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To the Best of Our Knowledge
Author! Author: Great Writers on Great Books
A Four Part Series from TTBOOK!

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WPR
Wisconsin Public Radio

 

 
spacer from Wisconsin Public Radio  

THE FINE ART OF AGING

Program 07-09-30-A

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Are you an experimental innovator who works by trial and error and is most creative later in life, like Cezanne? Or are you a conceptual young genius like Picasso. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we'll explore the theory of economics professor David Galenson that those are the two life cycles of artistic creativity. Also British singer/songwriter Nick Lowe. He's been making music since the 1960's but many critics say he's doing his best work right now. And we'll meet Oscar-nominated Millard Kaufman. He's just published his first novel at the age of 90.

SEGMENT 1:

David Galenson teaches Economics at the University of Chicago, but he's also the author of a book called "Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity." He talks to Steve Paulson about his theory that mosts artists are either old masters like Cezanne or young geniuses like Picasso.

SEGMENT 2:

Nick Lowe has been making music for 40 years, as a solo artist and with such bands as Rockpile and Little Village. He's had only one U.S. Top 40 hit, but in the 1990s one of his songs was covered in a successful movie and he became a millionaire. Many critics say he's doing his best work now, at the age of 58. TTBOOK Producer Doug Gordon has a profile of Nick Lowe.

SEGMENT 3:

Amy Gorman is the author of "Aging Artfully," a book with 12 profiles of visual and performing women artists between the ages of 85 and 105. She talks to Anne Strainchamps about how she became interested in the idea of aging and the arts. Also, Millard Kaufman has a long string of successes, including two Oscar nominations as a screen writer, and co-creating the famous cartoon character Mr. Magoo. At 90 he's starting a new career as a novelist, with the publication of "Bowl of Cherries." He tells Jim Fleming why he decided to take on a new kind of writing.

CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 07-09-30-A.

................................................................

Books:

David W. Galenson, Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Creativity (Princeton University Press)

Amy Gorman, Aging Artfully -- 12 Profiles: Visual & Performing Women Artists Aged 85-105 (PAL Publishing)
Millard Kaufman, Bowl of Cherries: A Novel (McSweeney's)

Websites:

Clips:

Music:

  • -- "Vincent Van Gogh"/Jonathan Richman
    from the CD, "Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love" (Vapor Records)
    http://www.vaporrecords.com/catalog/a_jon_richman.html
    http://www.vaporrecords.com/
  • -- "Hey Little Brother"/Steve Ferguson & the Midwest Creole Ensemble
    from the CD, "Mama U-Seapa" (Schoolkids Records)
  • -- Music used in Nick Lowe mix:
    -- "Long Limbed Girl"/Nick Lowe
    from the CD, "At My Age" (Yep Roc Records)
  • -- "Hope For Us All"/Nick Lowe
    from the CD, "At My Age" (Yep Roc Records)
  • -- "I Trained Her to Love Me"/Nick Lowe
    from the CD, "At My Age" (Yep Roc Records)
  • -- "In the Middle of It All"/Nick Lowe
    from the CD, "Adios Amigo: A Tribute to Arthur Alexander" (Razor & Tie)
  • -- "I Don't Know Why You Keep Me On"/Nick Lowe
    from the CD, "Party of One" (Rounder/Upstart)
  • -- "What's Shakin' On The Hill?"/Nick Lowe
    from the CD, "Party of One" (Rounder/Upstart)
  • -- "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?"/The Holmes Brothers
    from the CD, "State of Grace" (Alligator)
    http://www.theholmesbrothers.com/main.html
    http://www.alligator.com/index.cfm?section=artists&artistid=69
  • -- "People Change"/Nick Lowe
    from the CD, "At My Age" (Yep Roc Records)
    http://www.nicklowe.net/
    http://www.yeproc.com/artist_info.php?artistId=54
    ***
  • -- "Long Walk Back"/Nick Lowe and his Cowboy Outfit"
    from the CD, "The Rose of England" (Demon Records)
  • -- "Last Dance"/Sarah McLachlan
    from the CD, "Surfacing" (Nettwerk)
    http://www.sarahmclachlan.com/
  • -- "The Girl at the Typewriter"/Raymond Scott
    from the CD, "Reckless Nights and Turkish Twilights" (Columbia)
    http://raymondscott.com/

Distribution dates:
week of 10/12/2008 - hour 1
week of 09/30/2007 - hour 1

click HERE for timings and cues

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

     


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