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Monday, July 09, 2007
  • Rock star activist Bono gives a press conference on the sidelines of the G8 summit 08 June 2007
    Rock star activist Bono gives a press conference on the sidelines of the G8 summit 08 June 2007 (Getty Images)

    Bono Spies on Iran

    Bono was recently seen listening to Iranian music in Fes, Morocco. On today's show, we find out why Middle Eastern music might be the next big thing in rock. Also: the musical collective Book of Knots and the composer behind the orchestral tribute to the Grateful Dead.

Rock the Casbah

After checking out the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in Morocco, Bono is now saying that Middle Eastern music should be the next big thing for rockers. WNYC’s Rob Weisberg was at Fes and he joins Chicago Tribune rock critic Greg Kot for a discussion about the whys and hows of East-West fusions.

The musical collective Book of Knots

Knot's Landing

The musical collective Book of Knots shares the eerie songs from their new album, Traineater, and tell us about the help they got from Tom Waits and punk hero Mike Watt.

Book of Knots website
More about Book of Knots' members and contributors
Book of Knots MySpace page

From Tie-Dye to Black Tie

The Grateful Dead was dismissed for years as a footnote to pop music's Psychedelic Era. But by the time their 30-year run ended with the death of guitarist-composer Jerry Garcia, the band had morphed into one of the world's most popular tour attractions. Now they've made it to the concert hall. Lee Johnson, the composer behind "Dead Symphony No. 6: An Orchestral Tribute to the Grateful Dead" joins us to talk about the long strange trip.

Dead Symphony Web Site
Lee Johnson's Website

The Swell Season in The Greene Space

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Joshua Bell in The Greene Space

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