The Next Big Thing

Peter, the Unofficial City

As St. Petersburg prepares for its 300th birthday, host Dean Olsher speaks with Harvard University Professor of Comparative Literature (and former Leningrad tour guide) Svetlana Boym about the other St. Petersburg - the late Soviet-era city of dark stairwells, communal apartments and underground cafes. Produced by Julie Subrin.

Click on image for a larger picture

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After the Underground

With the collapse of the USSR, what happened to the vibrant underground rock culture that offered Soviet youth an escape from Soviet ideology? According to Leningrad rock hero Boris Grebenshikov who recently passed through New York City, the need for “unofficial” music hasn’t gone away. Produced by Julie Subrin.

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Bike Rodeo

A ride through back alleys and side streets with Jarico Reese and the Cyclecides – his crew of bicycle builders who tour the country flaunting their outrageously modified bikes. Produced by Amy Zimmer.

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Hot GameBoy Music Club

New York vs. Vienna. Live, via the web. In case you missed it last week, Next Big Thing producer Amanda Aronczyk reports from the transatlantic GameBoy Music Match, showcasing very new music in a very 1980s medium. It was part of a month-long festival of electronic music sponsored by the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, and featured music from Nullsleep, Bitshifter, Glomag and Herbert Weixelbaum.

Pictured right is a low resolution photo taken with a GameBoy

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Folk Songs for Grad Students

A heady collaboration, featuring novelist Meg Wolitzer and singer-songwriter Suzzy Roche, and inspired by the work of Thomas Pynchon, James Joyce and other sometimes-impenetrable writers. From The Next Big Thing’s spring Live Show at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater.

Listen to Meg and Suzzy's bonus track "Gravity's Rainbow".

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What’s Your Word?

Erin McKean, editor of the New Oxford American Dictionary, fields calls from ambitious listeners who want to get a new word into circulation. Under consideration today: eunumeric, fibrate, hangry and breastaurant.

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The Swim Team

A tale of three old people and their swim coach, in a town miles from any body of water, either natural or man made. From the unusual imagination of Portland, Oregon-based sound artist Miranda July. Produced with Tim Renner.

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Indian Raga

Last weekend, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, hosted its annual all-night raga concert, an old Indian tradition. People come and go, while the truly dedicated bring snacks and sleeping bags and stay til dawn. Here, an excerpt featuring sitar player Vilayat Khan, accompanied by tabla player Samir Chatterjee, playing on Raga Bhatiyali, an old Bengali folk tune. Produced by Michael Kavanagh.

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