David Hajdu recently wrote a controversial article for The New Republic about the legacy of Alan Lomax. Lomax and his father made field recordings of thousands of folk and blues songs including work by Leadbelly and Muddy Waters.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Ed Young says that even basic literacy in Chinese requires memorizing 4,000 characters.
Chris Thomas King played blues legend Tommy Johnson in the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” His tune on the soundtrack won 3 Grammy Awards. King sees his music as a bridge between the worlds of hip hop and the Blues.
Apocalyptic stories are more than just entertaining. Millions of Americans believe the world will soon end. Cultural critic Barry Vacker unpacks this end-of-world meme.
Brian Smith tells Jim about his family’s “Recycled Christmas.” None of the gifts could be new, and the only gift wrap allowed was old newspaper. He says that Christmas was one of his best ever.
Anne speaks with Claire Tomalin, Austen's biographer. They talk about Jane Austen and the contemporary fascination with her.
Carl Klaus is the author of "Letters to Kate." It's a collection of the letters he wrote to his wife in the first year after her death.
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