Terry Teachout is a biographer, playwright, librettist, drama critic for The Wall Street Journal, a self-described recovering musician, and America's first arts blogger. 

In this interview with Debbie Millman, Teachout discusses the early days of blogging, the poetics of theater, what it's like to be a drama critic for The Wall Street Journal,  and his new book, a biography of Duke Ellington.

Design Matters With Debbie Millman:  Terry Teachout

She has called Brain Pickings, her invention and labor of love, a “human-powered discovery engine for interestingness.” What Maria Popova really delivers, to hundreds of thousands of people each day, is wisdom of the old-fashioned sort, presented in new-fashioned digital ways. She cross-pollinates — between philosophy and design, physics and poetry, the intellectual and the experiential. We meet Maria Popova at 30, and explore her gleanings, thus far, on what it means to lead a good life — intellectually, creatively, and spiritually.

See more at www.onbeing.org/program/maria-popova-cartographer-of-meaning-in-a-digital-age/7580

Maria Popova — Cartographer of Meaning in a Digital World

The Story:
This album has changed my life. I wrote these songs over the last several years and really lost myself in its creation. I went to all extents to create something that sounded perfect. Something that would allow me to die in peace upon its creation. In certain cicumstances, I felt as though a force were writing the songs through me or that the songs were already written and I was merely a conduit. I feel as though these tracks are more like the story of my souls journey through the cosmos than an expression of my life.

The Sound:
I've been playing dancefloors for years. I decided to make an album, though, which combined what I learned from bootyshakin beats with the understanding that the CD would also be played in cars, bedrooms, dorms, walkmans, and wherever destiny lead it. It's really a concept album that bridges electronic genres such as Trip-Hop, Breaks, and Drum and Bass with more song/lyric-based elements and ethnic mobility.

My friend, Rigzin, joined me on track 9, HymnalAYA, and sang some of the most beautiful Tibetan chant I've ever heard. This song still has the power to bring tears to my eyes if I'm not careful. Other than that, all of the vocals are mine.

The Artwork:
The artist Darrah Danielle has been my creatrix for two albums now and this is one of her finest works. I often tell people that one of the most important reasons to buy the album is to own the exquisite original collage work. We worked together intimately on this project and a simultaneous vision emerged. I cannot express the gratitude I have for Darrah's creation and its inspiration for the music born of its divine incarnation. 

Beast Of Burden

read the backstory... this podcast was made possible by 11k+ people on patreon! join the patreon to help create more things like this and stay in the loop when they come out. https://www.patreon.com/amandapalmer

Recorded by Jerry MacDonald  

Editing and post-production by George Hicks with help from Conor Gillies at Open Source 

Recorded live at First Parish Church in Cambridge, MA on November 27, 2017

Produced by Mary McGrath and Ami Bennitt 

Illustration artwork by Susan Coyne

"This is Your Life, Amanda Palmer" with Christopher Lydon Podcast

AMANDA PALMER & CHRISTOPHER LYDON IN CONVERSATION, NOV 27th 2017

Background: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/08/07/the-histories-of-the-universe-patti-smith/

Patti Smith "The Histories of the Universe" (1975)

I read from my book "Figuring" with original music by Yo-Yo Ma on cello and Kathryn Scott on piano from BORDERLESS LULLABIES — a charitable compilation of 20 songs and spoken-word recordings, with 100% of proceeds benefiting the wonderful nonprofit KIND (Kids In Need of Defense: http://supportkind.org), who represent unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children in their deportation proceedings, ensuring that no child stands in court alone.

DOWNLOAD HERE: http://borderlesslullabies.bandcamp.com/

Featured on the record are original music and readings by Esperanza Spalding, Jacqueline Woodson with Chris Bruce, Maria Popova with Yo-Yo Ma, Lizz Wright, Somi, Cellogram with Arian Saleh, Elio Villafranca, Travis Knapp, Alejandro Urias, Jamia Wilson with Travis Sullivan, Chris Connelly, and Morley, with original cover art by Shantell Martin. Also included are recordings of previously released music by Draco Rosa, Martha Redbone, Rosanne Cash, Meryl Streep, Tendor Dorjee, Leni Stern, Karavika, and Taína Asili, generously donated to the project by the artists.

More about the project: https://www.brainpickings.org/2019/07/04/borderless-lullabies/

Borderless Lullabies

Figuring

DOWNLOAD

BORDERLESS LULLABIES: "Figuring" by Maria Popova with Yo-Yo Ma

Read more: www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/01/10/massimo-vignelli-debbie-millman/

Excerpt from Debbie Millman's Design Matters interview: https://soundcloud.com/designmatters/massimo-vignelli

Graphic designer Massimo Vignelli on intellectual refinement

Roman Mars is the host of 99% Invisible (http://99percentinvisible.org), a radio show exploring the 99% invisible activity all around us that shapes the design of our world. Produced with support from LUNAR, this is a project of KALW, the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco and the Center for Architecture and Design.

Subscribe to Design Matters on iTunes for more great interviews with celebrated designers and creative minds: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/design-matters-debbie-millman/id328074695

BORDERLESS LULLABIES: "Figuring" by Maria Popova with Yo-Yo Ma

brainpicker

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