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Soundcheck

Friday, December 17, 2004
  • Peter Schickele

    Critics Gone Wild

    Joining us in the studio today will be Peter Schickele, inventor of the fictitious P.D.Q. Bach (the last, and the least, of J.S. Bach’s children). He’ll read some passages from the book Lexicon of Musical Invective: Critical Assaults on Composers Since Beethoven's Time, for which he wrote the foreword. A collection of disparaging reviews of debuting artists who were later considered to be some of the greatest composers of their eras, the Lexicon highlights the absurdity of our fears of the unknown. Following Schickele, Rick Moody, author of Demonology, Garden State and The Ice Storm, among other works, joins us with his "Second Spin"—a regular Soundcheck feature in which our guests reveal some of the recordings that inspire them most.

Additional Information:
» More on Schickele
» More on Rick Moody

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

Soundcheck

The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: Stephanie McKay

Soundcheck

The local singer-songwriter performs "Jackson Avenue," a nostalgic toast to her childhood in the South Bronx.

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.