Rock historian Ed Ward with part two of his look at Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. There's a new anthology of their work, "Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band" (Warner archives/Rhino).
Book critic Maureen Corrigan give us her list of the best books to put on your Christmas list:
Two British comic novels:
"The Country Life" by Rachel Cusk
"Headlong" by Michael Frayn
The novels:
"Waiting" by Ha Jin
"Amy and Isabelle" by Elizabeth Strout
Two short story collections:
"The Way People Run" by Christopher Tilghman
"The Best American Short Stories of the Century" edited by John Updike and Katrina Kenison
The mysteries:
Actress Susan Sarandon. She's currently starring in the new film "Anywhere But Here," and "Cradle Will Rock." Over her 30 years in films she's starred in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" which became a cult classic, as well as "Atlantic City," "Thelma and Louise," "Bull Durham," "Dead Man Walking," and more.
Inventor and ex-magician David Levy. His inventions include a tiny keypad - the size of a credit card, a tattoo whose design can be changed at will, and a devise that seals severed arteries in one minute. In 1996, at MIT, he won the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, which acknowledged him as one of the nation's premier young inventors.
Paleontologist Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago. He recently unearthing Jobaria (Joe-BAR-ee-ah) and Suchomimus (sue-coe- MIME-us) -- two new rivals to Tyrannosaurus Rex in West Africa. They're two of the newest additions to the dinosaur family.
We remember novelist Joseph Heller, author of "Catch-22" which became an American classic. He died Sunday night at the age of 76, from a heart attack. (REBROADCAST from 1/29/88)
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews "The Sweetest Punch" (Decca) guitarist Bill Frisell's new CD featuring the music of Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, and featuring Elvis Costello himself.
Writer Alan Ball. His first feature film screenplay was for this year's critically acclaimed movie, "American Beauty." He's also creator, head writer, and executive producer of the new TV comedy "Oh Grow Up." Previously, Ball wrote for the TV shows "Grace Under Fire," and "Cybill."
Pulitzer-Prize winning writer Garry Wills. His new book is "A Necessary Evil: A History of American Distrust of Government" (Simon & Schuster). Wills is also the author of "Lincoln At Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America." And he's written other books on Nixon, Reagan and Kennedy, as well as a look at the relationship between politics and popular culture via celebrity, "John Wayne's America: the Politics of Celebrity."
Film historian Rudy Behlmer on the making of "King Kong." The original movie soundtrack for the 1933 classic film has just been reissued on CD. (Rhino) The film was directed by documentarians Merian C. Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack who also worked together on the groundbreaking documentaries, "Grass" and "Chang." The score was by Max Steiner. Behlmer wrote the liner notes for the the new CD. He's also the author of "Behind the Scenes."
Actor, director, writer Tim Robbins talks about his new film *The Cradle Will Rock*. It is the first film written and directed by Robbins since the Academy Award winning Dead Man Walking. The Cradle Will Rock is based on the events surrounding the production of a 1937 labor musical, directed by Orson Welles. The play was shut down by a government injunction for the cast's alleged left-wing politics. Robbins is known for his roles in such films as Shawshank Redemption, The Player, and Bull Durham.
Writer Ann Bannon (her pseudonym) has written a number of books of lesbian pulp fiction, including "Odd Girl Out," "I Am a Woman," and "Journey to a Woman." Bannon went on to become a college dean, and has kept her identity a secret.
A conversation about lesbian pulp fiction with: Jaye Zimet who has compiled a new collection of book covers for lesbian pulp fiction: "Strange Sisters: The Art of Lesbian Pulp Fiction, 1949-1969" (Viking Studio).
Before he became a well-known detective novelist, Lawrence Block wrote a number of books of lesbian pulp fiction, under the pseudonym Jill Emerson (and others). Block is best known for his detective novels featuring the Manahatten private eye, Matt Scudder. His novels have followed Scudder through alcoholism and into recovery through an Alcoholics Anonymous program.
