Studio 360

A preview of Sideshow's third podcast, in which Mike D plugs the show.

For many people, Kevin Spacey’s defining role before House of Cards was Lester Burnham, the sad sack husband at the center of 1999’s American Beauty. Spacey says middle-aged viewers identified with Lester, but kids did, too — because when he rebels, he acts like a teenager. “He was being very disruptive, he was pushing the boundaries and going different places and trying new things,” Spacey says. “We all have that in ourselves, to be a little disruptive.” Listen to more of his conversation with Kurt Andersen on Studio 360 this weekend. www.studio360.org

"Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when he grows up.” — Pablo Picasso → Share the quote that sparks your creativity

Tom Hanks grew up watching Walt Disney on television; now the actor will play the multimedia mogul in a film about his life. Saving Mr. Banks follows Disney’s development of the Mary Poppins movie. To prepare for the role, Hanks poured over archival recordings held by the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. He gave a sneak preview of his Walt Voice to Kurt Andersen, for Studio 360’s special episode “American Icons: The Disney Parks.” “I looked at and listened to every piece of footage and recorded tape that they had,“ Hanks remembers. “I wanted to get down his Midwestern cadence.” He learned that Disney used different personae — the lyrical Uncle Walt who spoke to children and the brash businessman who spoke with reporters. For Hanks’ impromptu performance for Kurt, he threw in a third character as well. Saving Mr. Banks opens December 13.

Greta Gerwig, actor (December 2013) 1. "Old School" by Tobias Wolff 2. "Antoine and Antoinette" by Jacques Becker 3. "Avalon" by Roxy Music

This week, the National Music Publishers’ Association made lyrics the latest front in the war against music piracy. The NMPA sent “takedown” notices to 50 of the most popular outlets, calling their publishing of lyrics “blatant illegal behavior, which significantly impacts songwriters’ ability to make a living.” They got the list from musician and songwriters' rights advocate David Lowery, who told Kurt Andersen which popular sites share lyrics legitimately. Listen to the full interview here: http://wny.cc/1bA8Fzp

As part of our series on American Icons, we recently geeked out on Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. As part of our regular show, we recently interviewed the great lo-fi rocker, Bill Callahan, who also happens to be in awe of Whitman's Great American Poem. Here he talks about Whitman's masterwork and adapts a few of its lines into song.

1. Alfredo Gutierrez, "To Sin Against Hope" 2. Estrella Morente 3. Vermeer at the Frick

For Studio 360's Battle of the High School Bands we asked you to send us the best song you made between freshman and senior years, and you did. Some 300 submissions later, we have a collection of music that ranges from 60s psychedelic pop to dreamy, lovelorn hip-hop. Ready yourself for mixtapes and, for the winner, a cover by the contest's judges, Andrew W.K. and Thao Nguyen! Thanks for participating -- rock on, people.

Band name: AAB (Ancient Art of Boar) Credits for the song: Written and performed by Andrew W.K. and Fred Thomas (guitar) High school and location: Community High School - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Paul Feig, director 1. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg 2. Game of Thrones/Walking Dead 3. LCD Soundsystem Kattie Dippold, screenwriter 1. This is the End 2. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer 3. -

Alfred Yankovic had dreams of joining a rock band with the cool kids. Unsurprisingly, he was rebuffed: the cool kids didn’t need an accordion player. There were no hipsters to reclaim the instrument in those dark ages, he claims; “I was the original hipster.” Fearing himself resigned to a career of bar mitzvahs and weddings, Yankovic recorded a ballad to the family car on his cassette machine and sent it to his hero, Dr. Demento — LA’s legendary novelty radio personality. The song was terrible, he admits, but a high school boy playing the accordion and swooning over a Plymouth was just weird enough for the doctor to put it on air. The rest is history. Kurt’s interview with "Weird Al" Yankovic will air in next week’s show. → Send Studio 360 your high school band's best original song

Joss Whedon, filmmaker (June 2013) 1. "I Was a Dancer" by Jacques D'Amboise 2. "Celeste and Jesse Forever" 3. John Williams' "Lincoln" Score

Band name: Andrew W.K. Credits for the song: Written by Andrew W.K. Performed by Andrew W.K. on vocals and keyboards, and Stephen Michael on additional instruments. High school and location: Community High School - Ann Arbor, Michigan   → Send Studio 360 your high school band's best original song

Alan Cumming, actor (May 2013) 1. The Complete Vegetable Gardner's Bible 2. 'Patti Issues' by Ben Rimalower 3. The birds in the trees outside my bedroom window

Alex Timbers, director (May 2013) 1. “Damsels in Distress” 2. Short stories of Roald Dahl 3. “Girls”

Isabella Rossellini, actor (May 2013) 1. Seals in Long Island 2. “Old Hats” play 3. puppies

Kurt met Mel Brooks for the first time some 35 years ago while working for Gene Shalit at The Today Show. After the brief encounter came up during our interview, Mel told Kurt how Shalit’s positive review of The Producers gave him the confidence to continue making films. Listen to more of the conversation on the show the weekend of 5/4.

Adam Johnson just won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Orphan Master's Son, a thriller about love and defection in North Korea. In this bonus from our interview (airing on this weekend's show), Johnson talks about Kim Jong-un's genuine love for the Chicago Bulls and Dennis Rodman's recent visit to North Korea. (Photo via: http://bit.ly/10kCW2s)

Meg Wolitzer, writer (April 2013) 1. The Patrick Melrose novels by Edward St. Aubyn 2. “Shadow of a Doubt” on my flatscreen! 3. Ancient Joan Baez songs

Jeremy Irons, actor (April 2013) 1. Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 2. Amour 3. (his wife, Sinead Cusack)

Tom Hanks, actor (April 2013) 1. Dave Cullen / “Columbine” 2. 30 for 30 ESPN 3. Rigoletto @ Met

Eric Whitacre joined his college choir to meet girls and go on a free trip to Mexico. But during an early rehearsal, they sang the Kyrie from Mozart's Requiem and had a powerful eureka moment. (Whitacre is now sort of a rock star in the world of composing and conducting choral music.) Here, he breaks down the Kyrie play-by-play-style for Kurt Andersen. Listen to the full conversation and hear a track from his new album: http://wny.cc/X5E4Es

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring challenge. Learn more: Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

Source material for Studio 360’s Remixing Spring Challenge Learn more about this bird: Macaulay Library listing Image: flickr This sound is provided courtesy of the Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Remixing Spring challenge and may not be used for commercial purposes. All rights reserved, Cornell University.

During the Oscars broadcast this Sunday, we'll see tributes to Hollywood's dearly departed. And then there are the tributes we wish we'd see... As part of "Oscar...Totally Naked" (a special edition of the Movie Date podcast hosted by Kristen Meinzer of The Takeaway and Rafer Guzman of Newsday), Studio 360's own Kurt Andersen offers this alt-Memoriam. Hear the full podcast: http://wny.cc/159ChPE

In “Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief, ” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright dissects the religion in meticulous detail. Parts of its origin story sound like an incredible, epic saga -- including a chapter on L. Ron Hubbard’s years at sea, on the run from various governments and perfecting his doctrine. "Hubbard called himself 'The Commodore,'" Wright explained to Kurt Andersen. "He brought in a bunch of young people" to help him operate the ship, "and that Navy became the clergy of the church today." One of their many missions was to find a hidden space ship buried on Crete. Hear the full interview this weekend on Studio 360: http://www.studio360.org/

Aya Kato – piano Recorded and mixed by John DeLore Listen to Kurt Andersen's interview with Beck on Studio 360: wny.cc/U8XVPF

Aya Kato – piano Recorded and mixed by John DeLore Listen to Kurt Andersen's interview with Beck on Studio 360: wny.cc/U8XVPF

John DeLore (Studio 360) – lead vocals, guitar Rob Christiansen (WNYC) – electric guitar Dylan Keefe (Radiolab) – bass Jason Isaac (WNYC) – drums Aya Kato – piano Recorded and mixed by John DeLore Listen to Kurt Andersen's interview with Beck on Studio 360: wny.cc/U8XVPF

John DeLore (Studio 360) – lead vocals Dylan Keefe (Radiolab) – bass Aya Kato – piano Recorded and mixed by John DeLore Listen to Kurt Andersen's interview with Beck on Studio 360: wny.cc/U8XVPF

The Band: John DeLore (Studio 360) – lead vocals, guitar Rob Christiansen (WNYC) – lead guitar, vocals Dylan Keefe (Radiolab) – bass, vocals Jason Isaac (WNYC) – drums John Schaefer (Soundcheck) – acoustic guitar, vocals David Garland (Spinning on Air) – clarinet, feedback guitar, vocals Kurt Andersen (Studio 360) – glockenspiel Aya Kato – piano The Saint Dude Choir also includes: Brooke Gladstone (On the Media) Soterios Johnson (Morning Edition) Jenny Lawton (Studio 360) Terrance McKnight (WQXR) Leital Molad (Studio 360) Michele Siegel (Studio 360) Irene Trudel (Soundcheck) Recorded and mixed by John DeLore Listen to Kurt Andersen's interview with Beck on Studio 360: http://wny.cc/U8XVPF

To fully enjoy Beck's most recent project, you'll need to be able to read sheet music. Kurt gives it a go -- and Beck, himself, stops by. (weekend of 12/22/12)

Next week on the show, inside Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

The playwright Richard Nelson (who wrote the screenplay to Hyde Park on Hudson) tells Kurt Andersen that one of the biggest challenges facing young playwrights is tinkering by well-meaning producers and others. New and ambitious plays, he argues, aren’t broken. “If you look at Hamlet, there are a lot of big holes. But you don’t try to fix it – it’s a play to be solved.” Listen to the full interview this weekend on http://www.studio360.org/

Paul Rudd talks to Kurt Andersen about his curious working relationship with the filmmaker Judd Apatow. It may or may not involve key parties. Listen to the full interview this weekend on http://www.studio360.org/

Paul Rudd fell in love with acting through the theater, but don’t confuse him with those kids from Glee. He tells Kurt Andersen he was into movies, Steve Martin, and getting lots of attention when he was young. Listen to the full interview this weekend on http://www.studio360.org/

Listener Eric Winick asks: "Does Judd Apatow consider himself the voice of his generation?" The answer: maybe. He says he's an evangelist for a certain kind of comedy: “I love a comedy that makes you root for people just trying to get through the normal aspects of life.”

When the Seattle native Ben Haggerty was 17, he spent a summer in New York City. He made the trip to study art, but spent more time running around the city dressed in ridiculous thrift shop finds. In costume, he called himself Professor Macklemore -- which he'd later shorten to his rap pseudonym. Listen to Kurt Andersen's full interview on this weekend's show: http://www.studio360.org/