Episodes
-
September 10, 2024 - Eugene Mirman, the Wurlitzer pipe organ, and JM Varese
Actor and Comedian Eugene Mirman was born in Moscow, raised in Lexington, and he honed his craft working the stages of Boston's comedy circuit. Today he is known as the voice of Gene Belcher on the FX animated hit “Bob’s Burgers” and for his inventive standup.. He joins The Culture Show ahead of his appearance at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville.From there, Edgar B. Herwick III takes us to Worcester’s Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts. That’s where the wondrous Wurlitzer pipe organ can still be experienced as a single instrument that wows with its mighty orchestral sound. Finally, author JM Varese joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest novel, a Victorian Gothic thriller that is rooted in the real-life Victorian scandal when arsenic was used to make decorative wallpaper. JM Varese is Director of Outreach for The Dickens Project at UC Santa Cruz. -
September 9, 2024 - The Kodály method, Boston Rum Week, and The Black Gold Tapestry
Today on The Culture Show Katie Bach, acting director of the Kodály Music Institute and music teacher at the Peabody School, talks about bringing the Kodály method of teaching music into local classrooms.From there we raise a glass to Boston Rum Week, which kicks off on September 15th. Olivier Raynaut, one of the head organizers, joins us for an overview.Finally, artist Sandra Sawatzky has created a chronology of environmental degradation over millennia with a tapestry that is nearly a decade-in-the-making. Titled “The Black Gold Tapestry,” it is one of the works included in MassArt Museum’s exhibition “Displacement,” which looks at our relationship with the environment, Sandra Sawatzky and Lisa Tung, executive director of the MassArt Art Museum, join The Culture Show to talk about this exhibition. -
September 6, 2024 - Week in Review: A boozier Boston, West Newton Cinema, and Adele
On this Friday’s arts and culture week-in-review, Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B Herwick III go over the latest headlines.First up, it looked like it was going to be curtains for West Newton Cinema, but in a major plot twist, it could be a Hollywood ending for the independent movie house, which has a new owner. And, the latest buzz is that Boston could be getting boozier, from a dramatic expansion of available liquor licenses to the city considering open container districts in an effort to boost Boston’s nightlife.And, is “Dancing with the Stars,” in the business of choreographing comebacks for convicts? Plus, Adele, famous for mega hits like “Hello,” is saying so long to show biz–for now. -
September 5, 2024 - Eric Vloeimans and Will Holshouser, "...and I approve this message," and Dali at the MFA
Eric Vloeimans is a Dutch trumpet sensation, Cambridge native Will Holshouser is an accordion master. Together they create original, evocative compositions that draw on jazz, classical and folk music. Ahead of their upcoming shows – one tonight at the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke, MA and one at the Lilypad in Inman Square this Saturday – they join The Culture Show for an in-studio performance.Then, with election season in full swing you have likely heard that five word phrase that’s ubiquitous in campaign ads, “And I approve this message.” But why? Edgar B. Herwick III, Culture Show co-host and man behind The Curiosity Desk, brings us the answer.Finally the MFA’s Frederick Ilchman, Chair and Mrs. Russell W. Baker Curator of Paintings, Art of Europe, joins The Culture Show to talk about their first-ever Salvador Dalí exhibition “Dalí: Disruption and Devotion.” -
September 4, 2024 - Marianne Leone, The Hip Hop Transformation, and the JFK library
Actor and author Marianne Leone joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest book, “Five-Dog Epiphany: How a Quintet of Badass Bichons Retrieved Our Joy,” which details how she and her husband, the actor Chris Cooper, have been able to come to terms with the death of their teenage son with the help of their canine companions.From there, The Culture Show’s James Bennett II takes us to Cambridge, MA where a nonprofit is investing in the future of Hip-Hop and the next generation of Hip-Hop artists.Finally, with the presidential election a mere 61 days away, Mahesh Daas, president of Boston Architectural College, joins us to appreciate the architectural gem that is the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. -
September 3, 2024 - Sebastian Smee, The Hombres, and art on the MBTA's Red Line
Pulitzer Prize-winner Sebastian Smee, art critic for The Washington Post, and author of “The Art of Rivalry” joins The Culture Show for a discussion of his new book “Paris in Ruins: Love, War, and the Birth of Impressionism.” From there Gloucester Stage Company and Teatro Chelsea are collaborating on “The Hombres,” in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Actor Jaime José Hernández who stars in the play as Beto is also Teatro Chelsea’s Program Manager. He joins The Culture Show ahead of “The Hombres” regional premiere. Finally, we look at an underground art movement, literally. Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson, who runs The Art Walk Project, takes us on a tour of the MBTA’s Red Line subway art scene. -
September 2, 2024 - Toni Stone, baseball in the movies, and foul balls
Today we bring you three very different takes on Baseball. First up. from a diamond in the rough to the baseball diamond. Toni Stone made history as the first woman to play professional baseball in the mens’ Negro League. It’s the subject of Lydia Diamond’s latest play.From there it’s sportswriter and film critic Noah Gittell. In his new book he merges two American pastimes: baseball and movies. In looking at how the baseball movie has changed over the decades – from sports glory, to nostalgia to cynicism – he says we can also see how American values have changed.And Finally, why do baseball fans get to keep a foul ball if they catch it? Edgar B. Herwick III has the answer. -
August 30, 2024 - Raj Tawney, Joanne Chang, and Marsha Lindsey
Writer Raj Tawney. Growing up in a multicultural household, his coming of age story happened in the kitchen, helping his mother and grandmother cook recipes from their homelands. Themes of food, memory and identity come together in his memoir, “A Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey through a Mixed American Experience”From there, it’s award-winning pastry chef Joanne Chang. She joins us with her theory on why there is a comfort food revival, putting her spin on the classics and how, for her, a recipe is always a work in progress.Finally we top things off, by topping one off with mixologist Marsha Lindsey, As the principal bartender at SRV where she also runs the bar program, she raises a glass to Black history by introducing us to some of her favorite black owned spirits–and her craft cocktails. -
August 29, 2024 - Girl From the North Country, Janie Barnett, and Already Dead
Turn up the volume because we have three takes on music, from Bob Dylan to Cole Porter to populist punk.First up, the Irish dramatist Conor McPherson wrote and directed a play incorporating 20 songs by Bob Dylan. This is no JukeBox musical. And though it is set in Dylan’s hometown of Duluth, Minnesota it’s no bio-musical either. It’s titled “Girl From the North Country.” He joins us to talk about weaving Dylan’s songbook into a deeply stirring show. From there it’s singer-songwriter Janie Barnett. She has reimagined Cole Porter, Americana style. We talk to her about this genre-bending work and what it took to be the queen of the jingle, belting out classic, commercial earworms.Finally, the populist punk band “Already Dead” wrote an anthem about our housing crisis with their track “Landlord.” Now they take on the economic divide in their new release “The Spirit of Massachusetts Avenue.” -
August 28, 2024 - Audra McDonald and Leslie Odom Jr.
Summertime, and the living is easy. Or, if you’re Audra McDonald, you make it look and sound easy. The award winning singer and actor earned her fifth – of a record-breaking six– Tony awards for her portrayal of Bess in the Broadway hit “The Gershwins Porgy and Bess,” which was mounted right here at The American Repertory Theater.Jared Bowen caught up with McDonald when she was in Boston for a one-night only performance.Then it’s another star of the stage Leslie Odom, Jr. The award winning actor and singer’s portrayal of Aaron Burr in“Hamilton,” gave us a new way to think about America’s historyAnd if history doesn’t repeat itself, it rhymes. In his latest return to Broadway, Odom starred in a play that skewers racism in America. He joined The Culture Show to talk about performing on Broadway and his latest album, “When a Crooner Dies.”
