December 15, 2006
Morgan Freeman is one of the most admired actors around—his deep warm voice has become cinematic shorthand for trusted authority and wisdom. In his latest film, 10 Items or Less, he plays a version of himself, but it's a washed up, much less successful version. Kurt spoke with Freeman about his acting life and his current effort shaking up the conventional ways movies are distributed.
We are always listening to our own silent thoughts, but we never think of those thoughts having a sound we could actually hear. Apostolos Georgopoulos is a neuroscientist at the University of Minnesota who has come up with a way to translate the electrical activity of the brain into music. Produced by Brian Newhouse.
When we hear about the musical tastes of the American troops in Iraq, it's usually heavy metal bands like Slayer or Drowning Pool. Marine Sergeant Matt Lowy's favorite music is a bit different: Frank Sinatra, Cat Stevens — and the singer-songwriter Jess Klein. Not long ago, the marine contacted Klein over the internet, and an unlikely friendship formed. Produced by Jesse Dukes.
The jazz clarinetist Don Byron has an extraordinary musical range. He's put out albums of modern jazz, 1930's swing, rap, and Jewish dance music. His new album, Do The Boomerang, is good old fashion rockin' blues. Byron tells Kurt about his always-changing music, and explains how he chose the clarinet in the first place.
Throughout his 50-year career, the graphic designer Milton Glaser has broken ground with his ads, album covers, and magazine design work, but he's probably best-known for creating the iconic "I LOVE NY" logo. Glaser believes that design is about more than looking good—it should also do good. He talks with Kurt about his career and his new book The Design of Dissent: Socially and Politically Driven Graphics, which he co-authored with Mirko Ilic.
Studio 360 is a co-production of
Public
Radio International and
WNYC New York Public Radio, and is funded in part by
Ken and Lucy Lehman, the
National Endowment for the Arts, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and
DK Eyewitness Travel. Studio 360's American Icons series is supported in part by the
National Endowment for the Humanities. Our series on creativity and science is supported in part by the
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Our series on Underground Heroes is supported in part by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. 
