Bruce Watson tells Steve Paulson why Erector Sets were so huge. They reflected the spirit of America’s Industrial Age, and A.C. Gilbert marketed them directly to boys.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Entomologist Deborah Gordon tells Steve Paulson that ant colonies run with no one in charge. She’s spent years figuring out how they do it.
Doug here. I thought there was good back-and-forth between Chuck and myself in this conversation. I like how the interview went “meta” at the end, with Chuck speculating that if I’m right about his book being hailed as the “Moby Dick" of non-fiction in 300 years time. This interview belongs in a time capsule. At the very least, a “Best of” show. I also really enjoyed the fact that we heard the musical stylings of John Philip Sousa, Chuck Berry, KISS and Veruca Salt. Of course, if Chuck’s book taught me anything (and it actually taught me many things), I could be wrong.
Novelist Christopher Miller's debut novel "Sudden Noises from Inanimate Objects" takes the form of liner notes for a box set by a fictional musician.
Novelist Gary Shteyngart recommends one of his favorite reads: "Jernigan" by David Gates.
Artist Ra Poulette is the subject of the 2014 Academy Award nominated documentary short called Cavedigger.
To see the trailer CLICK HERE.
Colin Meloy likes to lose himself in music. He’s the songwriter and lead singer of a band called The Decemberists.
Cynthia True is the author of “American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story.” She tells Jim Fleming that Hicks was an important social satirist, remarkable for his bravery and honesty. He battled TV executives over his belief that audiences could handle provocative ideas.
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