Enjoying a concert from the comfort of your seat is perfectly normal -- but your brain has other things in mind. Today, the neuroscientist Daniel Levitin explains why it’s only natural to dance when you hear music. Plus, on the eve of Soundcheck’s own special from Berlin, chanteuse Ute Lemper kicks off Carnegie Hall’s Berlin in Lights festival. She joins us for a preview. And later: a look at Plastic People of the Universe, the Czech rock band whose music is at the heart of a new Broadway play.
Music: It's Only Human
Record-producer-turned-neuroscientist Daniel Levitin went from working with Stevie Wonder and Blue Oyster Cult to researching human behavior and music. He joins Soundcheck to discuss whether music is an evolutionary accident -- or fundamental to our species.
Ute Lemper
Before she kicks off Carnegie Hall's "Berlin in Lights" festival tonight at the Neue Gallerie, Ute Lemper joins us to talk about a program that includes the dark gems of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. And she gives us a sneak preview of her appearance all next week on WNYC's ...
Rock and Revolution
The Czech rock band Plastic People of the Universe formed in 1968 as Soviet tanks rolled into Prague. For the next two decades, the band would be a symbol of resistance and artistic freedom. New York Times pop music critic Jon Pareles talks about the Plastics, which are featured in ...