Arts & Culture
Coverage of the Arts by Weekend America.
-
Letters: James Brown the Hero, Marriage Tourism to Thailand
Listeners share memories from the moment the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s was assassinated, and sound off about last week's story of a man trying to find a wife in Thailand, and his son's trepidation about that quest.
-
Music, Memories for Record Store Day
Independent record stores all over the world are celebrating Record Store Day. And in a world where the number-one music retailer doesn't even have a storefront (it's iTunes), record stores might be considered a precious resource.
-
Mapping the Score to Planet Earth
James Plakovic's unique map of the planet Earth looks familiar, until you look real close: It's made of musical notes, a score for 37 instruments. It may be difficult to listen to and a little chaotic. But then again, so is the real Earth.
-
Let's Play San Francisco Hide-a-Torch!
Our panel of non-experts reviews the week's news -- Yale literature professor Amy Hungerford, Simon Doonan, author and creative director of Barneys New York, and writer John Ridley, who has an NPR blog called "Visible Man."
-
Big Boi's Hip-Hop Ballet
Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, one half of the hit-making musical group OutKast, is teaming up with the Atlanta Ballet for a series of performances matching traditional ballet with hip-hop.
-
Homesick for Her Heartland
We asked our listeners to share their memories of spring. Sherry Connot from Nebraska wrote us about her freshman year in college, when she was homesick for her family's ranch. A song about springtime brought all those feelings bubbling up one day....
-
'Sleeping With One Eye Open'
It's National Poetry Month -- every April since 1966, we celebrate poets and their work. Former U.S. Poet Laureate Mark Strand provides a special reading of a poem he wrote during the height of the Cold War -- hinting that things have changed little over the years.
-
A Noir Novel by Committee
L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez wrote the first chapter of a new, online, collaborative novel project -- then he let the world write what happens next. The experiment has taken some surprising turns and the characters are getting dark and even stranger.
-
I Know My Team Needs Me
March is a great month for sports fans: opening day for baseball, the Sweet Sixteen and NCAA hockey playoffs. That's enough to keep sports nuts screaming all weekend. Not all of the cheering they do is done publicly, however -- many die-hard fans have sacred rituals they perform to ensure their favorite team's success.
-
Beyond the Silk Road With Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma has worked for nearly a decade to educate people about the culture of the Silk Road. Weekend America's Bill Radke speaks with the renowned cellist about his latest collaboration with the Silk Road Ensemble.
-
Putting 'Danny Boy' to Rest
Alfred O'Neil, Jr. sang "Danny Boy" at his father's funeral. He sang it so well he was asked to sing it again, and again, and again. Today he retires "Danny Boy" with an open-mic tribute.
-
Prostitutes, Feng Shui and Pink Pooches
Our panel of non-experts reviews the week's news. This week, comedian Dana Gould, "New Yorker" cartoon editor Bob Mankoff and commentator and political consultant Tara Setmayer talk about former Gov. Spitzer's prostitute problem, Geraldine Ferraro's comments about Barack Obama, feng shui at McDonald's and the legality of dyeing your pooch pink.
