Art

Chronicles of a Pleistocene Mind

Doug Fabrizio — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:48:38 +0000

Tuesday, Doug's guest is Utah author Maximilian Werner. Werner is a poet, a novelist and an essayist whose newest book asks how the forces of evolution still shape our everyday lives. From choosing which bedroom to sleep in to the way children play hide-and-seek, Werner says that our Pleistocene mind is at work. We'll talk about the strategies we use to survive and what those can teach us about the human animals we are. His memoir-infused book is called "Evolved."

A Clockwork Orange

Doug Fabrizio — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:50:17 +0000

Last year, fans celebrated the 50th anniversary of the ultra-violent novella A Clockwork Orange. Author Anthony Burgess said the work should have been forgotten, but because of Stanley Kubrick's film, it seemed destined to live on. It's the story of the barbaric passions of a British teen and the state's attempt to impose a mechanistic morality over his free-will. Friday, we're rebroadcasting our conversation with the scholar Andrew Biswell about A Clockwork Orange and about why Burgess said the point of the book has been widely misunderstood. (Rebroadcast)

Staging Utah Culture

Doug Fabrizio — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:01:20 +0000

In Utah, the maxim "write what you know" often means writing about Mormons and the LDS Church's influence in the state. But satirizing a faith or building characters around your family and neighbors can be tricky territory. Just ask playwright Miguel Santana. He was raised LDS, but was surprised by what he saw when he moved here. He's turned his experiences into a play about Mormon housewives, and Thursday, he and others join us to talk about the challenges and opportunities of putting Utah culture on stage.

The Great Gatsby

Doug Fabrizio — Mon, 13 May 2013 22:55:50 +0000

Tuesday, the literary scholar Kirk Curnutt joins us to explore F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. It’s been called the American masterwork, but when it was first published, Fitzgerald’s crowning achievement saw mixed reviews and mediocre sales. Today, the tale of Jay Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy Buchanan and high society sits near top of the bestseller list. Curnutt calls The Great Gatsby “verbal jewelry” and says it might have more in common with romance novels than we’re comfortable admitting.

Joshua James

Doug Fabrizio — Wed, 08 May 2013 22:48:40 +0000

Thursday on RadioWest, we continue our Local Music series with singer-songwriter Joshua James. A Nebraska native, James found both his musical inspiration and his urban-homestead-on-the-range when he moved to Utah a decade ago. He’s since released a number of critically-acclaimed records that showcase his vibrant sonic palette, incredible vocal range and diverse musical inspirations. James’ folksy indie Americana tunes are drawn from his life on the farm, where birth, growth, death, decay and harvest all tell their own stories.

Searching for Sugarman

Doug Fabrizio — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:51:00 +0000

In the early 1970s, Sixto Rodriguez, a poet-musician from inner-city Detroit, produced two albums. His producers thought they would be hits, but they were utter flops – in America, that is. In South Africa though, Rodriguez was bigger than Elvis or The Rolling Stones, and his albums provided the soundtrack for white opposition to apartheid. Filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul has documented Rodriguez’ unlikely fall and rise, and we're rebroadcasting our conversation with him about his film on Friday.

The Shelter Cycle

Doug Fabrizio — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:06:55 +0000

Thursday, the writer Peter Rock joins us to talk about his newest novel, The Shelter Cycle. It’s inspired by the true story of a Montana-based New Age sect called the Church Universal and Triumphant. Church members made extensive preparations for doomsday in the 80s and 90s. When the prophesied cataclysm didn’t occur, they were forced to live in a world they truly believed would no longer exist. Rock uses these facts to weave a narrative that explores how memory and the past continue to shape us, even when we think we’ve left them behind.

The Legend's Daughter

Doug Fabrizio — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:01:21 +0000

In his new collection of short stories, the Utah-based writer David Kranes tests contemporary settlers into the crucible of Utah’s neighbor to the north. Idaho’s rugged landscape – its skies and fires and waters, its elements – forces Kranes’ characters to reexamine and reorient their lives. The West did much the same thing to Kranes when he first came here from New England decades ago. Thursday, David Kranes joins us to talk about and read from his new book. It’s called The Legend’s Daughter.

Suffrage

Doug Fabrizio — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 15:57:37 +0000

Monday, we’re talking about a new work by local playwright Jenifer Nii. It’s called “Suffrage,” and it looks at the complicated history between women’s right to vote and polygamy in 19^th century Utah. Utah was the second territory in the US to grant suffrage, but in less than two decades, the right was stripped away as part of a national effort to eradicate plural marriage. Nii joins us, along with the director and cast of Plan B Theatre Company’s production to talk about the social and political roles of women.

Finding Oz

Doug Fabrizio — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:30:33 +0000

Wednesday, we're telling the story behind one of America's most enduring tales. Our guest is the journalist Evan Schwartz, author of a book about L. Frank Baum. Before publishing "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" in 1900, Baum failed at acting, selling castor oil and running a toy shop. But along the way, he was collecting ideas that would find their way into his parable of the American Dream. Schwartz joins Doug to talk about the personal turmoil and spiritual transformation that led Baum to Oz.