Daily Schedule

Michael Rogosin discusses his father Lionel’s groundbreaking film “Come Back, Africa,” which depicted life in South Africa under apartheid. He’s joined by two fans of the film: Harry Belafonte and Robert Downey, Sr. Musician Storm Large tells us about her rocky life and her memoir, Crazy Enough. Today’s installment of the BBC’s A History of the World in 100 Objects is about a jade axe. Plus, we continue our Please Explain series on how to save the world—this week, we’ll tackle population growth, and control.

NPR’s Scott Simon reports on the world’s top news, features and entertainment to your Saturday morning. 

The NPR news quiz where the panelists are funny, the limericks are lyrical and you get to shout answers at your radio. Hosted by Peter Sagal.

The astounding mad scientist life of Nikola Tesla. Just who was this pioneer of radio, radar, and wireless communication? We discover his legacy in the work of today’s scientists and artists. Samantha Hunt’s novel The Invention of Everything Else is a fictional portrait of Tesla. Monologist Mike Daisey tells us ...

Acclaimed musician and songwriter Chris Thile welcomes a wide range of well-known and up-and-coming talent to share the stage and create a beautiful listening experience on his variety show, Live from Here.

ThisAmericanLife: Themed, offbeat, (mostly) true stories that shed new light on the extraordinary side of everyday life. Host Ira Glass and a regular cast of personalities, including David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell and Mike Birbiglia, bring the best of nonfiction storytelling to the radio. 

For this New Sounds, hear three works of music for silent art films, including “The BQE,” a film and musical suite by Sufjan Stevens exploring New York City's infamous Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.  The work premiered in 2007 and was scored for a wind and brass ensemble, string players, a horn section, projected film footage of the expressway and five hula hoopers.  We’ll also hear selections from Koyaanisqatsi by Philip Glass, and another contemporary silent film with live score – “Light Is Calling” from Michael Gordon.