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Soundcheck

Thursday, October 12, 2006
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  • Ed Harris in Copying Beethoven (Myriad Pictures)
    Ed Harris in Copying Beethoven (Myriad Pictures)

    Playing Beethoven

    Actor Ed Harris talks about his role in the upcoming film "Copying Beethoven," in which he unleashes his trademark intensity in playing the ailing, deaf, and defiantly productive musical genius. Also: the bare-footed Brazilian singer and guitarist Badi Assad, performs live. And: Rock songs that boost SAT test scores.

Rock the SAT

The SAT is October 14 and there's still time to cram. We talk to the authors of a new book that features 13 rock songs guaranteed to help test-takers rock the SAT.

Rock the SAT is available for purchase at Amazon.com

Badi Assad, Brazilian Guitarist

Tom Jobim once said that Brazilians are born with a guitar in their arms. Badi Assad was born to a family the nurtured music and arts of all kinds: she is a musician, dancer and composer, who started playing guitar when she was 14. Her latest album includes unusual covers of songs by Bjork, the Eurythmics and U2. She performs live.

Badi Assad website

Badi Asaad at Amazon.com

Playing Beethoven

Ed Harris, the actor who took on astronaut John Glenn and artist Jackson Pollack, is starring as Ludwig Von Beethoven in an upcoming film called Copying Beethoven. He shares how he captures the spirit and the music of the tortured genius.

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)