In the 60s, 70s, and 80s, there were a lot of rumors about the dangers of rock music. If you played The White Album backwards, was John Lennon really saying "turn me on dead man"? Did Led Zeppelin have hidden messages in Stairway to Heaven? Ministers preached and albums were burned to protect against communism, secret societies, and the occult. Tuesday morning, we're talking with folklorist Lynne McNeill and journalist Jesse Walker about the era of backmasking paranoia and asking what it reveals about our fears. (Rebroadcast) Tune in at 7:00 p.m. for the State of the Union Address.
Lynne McNeill teaches folklore at Utah State University. She's the author of Folklore Rules [Amazon|Indiebound]
Jesse Walker is a senior editor at Reason magazine and Reason.com. He's the author of The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory [Amazon|Indiebound]
