wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

On Demand

Program Schedule

Topics


Soundcheck

Monday, April 17, 2006
Previous Episode | Next Episode

  • Do Musical Tastes Ripen With Age?

    Do your musical tastes stop changing at a certain age? At what point does age "appropriateness" start to enter into what new music you add to your established favorites? At a time when it's increasingly common to find adults over 40 wearing the latest fashions from Urban Outfitters and staying up all night attending rock concerts, that question is more relevant than ever. Joining us to look at the changing generation gap is Ann Powers, pop music critic of the Los Angeles Times, and Adam Sternbergh, a writer for New York magazine. Also: Violinist Midori has made the switch from child prodigy to mature artist more successfully than most. She joins us to talk about her latest projects, which involve bringing audiences to contemporary music.

Music Taste As You Get Older

Ann Powers, pop music critic of the Los Angeles Times, and Adam Sternbergh, a writer for New York magazine, talk about whether one's musical tastes stop evolving at a certain age.
» Up With Grups by Adam Sternburgh

Midori

The violinist joins us to discuss her strategies for helping people connect with contemporary music.
» Midori's 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)