May 17, 2013 Chattering Class

Rodney Ascher’s ‘Room 237’

Photo by Mark Renders/Getty Images

Lots of films have a ‘cult’ following, but the fanaticism surrounding Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece The Shining” rises to another level entirely. Filmmaker Rodney Ascher turned his lens on ‘Shining’ obsessives…their theories and thought-processes. The result is the critically-lauded documentary “Room 237“; it comes out in NYC this week before expanding in April, and is available on iTunes. Rodney chats with Rico about art and analysis, monomania, and Kubrick’s (theoretical) moonlighting.

Director Angela Robinson on The Boundary-Busting Creator of Wonder Woman

Each week on chattering class, we're schooled by an expert in some party-worthy topic. The topic this time around? The creator of Wonder Woman, William Marston. And our teacher is indie filmmaker Angela Robinson. Her new biopic is called "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women." Listen as Angela shares with Rico how she heard about Marston’s fascinating life story, why she became obsessed with it, and how his psychological theories influenced her point of view.

Depeche Mode: From Synth-Pop to Revolution Rock

Back in the early '80s, four lanky Brits calling themselves Depeche Mode, armed only with primitive synthesizers, started churning out pop hits. Nearly 40 years later they've sold over 100 million albums and are one of the most popular live acts on Earth. This weekend they'll become the first band ever to play four consecutive sold-out shows at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Rico spoke to Mode's main songwriter, Martin Gore, and his fellow founding member, Andy Fletcher, about their synth beginnings, their shift to more political music, and the worst night of their musical lives.

Director Angela Robinson on The Boundary-Busting Creator of Wonder Woman

Depeche Mode: From Synth-Pop to Revolution Rock

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