Monday, June 29, 2009
Peter Carlson isn’t sure which anecdote it was that turned him into a self-described Khrushchev-in-America buff. It could have been the one about the irascible Soviet leader throwing a fit because he wasn’t allowed to go to Disneyland. Or it could have been Khrushchev’s suspicion that Camp David was really a leper colony. Or it could have been Khrushchev arguing with Nixon over which kind of animal dung smelled the worst. But Carlson synthesized the stories intoK Blows Top, a book about Nikita Khrushchev’s great American road trip which he took fifty years ago this month. Then,in his song, “Money, Compliments, Publicity,” Todd Snider maintains that he can’t get enough of all three. He also sings about the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Dock Ellis pitching a no-hitter on acid – a true story. The tunes are all on Snider’s newest album, The Excitement Plan. Snider will play some of his songs for Bob in Sirius XM’s performance studio.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council since 1975, Robert Redford has dedicated nearly as much of his life to the environment as he has to filmmaking. Redford joins Bob on stage at the Lincoln Center in front of a live audience to talk about his film career, support for young artists, the many NRDC campaigns he has supported in the past – and why that work will still be needed for years to come.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller met as teenagers in Los Angeles in 1950, forming a songwriting team that churned out hits for early rhythm & blues artists—and later for Elvis Presley, The Drifters, The Coasters, Peggy Lee and many more. Their partnership even extends to a joint autobiography titled, Hound Dog.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
For the past 30 years, travel guru Rick Steves has advocated for thoughtful and informed traveling in his PBS tv series, his radio show, and of course his best selling travel guide books. His new book, Travel As a Political Act, is about why we travel and how being a good traveler creates positive ties with the citizens of other nations. Then, a look at the world of film with our resident entertainment critic David Kipen.
Friday, July 3, 2009
David Broder of The Washington Post joins Bob to talk politics. Next, Bob talks to Arthur Cash– he’s the biographer of John Wilkes: The Scandalous Father of Civil Liberty. John Wilkes was one of the most colorful figures in English political history – considered the father of the British free press, defender of civil liberties, champion of American independence, and hero to the founding fathers of the United States. Then, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, Bob talks with executive director Dan Gediman about the essay from director Maximilian Hodder. He worked in the movie industries of Eastern Europe. While serving in the Polish Army during World War II, he was captured by the Soviets but managed to escape and went on to join the Royal Air Force. Hodder came to the United States in 1949 to work in Hollywood.