Put in your earbuds and tune in to this week’s selections…
HOW DOES IT FEEL?
Often called the greatest rock song ever written, Bob Dylan‘s angry 60s anthem, “Like a Rolling Stone” was released 50 years ago this week. Its aggressive lyrics and loud, electric sound shocked folk music fans who thought of Dylan as one of their own. The song has been lionized, villainized and analyzed for over half a century. But, did you know that it was originally written as a waltz…?
Listen here to Dylan, Joni Mitchell (and more) on the shock of Dylan’s electric performance at Newport in 1965 and the awe of rock’s most famous ballad. (9 mins)
SEX, LIES AND COMIC BOOKS
Did you ever wonder where Wonder Woman, the first female superhero(ine) came from? Well, she sprang from the very fertile mind of her creator, William Moulton Marston, who was influenced by the works of Margaret Sanger and swept up in the fervor of women’s suffrage. (He also had a thing for pin-ups and centerfolds). BTW: Later in his life, he invented the lie detector.
And, proving that truth is stranger than fiction, here is the story behind Marston’s famous female fantasy, real-life ménage a trois and his unique contribution to girl power. (45 mins)
WORDS AND MUSIC
E.L. Doctorow‘s best-known work was his novel, “Ragtime,” which was also made into a movie and a Broadway musical. The title, which referenced a “ragged” musical genre of the late 19th and early 20th century, was no coincidence. Doctorow, who died this week at age 84, was heavily influenced by what he heard.
Hear Doctorow riff on rhythm and writing (7 min).
HEY LOOK, ONE MORE SEUSS BOOK!
Although he claimed that he wrote his books for people — not children — Theodore Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) is best beloved for his silly, quirky, rhyming stories aimed at the young at heart. This week, a long-lost manuscript for a book called, “What Pet Should I Get?” was found. Yes, in a box….
Here are some facts we bet you never knew about Dr. Seuss — including where he got his best ideas. Hint: It was somewhere in Switzerland. (10 mins)
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