Music & Culture
Classical Music Posts
Confronting The Blind Spot In The Great American Protest Song ‘This Land Is Your Land’
Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” has long been offered as an “alternative national anthem,” performed by musicians from Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger to Chicano Batman and Sharon Jones. Its message seems fairly simple — we are all equally entitled to the rights of this country, including the land we stand on. But Native Americans will just as soon point out that the core of the song, that “this land was made for you and me,” is a wholly colonialist message. Continue Reading Confronting The Blind Spot In The Great American Protest Song ‘This Land Is Your Land’
Dolly Parton Says She Turned Down Presidential Medal Of Freedom — Twice
Last fall, former President Barack Obama told Stephen Colbert that he was “shocked” Dolly Parton hadn’t gotten a Presidential Medal of Freedom during his time in office. “That was a screwup,” he said. “I think I assumed she had already got one.” Continue Reading Dolly Parton Says She Turned Down Presidential Medal Of Freedom — Twice
Sifting Through ‘Unsettled Ground’ Of The Whitman Massacre To Reckon With Northwest History
Cassandra Tate’s recent book on the storied white missionaries sheds light on a poorly understood chapter of our state’s settler past. Continue Reading Sifting Through ‘Unsettled Ground’ Of The Whitman Massacre To Reckon With Northwest History
WATCH: Author Jia Tolentino On American Culture Through The Prism Of The Internet
The January pick for our “Now Read This” book club was a book of essays exploring many aspects of American culture through the prism of the internet and social media. At age 32, author Jia Tolentino has gained acclaim as one of its most astute observers. She’s a also a staff writer for The New Yorker and “Trick Mirror” is her first book. Jeffrey Brown spoke to Tolentino to learn more. Continue Reading WATCH: Author Jia Tolentino On American Culture Through The Prism Of The Internet
Past As Prologue: How The Namesake Of Pullman Tried To Improve Worker’s Lives, But Failed
The strike—and the violence that occurred—became George Pullman’s legacy, rather than his attempt to create the utopian worker’s town. When he died, his family buried him in a lead-lined coffin because they were concerned workers would try to desecrate it. Continue Reading Past As Prologue: How The Namesake Of Pullman Tried To Improve Worker’s Lives, But Failed
New Music Mix: Margo Price, The Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Hand Habits, More
From Hand Habits to a violin concerto that includes whistling, this week’s All Songs Considered has some surprises along the way. Hand Habits is the music of Meg Duffy. On their new EP dirt, we hear the climactic tune “4th of July,” filled with Meg’s intriguing guitar. It was also the guitar that attracted me to Miss Grit, the music of Korean American Margaret Sohn. She takes on the imposter syndrome, a fear many of us face when coming of age. We play the title track from her self-produced EP called Impostor. Continue Reading New Music Mix: Margo Price, The Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Hand Habits, More
