Monday, August 3, 2009
One of the most legendary moments in rock-n-roll history started with an ad placed in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal: “Young men with unlimited capital looking for interesting, legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions.” The 40thanniversary of what was billed as “An Aquarian Exposition” is August 15th. Greg Walter worked on the backstage crew of Woodstock and came away with more than his share of stories, which he includes inWoodstock: A New Look, along with photograph she shot during the festival.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Every night, there are 250,000 homeless veterans and not nearly enough beds for them to sleep on. Of that total, 4,000 served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bob visits a shelter in Washington, DC dedicated to supporting homeless veterans to talk directly to former military men and women and the social workers who try to help them. Then Bob talks to Chad Lego who served in Iraq from June 2007 to February 2008 and joined the Circle of Friends for American Veterans to help those who find themselves without a place to call home. Lego attended the annual National Conference for Veterans and discusses the lack of services for our men and women in uniform once they are released from the military.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
This summer, Rock-n-Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt and Blues Hall of Famer Taj Mahal are traveling the country together on the “BonTaj Roulet” tour. “This tour is just what the doctor ordered,” Raitt says. “Taj and I have so much in common, but there’s so much unexplored territory between us.” There’s a charitable element to the “BonTaj Roulet” tour as well: a portion of ticket sales will go to charities voted on by the fans.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Legendary music producer Jim Dickinson has undergone several major medical procedures, including triple bypass surgery recently. As he continues to recover, a group of fans and fellow musicians will be honoring and aiding him with a series of benefit concerts in Memphis and Los Angeles. Bob interviewed Dickinson in 2008 at his Zebra Ranch. Being out of the spotlight at his home studio in north Mississippi is the place he says he is most comfortable producing records. The first benefit concert is Saturday at The Peabody Skyway in Memphis.
Friday, August 7, 2009
David Broder of The Washington Post joins Bob to talk politics. Next, independent film director Andrew Bujalski is at the forefront of the so-called “Mumblecore” movement. Bujalski often casts first-time actors and uses a small film crew, moving between locations quickly. The plots are slice-of-life, often lacking traditional Hollywood resolution. Bujalski’s latest film is called Beeswax, and it follows the difficult interactions of twin sisters Jeannie and Lauren, who run a business together. His previous films include Funny Ha Ha and Mutual Appreciation. Then, in this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, Bob talks with executive director Dan Gediman about the essay from Iowa native Anne Heywood. She held 34 different jobs before founding the Career Changing Clinic in New York City to help service men and women returning from World War II find work. Heywood was the author of There Is a Right Job for Every Woman.