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THE CULT OF AUTHENTICITY

Program 07-08-19-A

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There's no question – we crave authenticity. You want "real" Chinese or Mexican food? Then make sure you find a restaurant that makes food the way it's made in the old country. Music lovers are also obsessed with authenticity - from folk and blues to rap...just consider the mantra of hip hop - "keeping it real." It's no different in politics. Think about our insatiable hunger for politicians who are genuine, not packaged. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we'll explore this cult of authenticity.

SEGMENT 1:

Richard Harwood founded and is president of the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. He talks with Anne Strainchamps about the quality of authenticity as the public perceives it in politicians and ranks the current crop of Presidential contenders. And, music critic Yuval Taylor tells Steve Paulson that authenticity in music is a complicated business. Taylor is the co-author (with Hugh Barker) of "Faking It: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music." And we hear examples, from Leadbelly to Punk.

SEGMENT 2:

Vikram Chandra touched off a bidding war among New York publishers for his new novel, "Sacred Games." But he writes in English, the language of the colonizer, and faces accusations that he's not really an Indian writer. Chandra talks with Jim Fleming about his personal history and sense of identity as a writer. And don't look for authenticity on your plate, either! That's the message of Barry Glassner's book, "The Gospel of Food." He talks with Steve Paulson about so-called "authentic" Chinese and Mexican food.

SEGMENT 3:

Alan Doyle, Bob Hallet and Sean McCann are the founding members of the band Great Big Sea. Their music has its roots in Newfoundland traditional folk music, but it rocks! They tells Jim Fleming why they combine folk and rock and how they approach their music. And we hear lots of it. The band's new album is called "The Hard and the Easy."

CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 07-08-19-A.

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Books:

Hugh Barker & Yuval Taylor, Faking It: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music (Norton)
Vikram Chandra, Sacred Games: a novel (Harper Collins)
Barry Glassner, The Gospel of Food (Harper Collins)
Great Big Sea, The Hard and the Easy (CD)

Music:

• After Harwood:
  Simon & Garfunkel w/ “Faking It”

• In Taylor:
  Leadbelly w/ “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”
  On “The Legend of Leadbelly”
  Everest Record Group

• Nirvana w/ “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”
  On “MTV Unplugged in New York”

• Jimmy Rodgers w/ “Blue Yodel”
  On “First Sessions, 1927-1928”
  Rounder

• Sid Vicious w/ “My Way”
  

• Neil Young w/ “World on a String”
  On “Tonight’s the Night”

• After Chandra:
  Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble w/ “Shristi”
  On “New Impossibilities”
  Sony

• After Glassner:
  Great Big Sea w/ “Tishialuk Girls Set”
  On “The Hard and the Easy”
  Rounder

• After Great Big Sea:
  
  From “The Hard and the Easy”:
  *Come and I Will Sing You
  *River Driver
  *Captain Kidd
  “Tishialuk Girls Set”
  From “Rant and Roar”:
  *Lukey

From “Road Rage”:
*Excursion Around the Bay

Distribution dates: week of 08/19/2007 - hour 1

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Questions and comments can be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org

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