian Laurel Braitman puts on concerts for all-animal audiences. Richard Prum talks to us about the aesthetic preferences of animals.
What inspired comic artist Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Wilson Pickett and “Luke Cage” showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker.
The new season of the music documentary podcast Pitch takes listeners behind the music of ISIS, blacklist jazz, Carnival, and more.
This is the home of America’s aspirations and its deepest contradictions.
What is medical improv? WNYC’s Amanda Aronczyk takes us on a tour. Plus, back to Laughter Yoga with Kurt Andersen and Marry Harris.
Your brain on Laughter: Neuroscientist Sophie Scott explains the science of laughter. Plus, Comedian Chris Gethard talks to us about how depression and comedy can be interwoven.
Kurt Andersen and Marry Harris give Laughter Yoga a try.
When art is dirty ... and dirt is arty.
Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker on the show’s ‘90s, New York, hip-hop vibe.
A revolutionary Public Enemy album turns 30, the history of protest art and the “Nancy” comics reboot.