This week: A musical peek into Frank Gehry’s house … Dame Edna delivers ‘glorious’ advice … Miranda July builds a system … The children raised amid resource extraction … Adding butter to coffee to make it ‘Bulletproof’ …Natalie Prass curates a list of sisters and goddesses … A trip to Robinson Crusoe’s island … And a case of déjà vu (déjà vu)
Miranda July - "Theadoor"
A joke from a joke book that one two year old thinks is a story book, read by author/autuer Miranda July. After a list of story collections, films, and creative projects, she returns to the show this week to discuss her first novel.
A Story You May Think You've Heard Before
Reyhan Harmanci, senior editor of Fast Company, tells us about the unusual situation of a 23 year old man in England who suffers from a particularly terrible case of deja vu as a complication of his anxiety.
A Real-Life Robinson Crusoe
Sailor Alexander Selkirk was marooned alone on a South Pacific island in 1704. The story of his years of survival on the island became the basis of a literary classic.
Natalie Prass' Soundtrack of Sisterhood
Singer-songwriter Natalie Prass crafts the confessional 1970s-style songs that one might expect from a woman who was until recently a member of Jenny Lewis' band, and will soon be hitting the road touring with Ryan Adams. Vogue recently praised the "sense of intimacy, reflection, and immediacy" that fills her debut LP, which comes next week.
Dame Edna Will Not Be Interrupted
Dame Edna Everage is the colorful (purple, in particular) character first created by Australian comedian Barry Humphries in 1955. Now she is on one final victory lap, "Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye: The Farewell Tour," which kicked-off a six-city tour this month.
Miranda July's First Novel Finds a Careful System at Risk
Miranda July's creativity comes in many forms. She's an esteemed contemporary artist, a maker of widely seen films, and a bestselling author. Her latest book, "The First Bad Man," expands her distinctive worldview into her first full-length novel.
Butter Coffee Slips to Health Food Fad Status
Entrepreneur Dave Asprey was in Tibet when he first tasted the local yak butter tea. He was curious about the concept of mixing butter and oil into the hot drink, and has adapted the concept for the modern, Western audience into something he calls "Bulletproof Coffee." Butter coffee is starting to take off as a "super food" fad, with a cafe dedicated to the stuff set to open in Santa Monica, CA. Rico ordered a cup from a health food shop and sat down with Brent Rose, who writes about food, tech, and health for Wired, Gizmodo, and other outlets, to talk about the slippery stuff.
Frank Gehry Plays House
Star architect Frank Gehry's groundbreaking Santa Monica home serves as the inspiration for the new musical composition, "Frank's House." In advance of the work's premiere, we speak with Mr. Gehry about the interplay between music and architecture... and the middle finger he gave to his critics.
'White Earth' Shows an Oil Boom through a Child's Eyes
Nominated for the Academy Award for best short documentary of 2014, the 19 minute long "White Earth" examines the lives of the citizens of a small North Dakota town when an oil boom hits. Filmmaker J. Christian Jensen explains his choice to focus on the outsider perspective of children, rather than going the standard political documentary route.
Playlist 289
Music from episode 289
