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Playlist: Shorts

Compiled By: Roland Foster

 Credit:

Short pieces

Record Bin Roulette - What's Up, Doc?

From John Kessler | 03:52

Weekly 4 minute binge of musical rarities, oddities and classics, this time we examine Doctors. With Aretha Franklin, The Beatles and The Chipmunks.

Three-stooges-doctors_small Weekly 4 minute binge of musical rarities, oddities and classics, this time we examine Doctors. With Aretha Franklin, The Beatles and The Chipmunks.

Record Bin Roulette - Woman

From John Kessler | 03:57

Weekly 4 minute dash through musical rarities, oddities and classics. We pay tribute to Women with songs from Etta James, Peggy Lee, Helen Reddy, balanced by John Lennon, Neil Diamond and Elvis.

Peggy_small Weekly 4 minute dash through musical rarities, oddities and classics. We pay tribute to Women with songs from Etta James, Peggy Lee, Helen Reddy, balanced by John Lennon, Neil Diamond and Elvis.

Record Bin Roulette - Sleep

From John Kessler | 03:54

Weekly 4 minute jaunt through musical rarities, oddities and classics. This week we lull you with Little Willie John, Petula Clark and The Beatles.
Special cameos from Groucho Marx and The Three Stooges.

Bobby_lewis_small Weekly 4 minute jaunt through musical rarities, oddities and classics. This week we lull you with Little Willie John, Petula Clark and The Beatles. Special cameos from Groucho Marx and The Three Stooges.

Record Bin Roulette - The Election

From John Kessler | 03:59

Weekly 4 minute jaunt through popular music oddities, rarities and classics. This time we ponder the political animal with Johnny Cash, Alice Cooper and Bob Dylan.

Alice_small Weekly 4 minute jaunt through popular music oddities, rarities and classics. This time we ponder the political animal with Johnny Cash, Alice Cooper and Bob Dylan.

Record Bin Roulette - Hawaii

From John Kessler | 03:58

Weekly 4 minute excursion through musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time we go Hawaiian with Elvis Presley, Don Ho, Ethel Merman and The Ventures.

Annette_small Weekly 4 minute excursion through musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time we go Hawaiian with Elvis Presley, Don Ho, Ethel Merman and The Ventures.

Record Bin Roulette - Politics

From John Kessler | 03:48

Weekly 4 minute jaunt through musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time a look at pop music and politics with Rage Against The Machine, Nicky Minaj and Frank Sinatra.

Rage_small Weekly 4 minute jaunt through musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time a look at pop music and politics with Rage Against The Machine, Nicky Minaj and Frank Sinatra.

Record Bin Roulette - The Telephone

From John Kessler | 03:57

Weekly 4 minute dash through musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time we pick up the phone with Glenn Miller, Wilson Pickett, Astrud Gilberto and special cameo by Lily Tomlin.

Phone_small Weekly 4 minute dash through musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time we pick up the phone with Glenn Miller, Wilson Pickett, Astrud Gilberto and special cameo by Lily Tomlin.

Record Bin Roulette - Feuds

From John Kessler | 03:53

Weekly 4 minute loop de loop through pop music history, this time FEUDS with Mozart & Salieri, Beyonce & Etta James, and Neil Young and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Duel_small Weekly 4 minute loop de loop through pop music history, this time FEUDS with Mozart & Salieri, Beyonce & Etta James, and Neil Young and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Record Bin Roulette - Choirs

From John Kessler | 03:52

Weekly 4 minute romp through musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time we look for choirs in popular music, with The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and The Swingle Singers!

Swingle_small Weekly 4 minute romp through musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time we look for choirs in popular music, with The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and The Swingle Singers!

Record Bin Roulette - Age

From John Kessler | 03:54

Weekly 4 minute binge of musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time we take on age with Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, and Peter Pan.

Marchoftime_small Weekly 4 minute binge of musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time we take on age with Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, and Peter Pan.

Record Bin Roulette - The Sun

From John Kessler | 03:51

4 minutes of musical rarities, oddities and classics, this week, songs about and inspired by the Sun. With The Beatles, John Denver and the Fifth Dimension.

Solarflare_small 4 minutes of musical rarities, oddities and classics, this week, songs about and inspired by the Sun. With The Beatles, John Denver and the Fifth Dimension.

Record Bin Roulette - Dreams

From John Kessler | 03:54

Weekly 4 minute dash through musical oddities, rarities and classics, this week it's Dreams with Enrico Caruso, Ella Fitzgerald and (yikes) Katy Perry.

Morpheus_small Weekly 4 minute dash through musical oddities, rarities and classics, this week it's Dreams with Enrico Caruso, Ella Fitzgerald and (yikes) Katy Perry.

Record Bin Roulette - The Slammer

From John Kessler | 03:53

4 minute weekly spin through musical oddities, rarities and classics. This week a quick trip to the hoosegow with The Kingston Trio, Johnny Cash and The Soggy Bottom Boys.

Cashfolsom_small 4 minute weekly spin through musical oddities, rarities and classics. This week a quick trip to the hoosegow with The Kingston Trio, Johnny Cash and The Soggy Bottom Boys.

Record Bin Roulette - Time

From John Kessler | 03:53

4 minute weekly stumble through musical oddities, rarities and classics. This week the heady topic of TIME...with Tony Bennett, Pink Floyd and Albert Einstein explains relativity.

Time_small 4 minute weekly stumble through musical oddities, rarities and classics. This week the heady topic of TIME...with Tony Bennett, Pink Floyd and Albert Einstein explains relativity.

Record Bin Roulette - Thanksgiving

From John Kessler | 03:43

4 minute breeze of musical oddities, rarities and classics...this week, songs of thanks with The Beatles, Maurice Chevalier and Bob Hope.

Turkey_small 4 minute breeze of musical oddities, rarities and classics...this week, songs of thanks with The Beatles, Maurice Chevalier and Bob Hope.

Record Bin Roulette - Happiness

From John Kessler | 03:52

Weekly 4 minute musical journey unearthing rarities, oddities and classics. This week, Happiness with Bobby McFerrin, The Turtles and The Partridge Family

Smiley_small Weekly 4 minute musical journey unearthing rarities, oddities and classics. This week, Happiness with Bobby McFerrin, The Turtles and The Partridge Family

Record Bin Roulette - The Jingle

From John Kessler | 03:39

A weekly excavation of musical rarities, oddities and classics. This week, a look a the history of the advertising jingle, from Wheaties to Lucky Strikes.

Radiomag_small A weekly excavation of musical rarities, oddities and classics. This week, a look a the history of the advertising jingle, from Wheaties to Lucky Strikes.

Record Bin Roulette - Real Events

From John Kessler | 03:50

Weekly 4 minute binge of musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time we get real with songs about stuff that actually happened. With Deep Purple, U2, Don Mclean and Lou Reed.

41-fh-qh0zl Weekly 4 minute binge of musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time we get real with songs about stuff that actually happened. With Deep Purple, U2, Don Mclean and Lou Reed.

Record Bin Roulette - Reefer Madness

From John Kessler | 03:55

Weekly 4 minute overdose of musical rarities and classics, this time, in honor of Washington and Colorado's vote to legalize cannabis, it's Reefer Madness, with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Petty and Cab Calloway, with a special appearance of Puff The Magic Dragon.

Reefer_madness_small Weekly 4 minute overdose of musical rarities and classics, this time, in honor of Washington and Colorado's vote to legalize cannabis, it's Reefer Madness, with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Tom Petty and Cab Calloway, with a special appearance of Puff The Magic Dragon.

Record Bin Roulette - Mr. Businessman

From John Kessler | 03:46

Weekly 4 minute jaunt through musical oddities, rarities and classics. This time we enter the high-powered world of business with Ray Stevens, BTO and Dolly Parton, with a special cameo by Principal Skinner/

Bizlp_small Weekly 4 minute jaunt through musical oddities, rarities and classics. This time we enter the high-powered world of business with Ray Stevens, BTO and Dolly Parton, with a special cameo by Principal Skinner/

Record Bin Roulette - Work Songs

From John Kessler | 03:34

Weekly 4-minute thrill-ride through music history, featuring oddities, rarities and classics. This time, Work Songs with Harry Belafonte, Dolly Parton, Lee Dorsey and the Dwarf Chorus.

Whistle_2_small Weekly 4-minute thrill-ride through music history, featuring oddities, rarities and classics. This time, Work Songs with Harry Belafonte, Dolly Parton, Lee Dorsey and the Dwarf Chorus.

Record Bin Roulette - Product Placement

From John Kessler | 03:59

Weekly 4 minute binge of musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time, we buy into brand names in song with NIrvana, Paul Simon, Marilyn Monroe and Lady Gaga.

Teenspirit_small Weekly 4 minute binge of musical rarities, oddities and classics. This time, we buy into brand names in song with NIrvana, Paul Simon, Marilyn Monroe and Lady Gaga.

Record Bin Roulette - The 1 Percent

From John Kessler | 03:56

Weekly 4 minute dash through musical oddities, rarities and classics. This time we take a poke at the 1%, with Zero Mostel, The Beatles, Ethel Merman and Yosemite Sam.

Zappa_small Weekly 4 minute dash through musical oddities, rarities and classics. This time we take a poke at the 1%, with Zero Mostel, The Beatles, Ethel Merman and Yosemite Sam.

Record Bin Roulette - Sound Effects

From John Kessler | 03:47

4 minute weekly cruise through musical oddities, rarities and classics. This week, Sound Effects in Pop Music with Spike Jones, The Ronettes and Dolly Parton.

Cannon_small 4 minute weekly cruise through musical oddities, rarities and classics. This week, Sound Effects in Pop Music with Spike Jones, The Ronettes and Dolly Parton.

Record Bin Roulette-Money

From John Kessler | 03:53

Weekly musical oddities, rarities and surprises. Just in time for fund drive, it's songs about money with Liza Minelli, the O'Jays, Elvis and Monty Python.

Money_small Weekly musical oddities, rarities and surprises. Just in time for fund drive, it's songs about money with Liza Minelli, the O'Jays, Elvis and Monty Python.

Record Bin Roulette - Obsolete Technology

From John Kessler | 03:40

A musical excavation of rarities, classics and oddities, this week obsolete technologies like the Theremin and the cassette tape are enjoying a resurgence. We'll break the barriers of technology with Marvin Gaye, the Partridge Family and Zero Mostel.

Cassette_small A musical excavation of rarities, classics and oddities, this week obsolete technologies like the Theremin and the cassette tape are enjoying a resurgence. We'll break the barriers of technology with Marvin Gaye, the Partridge Family and Zero Mostel.

Record Bin Roulette - Lascivious Love Songs

From John Kessler | 03:55

4 minute weekly binge of musical rarities, oddities and classics, this week diving deep into the velvety cushion of love songs. From "Voulez Vouz Couchez" with Labelle to Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl", we offer love songs in their many splendored ways.

Mgaye_small 4 minute weekly binge of musical rarities, oddities and classics, this week diving deep into the velvety cushion of love songs. From "Voulez Vouz Couchez" with Labelle to Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl", we offer love songs in their many splendored ways.

Record Bin Roulette - Pop Music in Politics

From John Kessler | 03:50

This week, a look at the many ways politicians have used the power of pop music to enhance their images. With Tom Petty and Michelle Bachman, Sarah Palin and Heart, and Chrissie Hynde and Rush Limbaugh.

Sarahbarracuda_small This week, a look at the many ways politicians have used the power of pop music to enhance their images. With Tom Petty and Michelle Bachman, Sarah Palin and Heart, and Chrissie Hynde and Rush Limbaugh.

Record Bin Roulette-The Moon

From John Kessler | 03:54

This week we moon over some of our favorite lunar toons with Van Morrison, Marvin Gaye, Dean Martin and Julie London, among others.

Lunarsalute_small This week we moon over some of our favorite lunar toons with Van Morrison, Marvin Gaye, Dean Martin and Julie London, among others.

Ray Charles - Nat Cole

From WGBH Radio Boston | Part of the Moments of America series | :59

Musician Ray Charles remembers his early career as a Nat “King” Cole sound-alike. (1995)

Default-piece-image-2 Taken from a 1995 interview for the PBS series "Rock and Roll." (See related moments with Allen Ginsberg)

A Howl for Literary Freedom

From Dick Meister | 03:30

It was 50 years ago this summer that a judge rejected attempts to ban poet Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" as obscene and virtually ended government book-banning.

Default-piece-image-1 This commentary recalls the trial held 50 years ago this summer that ended with Americans finally winning the legal right to read whatever they want to read. It was the trial in San Francisco of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" that I covered as a young reporter. Government officials had declared the poem "obscene," banned its sale and arrested and put on trial those who published and distributed it . The dramatic trial pitted some of the country's leading literary figures, who deemed "Howl" a masterpiece, against police officers and others who complained that "Howl" contained "dirty words." The trial judge's landmark decision held that only readers had the right to censor literature -- by simply ignoring works that offended them.

Sound Opinions Beat Generation Module

From Sound Opinions | Part of the Sound Opinions Specials series | 05:00

This is a 5-minute segment on the Beat generation's influence on rock.

Soundopinions_podcast_logo_small

In this 5-minute excerpt, Sound Opinions hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot speak with Text and Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll author Simon Warner about the Beat generation's influence on rock 'n' roll. Warner begins by explaining that the Beat generation of writers were themselves influenced by music. Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg tried to mimic the phrasing of Bebop jazz players. As rock music began to move away from its adolescent roots, rockers like Dylan and The Beatles turned to the Beats' personal, poetic writing style as a model for their own "serious" lyric-writing. Finally, Warner makes the case that the Beat influence continues today in the work of artists like Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, who recently scored a film adaptation of Kerouac's Big Sur.


Suggested Host Intro:

In the 1950's and '60s, Beat writers like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs shook up the literary establishment. Impressionistic, stream-of-consciousness works like Kerouac's On the Road and Ginsberg's Howl changed literature forever, but they also changed something else: Music. Sound Opinions hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot recently sat down with University of Leeds lecturer Simon Warner. His new book is Text and Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll: The Beats and Rock Culture. Warner explained how this "Beat" generation of writers inspired by jazz, ended up influencing generations of rock 'n' rollers.

 

 

1976 Allen Ginsberg - End Vietnam War

From Naropa University | Part of the Jack Kerouac Disembodied School of Poetics series | 04:16

great pro peace performance by Ginsberg

Default-piece-image-1 Ginsberg in 1976 sings a still relevant, moving, touching poem about peace, the environment, and American imperialism. THIS IS A GEM!!! This piece is from Naropa University Archive's Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics collection. Allen Ginsberg founded the Kerouac School, a writing program, in 1974, and for 30 years he brought a group of counter culture writers, artists and thinkers to Boulder for a Summer Program. Naropa's Audio Archive is digitizing 2000 hours of readings, lectures and panel discussions, several hundred hours of which is available for free at www.archive.org. Click through 'audio' to 'naropa' and browse. The piece has never been broadcast - you will be among the first to make this rare recording available to listeners.

E. E. Cummings & Krazy Kat

From Facts About Fiction | :58

An unusual and irreverent comic strip about a misfit cat served as inspiration to 20th century poet e e cummings.

Felix_krazy_kat_small An unusual and irreverent comic strip about a misfit cat served as inspiration to 20th century poet e e cummings.

This I Believe - Loudon Wainwright III

From This I Believe | Part of the This I Believe series | 03:04

Musician Loudon Wainwright III believes the joy in writing a song comes from the mystery of its creation.

Default-piece-image-0 HOST: What you believe is distinct from what you know. Belief contains mystery. People who write for our series often tell us that in the process of naming their beliefs, they find themselves in uncharted terrain. That's okay with singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III ? the not knowing is what's important to him. Here he is with his essay for This I Believe. ESSAY: Here?s a question: How do you believe in a mystery, in something you don?t understand and can?t prove? When we?re children we?re encouraged to believe in some mysterious things that turn out to not necessarily be true at all, things like The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny, or The Flag. Naturally we?re disappointed after our illusions have been shattered but usually we get over it. Some of us, however, become skeptical, even cynical, after that. I?ve been asked on many occasions how I write my songs. Often I?ll glibly reply, ?I sure don?t wake up in the morning and sharpen pencils.? Then I?ll admit how lazy and lucky I am, and how successful and downright great some of the more notorious pencil sharpeners have been?two of my heroes Frank Loesser and Irving Berlin being among them. If I?m feeling expansive I?ll bring up the mysterious aspect, the mere five to 10 percent that matters the most, what?s commonly called the inspiration. That?s the thing beyond the technique and the discipline, when the sharpening and the gnawing stop, and something, as they say, ?comes to you.? It?s a bit like fishing, really. There?s certainly luck involved but maybe what you took for laziness was (and I?m going out on a limb here) a sort of divine relaxation. When I write what I consider to be a good song, when I realize it?s going to hang together, when I somehow manage to get it into the boat, so to speak, I invariably find myself looking upwards and thanking something or even, dare I say it, Someone. If I?m alone my heartfelt thank you is often an audible one. Oh, yes, I?ve been known to mutter a few words at the head of the table at Thanksgiving dinner, or hoarsely whisper an ?amen? at a wedding, funeral or Christmas pageant, but usually it is just embarrassed lip service. As a rule I don?t give thanks at a dinner table or in a church pew. For me, it happens when I?ve been hunched over a guitar for a few hours I believe in the power of inspiration, in the mysterious gift of creation: Creation with a small ?c,? that is, creation as in one?s work, hauling in the day?s catch. When I write a song, I?m happy for a few days and it?s not just because I?ve been reassured that I still have a job, though that?s certainly part of it. Mostly I?m happy, I think, because I?ve experienced a real mystery. I haven?t the slightest idea how it happened or where or from whom or what it came. I?d prefer not to know. In fact, I?d prefer not to talk about it anymore. It might scare the fish away.

This I Believe - Bela Fleck

From This I Believe | Part of the This I Believe series | 02:53

In life and in music, banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck believes in figuring out his own way of doing things.

Tiblogobluesmallrgb_small HOST: When artists write for our series, they tend toward a belief in the creative spirit. This is true for banjo player Bela Fleck too, but he partially derives his belief from his grandfather, who applied HIS creativity to things other than art ... things like plumbing. No matter, says Fleck, personal inventiveness is what's important to him. Here is Bela Fleck with his essay for This I Believe. FLECK: I believe in figuring out my own way to do things. This approach can yield great results, but it?s got its negative sides. Much of my individualist, bone-headed nature comes from my grandfather. Opa grew up in New York's rough and tumble Lower East Side, didn't go to college, but owned and ran two successful businesses: a restaurant and a car wash. He figured out what he wanted to do, and how to do it without studying a manual. He used his own creativity to solve problems as they came up. After he died, realtors tried to sell his home. They discovered he had devised his own way of hooking up the septic system. No one could figure out how it worked, so it couldn't pass codes. But it worked and for many years beyond his time. Sometimes I wonder if my banjo playing would pass codes. I didn't learn to play bluegrass, classical music or jazz in school. I took banjo lessons from some of the best, but my breakthrough moments came when I left the lesson plans. I remember seeing jazz great Chick Corea when I was 17. There was a moment of revelation when I realized that all the notes he was playing had to exist on my banjo. I went home and stayed up most of the night, figuring out the scales, modes and arpeggios for myself, mapping out the banjo fingerboard in my own way. When I perform with my own group, my map of the banjo is all I need. But when I move into more conventional jazz or classical situations, I don't always have the tools to fit in. I can barely read music. I don't thoroughly understand the conventions of each tradition and I?m not sure how to voice jazz chords?which notes to leave out, how the scales work, all the rhythmic concepts. I heard that when George Gershwin wanted to study harmony from Ravel, he was advised against it. Ravel felt that Gershwin would obliterate the very thing that made him special by learning conventional approaches to rhythm and harmony. I?d like to think that the same is true for me, but I?m not convinced. I worry that my approach might not be built on a strong enough musical foundation. It?s this fear that allows me no rest in my musical pursuits. When I?m at work--whether it is writing, practicing, or editing and mixing CDs?I obsess. To say that I am picky is an understatement. Delegating is pretty much impossible; I can be downright controlling. I have to get everything just right. Then, one day, the intensity disappears. This usually means the project is done. My grandfather didn?t seem to worry that he was making it up as he went along, and I try not to either. I believe in living with and giving into my obsessive side when it serves the music. I believe in doing things my own way, and I want them to last, just like my grandfather?s plumbing.

This I Believe - Mary Chapin Carpenter

From This I Believe | Part of the This I Believe series | 03:53

Singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter believes in valuing the simple blessings each day brings.

Tiblogosmall_small HOST: Today, on This I Believe, we hear from singer-songwriter, Mary Chapin Carpenter, who lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. Carpenter has won 5 Grammy Awards and sold 13-million records, and yet she says she discovered her belief in difficulty, not success. CARPENTER: I believe in what I learned at the grocery store. Eight weeks ago I was released from the hospital after suffering a pulmonary embolism. I had just finished a tour and a week after returning home, severe chest pain and terrible breathlessness landed me in the ER. A scan revealed blood clots in my lungs. Everyone told me how lucky I was. A pulmonary embolism can take your life in an instant. I was familiar enough with the medical term, but not familiar with the pain, the fear and the depression that followed. Everything I had been looking forward to came to a screeching halt. I had to cancel my upcoming tour. I had to let my musicians and crewmembers go. The record company, the booking agency: I felt that I had let everyone down. But there was nothing to do but get out of the hospital, go home and get well. I tried hard to see my unexpected time off as a gift, but I would open a novel and couldn't concentrate. I would turn on the radio, then shut if off. Familiar clouds gathered above my head, and I couldn't make them go away with a pill or a movie or a walk. This unexpected time was becoming a curse, filling me with anxiety, fear and self-loathing -- all of the ingredients of the darkness that is depression. Sometimes, it's the smile of a stranger that helps. Sometimes it's a phone call from a long absent friend, checking on you. I found my lifeline at the grocery store. One morning, the young man who rang up my groceries and asked me if I wanted paper or plastic also told me to enjoy the rest of my day. I looked at him and I knew he meant it. It stopped me in my tracks. I went out and I sat in my car and cried. What I want more than ever is to appreciate that I have this day, and tomorrow and hopefully days beyond that. I am experiencing the learning curve of gratitude. I don't want to say "have a nice day" like a robot. I don't want to get mad at the elderly driver in front of me. I don't want to go crazy when my Internet access is messed up. I don't want to be jealous of someone else's success. You could say that this litany of sins indicates that I don't want to be human. The learning curve of gratitude, however, is showing me exactly how human I am. I don't know if my doctors will ever be able to give me the precise reason why I had a life-threatening illness. I do know that the young man in the grocery store reminded me that every day is all there is, and that is my belief. Tonight I will cook dinner, tell my husband how much I love him, curl up with the dogs, watch the sun go down over the mountains and climb into bed. I will think about how uncomplicated it all is. I will wonder at how it took me my entire life to appreciate just one day.

This I Believe - Yo-Yo Ma

From This I Believe | Part of the This I Believe series | 03:06

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma believes in embracing many cultures and finding something to love in each of them.

Tiblogosmall_small HOST: For our This I Believe essay today, we hear from one of the world's most accomplished and versatile musicians, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The recipient of 15 Grammy Awards, Yo-Yo Ma has the ability to speak, musically, to audiences all over the world. The range of his musical interest is echoed in his belief in crossing borders, boundaries, and even identity. Here is Yo-Yo Ma with his essay for This I Believe. MA: I believe in the infinite variety of human expression. I grew up in three cultures: I was born in Paris, my parents were from China and I was brought up mostly in America. When I was young, this was very confusing: everyone said that their culture was best, but I knew they couldn't all be right. I felt that there was an expectation that I would choose to be Chinese or French or American. For many years I bounced among the three, trying on each but never being wholly comfortable. I hoped I wouldn't have to choose, but I didn't know what that meant and how exactly to "not choose." However, the process of trying on each culture taught me something. As I struggled to belong, I came to understand what made each one unique. At that point, I realized that I didn't need to choose one culture to the exclusion of another, but instead I could choose from all three. The values I selected would become part of who I was, but no one culture needed to win. I could honor the cultural depth and longevity of my Chinese heritage, while feeling just as passionate about the deep artistic traditions of the French and the American commitment to opportunity and the future. So, rather than settling on any one of the cultures in which I grew up, I now choose to explore many more cultures and find elements to love in each. Every day I make an effort to go toward what I don't understand. This wandering leads to the accidental learning that continually shapes my life. As I work in music today, I try to implement this idea-that the music I play, like me, doesn't belong to only one culture. In recent years, I have explored many musical traditions. Along the way, I have met musicians who share a belief in the creative power that exists at the intersection of cultures. These musicians have generously become my guides to their traditions. Thanks to them and their music I have found new meaning in my own music making. It is extraordinary the way people, music and cultures develop. The paths and experiences that guide them are unpredictable. Shaped by our families, neighborhoods, cultures and countries, each of us ultimately goes through this process of incorporating what we learn with who we are and who we seek to become. As we struggle to find our individual voices, I believe we must look beyond the voice we've been assigned, and find our place among the tones and timbre of human expression.

Shopping Your Way to Hell

From Nathan Callahan | Part of the The SoCal Byte series | 06:20

Yea, Though I Walk Through the Valley of South Coast Plaza, I Fear No Evil

Shop_small

As a member of Reverend Billy’s Church of Stop Shopping, I recognize the Devil in corporate commercialism where I see it; how this devil inhabits nearly every aspect of our 21st century lives; how the sign of the brand has replaced the holy spirit; how we are christened consumers rather than citizens; how our public spaces, our information, our history, our laws are all subjugated to the forces of the money market, where the endless treadmill of consumption defines human progress.  Money may not be the root of all evil, but it’s a good place to start looking. 

Ray Charles - Child

From WGBH Radio Boston | Part of the Moments of America series | 01:00

Musician Ray Charles explains what kind of music was around him growing up. (1995)

Default-piece-image-1 Taken from a 1995 interview for the PBS series "Rock and Roll." (See related moments with Allen Ginsberg)

Ray Charles - Kinds

From WGBH Radio Boston | Part of the Moments of America series | :59

Musician Ray Charles comments on the labels given to the music he played. (1995)

Default-piece-image-1 Taken from a 1995 interview for the PBS series "Rock and Roll." (See related moments with Allen Ginsberg)

Ray Charles - Teacher

From WGBH Radio Boston | Part of the Moments of America series | 01:58

Musician Ray Charles recalls the frustration he delivered to his early piano teacher. (1995)

Default-piece-image-0 Taken from a 1995 interview for the PBS series "Rock and Roll." (See related moments with Allen Ginsberg)

American Hipster

From With Good Reason | 02:27

Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs—all names you might recognize as poets of the Beat Generation. But a friend and inspiration to all three of them, Herbert Huncke, was, himself, a talented writer. Huncke's life is the subject a new book. Allison Quantz has the story.

American-hipstr_small Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs—all names you might recognize as poets of the Beat Generation. But a friend and inspiration to all three of them, Herbert Huncke, was, himself, a talented writer. Huncke's life is the subject a new book. Allison Quantz has the story.

THE WAY -- Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez Interview

From Andrea Chase | Part of the Behind the Scenes series | 11:58

THE WAY -- Father and son team Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez talk faith, filmmaking, and taking it on the road.

Wayposter_small The seeds of the idea for THE WAY, about a man walking an ancient pilgrimage route with his son's ashes, began years ago when actor Martin Sheen was on vacation with his grandson, Estevez's son, and he wanted to drive the pilgrimage route of El Camino de Santiago in Spain. Over time, the story changed, but the dedication to making the project remained the same. When I spoke to them on August 29, 2011. they were at the beginning of their American pilgrimage, i.e., the cross-country bus tour promoting the film. After discussing whether or not making the film got in the way of their pilgramage, the idea of which provoked a belly laugh from Sheen, the talk turned philosophical with them both weighing in on humankind's visceral need for pilgrimage, both religious and secular, as well as why the film, distinctly Catholic in story, is equally compelling for people of every faith. Even those who are, as Estevez put it, "a work in progress".

Native Roots of Jazz: John Lewis

From KBEM | Part of the Native Roots of Jazz series | 05:00

John Lewis was of Cherokee and Comanche lineage and is best known as the musical director and leader of the Modern Jazz Quartet.

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Being classically trained, John Lewis' piano style was different from that of most of his contemporaries. As a soloist he depended as much on space and silence as he did on notes to get his message across; and as an accompanist he was likely to play fuguelike counter lines rather than the staccato chords that were standard bebop procedure.
Lewis' favorite form was the fugue, and his compositions commonly combined the element of classical form with collective improvisation. 

MN90: And Now for Something Completely Gilliam

From Ampers | Part of the MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds series | 01:30

Terry Gilliam was the only American member of the legendry British comedy troupe Monty Python. Britt Aamodt has the story of Gilliam’s Minnesota connection.

5_terrygilliam_-_image_small Terry Gilliam was the only American member of the legendry British comedy troupe Monty Python. Britt Aamodt has the story of Gilliam’s Minnesota connection.

Portrait of an Artist as an Answering Machine

From The Kitchen Sisters | Part of the Lost & Found Sound series | 02:02

In contemplating the telephone answering machine, what better place to turn than Los Angeles---a town known for its phones.

990430 In contemplating the telephone answering machine, what better place to turn than Los Angeles---a town known for its phones. It's a city that never shuts up, or so the statistics would make you think, with telephones, cell phones, pagers, and voice mail boxes. Writer, comedian and actor Taylor Negron is from Los Angeles. He's best known as the guy who delivers pizza to Sean Penn in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Taylor averages between 17 and 27 phone messages a day and he's one of those people who saves his tapes. Independent producer Valerie Velardi sifted through two months of Taylor Negron's messages and created this portrait of an artist as an answering machine.

Love and Faith and Music

From Steven Scher | Part of the On The Bus series | 07:46

The foot soldiers of the civil rights movement were shot, beaten, jailed, even murdered. Yet they kept on marching. Love for their community and faith in justice bound them. Music was the glue.

Artboard_1_small The foot soldiers of the civil rights movement were shot, beaten, jailed, even murdered. Yet they kept on marching. Love for their community and faith in justice bound them. Music was the glue.

Pete Seeger on "We Shall Overcome"

From Blank on Blank | Part of the Blank on Blank series | 06:34

Folk music legend Pete Seeger explains the history behind the civil rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome", and why this famous song has many brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. And he sings, too.

Peteseeger590w400h_small Interviewer: Josh Baron, Editor-in-Chief Relix Magazine

The Scene: By phone, Seeger on the way to perform in 2009

The Source: Digital recorder

Record Bin Roulette - The Whistler

From John Kessler | 03:32

4 minutes of musical rarities, oddities and classics, tied together with a weekly theme. This time...The Whistler.
He shows up on a lot of hit records from Supertramp to Otis Redding to Monty Python.

The_whistler_1944_small 4 minutes of musical rarities, oddities and classics, tied together with a weekly theme. This time...The Whistler. He shows up on a lot of hit records from Supertramp to Otis Redding to Monty Python.