libraryofcongress

Johnny Carson is considered by many as the golden standard for what late night talk shows should be. Carson’s balance of comedy and politics and his style of hosting a top-rated late night comedy show is seen as very different from today's late-night stars, including Fallon, Kimmel and Colbert.

Curtis Jackson speaks with Brian Calfano, Spectrum News 1 contributor and journalism professor at the University of Cincinnati, to discuss Calfano’s latest research effort, an in-depth look at Carson’s work, giving a picture of how the nature of late night’s interface with political topics has changed in 50 years.

Highlights from the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. Performers include: Hjalmer Peterson, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, FDR, Marika Papagika, Uncle Dave Macon & Pablo Casals.

During Genocide: A Resistance Network? — Dr. Khatchig Mouradian, lecturer at Columbia University, has just been named the Armenian and Georgian Area Specialist at the Library of Congress. He speaks to Institute Director Salpi Ghazarian about the initiatives taken by Armenians in Ottoman Syria to resist inevitable destruction and to find ways to rebuild. Dr. Mouradian’s new book is ‘The Resistance Network,’ a study of genocide, survivors and agency. 

For more, visit armenian.usc.edu. 

Songwriter, pianist and rapper Benjamin Lerner is the great grandson of Irving Berlin - the songwriter of “God Bless America” and “White Christmas.” Lerner has continued his family’s musical legacy, first as an award-winning classical pianist, then as a promising rapper who collaborated with Raekwon and Mac Miller. But his hip-hop career was halted when Lerner started using hard drugs, eventually becoming a full-blown heroin addict. Now four years sober, Lerner devotes much of his time to helping others through the recovery process. He talks to VERSED about his new album Clean, a fearless narration of his journey from piano prodigy to IV drug addict to recovery advocate - all set to a unique combination of solo piano and rapped vocals. PLUS: We talk to Mollie Farrell from HeadCount, a non-partisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. At the end of the episode, we’re joined by Loras Schissel of the Library of Congress, who explains why it’s never too early to create an archive of your life as a music creator.  

+ASCAP has partnered with HeadCount to make sure your vote, and your voice, are heard. Join the ASCAP Citizen campaign - make sure you're registered to vote today!

+Visit the ASCAP Legacy page to find out how your music can benefit your successors, long after you wrote it.

+Read more about the Irving Berlin collection at the Library of Congress.

The biggest game in a long while has finally released. They get deep into Red Dead Redemption II. Our thoughts as well as a full Review Round Up. Amid the Rockstar controversy, Eurogamer publishes an poignant article, "The Human Cost of Red Dead II". They break down all of that info too. Also, video game preservation makes big strides thanks to some revised digital copyright laws. All that and a big pickup week for Dan and Dave on episode 137 or Rated G for Gamers.

An approximately one hour lecture by C.M. Mayo about the original archival research in the Iturbide Family, Emperor Agustin de Iturbide and Kaiser Maximilian von Mexiko archives at the Library Congress for the novel based on the true story, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire. Includes brief readings from the novel. Recorded July 20, 2009 in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.. For more information about C.M. Mayo and this novel, please visit www.cmmayo.com