wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

The ballad has been part of American history since before the country had a name. In a new book titled The Rose and the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad, co-editors Sean Wilentz and Greil Marcus have assembled various writers and artists—Paul Muldoon, Stanley Crouch, R. Crumb, John Rockwell, Luc Sante, Joyce Carol Oates, Dave Marsh, and more than a dozen other experts—to explore the ineffable power of the American ballad. Today, Marcus joins us to shed some light on what he argues is America's most imaginative and expressive musical form. Also on the program: singer Meredith Monk joins us to discuss her tribute to the ragtime piano great, Donald Ashwander.
Additional Resources:
» Meredith Monk’s Web site
» The Rose and the Briar Web site