Pianist Shura Cherkassky claims he never plays the same piece twice. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says the versions of Liszt and Stravinsky pieces Cherkassky recently committed to tape are worth the listen.
Ralph Allen says that burlesque theater started off at the turn of the century as a comedy revue; it wasn't until the 1930s that the tradition took on its more erotic elements. Allen cowrote the play Sugar Babies, which has been produced worldwide.
Sonny Burgess was known as much for his monochromatic look as he was his wild music. Ed Ward says the word to describe him is "weird" -- Burgess favored unconventional instrumentation and bizarre lyrics.
Book critic John Leonard recommends Wilfrid Sheed's new novel The Boys of Winter. Set in the Hamptons, in questions the nature of authorship, narrative, and creativity.
Taking advantage of new recording technologies, Ellington's son Mercer leads his father's big band on a new CD. Jazz critic Francis Davis says the performances are excellent in their own right, but the album doesn't offer anything new or surprising.
Writer James Miller talks about the history of the New Left and the work of the Students for a Democratic Society, who believed that college students and intellectuals were best equipped to lead democratic movements. In his new book, Democracy in the Streets, Miller outlines how their ideologies led to street protests.
The San Francisco Chronicle columnist's new book explores womanhood and gentrification, among other things. The humorist is credited with coining the term "yuppy."
TV critic David Bianculli has been following the networks' coverage of Oliver North's congressional testimony on the Iran-Contra affair. While each station uses the same camera feeds, they deploy commentary and supplementary information in different ways, in alternately successful and distracting ways.
Before becoming a Pulitzer Prize-winning style writer for the Washington Post, Paul Hendrickson entered the seminary--just before Vatican II began to transform the Catholic Church. He left weeks before the time came to say his priesthood vows, and writes about the experience in his memoir, Seminary.
Critic-at-large Laurie Stone says that the recent crop of movies left her cranky, with their focus on style over substance. But they weren't all bad -- she recommends seeing RoboCop, Withnail and I, and Innerspace.
Merrill Markoe is one of the few prominent women television writers. She specializes in comedy, and helped launched Late Night with David Letterman. She is currently developing an HBO special show with Harry Shearer.
The long-running band continues to gain new fans, even straight-laced yuppies. Rock critic Ken Tucker says In the Dark is their best album in over a decade, coming close to capturing the spirit of their live shows.
Film critic Stephen Schiff says Innerspace hits all the right notes with its mix of adventure, conflict, and romance. He also says it's a great vehicle for Martin Short, whose performance proves he's a real actor.
Psychotherapist Eileen Simpson grew up as an orphan; her mother died from tuberculosis. As a young adult, she moved to Greenwich Village and married the poet John Berryman. Writing came to her later in life, after she split up with the renowned poet. Her new book is called Orphans: Real and Imaginary.
Dave Brody is an entomologist who helps directors use insects in their movies. While those films are designed to inspire fear and disgust, Brody, who by day works for the Museum of Natural History in New York City, is a great lover of insects who avoids hurting or killing the animals at all costs.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says that Christopher Hogwood's interpretation of the composer's symphonies fall flat compared to those of Roger Norrington.
American conductor and music director Leonard Slatkin discusses the differences between the classical music worlds of Europe and the United States. He says the fast pace of American concert production and music instruction has its benefits and drawbacks.
