What Makes a Classic?

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Original Air Date: 
November 13, 2005

What makes a classic?  Well, for one thing, it’s got to have some staying power.  The Bob Dylan song, “Like A Rolling Stone,” certainly fits the bill. It was recorded more than fifty years ago but it’s still considered by many to be the greatest pop single ever made.  In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, Greil Marcus tells us what makes “Like A Rolling Stone” a classic.  Also “Lolita,” “Leaves of Grass” and “Psycho.”

Greil Marcus on "Like a Rolling Stone"

To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

Greil Marcus explains why Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" was an anthem for the sixties and a critical turning point for Dylan as an artist.

Doug Gordon on a "Psycho" Remake

To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

Doug Gordon reports on Gus Van Sant’s efforts to re-make the classic 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film, “Psycho.”

Michael Cunningham on "Specimen Days"

To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

Michael Cunningham won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel “The Hours,” which re-imagined the life and death of Virginia Woolf. His new novel is called “Specimen Days” and involves Walt Whitman.

Steve Paulson on "Lolita"

To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Audio

Steve Paulson talks with writers and editors about the enduring influence of Vladimir Nabokov's novel "Lolita."

Anne Fadiman on "Rereadings"

To The Best Of Our Knowledge
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Anne Strainchamps talks with Anne Fadiman about her book “Rereadings: Seventeen Writers Revisit Books They Love.”

Show Details 📻
Airdates
November 12, 2006
Guests: 

Greil Marcus

Critic
Doug Gordon

Doug Gordon

Producer

Michael Cunningham

michaelcunninghamwriter.com
Steve Paulson

Steve Paulson

Executive Producer
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Anne Fadiman

Editor
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Culture
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Film, Television, Games
Literature
Music
Last modified: 
August 02, 2024