Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen

In anticipation of Halloween, Studio 360 is sharing some of our favorite spooky segments from our archive. No musician has died more often or more dramatically in front of more people than Alice Cooper. His highly theatrical rock shows have variously ended with depictions of him being electrocuted, beheaded, or hanged. In real life, he's managed to survive very nicely — now in his 60's, he still performs those over-the-top live shows. He talks with Kurt Andersen about what it was like when he moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, eyeliner and all, and why he’ll probably never retire.

This is America's soapbox.

This interview will air next month — but we’re making it available to our podcast listeners early. Enjoy! Brit Bennett came to prominence in a way that was unheard of in the literary world a generation ago. She published a piece about racial justice in Jezebel in 2014, and it provoked a huge discussion online and demonstrated what a fine writer she is. Soon enough, she was hearing from literary agents and now she’s publishing her debut novel, “The Mothers.” She talks with Kurt Andersen about how attending different churches in her childhood informed the book, and why she started her novel by revealing its biggest secret. 

We're always talking about creativity, but what do we mean? Can we find creativity, can we measure it, can we encourage it? Kurt talks with Gary Marcus, a psychology professor about what science tells us about creativity. A researcher puts jazz musicians into an fMRI machine and has them improvise; an intrepid reporter gets her creativity tested and scored; and a little girl introduces us to her imaginary friends (all of them). (Originally aired: November 23, 2012)

Neuroscientist Eric Kandel explains how art affects the brain. Plus, we find out why Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” is a work of non-fiction. And the indie duo Snowblink plays their dreamy music live in our studio.  

A special about the cozy relationship between politics and entertainment. Former "Spy" staffer and "New Yorker" editor Susan Morrison reveals the origin of Donald Trump’s “short-fingered vulgarian” nickname. Then, author Neal Gabler explains how Hollywood invaded the Oval Office. And Lawrence O’Donnell reviews his least favorite reality TV show: the 2016 presidential race.

Kurt co-founded Spy magazine in 1986 — and Donald Trump was a fixture from the very first issue. In this sneak peek of this week’s episode, Kurt talks with Spy co-conspirator (and current New Yorker magazine editor) Susan Morrison about their days skewering the “shuttle-owning dilettante” who would become the Republican presidential nominee. They trace the history of the nickname “short-fingered vulgarian” from its conception in the offices of Spy to its appearance in the 2016 presidential race. “We had empirical evidence that it upset Trump,” Susan recalls. “He would circle pictures of his hands in gold Sharpie and send them to us.”  Listen to the full episode — all about the cozy relationship between show business and American politics — this Thursday.

There are so many ways the world could go wrong — electing the wrong candidate is only one of them. Charlie Brooker, creator of the hit sci-fi show “Black Mirror,” gets his dystopian ideas from our digital devices. Then, novelist Gary Shteyngart reads from his darkly funny book about the near-future, “Super Sad True Love Story.” And Janelle Monáe plays songs from the 28th century.

Edward Albee died last week, at 88. Studio 360 remembers this giant of American theater with a feature we ran back in 2004. Reporter Sarah Lemanczyk interviewed Albee about his decision, well into his 70s, to tinker with his very first produced play, “The Zoo Story.” Albee was about to debut a new first act as a sort of prequel to the original play. Lemanczyk was a huge fan of Albee’s, but she was appalled at this idea — and she had the audacity to tell Albee to his face.

On this week’s show, the art and science of singing. At the age of 92, Broadway lyricist Sheldon Harnick hasn’t lost any of the wit and insight that helped him write “Fiddler on the Roof.” Also, we find out what cutting-edge medical science can do to save the voices of aging singers. And indie singer-songwriter Angel Olsen plays live in our studio.

On the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we wanted to revisit Kurt’s conversation with an artist who had a special relationship with the World Trade Center site. It had all the glamour, conspiracy, and danger of a classic heist movie, but it was real — and the hero was wearing slippers. In the early hours of August 7, 1974, 24-year-old Philippe Petit and some friends snuck to the top of the Twin Towers and rigged a 140-foot steel cable between them.  And then, 1,350 feet above the ground and without a net, Petit walked, danced, and even lay down on the wire between them.  The feat transfixed the world.  It later became the subject of the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary “Man on Wire.” Back in 2008, Kurt visited the site of the walk (at that point, Ground Zero) with Petit and director James Marsh. “I was a young wire-walker busy conquering an idea.” Petit explains, “I never thought of the consequences.” (Originally aired: July 25, 2008) Correction: In the audio for this segment, Kurt misstated the title of Steve Reich's composition reflecting on the September 11th terrorist attacks. It is "WTC 9/11" (not "WTC View," which is the name of play by Brian Sloan.)

How does a deadly plague inside “World of Warcraft” spread like a real virus? Also, rabies experts connect the dots between “The Iliad,” “Twilight,” and Louis Pasteur. And an apocalyptic world where children should be seen and not heard — the sound they make can be deadly.

Rachel Yehuda is a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. For years, Dr. Yehuda researched PTSD by measuring stress hormones in lab rats. But when she began investigating PTSD in Holocaust survivors, she found that her methods were hitting a little close to home: “A man got up, and he said, ‘biologic science? Are you trying to give Hitler a posthumous victory?’...He was so angry. And all I could think of at that moment was that I missed my rats.” Her story was part of a live event hosted by Studio 360 and The Story Collider at WNYC’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, where scientists and comedians told true stories about their encounters with science.  You can hear Aparna Nancherla’s tale of cheating her way to science fair glory in our September 1, 2016 episode. Produced with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Herman Pontzer is a professor of anthropology at Hunter College, where he investigates human and ape evolution. A few years ago, while studying the Hadza hunter-gatherer tribe, Dr. Pontzer’s experiment almost went up in flames: “We look at each other and we realize: everything we have is flammable. The tents, the sleeping bags, the computers…not to mention this five gallon cocktail of liquid nitrogen and Hadza pee.” His story was part of a live event hosted by Studio 360 and The Story Collider at WNYC’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, where scientists and comedians told true stories about their encounters with science.  You can hear Aparna Nancherla’s tale of cheating her way to science fair glory in our September 1, 2016 episode. Tomorrow in the feed: psychiatrist Rachel Yehuda strikes a hard bargain. Produced with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Wyatt Cenac is a comedian and former correspondent for The Daily Show. He’s no scientist – but while completing a community service requirement in high school, he conducted a little experiment to answer one of modern science’s burning questions:  “I was like…how could Shaquille O’Neal drive on two beers? Or how could Shaquille drive on like three beers, and a couple shots of whiskey, and maybe some weed?” His story was part of a live event hosted by Studio 360 and The Story Collider at WNYC’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, where scientists and comedians told true stories about their encounters with science.  You can hear Aparna Nancherla’s tale of cheating her way to science fair glory in our September 1, 2016 episode. Tomorrow in the feed: how anthropologist Herman Pontzer ended up in the hot seat. Produced with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.