On Demand
The Next Big Thing Archive
October 2004
An Earful
Friday, October 29, 2004
Talk radio, Next-Big-Thing style. Plus the voices of professional runners talking about the race. And of one woman who will not be allowed to vote in this election. Also this week, an interview with composer Ned Rorem, and dispatches from writer and performer Deborah Margolin on the days when she was doing battle with cancer and other demons.
War is Heavy Metal
Friday, October 22, 2004
Soldiers in Iraq make their own music for wartime. Novelist Cathleen Schine seeks advice from anyone and everyone. A translator sets out to tell a small story in Baghdad. Non-Americans try to make sense of America through its blogs. And anxious Americans seek understanding through their dreamlife.
Listening to the Stars
Friday, October 15, 2004
Music of the stars, as heard by two astronomers. Also, the music of bilingual rock band Cordero, of Irish memoirist Nuala O’Faolain, and of Barbara Cook’s accompanist Wally Harper, as remembered by Jesse Green. Another visit from Next Big Thing star Zero Boy. And finally, a visit to the studio of superstar painter Walton Ford.
Debate and Contemplation
Friday, October 08, 2004
We poke fun at the presidential debates, and bring to a close a heated debate about who should be "Mr. Subways 2004." In calmer exchanges, host Dean Olsher talks to curator Nicholas Fox Weber about Bauhaus figures Josef and Anni Albers. And we explore the meaning of "indigenous music" for an aboriginal choir in Australia’s outback. Also this week, writer John Haskell remembers actress Janet Leigh.
Playing and Praying
Friday, October 01, 2004
We profile a married couple who sustain their relationship by playing games. Also, the sound of one hundred motorcycles playing a symphony, as well as cellist Erik Friedlander playing in collaboration with writer Michael Greenberg. On the prayer front, we offer a search for the eleventh amendment, and a sound collage of fifteen places of worship by sound artist Ellen Band.
