WNYC - Soundcheck: Being Musical (March 29, 2007)

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Soundcheck

Thursday, March 29, 2007

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From the 1934 film HIPS, HIPS, HOORAY

Being Musical

B-musicals were low-budget song-and-dance rarities made in the 30s, 40s and 50s that proved to be a training ground for future A-list stars like Ann Miller, Donald O'Connor and many others. Today Soundcheck explores the B-musical. Also: Lower East Side band Beat the Devil, named after the 1953 cult movie, performs live.
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Being Musical

B-musicals were low-budget song-and-dance films made in the 30s, 40s and 50s that proved to be a training ground for future A-list stars like Ann Miller, Donald O'Connor and many others. Film historian Joseph Yranski and former B-musical star Jane Withers join us to discuss the genre and 50 rare musicals now showing at Film Forum.

B Musicals at Film Forum

Beat the Devil

Beat the Devil's lead singer Shilpa Ray grew up in a house where Western music was outlawed. But she made stealth trips to the library where she listened to The Velvet Underground and other illicit, Western Bands. Shilpa performs live with the band in our Soundcheck studio.

Beat the Devil's Myspace page

Too much Tequila

Tila Tequila has 1.7 million friends on Myspace, making her the unofficial queen of the hugely popular site. Her talents include looking attractive and being loud. She also claims to be a musician. J. Freedom du Lac explains the phenomenon that is Tila Tequila.

Tila Tequila's Myspace page
Tequila Dreams, And MySpace Viewers Fantasize (Washington Post)

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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.

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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?

Comments [113]

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.

Comments [1]

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,

Comments [18]