July 28, 2026 - Emily Wilson on The Odyssey, Kevin Nealon, and Laurie Anderson
About The Episode
Emily Wilson, professor and chair of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses how her acclaimed translation of The Odyssey helped shape Christopher Nolan’s approach to Homer’s hero. Nolan singled out Wilson’s opening line—“Tell me about a complicated man”—as a key reference point for the film. Wilson considers what the blockbuster preserves or leaves behind as it brings the ancient epic to the screen, and why her translations of The Odyssey and The Iliad have transformed the way modern readers encounter Homer. Her forthcoming book is Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature.
Kevin Nealon looks back on helping define a memorable era of Saturday Night Live, his eight seasons on Weeds and the unpredictable celebrity conversations of Hiking with Kevin. He also discusses returning to stand-up with his latest special, Loose in the Crotch, ahead of his August 1 performance at the Wilbur.
Laurie Anderson, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient who carried New York’s experimental downtown into the pop charts, concert halls and major museums around the world, discusses a Berkshire summer that spans the full range of her groundbreaking career in music, performance, film, storytelling and technology. She has added new work to her long-term MASS MoCA installation and makes her Tanglewood debut with Amelia and What War Is This? on August 13, the Lou Reed Drone on August 16 and The Republic of Love that evening.
