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Monday, December 27, 2004
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  • The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad by Sean Wilentz, Greil Marcus (W. W. Norton & Company)<br />
    The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad by Sean Wilentz, Greil Marcus (W. W. Norton & Company)

    Ballads, Rags and Writers

    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
audience

Soundcheck Smackdown: When Contemporary Met Classical

Soundcheck

Like vegetables stuck into a delicious meal, contemporary classical music is forced on concert audiences before they are allowed to enjoy their Brahms. So says humorist, critic and author Joe Queenan. Today, Queenan and John Berry, Artistic Director with English National Opera, join us for a Soundcheck Smackdown debate on the merits of contemporary music.

musical clouds

You Are What You Hear

Soundcheck

Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi takes us through some of the most famously botched song lyrics in rock history. We’ll explore why the words we make up are usually more interesting than the real version. Then, listeners confess their favorite and most embarrassing reinvented lyrics.

Leave a comment: Give us your favorite set of misheard lyrics! Were you disappointed when you learned the actual words?

Rosanne Cash and Mark O'Connor

Soundcheck

For her, he was a father. For him, he was a boyhood hero. For the nation, he was an icon. Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash and composer and violinist Mark O'Connor join us to talk about how Johnny Cash has inspired their musical collaboration. And they will play live.

Katy

Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll

Soundcheck

Every year, popular and critical opinion somehow converge to settle on a "summer song." In 2007, it was Rihanna's "Umbrella." The year before, it was "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. The practice stretches back to the very dawn of pop radio. Yet defining the essence of a "summer song" is a bit elusive. We enlist the help of Blender editor at large Lizzy Goodman -- and of our Soundcheck listeners, in an online poll.

Cast your vote: Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll 2008

Can't decide? Check out audio and video clips of the contestants here.

Our blog: John Schaefer asks what makes a good summer song,

  1. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Democratic National Convention (08/25/2008)
  2. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from Denver (08/29/2008)
  3. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Democratic National Convention: Day 4 (08/28/2008)
  4. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Democratic National Convention: Day 3 (08/27/2008)
  5. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Democratic National Convention: Day 2 (08/26/2008)
  6. The Leonard Lopate Show: 1-2-3 (08/26/2008)
  7. The Leonard Lopate Show: Layered Look (08/27/2008)