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Soundcheck

Tuesday, January 18, 2005
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  • Album covers from Nick Drake and Pink Floyd (Wolfgang Plank)

    Spirits of a Generation

    Bohemian poet, artist and visionary, musician Syd Barrett joined the band Pink Floyd in 1965. His story is captured in a new documentary that tells of his dramatic rise to fame and his premature departure in a haze of drugs and psychological trouble. Host John Schaefer speaks with the director and producer of the documentary, John Edginton. He'll also speak with Patrick Humphries, biographer of the British songwriter Nick Drake, who died in 1974 at the age of 26 from an "accidental overdose" of anti-depressants. Drake released only three albums during his lifetime, rarely performed live and gave only one official interview, but his work spawned a following on all sides of the Atlantic.

Additional Resources:
» More on Syd Barrett
» More on Nick Drake

» Syd Barrett's Web site
Irma Thomas

Irma Thomas

Soundcheck

August 22, 2008
New Orleans singer Irma Thomas has survived 50 years in the music business - and at least two hurricanes. She joins us to talk about her record, Simply Grand.

Bon Iver

Soundcheck

July 30, 2008
Singer-songwriter Justin Vernon spent a winter holed up in his father's hunting cabin in remote Wisconsin, recording songs about solitude that would be released under the name Bon Iver. He joins us to play some of them live.

Billboard Chart

Who's On Top and Who Should Be?

Soundcheck

August 14, 2008
Soundcheck looks at the artists who are reigning atop the Billboard albums chart -- and what their rankings tell us about the state of pop music.

Janelle Monae

The Next Big Things

Soundcheck

Paste magazine editor-in-chief Josh Jackson joins us to talk about Johnny Flynn, Janelle Monae, Bon Iver, Amy MacDonald and other must-hear artists who made Paste’s list of "The Best of What’s Next: 26 Emerging Artists You Should Know."

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