On Demand
The Leonard Lopate Show Archive
June 2005
After Effects
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Guest host Jeffrey Toobin fills in for Leonard today. It’s been six months since the tsunami killed thousands in Southeast Asia. In our weekly Underreported feature, we’ll find out how different communities are dealing with the aftermath. Next, Harper’s contributor Ken Silverstein discusses pork barrel spending in an article for the July issue of the magazine. And New Yorker staff writer George Packer looks at the consequences of one individual soldier’s death in Iraq.
Powerful Words
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Guest host Kenji Jasper fills in again for Leonard today. Chris Hedges joins us first with a conversation about what relevance the Ten Commandments have to modern America society. Then, Clare Asquith reveals the hidden political messages in the works of William Shakespeare in a new book, Shadowplay. Next, Kenji leads a roundtable discussion about why some writers are deciding to publish their own books. And Richard McCann shares Mother of Sorrows, his new collection of short stories.
Self-Reliance
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Guest host Kenji Jasper fills in for Leonard today. Steve Salerno joins him to explain why he thinks the self-help industry is as harmful as it is lucrative. Then, poet and activist Staceyann Chin describes her new one-woman show, Border/Clash. Grammy-winning, veteran songwriter Gordon Chambers tells us about recording his own debut album. Finally, David Enders describes the challenges of creating an English-language newspaper in Baghdad during the war, in a new book: Baghdad Bulletin.
Cultural Strains
Monday, June 27, 2005
Guest host Touré fills in today for Leonard. He’ll start off the show with a conversation with cultural critic Greg Tate. Then, photojournalilst Jamel Shabazz shares a new collection of photographs from the early days of hip-hop culture. Minna Proctor looks at the challenges facing the priesthood. And we’ll hear from Ashleigh Banfield, the former NBC star news correspondent who stirred up controversy by criticizing how cable news in America was covering the war in Iraq.
The Perils of Love
Friday, June 24, 2005
Comedian Robert Klein exposes the humorous side of his adolescent adventures in the Bronx in The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue. Then, The Great Throwdini and Ekaterina describe the trust and skill needed to perform their knife-throwing act. Luc Jacquet, the director of “March of the Penguins,” tells us about the harrowing annual journey emperor penguins make across a very harsh stretch of Antarctica in order to mate. Finally, in our weekly Please Explain feature, we turn our attention to airplanes.
Making Contact
Thursday, June 23, 2005
We’ll start off today’s show with a look at an ambitious new video project that helps friends and neighbors to reunite with one another in the aftermath of the Balkan wars. Then, Joan Allen tells us about her leading role in the new film “Yes.” She’s joined by director Sally Potter. Next, Doug Ramsey reflects on the public and private lives of saxophonist Paul Desmond. And George Rupp, president of the International Rescue Committee, discusses the complicated and widespread conflicts in Sudan on our regular Underreported feature.
The Opportunity
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Richard Haass argues that America is uniquely positioned to change the world for the better in The Opportunity. Next, Rudolph Chelminski tells us about the illustrious life, and tragic suicide, of Parisian chef Bernard Loiseau. Then, Steven Gaines explores the elite world of luxury Manhattan apartments. And Dilip Hiro, author of The Iranian Labyrinth, discusses Iran’s recent elections.
Living Colour
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Guest host Touré fills in for Leonard today. He’ll be speaking with Hugh Hewitt, who helps us navigate the world of blogs. Then, legendary rock guitarist Vernon Reid of Living Colour stops by. Next, Periel Aschenbrand describes her political and cultural convictions in The Only Bush I Trust Is My Own. And social critic Stanley Crouch questions the notion of ethnic authenticity in a new collection of essays: The Artifical White Man.
Rebuilt
Monday, June 20, 2005
The Soviet Union fell almost 15 years ago. Peter Baker and Susan Glasser take a look at whether Russia has really moved towards democracy since then--especially under the rule of Vladimir Putin--in Kremlin Rising. Then, Michael Chorost explains why he thinks of himself as part man, part machine, ever since he received a cochlear implant in 2001. Editors Jenny Offill and Elissa Schappell share 20 stories from women reflecting on lost or destroyed friendships. And Andrew Zimbalist looks at what national pastimes say about national cultures.
Stemming the Tide
Friday, June 17, 2005
Gordon Keller and Robert Klein give us an update on the current debates surrounding stem cell research. Next, actresses Natalie Press and Emily Blunt discuss their new movie, “My Summer of Love.” Then, Catherine Wald, editor of The Resilient Writer, and writer Edmund White tell us how writers deal with rejection. And on our weekly Please Explain feature, we talk to cat therapist Carole Wilbourn about what cats are thinking.
The Word on the Street
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Flynt Leverett of the Brookings Institution has just returned from observing the Ba'th Party Congress in Syria. He joins us for an update on Syria’s role in the Middle East. Next, graphic designer Milton Glaser examines the power of images in The Design of Dissent. Next, Marc and Sara Schiller, of Electric Artists, study some current trends in street art. Finally, Robert Merry questions the notion of historical progress, especially as a justification for American foreign policy, in Sands of Empire.
The Good, the Big, and the Young
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Word maven Patricia T. O’Conner teases out some of the challenges of speaking proper English. Then, eighteen-year-old jazz pianist Eldar performs live in our studio. Sculptor Mark di Suvero describes his new installation of large-scale works at the outdoor Storm King Art Center. And Eli Wallach looks back at his acting career—from working with Lee Strasberg and Elia Kazan, to his roles in Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns.
Endangered Environments
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Ted Smith, the founder and senior strategist of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, looks at some of the most harmful things we throw away. Then, Tim Gallagher tells us about his recent sighting of the ivory-billed woodpecker, which had long been considered extinct. Next, Paris Review editor Elizabeth Gaffney describes her first novel: Metropolis. Finally, actress Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Harrison tell us about their current production of Hecuba at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Visions of the Future
Monday, June 13, 2005
Democracy expert Larry Diamond explains why he believes it's going to take a long time to bring peace and stability to Iraq. Then, we’ll get an update on the latest EU treaty negotiations. Next, writer Peter Turchi explores the many connections between novels and maps. Finally, bass player William Parker and dancer Patricia Nicholson tell us about the the 10th annual Vision Fest.
Going the Distance
Friday, June 10, 2005
Kenyan-born runner Lornah Kiplagat and American Collen De Reuck are two of the favorites competing in the upcoming New York Road Runner’s "Circle of Friends Mini 10K." They stop by with a look at the state of female distance runners. Then, German film star Hanna Schygulla discusses her current film retrospective at MoMA. Next, Esther Cohen tells us about her new novel, Book Doctor. And in our regular Please Explain feature, we ask two doctors to help us navigate the sea of vitamins, herbs, and minerals available as dietary supplements.
Escalating Conflict
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Today on our Underreported series, former NPR correspondent Sarah Chayes calls in from Kandahar with an update on the escalating violence in Afghanistan, and reveals some of the things we aren’t hearing about in the news. Then, attorney Michael Elkin describes New York City’s civil action against gun manufacturers and distributors. Next, playwright Alan Ayckbourn discusses his new play: Private Fears in Public Places. And Sean Wilsey looks back at his unusual childhood in the upper echelons of San Francisco society in the 1970s and 1980s.
Build Me Up
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Guest host Kenji Jasper explores the world of do-it-yourself home repair with Alvin and Lawrence Ubell, the self-appointed “Gurus of How-To.” Next, Paul Theroux tells us about his latest novel, Blinding Light. Then, Clifford Ross explores the boundaries of photography with a new collection of work: Wave Music. And Kevin Smokler, Tom Bissell, and Elizabeth Spiers challenge those that say literature is in decline, and argue instead that American writing can look forward to a bright future.
Star Struck
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, is joined by chef Eric Ripert, along with Jean-Luc Naret, the director of the Michelin Guide, for a discussion on the positive and negative effects of earning a three-star rating. Next, John Vaillant outlines the complicated relationship between humans and trees by focusing on the plight of one giant spruce tree in British Columbia. Then, Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours, shares his new novel, Specimen Days. Finally, American Museum of Natural History paleontologist Mark Norell explains how scientists came to recognize the similarities between dinosaurs and birds in Unearthing the Dragon.
Powerful Connections
Monday, June 06, 2005
David Rothkopf deconstructs one the country’s most powerful committees: the National Security Council. Then, Umberto Eco tells us about his latest novel. We’ll talk to Craig Newmark, the man behind the online resource"“craigslist." And veteran Washington Post reporter John F. Harris looks back at Bill Clinton’s time in the White House.
Love and War
Friday, June 03, 2005
Alex Klaits and Gulchin Gulmamadova-Klaits share some of the interviews they conducted with ordinary men and women in northern Afghanistan for a new book, Love and War in Afghanistan. Next, Kenneth Ackerman tells us about the life of William “Boss” Tweed, the man who made New York politics almost synonymous with political corruption and graft after the Civil War. Then, Thomas Dyja describes his new novel—a look at a spate of lynchings in Tennessee in 1918. And in our weekly Please Explain feature, we look into the history of games, and why we play them.
Mysterious Murders
Thursday, June 02, 2005
In this week’s Underreported feature, we’ll take a look at what may be behind a rash of unexplained murders in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua. Since 1993, nearly 400 women have been killed. Then, MaryJane Butters describes her modern-day farmgirl approach to life. Actor Eric Bogosian tells us about his new novel, Wasted Beauty. And Liev Schreiber discusses his role in the new Broadway production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross.
Countering Terror
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Timothy Naftali traces the history of America’s developing counterterrorism strategies, and looks at what went wrong leading up to 9/11 in Blind Spot. Then, NASCAR racer Janet Guthrie tells us about her memoir A Life At Full Throttle. Next, Robin Meloy Goldsby shares 30 years of memories from her life as a cocktail lounge pianist. Finally, Gary May revisits the 1965 Ku Klux Klan murder of a civil rights activist following the Selma voting rights march.
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