Voice artist Fred Newman is most famous for the voices and effects he improvised for the shows A Prairie Home Companion and Live From Here. He joined us to share secrets on making melodious, whimsical, and sometimes rude sounds with your mouth. This episode was picked by Elaine Clark.

  Chances are good you’re sitting down as you read these words. After hearing what Dr. James Levine has to say about the dangers of inactivity, you might find yourself standing a lot more. Listener survey

In 2016, Cambridge Analytica took millions of Facebook users’ data and used it to sew dissension in the presidential campaign and aid Donald Trump. Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer’s film The Great Hack examines the Cambridge Analytica–Facebook scandal.

In the late 80s, neighbors in a San Francisco apartment building recorded the drunken squabbles between Peter and Raymond. Their relationship, and the pop culture phenomenon it spawned, is the subject of the documentary film “Shut Up Little Man.”

Antonio Stradivari created instruments that have given the world their unique and rich sounds for hundreds of years. Author Tony Faber joined us to talk about Stradivari’s enduring work. This episode was picked by KUER’s newsroom managing editor Elaine Clark. 

Albert Maysles has created dozens of films. And many of them are landmarks in documentary filmmaking. In fact, he and his brother David were pioneers in non-fiction feature films. Albert Maysles joins us to talk about the world he sees through his lens. This episode was picked by Doug.

Since the 1950s, a war has been waged in America against an accused dietary culprit: fat. However, as the investigative journalist Nina Teicholz discovered, there isn’t solid evidence for the benefits of a low-fat diet, nor of the dangers of fat. This episode was picked by producer Benjamin Bombard.

Radiolab co-host Jad Abumrad is a genius. Back in 2011, he was certified when the MacArthur Foundation awarded him a “genius grant.” Jad thinks public radio should be more chaotic, more joyous and more lifelike. This episode was picked by Doug.

Few people were watching in August 1981 when MTV debuted on cable television. Filmmakers Patrick Waldrop and Tyler Measom have made a film about the birth and evolution of the television network that revolutionized the culture.

The Gospel of Mary, written in the name of Mary Magdalene, didn’t make it into the canon of Christian texts. It taught believers to rethink the basis of authority, the nature of sin, and it also speaks of an inner journey to true spirituality. This episode was picked by Elaine Clark.