Arts & Culture
Coverage of the Arts by Weekend America.
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Letters: Kites, Narcs Gone Bad
We love letters from our lovely listeners. Some of you praised us, others chastised us for the stories we broadcast. At least one story - on the "Turncoat Narc" - inspired a spirited debate amongst listeners. If something we broadcast touched you, angered you, saddened or inspired you, let us know. You can read more listener responses here.
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Santana's "Aquamarine"
James "Dewey" Dewhurst is a former National Guardsman from Louisiana. He is now a private contractor stationed in Afghanistan, working 11 miles from the Pakistani border. Dewhurst's Weekend Soundtrack is "Aquamarine" by Carlos Santana, which he found while on R-and-R leave in Negril, Jamaica.
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Voicing Art Opinions in the Round
At museums around the country this weekend, lots of folks will plug in and walk the halls listening to someone tell them about art. Sound artist Halsey Burgund wanted to update the standard museum audio tour, so he dreamed up a project called "Round." Now you can hear people talking about the art, and you can leave your own opinions.
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Zimbabwe's Spritual Instrument
These days, when you think of Zimbabwe, the elections are probably your first thought. But for a lot of people, their first association is the mbira -- a musical instrument that's also called a thumb piano. There are many people living in the United States who play mbira -- we tracked a couple of them down.
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Waterfalls Along the East River
If you are walking this weekend along the East River in New York City, you might notice something different: waterfalls. It's New York's largest public art project since Cristo's "The Gates" two years ago in Central Park. We talk to residents about their first impressions, and hear from the artist himself.
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The Beauty and Wrath of Nature
The damage from floods in the Midwest could run into the billions of dollars. James Galvin teaches poetry at the Iowa Writers Workshop in Iowa City. And it turns out, he's also a part-time rancher in Wyoming. He's given weather -- its simultaneous power of beauty and destruction -- a lot of thought:
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Obama's Cash Campaign, TV Hurls
Our non-experts tackle the weighty issues of the past week -- Fashion maven Damali Ayo; Luke Burbank, host of the talk radio show "Too Beautiful to Live"; and "New Yorker" cartoonist Bob Mankoff.
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"Blues for Big Scotia"
Mark Kaufman's father thought he hated jazz until he heard "Blues for Scotia" by legendary pianist Oscar Peterson -- the song at the center of this week's Weekend Soundtrack. Kaufman says the things parents give us are incalculable, and the moment when a son or daughter can give back is priceless.
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Those Summer Song 'Ear Worms'
It's summer, and that means that elusive summer song is about to make its way into your brain and take up residence. Do you remember songs from your past summers? And why can't you get them out of your head? Psychologist and author Dan Levitin explains how those "ear worm" songs actually stay on your mind, even if you don't want them to...
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The Sads Are Quiet
The Sads are a Los Angeles band that's putting on a "silent" show tonight. What they do is feed all their instruments into about 80 sets of headphones. The idea is to get the audience closer to the band, which sits in a circle at the center -- kind of like a campfire, only with lots of wires and headsets...
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Rocking Out in the War Zone
"Heavy Metal in Baghdad" is now playing in selected cities. It's a documentary about two New York filmmakers who go to Iraq in search of the metal band Acrassiacauda. It's about the band trying to stay together as musicians while surviving a war. We talk to the band's drummer and the film director.
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Summer Travel: A Farm Sanctuary
For some people, baling hay or feeding chickens is work. But for others, it's a vacation. It's fun. If you're one of those folks, there's a farm in Woodstock, N.Y., you would love. But this isn't your typical farm -- don't expect fresh bacon in the morning. This is a sanctuary where farm animals can just be animals.
