The Next Big Thing Archive

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February 2004

For and Against
Show #426

Friday, February 27, 2004

The people take a stand. Writer Joshua Wolf Shenk takes a stand against the "Happy Birthday" song. Botanist Scott Mori rallies to the defense of an overlooked science. Criminal rights advocate Susan Hallett questions why we deprive four million citizens of the right to vote. Novelist Meg Wolitzer and singer-songwriter Suzzy Roche insist there is a place for inscrutable literature in the folk music idiom. Also, life after rock’n’roll fame – as imagined in a dramatic monologue by David Cale. And remembering alto saxaphonist Sam Furnace.

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Heard on the Streets
Show #425

Friday, February 20, 2004

Despite the cold weather, it’s time to hit the streets. Dean walks through a Bronx neighborhood with Sister Thomas, a woman with a mission (or two). Human rights observer John Sifton leads us through the noisy and oftentimes unnerving streets of Kabul and beyond. And New Orleans filmmaker/garbage collector C. L. Taylor tells tales from both his trades. Also, novelist Meg Wolitzer on Hollywood trailers, historian Edmund Morris on historical precedents to the current presidency, and cartoonish music from the Raymond Scott Orchestrette.

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Love on the Wire
Show #424

Friday, February 13, 2004

Love between telegraph operators, ham radio hobbyists, Vikings, and a man and his chocolate. Also, reflections on folding paper - for money and art. And touring New York’s boroughs with cabaret band Barbez, as they make their way by van to the next gig.

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Lessons
Show #423

Friday, February 06, 2004

Lessons from all walks of life. Words of wisdom from a very young star named Michael, backstage at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Truths learned by a woman who travels to Alaska to understand why her husband left her for gold. Lives documented over the course of three decades by a persistent photographer. And swimming instruction in a town without a swimming pool, brought to you from the imagination of sound artist Miranda July.