CRITICS

Program 04-12-05-A

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To The Best of Our Knowledge
from Wisconsin Public Radio

Book critic Dale Peck is known as "the hatchet man." He's trashed some of the biggest names in American fiction: Don DeLillo, Rick Mood, and David Foster Wallace. He's even called James Joyce's Ulysses "a hoax upon literature." Peck's brutal reviews have raised a basic question: can a critic be too savage? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we'll meet Dale Peck and some of his critics.

SEGMENT 1:

David Denby of The New Yorker tells Steve Paulson that Pauline Kael was the most remarkable person he's ever known. She enjoyed being outrageous and championed a new American cinema. Denby says there's never been another film critic like her. Also, Sarah Bunting is one of the founders of the website Televisionwithoutpity.com. She tells Jim Fleming her site is for people who have a love/hate relationship with TV, and that's everybody. And we get a bit of theater criticism from Monty Python.

SEGMENT 2:

Steve Paulson profiles savage literary critic Dale Peck. A collection of Peck's reviews is called "Hatchet Jobs." And, book critic James Wood is as admired as Dale Peck is reviled. Steve Paulson talks with Wood about Peck and the business of doing book reviews. James Wood is literary critic at The New Republic. His new collection of essays is called "The Irresponsible Self."

SEGMENT 3:

Lawrence Osborne is the author of "The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World." He tells Anne Strainchamps he set out to teach himself what a wine critic knows. He thinks he did, but isn't sure we need critics at all.

Cassette copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 04-12-05-A.

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Books:

• Lawrence Osborne, The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World (North Point Press)
  
• Dale Peck, Hatchet Jobs: Writings on Contemporary Fiction (New Press)
  
• James Wood, The Irresponsible Self: On Laughter and the Novel (FSG)

Music:

• After Return:
  Roy Budd w/ "Get Carter" theme
  on The Score
  Mojo
• After Denby:
  Edwyn Collins w/ "Witchcraft"
  on Lounge-a-Palooza
  Hollywood Records
• After Bunting:
  Chris Ballew w/ "Robert Goulet (On the River Nile)"
  on Lounge-a-Palooza
• After Peck:
  Jimmy Scott and Flea w/ "Love Will Keep Us Together"
  on Lounge-a-Palooza
• After Wood:
  Gene Harris w/ "Hot Toddy"
  on Cocktail Party
  Concord Records
• After Osborne:
  Ruby Braff & Roger Kellaway w/ "I Want to Be Happy"
  on Cocktail Party

Distribution dates:

week of 12/05/2004 - hour 1

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

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