August 2000

Alone No More -- Bernd Klosterfelde talks about his new CD, Nie Mehr Allein (Alone No More), released in Germany last February. The CD is a compilation of household sounds intended to evoke the presence of a non-existent partner. Klosterfelde came up with the idea after his divorce. He says the disc can be used to make one feel less lonely, or to remind one of how annoying a partner can be. Klosterfelde says an English version will be released soon. (4:45)

The label is Delta Music.

A Friend of the Earth -- Alan Cheuse reviews a new novel by T.C.Boyle called A Friend of the Earth. It's the story of an eco-terrorist and his family. (1:45)

The book is published by Viking Press.

Helen Merrill -- Reuben Jackson reviews the new CD from Helen Merrill. She has been singing and recording American popular music for more than 50 years. On this new release, for the first time, she also includes songs from her native Croatia. Merrill is 70 years old now, but Jackson says her voice is still elegant and pretension-free. (4:30)

The CD is called Jelana Ana Milcetic, aka, Helen Merrill. It's on the Verve Music label, copyright 2000.

Public Health -- Noah Adams speaks to Laurie Garrett, author of Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health, about her book, which details a decline of health care worldwide due to globalization. (8:00)

Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health, by Laurie Garrett, is published by Hyperion, August 2000.

The Elements -- Satirist Tom Lehrer's recitation of all the names of the chemical elements to the tune of I am a Very Model of a Modern Major General. (1:00)

The song The Elements is from the CD The Remains of Tom Lehrer, on Rhino Records, www.Rhino.com.

Serenity -- Doug McLennan reviews the two CD set entitled Serenity by the Bobo Stenson Trio. (4:00)

Serenity by the Bobo Stenson Trio is on the ECM label, http://www.ecmrecords.com

The Glands -- David Greenberger reviews the new CD from The Glands, a band from Athens, Georgia. You could classify them as indie-rock, but they like to avoid adhering to any stylistic direction, and are all over the map musically. Some songs sound like LA pop songs from the mid-60s, others are atmospheric psychedelia, and others still have a modern rock sound. (4:00)

The Glands' new self-titled CD is on the Capricorn Records label.

Sister Coyote -- Montana writer Mary Clearman Blew is better known for her memoirs and essays than for her fiction. But our book reviewer Alan Cheuse finds her collection of short stories, Sister Coyote, well worth the reading. (2:00)

Sister Coyote, by Mary Clearman Blew is published by The Lyons Press.

Joao Gilberto -- Tom Moon, a music reviewer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, reviews a new CD by Brazilian singer Joao Gilberto. (4:00)

Joao voz e violao by Joao Gilberto, is on Verve records, catalog # 314 546 713-2. More info at www.vervemusicgroup.com

The Kinleys -- Elysa Gardner reviews The Kinleys II, the second album from twin country musicians Heather and Jennifer Kinley. (4:00)

The Kinleys II is on Epic Records.

Dear Mr. Kawabata -- Alan Cheuse reviews a novel called Dear Mr. Kawabata, by Rashid Al-Daif, a Lebanese poet and novelist who teaches at the Lebanese University in Beirut. His novel has just been published in the United States in a translation by Paul Starkey. (1:30)

Dear Mr. Kawabata is published by Interlink.

Trilok Gurtu -- Charles de Ledesma reviews the new CD from Trilok Gurtu, called African Fantasy. Gurtu is a composer and percussionist from Bombay, well known for incorporating the sounds of his native India with other music, like jazz and rock. This CD explores the common musical ground of India and Africa. The Label Is The Verve Music Group. (3:45)

Cheuse -- Alan Cheuse reviews Alice Lichtenstein's first novel called, Genius of the World, about an American family in turmoil. The publisher is Zoland. (2:00)

The Name of the World -- Denis Johnson is a writer best known for his quirky stories about the drug life in the collection titled, Jesus' Son, which opened as a movie this summer. Now he's published a new novel called, The Name of the World. Alan Cheuse reviews it. (1:45)

Jesus' Son, and The Name of the World, both by Denis Johnson, are published by Harper Collins.

The Unaccompanied Voice -- David Greenberger reviews The Unaccompanied Voice, a collection of songs by two dozen performers singing a cappella. (4:00)

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weeny -- It was forty years ago today that Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, sung by Brian Hyland, written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, topped the charts. (1:45)

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