January 2003

The Spooky Art
NPR's Lynn Neary talks with writer Norman Mailer about his new book The Spooky Art: Thoughts on Writing.

The Spooky Art is published by Random House.

Converted Indiana Barn Draws World-Class Musicians
A converted barn in northern Indiana is the happening place for acoustic music fans. It's known as LVD's, and it's run by Elva Miller. LVD's has become a haven for acoustic musicians and it draws dedicated fans and world-class musicians. Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers reports.

Peaches
It may be six months away -- but during these short cold days of winter, we bring you a taste of summer. NPR's Michele Norris talks with David Mas Maumoto, a writer and farmer in Central California, about the quintessential symbol of summer -- the peach. Masamuto talks about his latest book Four Seasons in 5 Senses: Things Worth Savoring.

Four Seasons in 5 Senses: Things Worth Savoring is published by W.W. Norton & Company, January 2003.

Ralph Lauren
NPR's Michele Norris talks with Michael Gross, author of Genuine Authentic -- The Story of Fashion Phenomenon Ralph Lauren. Gross explains how a boy born with the name Ralph Lifshitz reinvented himself and packaged and sold his new reality to America.

Cooder Collaboration Mixes Cuban Guitar, Doo-Wop Influences
Legendary guitarist and music producer Ry Cooder returns to Cuba to record with Cuban guitarist Manuel Galban. Their new CD Mambo Sinuendo creates a unique fusion of two cultures and two generations. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Cooder.

The CD is called Mambo Sinuedo by Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban on Nonesuch records. Watch a feature and find out more about this record.

Fred Wesley: 'Recollections of a Sideman'
Trombone star Fred Wesley, Jr. is best known for his work as a sideman with James Brown in the 1960s and 70s, but Wesley is also a legendary R&B, soul and funk veteran, whose musical career spans five decades. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with Wesley about the twists and turns of a long and storied career, which he explores in an autobiography called Hit Me, Fred, and subtitled "Recollections of a Sideman."

Salvatore Licitra: Opera's New Tenor
When Luciano Pavarotti calls in sick for what was to be his final performance, tenor Salvatore Licitra steps in and wows the audience at the Met in New York. He has since released a CD called The Debut, which has been winning critical acclaim. And he's in New York again tonight for a performance at Carnegie Hall. Salvatore Licitra talks with NPR's Robert Siegel.

The CD The Debut is on the Sony label, catalog number 89923.

Dancer
Alan Cheuse reviews Dancer, a fictionalized biography of Rudolf Nureyev by Colum McCann.

Dancer is published by Metropolitan Books.

Lost in America
NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Sherwin B. Nuland about his new book Lost in America: A Journey with My Father. It is the story of growing up in the shadow of an immigrant father who cannot make the America dream come true. Nuland describes the relationship between him and his father and the impact that relationship had on Nuland's later years.

The book is published by Knopf.

'Happy Birthday' Song
Violinist Gidon Kremer of the orchestra Kremerata Baltica talks with Robert Siegel about the orchestra's new CD, Happy Birthday. The disc features many variations on the song, "Happy Birthday."

Cuba Confidential
Fidel Castro has been the international face of Cuba for almost half a century. He put Cuba on the map-- but at a ruinous cost to his country and its people. Host Steve Inskeep discusses El Comandante with NPR's Tom Gjelten and Ann Louise Bardach, author of the new book Cuba Confidential: Love and Vengeance in Miami and Havana. (11:10)

Cuba Confidential: Love and Vengeance in Miami and Havana is published by Random House, ISBN 0-375-50489-3

Review: A Box of Matches
Each chapter of the novel A Box of Matches by Nicholson Baker begins with the narrator's early morning meditations. And each day begins with the striking of a match. Alan Cheuse has a review.

The book is published by Random House.

Kathleen Edwards
Kathleen Edwards is a Canadian singer/songwriter who pairs stark lyrics with instrumentals that are sometimes surprisingly upbeat. Meredith Ochs reviews her debut album Failer.

The CD is from Rounder. ASIN: B00007LV7B.

New Michelangelo Book Reveals Artist's Misgivings
In his book Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, author Ross King says the artist saw his commission to paint the Sistine Chapel as an attempt by enemies to set him up for failure. NPR's Michele Norris talks to King.

New Acoustic Afropop
Two of Africa's most respected singers, Salif Keita and Youssou N'Dour, have new albums and new sounds. Music critic Banning Eyre says they're both embracing a more subtle acoustic approach to Afro-pop.

The CD by Youssou N'Dour is Nothing's in Vain from Nonesuch records, catalog #79654-2. The CD by Salif Keita is Moffou on the Universal label, catalog #LC 00699-8527.

A Time to Die
August 2000: Trapped at the bottom of the Barents Sea, 23 Russian sailors waited in vain for rescue. Eighty-eight of their fellow sailors were killed in an explosion aboard the submarine Kursk -- the pride of Russia's evaporating navy. All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with journalist Robert Moore about his latest book, A Time to Die, detailing the mistakes and political fumbles that led to the tragedy.

'Academic Lunacy' from Author Winegardner
Mark Winegardner's new book of fiction, That's True of Everybody, collects 13 short stories about oddball denizens of "rectangular states." But the college prof doesn't spare his own profession. He dubs a trio of those stories "Tales of Academic Lunacy." Winegardner speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Alan Cheuse Reviews Pico Iyer's Abandon
Alan Cheuse reviews Abandon by Pico Iyer, a novel about a British literature student who falls in love in California. It's published by Knopf.

Cuban Music: Yusa
Yusa is a 20-something singer/songwriter from Havana with a brand new CD. Her music blends Cuba's past, present and future, and while the music draws on traditions, it's also influenced by trends in America, Brazil and other Latin American countries. Felix Contreras has our review.

The CD is titled Yusa on TUMI records.

Music Review: 'Impasse'
Richard Buckner is a singer/songwriter who's spent most of his adult life on the road. Meredith Ochs reviews Impasse, a soul-searching, enigmatic, poetic rock recording by Buckner.

UFO
Marin Alsop, conductor of the Colorado Symphony, gives a behind-the-scenes look at a percussion concerto called UFO, by American composer Michael Daugherty. The piece was written for the soloist Evelyn Glennie, who talks with Alsop about some of the unorthodox instruments that make up a percussionist's arsenal.