window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"arts_12005480": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_12005480",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "12005480",
"found": true
},
"parent": 12005479,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-960x540.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 540
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243.jpg",
"width": 3000,
"height": 1687
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-1920x1080.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1080
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nc-040_custom-3bc75700909af25bec303a75a0703e0d0482b72a-e1472673295243-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1472670234,
"modified": 1472673274,
"caption": "The Chichu Art Museum, designed by celebrated Japanese architect Tadao Ando, is built mostly underground. Open courtyards and skylights bring in natural light. The island is internationally known for its works of modern art and architecture.",
"description": "The Chichu Art Museum, designed by celebrated Japanese architect Tadao Ando, is built mostly underground. Open courtyards and skylights bring in natural light. The island is internationally known for its works of modern art and architecture.",
"title": "The Chichu Art Museum, designed by celebrated Japanese architect Tadao Ando, is built mostly underground. Open courtyards and skylights bring in natural light. The island is internationally known for its works of modern art and architecture.",
"credit": "Photo: Seiichi Ohsawa Courtesy of Benesse Art Site Naoshima",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_12001275": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_12001275",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "12001275",
"found": true
},
"parent": 12001274,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-400x265.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 265
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-960x636.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 636
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001.jpg",
"width": 3583,
"height": 2374
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-1180x782.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 782
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-800x530.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 530
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-1920x1272.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1272
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-1180x782.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 782
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-768x509.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 509
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/34-02-noah-davis-5_custom-24a1d18355f618b1cb2a249786b1e1c6b7930001-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1472586132,
"modified": 1472586132,
"caption": null,
"description": "Artist Noah Davis founded \u003ca href=\"http://theunderground-museum.org/\">The Underground Museum\u003c/a> to bring world-class art to a neighborhood in Los Angeles -- for free. He was just 32 years old when he died from cancer in 2015.",
"title": "Artist Noah Davis founded The Underground Museum to bring world-class art to a neighborhood in Los Angeles — for free. He was just 32 years old when he died from cancer in 2015.",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_11983557": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_11983557",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11983557",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11983556,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-1038x576.jpe",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-400x258.jpe",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 258
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-960x620.jpe",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 620
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-672x372.jpe",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141.jpe",
"width": 1040,
"height": 672
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-50x50.jpe",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-96x96.jpe",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-800x517.jpe",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 517
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-64x64.jpe",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-32x32.jpe",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-150x150.jpe",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-768x496.jpe",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 496
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-the-board_apprentice-inbetweener_sleeping-beauty-1956_custom-66ced25d3ba90b55cb5392e8dbc58abda163e141-128x128.jpe",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1472235014,
"modified": 1472235014,
"caption": null,
"description": "Floyd Norman was Disney's first African-American animator. He's shown above in 1956, working as an \"apprentice inbetweener\" on \u003cem>Sleeping Beauty.\u003c/em>",
"title": "Floyd Norman was Disney's first African-American animator. He's shown above in 1956, working as an \"apprentice inbetweener\" on Sleeping Beauty.",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_11981346": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_11981346",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11981346",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11981343,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-960x540.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 540
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Morris-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1472186625,
"modified": 1472186783,
"caption": "Markees Christmas and Lina Keller in 'Morris from America.'",
"description": "Markees Christmas and Lina Keller in 'Morris from America.'",
"title": "Morris",
"credit": "Courtesy of A24",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_11975583": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_11975583",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11975583",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11975582,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-960x539.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 539
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150.jpg",
"width": 1438,
"height": 808
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-1180x663.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 663
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-1180x663.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 663
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-521716084-a3d1768d41c498765bd29b676e2f570766a84d56-e1472069582150-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1472069431,
"modified": 1472069614,
"caption": "A screen displays the concert of Mexican folk singer Vicente Fernández in Guadalajara, Mexico, in April, when Fernández announced his retirement.",
"description": "A screen displays the concert of Mexican folk singer Vicente Fernández in Guadalajara, Mexico, in April, when Fernández announced his retirement.",
"title": "A screen displays the concert of Mexican folk singer Vicente Fernández in Guadalajara, Mexico, in April, when Fernández announced his retirement.",
"credit": "Photo: Hector Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_11975410": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_11975410",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11975410",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11975409,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-400x269.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 269
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-960x646.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 646
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030.jpg",
"width": 1884,
"height": 1267
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-1180x794.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 794
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-800x538.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 538
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-1180x794.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 794
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-768x516.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 516
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/ap_720316057-edit1_custom-206e1d713265f46f4fb5bf4beb41dee4108dd030-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1472064878,
"modified": 1472064878,
"caption": null,
"description": "Yoko Ono, John Lennon and their immigration attorney, Michael Wildes (right), leave the Immigration and Naturalization Service in New York City on March 16, 1972.",
"title": "Yoko Ono, John Lennon and their immigration attorney, Michael Wildes (right), leave the Immigration and Naturalization Service in New York City on March 16, 1972.",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_11971685": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_11971685",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11971685",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11971684,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-960x540.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 540
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1125
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-1920x1080.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1080
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20150625_kishabari_thefrightnrs-95_custom-1108ee68bbe9ef9f1bb371af6391942ae472a51b-e1471984659730-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1471984419,
"modified": 1471985085,
"caption": "The Frightnrs. Left to right: Chuck Patel, Richard Terrana, Dan Klein, and Preet Patel",
"description": "The Frightnrs. Left to right: Chuck Patel, Richard Terrana, Dan Klein, and Preet Patel",
"title": "The Frightnrs. Left to right: Chuck Patel, Richard Terrana, Dan Klein, and Preet Patel.",
"credit": "Photo: Kisha Bari/Courtesy of the artist",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_11967359": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_11967359",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11967359",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11967358,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-960x540.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 540
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401.jpg",
"width": 2518,
"height": 1416
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-1920x1080.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1080
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/gettyimages-81507270-1640e52cdf6c39f022f385ef8c9a2baeba4f02d5-e1471892874401-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1471890693,
"modified": 1471893054,
"caption": "Lou Pearlman (center) poses with *NSYNC Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Justin Timberlake at N.Y.P.D. pizzeria in Miami, circa 1996.",
"description": "Lou Pearlman (center) poses with *NSYNC Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Justin Timberlake at N.Y.P.D. pizzeria in Miami, circa 1996.",
"title": "Lou Pearlman (center) poses with *NSYNC Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Justin Timberlake at N.Y.P.D. pizzeria in Miami, circa 1996.",
"credit": "Photo: Mark Weiss/WireImage/Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_11952826": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_11952826",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11952826",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11952825,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-960x540.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 540
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6.jpg",
"width": 1450,
"height": 815
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-1180x663.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 663
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-1180x663.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 663
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/27000190stilllaika00021466192988_wide-f1838de869a0441225394f04ce9205a8991cb9f6-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1471565529,
"modified": 1471565766,
"caption": "Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), Kubo (Art Parkinson) and Monkey (Charlize Theron) set off on a promising path in the animated adventure 'Kubo and the Two Strings.'",
"description": "Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), Kubo (Art Parkinson) and Monkey (Charlize Theron) set off on a promising path in the animated adventure 'Kubo and the Two Strings.'",
"title": "Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), Kubo (Art Parkinson) and Monkey (Charlize Theron) set off on a promising path in the animated adventure Kubo and the Two Strings.",
"credit": "Courtesy of LAIKA / Focus Features",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_11948213": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_11948213",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11948213",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11948186,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-960x540.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 540
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-1920x1080.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1080
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-1180x664.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 664
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1471464034,
"modified": 1471465646,
"caption": "A sample of 'Self Portrait' by Romaine Brooks, 1923",
"description": "A sample of 'Self Portrait' by Romaine Brooks, 1923",
"title": "brooks_self-portrait",
"credit": "Photo: Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_11944222": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_11944222",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11944222",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11944221,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-400x268.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 268
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-960x644.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 644
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1342
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-1180x792.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 792
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-800x537.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 537
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-1920x1288.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1288
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-1180x792.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 792
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-768x515.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 515
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/mary-poppuns_small_enl-b42be1dc7ffb7628d7060cf44903c0fc715c718d-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1471378434,
"modified": 1471378434,
"caption": null,
"description": "\"Mary POPpuns.\" Tootsie Pop, Tootsie Roll Frooties and Dum Dum wrappers with acrylic and ink on wood. 2016.",
"title": "\"Mary POPpuns.\" Tootsie Pop, Tootsie Roll Frooties and Dum Dum wrappers with acrylic and ink on wood. 2016.",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_11932159": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_11932159",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11932159",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11932158,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-400x225.jpg",
"width": 400,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 225
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-960x540.jpg",
"width": 960,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 540
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e.jpg",
"width": 1921,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-1180x663.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 663
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-50x50.jpg",
"width": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 50
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-96x96.jpg",
"width": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 96
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-64x64.jpg",
"width": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 64
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-32x32.jpg",
"width": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 32
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-1920x1079.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1079
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-1180x663.jpg",
"width": 1180,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 663
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-150x150.jpg",
"width": 150,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 150
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/kenny-baker-star-wars-r2-d2-obit_wide-63254638c6d2f74a699c9b9ccffcc397d067863e-128x128.jpg",
"width": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 128
}
},
"publishDate": 1471118702,
"modified": 1471118702,
"caption": null,
"description": "Kenny Baker, who portrayed the R2-D2 in the first Star Wars movie, signs autographs in 2007, at a Star Wars event marking the anniversary of the release of the first film in the Star Wars saga.",
"title": "Kenny Baker, who portrayed the R2-D2 in the first Star Wars movie, signs autographs in 2007, at a Star Wars event marking the anniversary of the release of the first film in the Star Wars saga.",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_arts_12005479": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_12005479",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_12005479",
"name": "Ina Jaffe",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_12001274": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_12001274",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_12001274",
"name": "Neda Ulaby",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_11983556": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_11983556",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_11983556",
"name": "NPR Staff",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_11981343": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_11981343",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_11981343",
"name": "Andrew Lapin",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_11975582": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_11975582",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_11975582",
"name": "Brenda Salinas",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_11975409": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_11975409",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_11975409",
"name": "Hansi Lo Wang",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_11971684": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_11971684",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_11971684",
"name": "Hilary Hughes",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_11967358": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_11967358",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_11967358",
"name": "Merrit Kennedy",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_11952825": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_11952825",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_11952825",
"name": "Scott Tobias",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_11948186": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_11948186",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_11948186",
"name": "Susan Stamberg",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_11944221": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_11944221",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_11944221",
"name": "Carolyn Beans",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_arts_11932158": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_arts_11932158",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_arts_11932158",
"name": "James Doubek",
"isLoading": false
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"arts_affiliate_npr": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_137",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "137",
"score": 14.262192
},
"featImg": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2014/04/logo-npr-lg1.png",
"name": "NPR",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "affiliate",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "NPR Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 138,
"slug": "npr",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "NPR",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "arts",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 175
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/arts?affiliate=npr",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 175
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"arts_12005479": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_12005479",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "12005479",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1472674028000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "how-art-transformed-a-remote-japanese-island",
"title": "How Art Transformed a Remote Japanese Island",
"publishDate": 1472674028,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "How Art Transformed a Remote Japanese Island | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 137,
"site": "arts"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Art can enlighten, soothe, challenge and provoke. Sometimes it can transform a community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Case in point: a 5.5-square-mile island called \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4740175,133.9523345,13z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Naoshima\u003c/a> in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once upon a time, the biggest employer on Naoshima was a \u003ca href=\"http://www.mmc.co.jp/corporate/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mitsubishi\u003c/a> metals processing plant. Actually, it’s still the biggest employer, just not nearly as big as it once was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blame automation. The population of the island has dropped from around 8,000 in the 1950s and 1960s to a little over 3,000 now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Japan, this is not that strange. Populations of small towns are declining all over the country. Some towns are disappearing altogether. The reasons are a combination of the country’s overall shrinking population and an increase in the number of people moving from rural areas to big cities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005667\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan1-800x541.jpg\" alt=\"Hiroshi Sugimoto's "Time Exposed" seascape is exhibited at the Benesse House Museum.\" width=\"800\" height=\"541\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12005667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan1.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan1-400x271.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan1-768x519.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hiroshi Sugimoto’s “Time Exposed” seascape is exhibited at the Benesse House Museum. \u003ccite>(Photo: Shigeo Anzai Courtesy of Benesse Art Site Naoshima)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Naoshima might have been headed for the same relentless decline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enter \u003ca href=\"http://www.benesse-hd.co.jp/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benesse Holdings\u003c/a>, an education and publishing conglomerate based in the nearby city of Okayama. Its best-known brand is Berlitz, the language school company. Benesse’s other claim to fame is its world-class modern art collection, including paintings by Claude Monet, Frank Stella and Andy Warhol, as well as many Japanese artists less famous in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The former head of Benesse Holdings, \u003ca href=\"http://www.forbes.com/profile/soichiro-fukutake/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soichiro Fukutake\u003c/a>, wanted a special home for the collection, someplace where it would have a local impact and could also be shared with the wider world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, nearly 30 years ago, Benesse bought a big hunk of land on Naoshima’s south side. It hired world-famous architect \u003ca href=\"http://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/1995\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tadao Ando,\u003c/a> and over the next two decades, he designed \u003ca href=\"http://benesse-artsite.jp/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">museums and adjacent luxury lodgings\u003c/a>. The buildings follow the natural contours of the landscape. \u003ca href=\"http://benesse-artsite.jp/en/art/chichu.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">One museum is mostly underground\u003c/a>, with open courtyards and skylights bringing in natural light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you build it, they will come. This year, Naoshima’s \u003ca href=\"http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">triennial arts festival\u003c/a> is expected to attract at least 800,000 tourists to the island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005670\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan2-800x542.jpg\" alt=\"Visitors to the island can stay at Benesse House, a hotel with direct museum access.\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12005670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan2-400x271.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan2-768x520.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visitors to the island can stay at Benesse House, a hotel with direct museum access. \u003ccite>(Photo: Seiichi Ohsawa Courtesy of Benesse Art Site Naoshima)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Now that we have tourists and a very active tourist industry, some people have moved here to open shops on our island,” says Naoshima Mayor Michiru Hamanaka. “Last year, we even saw a little bit of a rise in the population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Masaaki Yamagishi, 38, is one of the island’s new shop owners. His place, \u003ca href=\"http://shimacoya.com/form/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shimacoya\u003c/a>, is part cafe, part bookstore, part campground and part community center, where neighbors gather to learn English or watch movies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yamagishi first came to Naoshima from Tokyo as an art tourist. “I was so struck by the kindness of the people and fell in love with the whole island,” he says. “And I thought, ‘What a wonderful place to be.’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His cafe is in the village of Honmura. The narrow streets are dotted with abandoned houses. Benesse Holdings bought a few of them and turned them over to artists, who transformed the houses into permanent installations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “\u003ca href=\"http://benesse-artsite.jp/en/art/arthouse.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Art Houses\u003c/a>” draw tourists from the museum campus into the village. And it has turned Naoshima residents into enthusiastic supporters of contemporary art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of them is 74-year-old Morohiro Nambara. He’s a docent at a house where locals used to meet to play \u003ca href=\"https://gogameguru.com/what-is-go/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the board game Go\u003c/a>. Artist \u003ca href=\"http://asiasociety.org/yoshihiro-suda-focus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yoshihiro Suda\u003c/a> has replaced the Go parlor with his camellia sculpture. It’s juxtaposed with a real camellia tree and with an empty space. You’re supposed to contemplate what is real, what is fake, what is art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nambara likes discussing this with visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the beginning, I had no idea how to appreciate [contemporary art],” he says. “But little by little, you become comfortable with it and start to grow very close to the artwork here in the town. So I feel like I understand it a little bit better.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It seems like you can bump into art anywhere on this island. Benesse has commissioned several site-specific works. Visitors can see a couple of sculptures near the harbor before they even get off of the ferry. A giant red pumpkin covered in \u003ca href=\"http://www.yayoi-kusama.jp/e/biography/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yayoi Kusama’s\u003c/a> signature polka dots has become a Naoshima icon. A similar piece of hers — a yellow pumpkin on an undeveloped beach — perches at the end of an old concrete pier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005669\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 594px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-594x600.jpg\" alt=\"Yayoi Kusama's work "Pumpkin" perches at the end of an old concrete pier.\" width=\"594\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12005669\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-594x600.jpg 594w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-400x404.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-768x776.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-50x50.jpg 50w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yayoi Kusama’s work “Pumpkin” perches at the end of an old concrete pier. \u003ccite>(Photo: Seiichi Ohsawa Courtesy of Benesse Art Site Naoshima)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Toshihiko Okuda, 80, who retired last year as head of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.naoshima.net/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Naoshima Tourism Association\u003c/a>, says art tourism has brought big changes to the island and the lives of its residents. In the beginning, he says, some were skeptical about the Benesse art projects. But they’ve now had years to see the many benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, “We’re making conscientious efforts to learn other languages,” says Okuda. “Even young children in elementary schools are starting to learn English. We want to be able to respond [to a visitor] if asked a question.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Naoshima residents are even dressing better, says Okuda, emulating the foreign visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>‘We feel that we’re starting to see things we never knew existed,” he says. “The level of our sophistication has gone up considerably.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not too much. Naoshima has kept its laid-back, beachy vibe — even if gigantic polka-dot pumpkins by a famous artist decorate its shores. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=How+Art+Transformed+A+Remote+Japanese+Island+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The population of Naoshima has fallen to 3,000. But this year, its art will attract 800,000 tourists from around the world. \"The level of our sophistication has gone up considerably,\" says a resident.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1726787464,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 26,
"wordCount": 976
},
"headData": {
"title": "How Art Transformed a Remote Japanese Island | KQED",
"description": "The population of Naoshima has fallen to 3,000. But this year, its art will attract 800,000 tourists from around the world. "The level of our sophistication has gone up considerably," says a resident.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "How Art Transformed a Remote Japanese Island",
"datePublished": "2016-08-31T13:07:08-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-19T16:11:04-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Ina Jaffe",
"nprImageAgency": "Seiichi Ohsawa Courtesy of Benesse Art Site Naoshima",
"nprStoryId": "490101453",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=490101453&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/08/27/490101453/how-art-transformed-a-remote-japanese-island?ft=nprml&f=490101453",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Sun, 28 Aug 2016 16:25:00 -0400",
"nprStoryDate": "Sat, 27 Aug 2016 09:00:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Sun, 28 Aug 2016 16:25:57 -0400",
"path": "/arts/12005479/how-art-transformed-a-remote-japanese-island",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Art can enlighten, soothe, challenge and provoke. Sometimes it can transform a community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Case in point: a 5.5-square-mile island called \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4740175,133.9523345,13z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Naoshima\u003c/a> in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once upon a time, the biggest employer on Naoshima was a \u003ca href=\"http://www.mmc.co.jp/corporate/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mitsubishi\u003c/a> metals processing plant. Actually, it’s still the biggest employer, just not nearly as big as it once was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blame automation. The population of the island has dropped from around 8,000 in the 1950s and 1960s to a little over 3,000 now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Japan, this is not that strange. Populations of small towns are declining all over the country. Some towns are disappearing altogether. The reasons are a combination of the country’s overall shrinking population and an increase in the number of people moving from rural areas to big cities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005667\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan1-800x541.jpg\" alt=\"Hiroshi Sugimoto's "Time Exposed" seascape is exhibited at the Benesse House Museum.\" width=\"800\" height=\"541\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12005667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan1.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan1-400x271.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan1-768x519.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hiroshi Sugimoto’s “Time Exposed” seascape is exhibited at the Benesse House Museum. \u003ccite>(Photo: Shigeo Anzai Courtesy of Benesse Art Site Naoshima)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Naoshima might have been headed for the same relentless decline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Enter \u003ca href=\"http://www.benesse-hd.co.jp/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Benesse Holdings\u003c/a>, an education and publishing conglomerate based in the nearby city of Okayama. Its best-known brand is Berlitz, the language school company. Benesse’s other claim to fame is its world-class modern art collection, including paintings by Claude Monet, Frank Stella and Andy Warhol, as well as many Japanese artists less famous in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The former head of Benesse Holdings, \u003ca href=\"http://www.forbes.com/profile/soichiro-fukutake/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soichiro Fukutake\u003c/a>, wanted a special home for the collection, someplace where it would have a local impact and could also be shared with the wider world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, nearly 30 years ago, Benesse bought a big hunk of land on Naoshima’s south side. It hired world-famous architect \u003ca href=\"http://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/1995\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tadao Ando,\u003c/a> and over the next two decades, he designed \u003ca href=\"http://benesse-artsite.jp/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">museums and adjacent luxury lodgings\u003c/a>. The buildings follow the natural contours of the landscape. \u003ca href=\"http://benesse-artsite.jp/en/art/chichu.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">One museum is mostly underground\u003c/a>, with open courtyards and skylights bringing in natural light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you build it, they will come. This year, Naoshima’s \u003ca href=\"http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">triennial arts festival\u003c/a> is expected to attract at least 800,000 tourists to the island.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005670\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan2-800x542.jpg\" alt=\"Visitors to the island can stay at Benesse House, a hotel with direct museum access.\" width=\"800\" height=\"542\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12005670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan2-400x271.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan2-768x520.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visitors to the island can stay at Benesse House, a hotel with direct museum access. \u003ccite>(Photo: Seiichi Ohsawa Courtesy of Benesse Art Site Naoshima)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Now that we have tourists and a very active tourist industry, some people have moved here to open shops on our island,” says Naoshima Mayor Michiru Hamanaka. “Last year, we even saw a little bit of a rise in the population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Masaaki Yamagishi, 38, is one of the island’s new shop owners. His place, \u003ca href=\"http://shimacoya.com/form/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shimacoya\u003c/a>, is part cafe, part bookstore, part campground and part community center, where neighbors gather to learn English or watch movies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yamagishi first came to Naoshima from Tokyo as an art tourist. “I was so struck by the kindness of the people and fell in love with the whole island,” he says. “And I thought, ‘What a wonderful place to be.’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His cafe is in the village of Honmura. The narrow streets are dotted with abandoned houses. Benesse Holdings bought a few of them and turned them over to artists, who transformed the houses into permanent installations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “\u003ca href=\"http://benesse-artsite.jp/en/art/arthouse.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Art Houses\u003c/a>” draw tourists from the museum campus into the village. And it has turned Naoshima residents into enthusiastic supporters of contemporary art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of them is 74-year-old Morohiro Nambara. He’s a docent at a house where locals used to meet to play \u003ca href=\"https://gogameguru.com/what-is-go/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the board game Go\u003c/a>. Artist \u003ca href=\"http://asiasociety.org/yoshihiro-suda-focus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yoshihiro Suda\u003c/a> has replaced the Go parlor with his camellia sculpture. It’s juxtaposed with a real camellia tree and with an empty space. You’re supposed to contemplate what is real, what is fake, what is art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nambara likes discussing this with visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the beginning, I had no idea how to appreciate [contemporary art],” he says. “But little by little, you become comfortable with it and start to grow very close to the artwork here in the town. So I feel like I understand it a little bit better.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It seems like you can bump into art anywhere on this island. Benesse has commissioned several site-specific works. Visitors can see a couple of sculptures near the harbor before they even get off of the ferry. A giant red pumpkin covered in \u003ca href=\"http://www.yayoi-kusama.jp/e/biography/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yayoi Kusama’s\u003c/a> signature polka dots has become a Naoshima icon. A similar piece of hers — a yellow pumpkin on an undeveloped beach — perches at the end of an old concrete pier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12005669\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 594px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-594x600.jpg\" alt=\"Yayoi Kusama's work "Pumpkin" perches at the end of an old concrete pier.\" width=\"594\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12005669\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-594x600.jpg 594w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-400x404.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-768x776.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-50x50.jpg 50w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Japan3.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yayoi Kusama’s work “Pumpkin” perches at the end of an old concrete pier. \u003ccite>(Photo: Seiichi Ohsawa Courtesy of Benesse Art Site Naoshima)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Toshihiko Okuda, 80, who retired last year as head of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.naoshima.net/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Naoshima Tourism Association\u003c/a>, says art tourism has brought big changes to the island and the lives of its residents. In the beginning, he says, some were skeptical about the Benesse art projects. But they’ve now had years to see the many benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, “We’re making conscientious efforts to learn other languages,” says Okuda. “Even young children in elementary schools are starting to learn English. We want to be able to respond [to a visitor] if asked a question.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Naoshima residents are even dressing better, says Okuda, emulating the foreign visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>‘We feel that we’re starting to see things we never knew existed,” he says. “The level of our sophistication has gone up considerably.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not too much. Naoshima has kept its laid-back, beachy vibe — even if gigantic polka-dot pumpkins by a famous artist decorate its shores. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=How+Art+Transformed+A+Remote+Japanese+Island+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/12005479/how-art-transformed-a-remote-japanese-island",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_12005479"
],
"categories": [
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1118",
"arts_596",
"arts_1427"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_12005480",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_12001274": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_12001274",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "12001274",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1472586897000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1472586897,
"format": "standard",
"title": "He Died at 32, But a Young Artist Lives on in LA's Underground Museum",
"headTitle": "He Died at 32, But a Young Artist Lives on in LA’s Underground Museum | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.npr.org/player/embed/491843106/491848126\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a sweltering night in July\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>and Los Angeles’ \u003ca href=\"http://theunderground-museum.org/\">Underground Museum\u003c/a> is packed. “It’s crowded and hot, but it feels really good,” says vistor Jazzi McGilbert. Like much of the crowd, McGilbert is young, creative and African-American. She drove across town to this unassuming, bunkerlike storefront for an event that combines art and activism. The museum is one of her favorite spots in Los Angeles. “I like what it stands for,” McGilbert says. “… And the art is incredible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12001276\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"David Hammons made his 1993/2016 work In the Hood out of a found sweatshirt and fishing wire.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12001276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-1180x886.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-1920x1441.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Hammons made his 1993/2016 work In the Hood out of a found sweatshirt and fishing wire. \u003ccite>(Photo: The Underground Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Underground Museum aims to promote cutting-edge African-American art, but inclusiveness is also part of its mission. “This is a black space,” a message on the museum door reads, “but all are welcome.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When artist Noah Davis founded the museum, he wanted to do two things: sidestep the existing gallery system, with its rigid hierarchies and gatekeepers, and bring world-class art to a neighborhood he likened to a food desert, meaning no grocery stores \u003cem>or\u003c/em> museums. Davis died a year ago Monday of a rare form of cancer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A beyond audacious request \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Davis began working on the museum, he was a rising art world star with powerful friends, like Helen Molesworth, chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Molesworth remembers when Davis first asked for her help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He wasn’t asking for, you know, someone to help him with the marketing … he was asking us for the art,” she says. In other words, he was asking the museum to lend him whatever he wanted from its valuable collection — a beyond audacious request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No one had ever asked like that before,” Molesworth says. She was intrigued by the idea that an institution like hers could help bring art to people who might not otherwise see it. But she didn’t just hand over MOCA’s art — first she helped Davis upgrade the Underground Museum’s security and HVAC system to protect the art. Then she left it alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know how to make a museum,” Molesworth says. “I don’t know how to make an underground museum.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Noah Davis did. When he died from cancer, he was only 32 years old. He left instructions for the next 18 shows, but they’re mostly just concepts, titles and lists of the works he wanted to display. In the wake of his death, Megan Steinman joined as the museum’s director. She understood their goal of challenging what museums can be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12001281\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece-800x313.jpg\" alt=\"The three faces that appear in Kerry James Marshall's 2002 Heirlooms and Accessories are taken from a 1930 photograph of a double lynching in Marion, Ind. You can hear Marshall talk about this work here.\" width=\"800\" height=\"313\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12001281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece-400x157.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece-768x300.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The three faces that appear in Kerry James Marshall’s 2002 Heirlooms and Accessories are taken from a 1930 photograph of a double lynching in Marion, Ind. You can hear Marshall talk about this work \u003ch href=\"https://vimeo.com/45605233\" target>here. \u003ccite>(Photo: The Underground Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/h>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Museums are gorgeous,” Steinman says, “but they also come with this idea of how you’re supposed to be and how you’re supposed to stand and how loud you’re supposed to be and if you can talk or not.” Also: whether you can afford the entrance fee and how hard it is to get there. “And then you get there and it’s like massive walls and these cavernous spaces,” she says, “and it’s like all these things that are telling your mind how to think before you even get to the artwork itself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The artwork at the Underground Museum is cutting-edge and often conceptual. One work features wallpaper that shows a lynching. Noah Davis hung a photograph on top of it — a haunting, real-life portrait of a lynching victim’s wife in the American South from 1949.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The look in her eyes — that grief, that pain — you can just feel her heart and her soul in this photograph,” says Karon Davis, Noah Davis’ widow and the museum’s co-founder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12001278\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Noah Davis hung a 1949 portrait of the wife of a lynching victim on top of Robert Grober's 1989 <em>Hanging Man/Sleeping Man</em> screen-printed wallpaper.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12001278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Noah Davis hung a 1949 portrait of the wife of a lynching victim on top of Robert Grober’s 1989 \u003cem>Hanging Man/Sleeping Man\u003c/em> screen-printed wallpaper. \u003ccite>(Photo: The Underground Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘Noah’s magnum opus’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Karon Davis is also Los Angeles royalty: She’s the daughter of actor Ben Vereen and part of an electric circle of black artists and intellectuals. (That circle includes her late husband’s brother, Kahlil Joseph, who co-directed Beyoncé’s visual album \u003cem>Lemonade\u003c/em>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the Underground Museum is resolutely down to earth — like a community center that just happens to show art by giant stars, like Kerry James Marshall. (Marshall is about to have a major retrospective at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, but he lent some personal work to the Underground Museum show.) There are yoga classes and a spacious outside garden where people in the neighborhood are encouraged to hang out and read. It’s called the Purple Garden because, Karon Davis explains, her late husband thought everyone should be treated like royalty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steinman says Noah Davis’ legacy is what’s keeping the Underground Museum alive. “This space is Noah’s magnum opus. It is his biggest installation work; it’s his gift. And now he’s not here and now we all get to still keep on being in conversation with him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a conversation in which no one gets the last word. Unlike most museums, Noah Davis didn’t put text on the walls to tell people what to think of the art he chose — art about perseverance, racial violence, family and resistance. He trusted visitors to decide for themselves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12001282\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece2-800x280.jpg\" alt=\"Kara Walker uses striking, black-and-white silhouettes in her 1995 work The Means to an End...A Shadow Drama in Five Acts.\" width=\"800\" height=\"280\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12001282\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece2-400x140.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece2-768x269.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kara Walker uses striking, black-and-white silhouettes in her 1995 work \u003cem>The Means to an End…A Shadow Drama in Five Acts.\u003c/em> \u003ccite>(Photo: Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles/The Underground Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=He+Died+At+32%2C+But+A+Young+Artist+Lives+On+In+LA%27s+Underground+Museum&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1039,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 20
},
"modified": 1705033172,
"excerpt": "When Noah Davis founded the museum, he wanted to bring world-class art to a neighborhood he likened to a food desert, meaning no grocery stores \u003cem>or\u003c/em> museums. Davis died a year ago Monday.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "When Noah Davis founded the museum, he wanted to bring world-class art to a neighborhood he likened to a food desert, meaning no grocery stores or museums. Davis died a year ago Monday.",
"title": "He Died at 32, But a Young Artist Lives on in LA's Underground Museum | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "He Died at 32, But a Young Artist Lives on in LA's Underground Museum",
"datePublished": "2016-08-30T12:54:57-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T20:19:32-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "he-died-at-32-but-a-young-artist-lives-on-in-las-underground-museum",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=491843106&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprStoryDate": "Mon, 29 Aug 2016 18:05:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Mon, 29 Aug 2016 19:50:29 -0400",
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/2016/08/29/491843106/he-died-at-32-but-a-young-artist-lives-on-in-las-underground-museum?ft=nprml&f=491843106",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2016/08/20160829_atc_los_angeles_artist_noah_davis_legacy_lives_on_at_his_underground_museum.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1141&d=275&p=2&story=491843106&t=progseg&e=491847957&seg=10&ft=nprml&f=491843106",
"nprImageAgency": "The Underground Museum",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/1491848126-960fd2.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1141&d=275&p=2&story=491843106&t=progseg&e=491847957&seg=10&ft=nprml&f=491843106",
"nprStoryId": "491843106",
"nprByline": "Neda Ulaby",
"sticky": false,
"nprImageCredit": "Ed Templeton",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Mon, 29 Aug 2016 19:50:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/12001274/he-died-at-32-but-a-young-artist-lives-on-in-las-underground-museum",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2016/08/20160829_atc_los_angeles_artist_noah_davis_legacy_lives_on_at_his_underground_museum.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1141&d=275&p=2&story=491843106&t=progseg&e=491847957&seg=10&ft=nprml&f=491843106",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.npr.org/player/embed/491843106/491848126\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a sweltering night in July\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>and Los Angeles’ \u003ca href=\"http://theunderground-museum.org/\">Underground Museum\u003c/a> is packed. “It’s crowded and hot, but it feels really good,” says vistor Jazzi McGilbert. Like much of the crowd, McGilbert is young, creative and African-American. She drove across town to this unassuming, bunkerlike storefront for an event that combines art and activism. The museum is one of her favorite spots in Los Angeles. “I like what it stands for,” McGilbert says. “… And the art is incredible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12001276\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"David Hammons made his 1993/2016 work In the Hood out of a found sweatshirt and fishing wire.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12001276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-1180x886.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-1920x1441.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2548-1-cf5350d16514566ef23d5aff6d2e509c3f1c6329-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Hammons made his 1993/2016 work In the Hood out of a found sweatshirt and fishing wire. \u003ccite>(Photo: The Underground Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Underground Museum aims to promote cutting-edge African-American art, but inclusiveness is also part of its mission. “This is a black space,” a message on the museum door reads, “but all are welcome.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When artist Noah Davis founded the museum, he wanted to do two things: sidestep the existing gallery system, with its rigid hierarchies and gatekeepers, and bring world-class art to a neighborhood he likened to a food desert, meaning no grocery stores \u003cem>or\u003c/em> museums. Davis died a year ago Monday of a rare form of cancer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A beyond audacious request \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Davis began working on the museum, he was a rising art world star with powerful friends, like Helen Molesworth, chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Molesworth remembers when Davis first asked for her help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He wasn’t asking for, you know, someone to help him with the marketing … he was asking us for the art,” she says. In other words, he was asking the museum to lend him whatever he wanted from its valuable collection — a beyond audacious request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No one had ever asked like that before,” Molesworth says. She was intrigued by the idea that an institution like hers could help bring art to people who might not otherwise see it. But she didn’t just hand over MOCA’s art — first she helped Davis upgrade the Underground Museum’s security and HVAC system to protect the art. Then she left it alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know how to make a museum,” Molesworth says. “I don’t know how to make an underground museum.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Noah Davis did. When he died from cancer, he was only 32 years old. He left instructions for the next 18 shows, but they’re mostly just concepts, titles and lists of the works he wanted to display. In the wake of his death, Megan Steinman joined as the museum’s director. She understood their goal of challenging what museums can be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12001281\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece-800x313.jpg\" alt=\"The three faces that appear in Kerry James Marshall's 2002 Heirlooms and Accessories are taken from a 1930 photograph of a double lynching in Marion, Ind. You can hear Marshall talk about this work here.\" width=\"800\" height=\"313\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12001281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece-400x157.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece-768x300.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The three faces that appear in Kerry James Marshall’s 2002 Heirlooms and Accessories are taken from a 1930 photograph of a double lynching in Marion, Ind. You can hear Marshall talk about this work \u003ch href=\"https://vimeo.com/45605233\" target>here. \u003ccite>(Photo: The Underground Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/h>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Museums are gorgeous,” Steinman says, “but they also come with this idea of how you’re supposed to be and how you’re supposed to stand and how loud you’re supposed to be and if you can talk or not.” Also: whether you can afford the entrance fee and how hard it is to get there. “And then you get there and it’s like massive walls and these cavernous spaces,” she says, “and it’s like all these things that are telling your mind how to think before you even get to the artwork itself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The artwork at the Underground Museum is cutting-edge and often conceptual. One work features wallpaper that shows a lynching. Noah Davis hung a photograph on top of it — a haunting, real-life portrait of a lynching victim’s wife in the American South from 1949.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The look in her eyes — that grief, that pain — you can just feel her heart and her soul in this photograph,” says Karon Davis, Noah Davis’ widow and the museum’s co-founder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12001278\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Noah Davis hung a 1949 portrait of the wife of a lynching victim on top of Robert Grober's 1989 <em>Hanging Man/Sleeping Man</em> screen-printed wallpaper.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12001278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/20160331-_dsc2486_wide-b8cc163831f379481ad127380434697d26d2f4cd-960x540.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Noah Davis hung a 1949 portrait of the wife of a lynching victim on top of Robert Grober’s 1989 \u003cem>Hanging Man/Sleeping Man\u003c/em> screen-printed wallpaper. \u003ccite>(Photo: The Underground Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘Noah’s magnum opus’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Karon Davis is also Los Angeles royalty: She’s the daughter of actor Ben Vereen and part of an electric circle of black artists and intellectuals. (That circle includes her late husband’s brother, Kahlil Joseph, who co-directed Beyoncé’s visual album \u003cem>Lemonade\u003c/em>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the Underground Museum is resolutely down to earth — like a community center that just happens to show art by giant stars, like Kerry James Marshall. (Marshall is about to have a major retrospective at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, but he lent some personal work to the Underground Museum show.) There are yoga classes and a spacious outside garden where people in the neighborhood are encouraged to hang out and read. It’s called the Purple Garden because, Karon Davis explains, her late husband thought everyone should be treated like royalty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steinman says Noah Davis’ legacy is what’s keeping the Underground Museum alive. “This space is Noah’s magnum opus. It is his biggest installation work; it’s his gift. And now he’s not here and now we all get to still keep on being in conversation with him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a conversation in which no one gets the last word. Unlike most museums, Noah Davis didn’t put text on the walls to tell people what to think of the art he chose — art about perseverance, racial violence, family and resistance. He trusted visitors to decide for themselves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12001282\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece2-800x280.jpg\" alt=\"Kara Walker uses striking, black-and-white silhouettes in her 1995 work The Means to an End...A Shadow Drama in Five Acts.\" width=\"800\" height=\"280\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12001282\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece2-400x140.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/Young-artist-piece2-768x269.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kara Walker uses striking, black-and-white silhouettes in her 1995 work \u003cem>The Means to an End…A Shadow Drama in Five Acts.\u003c/em> \u003ccite>(Photo: Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles/The Underground Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=He+Died+At+32%2C+But+A+Young+Artist+Lives+On+In+LA%27s+Underground+Museum&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/12001274/he-died-at-32-but-a-young-artist-lives-on-in-las-underground-museum",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_12001274"
],
"categories": [
"arts_235",
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1118",
"arts_596",
"arts_1091",
"arts_1427"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_12001275",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_11983556": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_11983556",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11983556",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1472310051000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1472310051,
"format": "standard",
"title": "At 81, Disney's First African-American Animator is Still in the Studio",
"headTitle": "At 81, Disney’s First African-American Animator is Still in the Studio | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>If you’ve seen \u003cem>Sleeping Beauty,\u003c/em> \u003cem>The Jungle Book\u003c/em> or the Toy Story movies, you’ve seen the work of animator Floyd Norman; for decades, he has helped bring Disney and Pixar classics to life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now 81, Norman still works for Disney, where he has plied his trade, on and off, since he became the studio’s first African-American animator in the 1950s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Norman’s love of art began long before his Disney job, as he reveals in a new documentary, \u003cem>An Animated Life. \u003c/em>“Any empty surface was a blank canvas for me,” he says. His mother was constantly scrubbing scribbles off the walls. “I was drawing on everything,” he recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Norman grew up in Santa Barbara, Calif., a place that, he says, sheltered him from much of the racial tension and segregation of the time. He tells NPR’s David Greene he experienced no racism — “none whatsoever.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11983558\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 651px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-disney-1956_enl-8061ea53e61122f883758ba82d806df42c73253e.jpg\" alt='Norman says he did not think of himself as a trailblazer. \"We were just a bunch of kids looking for a job,\" he says.' width=\"651\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11983558\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-disney-1956_enl-8061ea53e61122f883758ba82d806df42c73253e.jpg 651w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-disney-1956_enl-8061ea53e61122f883758ba82d806df42c73253e-400x492.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-disney-1956_enl-8061ea53e61122f883758ba82d806df42c73253e-488x600.jpg 488w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 651px) 100vw, 651px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Norman says he did not think of himself as a trailblazer. “We were just a bunch of kids looking for a job,” he says. \u003ccite>(Photo: Michael Flore Films/Falco Ink.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We lived in a Pacific paradise,” he says. “I didn’t know it at the time, but my experience as a child was probably a good deal different from many, many people. We had access to everything — good schools, concert, theater.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to that upbringing, it never occurred to Norman that he\u003cem> couldn’t\u003c/em> apply for a job as a Disney animator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the thought just never occurred to a lot of young black talent to apply for a job in the film industry,” he says. “And it wasn’t just Walt Disney. I’m sure the same thing happened at other film studios as well. There was a perception that opportunities were not available for people of color.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So he applied, and in the mid-1950s he became Disney’s first black animator. Many saw that as a big deal — but not Norman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were about half dozen of us came to work at Disney that same week,” he says. “We came from different parts of the country. We were all from different backgrounds. … We were Asian, we were Latino, we were black, we were white. Nobody thought about that because that was not the issue at hand. Nobody thought of themselves as being a trailblazer for their race or their group. We were just a bunch of young kids looking for a job.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, many have accused Walt Disney and his studio of making racist films, often lampooning minority groups, including African-Americans. Norman downplays that view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There just wasn’t the same sensitivity there as we have today,” he says. “A lot of this happened, it’s unfortunate, but that was just the times in which we lived. I don’t think we should go back and try to erase the past. This was part of our history, this is part of what happened, and so we should be able to deal with that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Norman also worked on the animated series \u003cem>Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids\u003c/em>, which aired in the 1970s and ’80s. It was based around Bill Cosby’s memories of growing up in Philadelphia and featured a cast of African-American characters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Keep in mind that Bill Cosby, who created \u003cem>Fat Albert,\u003c/em> was simply reflecting on his childhood …” Norman says. “It was just making fun of ourselves and there’s nothing wrong with that … I think when others do it, it might be viewed as insensitive, but I see nothing wrong with poking fun at yourself, and as a cartoonist that’s what I do every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11983559\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-1180x787.jpg\" alt=\"Norman, now 81, was not interested in retirement. "I wanted to continue to work," he says. "You see, creative people don't hang it up.\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11983559\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Norman, now 81, was not interested in retirement. “I wanted to continue to work,” he says. “You see, creative people don’t hang it up. \u003ccite>(Photo: Michael Flore Films/Falco Ink)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When Norman turned 65, he says Disney tried to force him to retire, but he wouldn’t have it. “I wanted to continue to work,” he says. “You see, creative people don’t hang it up. We don’t walk away, we don’t want to sit in a lawn chair, we don’t want to go out and play golf, we don’t want to travel the world. We want to continue to work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so he did — given the opportunity to contribute as a freelancer, Norman found his way back into the studio. Most freelancers work at home and only come into the office once the job is complete, but not Norman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I decided I didn’t want to work at home,” he says. “I missed the camaraderie of the big studio. I missed talking to people. I miss being around the action. And so … I found an empty office and I moved in. I was probably in violation of some rule or law or whatever, but there I was.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He continued to work in the office, and his colleagues affectionately coined the term “Floydering” — it rhymes with loitering — in his honor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Norman — who has met and worked with Tom Hanks — has been compared to Hanks’ famous character, Forrest Gump. Norman says it’s not so far off:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Forrest was the guy who just sort of showed up everywhere,” he says. “So a lot of people have looked at me when it came to the animation business where I was the guy … just popping up all over the place. That’s because I love this business, and I never wanted to be apart from it.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11983560\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Norman pitches his storyboards to Disney executives in fall 2014.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11983560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-960x541.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75.jpg 1680w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Norman pitches his storyboards to Disney executives in fall 2014. \u003ccite>(Photo: Michael Flore Films/Falco Ink)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=At+81%2C+Disney%27s+First+African-American+Animator+Is+Still+In+The+Studio&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1025,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 21
},
"modified": 1705033192,
"excerpt": "First hired in the 1950s, Floyd Norman is still drawing. \"Creative people don't hang it up,\" he says. \"We don't walk away, we don't want to sit in a lawn chair. ... We want to continue to work. \"",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "First hired in the 1950s, Floyd Norman is still drawing. "Creative people don't hang it up," he says. "We don't walk away, we don't want to sit in a lawn chair. ... We want to continue to work. "",
"title": "At 81, Disney's First African-American Animator is Still in the Studio | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "At 81, Disney's First African-American Animator is Still in the Studio",
"datePublished": "2016-08-27T08:00:51-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T20:19:52-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "at-81-disneys-first-african-american-animator-is-still-in-the-studio",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=491370725&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprStoryDate": "Fri, 26 Aug 2016 04:45:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Fri, 26 Aug 2016 11:50:02 -0400",
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/2016/08/26/491370725/at-81-disneys-first-african-american-animator-is-still-in-the-studio?ft=nprml&f=491370725",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2016/08/20160826_me_at_81_disneys_first_african-american_animator_is_still_in_the_studio.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1137&d=432&p=3&story=491370725&t=progseg&e=491452482&seg=10&ft=nprml&f=491370725",
"nprImageAgency": "Falco Ink.",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/1491452761-197264.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1137&d=432&p=3&story=491370725&t=progseg&e=491452482&seg=10&ft=nprml&f=491370725",
"nprStoryId": "491370725",
"nprByline": "NPR Staff",
"sticky": false,
"nprImageCredit": "Michael Flore Films",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Fri, 26 Aug 2016 11:50:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/11983556/at-81-disneys-first-african-american-animator-is-still-in-the-studio",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2016/08/20160826_me_at_81_disneys_first_african-american_animator_is_still_in_the_studio.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1137&d=432&p=3&story=491370725&t=progseg&e=491452482&seg=10&ft=nprml&f=491370725",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you’ve seen \u003cem>Sleeping Beauty,\u003c/em> \u003cem>The Jungle Book\u003c/em> or the Toy Story movies, you’ve seen the work of animator Floyd Norman; for decades, he has helped bring Disney and Pixar classics to life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now 81, Norman still works for Disney, where he has plied his trade, on and off, since he became the studio’s first African-American animator in the 1950s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Norman’s love of art began long before his Disney job, as he reveals in a new documentary, \u003cem>An Animated Life. \u003c/em>“Any empty surface was a blank canvas for me,” he says. His mother was constantly scrubbing scribbles off the walls. “I was drawing on everything,” he recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Norman grew up in Santa Barbara, Calif., a place that, he says, sheltered him from much of the racial tension and segregation of the time. He tells NPR’s David Greene he experienced no racism — “none whatsoever.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11983558\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 651px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-disney-1956_enl-8061ea53e61122f883758ba82d806df42c73253e.jpg\" alt='Norman says he did not think of himself as a trailblazer. \"We were just a bunch of kids looking for a job,\" he says.' width=\"651\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11983558\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-disney-1956_enl-8061ea53e61122f883758ba82d806df42c73253e.jpg 651w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-disney-1956_enl-8061ea53e61122f883758ba82d806df42c73253e-400x492.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-at-disney-1956_enl-8061ea53e61122f883758ba82d806df42c73253e-488x600.jpg 488w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 651px) 100vw, 651px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Norman says he did not think of himself as a trailblazer. “We were just a bunch of kids looking for a job,” he says. \u003ccite>(Photo: Michael Flore Films/Falco Ink.)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We lived in a Pacific paradise,” he says. “I didn’t know it at the time, but my experience as a child was probably a good deal different from many, many people. We had access to everything — good schools, concert, theater.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to that upbringing, it never occurred to Norman that he\u003cem> couldn’t\u003c/em> apply for a job as a Disney animator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the thought just never occurred to a lot of young black talent to apply for a job in the film industry,” he says. “And it wasn’t just Walt Disney. I’m sure the same thing happened at other film studios as well. There was a perception that opportunities were not available for people of color.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So he applied, and in the mid-1950s he became Disney’s first black animator. Many saw that as a big deal — but not Norman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were about half dozen of us came to work at Disney that same week,” he says. “We came from different parts of the country. We were all from different backgrounds. … We were Asian, we were Latino, we were black, we were white. Nobody thought about that because that was not the issue at hand. Nobody thought of themselves as being a trailblazer for their race or their group. We were just a bunch of young kids looking for a job.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, many have accused Walt Disney and his studio of making racist films, often lampooning minority groups, including African-Americans. Norman downplays that view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There just wasn’t the same sensitivity there as we have today,” he says. “A lot of this happened, it’s unfortunate, but that was just the times in which we lived. I don’t think we should go back and try to erase the past. This was part of our history, this is part of what happened, and so we should be able to deal with that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Norman also worked on the animated series \u003cem>Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids\u003c/em>, which aired in the 1970s and ’80s. It was based around Bill Cosby’s memories of growing up in Philadelphia and featured a cast of African-American characters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Keep in mind that Bill Cosby, who created \u003cem>Fat Albert,\u003c/em> was simply reflecting on his childhood …” Norman says. “It was just making fun of ourselves and there’s nothing wrong with that … I think when others do it, it might be viewed as insensitive, but I see nothing wrong with poking fun at yourself, and as a cartoonist that’s what I do every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11983559\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-1180x787.jpg\" alt=\"Norman, now 81, was not interested in retirement. "I wanted to continue to work," he says. "You see, creative people don't hang it up.\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11983559\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-400x267.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman_today_enl-62ab18200a08bbf1d4847f25b5b66f9ef9070e08-960x640.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Norman, now 81, was not interested in retirement. “I wanted to continue to work,” he says. “You see, creative people don’t hang it up. \u003ccite>(Photo: Michael Flore Films/Falco Ink)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When Norman turned 65, he says Disney tried to force him to retire, but he wouldn’t have it. “I wanted to continue to work,” he says. “You see, creative people don’t hang it up. We don’t walk away, we don’t want to sit in a lawn chair, we don’t want to go out and play golf, we don’t want to travel the world. We want to continue to work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so he did — given the opportunity to contribute as a freelancer, Norman found his way back into the studio. Most freelancers work at home and only come into the office once the job is complete, but not Norman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I decided I didn’t want to work at home,” he says. “I missed the camaraderie of the big studio. I missed talking to people. I miss being around the action. And so … I found an empty office and I moved in. I was probably in violation of some rule or law or whatever, but there I was.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He continued to work in the office, and his colleagues affectionately coined the term “Floydering” — it rhymes with loitering — in his honor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Norman — who has met and worked with Tom Hanks — has been compared to Hanks’ famous character, Forrest Gump. Norman says it’s not so far off:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Forrest was the guy who just sort of showed up everywhere,” he says. “So a lot of people have looked at me when it came to the animation business where I was the guy … just popping up all over the place. That’s because I love this business, and I never wanted to be apart from it.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11983560\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Norman pitches his storyboards to Disney executives in fall 2014.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11983560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-400x225.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75-960x541.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/floyd-norman-pitching-his-storyboards-at-disney_fall-2014_enl-77325a15d8a31f8bbc306a02cd0bb8af2cef8a75.jpg 1680w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Norman pitches his storyboards to Disney executives in fall 2014. \u003ccite>(Photo: Michael Flore Films/Falco Ink)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=At+81%2C+Disney%27s+First+African-American+Animator+Is+Still+In+The+Studio&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/11983556/at-81-disneys-first-african-american-animator-is-still-in-the-studio",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_11983556"
],
"categories": [
"arts_74",
"arts_990",
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1119",
"arts_1118",
"arts_596"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_11983557",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_11981343": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_11981343",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11981343",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1472223605000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1472223605,
"format": "standard",
"title": "In A Sweet Coming-Of-Age Tale, 'Morris From America' Brings Hip-Hop To Heidelberg",
"headTitle": "In A Sweet Coming-Of-Age Tale, ‘Morris From America’ Brings Hip-Hop To Heidelberg | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>We have become so used to movie characters who always do and say the expected movie things that it’s a shock to watch a film and encounter genuine humans. The new coming-of-age comedy \u003cem>Morris From America\u003c/em> centers around a 13-year-old aspiring rapper played with astonishing magnetism by first-time actor Markees Christmas. What’s remarkable about the film is that it sets up what could have been a bunch of pat, dumb culture-clash jokes about a black New York kid in Europe, yet never takes the easy way out. Instead, it explores and resolutely preserves its hero’s humanity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/AKhFNgFdbDk\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Morris lives in Heidelberg, Germany, a picturesque old-Europe town situated midway between Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and the border with France. It’s a place with more standing Middle-Ages structures than black people, and indeed Morris is one of two: the other is his dad, Curtis (Craig Robinson), who works as a soccer coach for the local team. Morris struggles with the language, and, as Americans of any age or creed who’ve lived abroad will tell you, this is only compounded by the fact that everyone around him already speaks excellent English: imagine an older kid resorting to his second language just to bully you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But on a much more elemental level, the short and slightly pudgy young man struggles with his sense of belonging, his complete inability to relate to his tall, thin, lily-white peers in the summer youth program. Racial questions bubble just underneath the surface of every scene, which the camera emphasizes by frequently isolating Morris in the frame, as though he’s constantly trying to will himself away from every uncomfortable situation. (Christmas is so natural in the role that it feels like the filmmakers really found him wandering around Heidelberg by himself.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though Morris develops a crush on the pretty Katrin (Lina Keller), who sports a “New York” T-shirt, she’s both too old for him and too pitying of him to offer much hope of fulfilling his romantic ambitions. The kid can only do that in his bedroom at night, when he throws on headphones and spits out his own rap lyrics that are hilarious in their complete sexual inexperience. (The fact that the movie is rated R, the same as last week’s absurdly filthy \u003cem>Sausage Party\u003c/em>, is further argument for the Motion Picture Association of America to start a Big Think about the \u003cem>context\u003c/em> of bad words, not just their quantity.) Another bedroom scene, late in the film, finds Morris trying out moves on his pillowcase, a tender duet that’s filmed with the care and subtlety of a traditional love scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chad Hartigan, the film’s gifted writer-director, has dealt with themes of loneliness and forced relocation before, in his 2013 micro-budget masterpiece \u003cem>This Is Martin Bonner\u003c/em>. That movie, a drama about the bond between a man just released from prison and his rehabilitation social worker, also expertly captured an incomplete sense of place, and a halfhearted attempt to spark human connection. Similar to the role that the city of Heidelberg plays here, \u003cem>Bonner\u003c/em>‘s alien setting (Reno, Nevada, where the prison is located) threatens to swallow its heroes whole.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Morris is a far lighter affair, swapping out the serious crime at \u003cem>Bonner\u003c/em>‘s center for the more nebulous alienating factors of race, language, and adolescence. It’s also more traditionally structured and provides ample moments of joy, most notably when Morris visits Heidelberg Castle and imagines the surrounding statues bobbing their heads in time with the music only he can hear. But a muted sadness remains. You can see it on the face of Robinson, who’s mostly known for his deadpan one-liners in the margins of pretty much every American studio comedy of the last ten years. He gets some good ones here — and a hysterical Notorious B.I.G. cover — but also digs into a revealing new melancholy side as a father who’s sacrificed everything for a second-rate version of the career calling he’s always wanted. A still-grieving widower, Curtis is fiercely protective of Morris, to the point where he lashes out at the language tutor (the excellent Carla Juri, who starred in the 2013 German film \u003cem>Wetlands\u003c/em>) for jumping to the wrong conclusions when she stumbles on his explicit writings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those writings play a role in Morris’s stirring, bittersweet victory, when his crush and her musician boyfriend invite him on a road trip to spit some verses in a club for an adoring crowd. Modern European youth culture fetishizes American hip-hop from a distance, much like Morris himself does — though Hartigan is smart about portraying the difference between loving something as a novelty and as a sense of belonging. It is hard not to feel a similar sense of belonging when watching \u003cem>Morris From America\u003c/em>, no matter how far removed we may feel from this kid’s dilemma. After all, we’re only human.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 864,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 9
},
"modified": 1705033200,
"excerpt": "The charismatic Markees Christmas plays Morris, a 13-year-old aspiring rapper from New York who moves to Germany with his widowed father (Craig Robinson).",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The charismatic Markees Christmas plays Morris, a 13-year-old aspiring rapper from New York who moves to Germany with his widowed father (Craig Robinson).",
"title": "In A Sweet Coming-Of-Age Tale, 'Morris From America' Brings Hip-Hop To Heidelberg | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "In A Sweet Coming-Of-Age Tale, 'Morris From America' Brings Hip-Hop To Heidelberg",
"datePublished": "2016-08-26T08:00:05-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T20:20:00-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "in-a-sweet-coming-of-age-tale-morris-from-america-brings-hip-hop-to-heidelberg",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=490258568&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Andrew Lapin",
"nprStoryDate": "Thu, 18 Aug 2016 17:00:13 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Thu, 18 Aug 2016 17:00:13 -0400",
"sticky": false,
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/2016/08/18/490258568/in-a-sweet-coming-of-age-tale-morris-from-america-brings-hip-hop-to-heidelberg?ft=nprml&f=490258568",
"nprImageAgency": "A24",
"nprStoryId": "490258568",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Thu, 18 Aug 2016 17:00:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/11981343/in-a-sweet-coming-of-age-tale-morris-from-america-brings-hip-hop-to-heidelberg",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>We have become so used to movie characters who always do and say the expected movie things that it’s a shock to watch a film and encounter genuine humans. The new coming-of-age comedy \u003cem>Morris From America\u003c/em> centers around a 13-year-old aspiring rapper played with astonishing magnetism by first-time actor Markees Christmas. What’s remarkable about the film is that it sets up what could have been a bunch of pat, dumb culture-clash jokes about a black New York kid in Europe, yet never takes the easy way out. Instead, it explores and resolutely preserves its hero’s humanity.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/AKhFNgFdbDk'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/AKhFNgFdbDk'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Morris lives in Heidelberg, Germany, a picturesque old-Europe town situated midway between Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and the border with France. It’s a place with more standing Middle-Ages structures than black people, and indeed Morris is one of two: the other is his dad, Curtis (Craig Robinson), who works as a soccer coach for the local team. Morris struggles with the language, and, as Americans of any age or creed who’ve lived abroad will tell you, this is only compounded by the fact that everyone around him already speaks excellent English: imagine an older kid resorting to his second language just to bully you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But on a much more elemental level, the short and slightly pudgy young man struggles with his sense of belonging, his complete inability to relate to his tall, thin, lily-white peers in the summer youth program. Racial questions bubble just underneath the surface of every scene, which the camera emphasizes by frequently isolating Morris in the frame, as though he’s constantly trying to will himself away from every uncomfortable situation. (Christmas is so natural in the role that it feels like the filmmakers really found him wandering around Heidelberg by himself.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though Morris develops a crush on the pretty Katrin (Lina Keller), who sports a “New York” T-shirt, she’s both too old for him and too pitying of him to offer much hope of fulfilling his romantic ambitions. The kid can only do that in his bedroom at night, when he throws on headphones and spits out his own rap lyrics that are hilarious in their complete sexual inexperience. (The fact that the movie is rated R, the same as last week’s absurdly filthy \u003cem>Sausage Party\u003c/em>, is further argument for the Motion Picture Association of America to start a Big Think about the \u003cem>context\u003c/em> of bad words, not just their quantity.) Another bedroom scene, late in the film, finds Morris trying out moves on his pillowcase, a tender duet that’s filmed with the care and subtlety of a traditional love scene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chad Hartigan, the film’s gifted writer-director, has dealt with themes of loneliness and forced relocation before, in his 2013 micro-budget masterpiece \u003cem>This Is Martin Bonner\u003c/em>. That movie, a drama about the bond between a man just released from prison and his rehabilitation social worker, also expertly captured an incomplete sense of place, and a halfhearted attempt to spark human connection. Similar to the role that the city of Heidelberg plays here, \u003cem>Bonner\u003c/em>‘s alien setting (Reno, Nevada, where the prison is located) threatens to swallow its heroes whole.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Morris is a far lighter affair, swapping out the serious crime at \u003cem>Bonner\u003c/em>‘s center for the more nebulous alienating factors of race, language, and adolescence. It’s also more traditionally structured and provides ample moments of joy, most notably when Morris visits Heidelberg Castle and imagines the surrounding statues bobbing their heads in time with the music only he can hear. But a muted sadness remains. You can see it on the face of Robinson, who’s mostly known for his deadpan one-liners in the margins of pretty much every American studio comedy of the last ten years. He gets some good ones here — and a hysterical Notorious B.I.G. cover — but also digs into a revealing new melancholy side as a father who’s sacrificed everything for a second-rate version of the career calling he’s always wanted. A still-grieving widower, Curtis is fiercely protective of Morris, to the point where he lashes out at the language tutor (the excellent Carla Juri, who starred in the 2013 German film \u003cem>Wetlands\u003c/em>) for jumping to the wrong conclusions when she stumbles on his explicit writings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those writings play a role in Morris’s stirring, bittersweet victory, when his crush and her musician boyfriend invite him on a road trip to spit some verses in a club for an adoring crowd. Modern European youth culture fetishizes American hip-hop from a distance, much like Morris himself does — though Hartigan is smart about portraying the difference between loving something as a novelty and as a sense of belonging. It is hard not to feel a similar sense of belonging when watching \u003cem>Morris From America\u003c/em>, no matter how far removed we may feel from this kid’s dilemma. After all, we’re only human.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/11981343/in-a-sweet-coming-of-age-tale-morris-from-america-brings-hip-hop-to-heidelberg",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_11981343"
],
"categories": [
"arts_74"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1118",
"arts_769"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_11981346",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_11975582": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_11975582",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11975582",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1472076028000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "in-mariachi-music-a-distinctive-yell-speaks-to-the-soul",
"title": "In Mariachi Music, a Distinctive Yell Speaks to the Soul",
"publishDate": 1472076028,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "In Mariachi Music, a Distinctive Yell Speaks to the Soul | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 137,
"site": "arts"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.npr.org/player/embed/488502412/491024865\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Do you know that feeling when a song moves you so much, you just feel like you have to add your own voice? Mexican culture has an answer to that: a cathartic, joyous yell called a \u003cem>grito. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Legendary Mexican performer Vicente Fernández, aka “Chente,” performs the crazy tragic love song “Volver, Volver.” “It’s one of the most iconic mariachi songs of all time, performed by the most popular Mexican mariachi vocalist ever,” says alt.latino’s Felix Contreras. “And there is a championship \u003cem>grito \u003c/em>at the top of the song.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugNQ5uIN09Q\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Growing Up Hearing \u003cem>Gritos\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like lots of Mexican-American kids, Contreras and I grew up hearing the adults in our lives performing \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em> when they listened to mariachi music at family barbecues, or cheering on friends and family at graduation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In my family, my mother and my grandfather, her step-dad, when we would be at family parties like Christmas or something like that, we’d be in the other room playing, we’d hear a really loud \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>, we knew the party was on, it just took it to a different level,” Contreras says. “It was the ultimate expression that we were really having a good time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I am pretty sure I could identify my \u003cem>t\u003c/em>\u003cem>í\u003c/em>\u003cem>os \u003c/em>and \u003cem>t\u003c/em>\u003cem>í\u003c/em>\u003cem>as\u003c/em> by their \u003cem>gritos, \u003c/em>and many Mexican-American children begin finding their own \u003cem>grito \u003c/em>voice early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many schools in Texas, students at Perez Elementary school in Austin have the opportunity to learn and perform mariachi music. Their teacher, Angela Machado, is too busy teaching them chords and song lyrics to teach them \u003cem>gritos. \u003c/em>“It is not part of the curriculum necessarily but I know a lot of them do already know how,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11975584\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-1180x885.jpg\" alt=\"Angela Machado and her third-grade class perform at the University of Texas's Cinco de Mayo festivities.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11975584\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Angela Machado and her third-grade class perform at the University of Texas’s Cinco de Mayo festivities. \u003ccite>(Photo: Brenda P. Salinas)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Third graders Leo Garcia, Jose Jaimes, Mario Flores and Angelita Alivter Cardenas show me their \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em>. They sound like lion cubs learning how to roar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If they want to keep working on their \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em>, these kids may have a chance in college. Ezekiel Castro is \u003ca href=\"http://music.utexas.edu/about/people/castro-ezekiel-zeke\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a lecturer\u003c/a> at the University of Texas Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music. He is also director of the school’s mariachi ensemble and teaches about mariachi culture. The\u003cem> grito\u003c/em> is an important part of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Mexicans are very emotional people,” says Castro. “When they hear mariachi music, whether it’s because of sorrow or because of joy, they do these \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em>, these yells.” Castro says his students do a much better \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> than he does. “Some people are just exquisite with it. Others, you know, we just do the best we can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/2014/03/19/291475061/grito-the-longest-shout-youll-hear-today-with-a-history\">Gritos\u003c/a> \u003c/em>aren’t just emotional; they’re political. One of Mexico’s founding fathers uttered the first documented \u003cem>grito \u003c/em>in history when he declared the war for Mexican independence. The president of Mexico does a more formal \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> every year on that anniversary, as Enrique Peña Nieto did in 2015.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Grito\u003c/em> 101\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUeGRVy2IIY\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laura Gutierrez \u003ca href=\"http://www.utexas.edu/finearts/tad/people/gutierrez-laura\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">teaches Mexican performance studies\u003c/a> at the University of Texas. She says \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em> are complex expressions. “They’re like small narrative capsules, without the narrative that are full of layers of emotion,” Gutierrez says. And belting out a great \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> feels really good. “When you finally release the last gasp of air, there’s relief,” Gutierrez says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>Video producer Kathryn Gonzales rediscovered the \u003cem>grito \u003c/em>at a 2014 Day of the Dead party in west Texas. “I was the only brown person at the whole party,” Gonzales says. “There was a little conjunto band and I was so moved, I don’t even really honestly remember the song, but I was compelled to do a \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there were two things stopping her. “I thought well, A, I don’t know if anyone here would know what that was and why I was doing it,” Gonzales says. “And B, I thought I don’t really know if I know how to do a good \u003cem>grito,\u003c/em> like I’m not sure that I could pull it off.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Gonzales teamed up with a developer friend and created the \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/GritoApp/?fref=ts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Grito\u003c/em> App\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You scroll through the different sounds, each sound has its own screen. You can learn a little more about the \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>, you can share the \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>, you can save it to your videos and just kind of text it or email it around,” Gonzales says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since mariachi music is less popular among newer generations, not that many young people know how to do a good \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>. Castro says that’s no reason not to try. “Everybody has their own individual way of doing \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em>,” he says. “It’s a great expression.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Growing Into \u003cem>Gritos\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Felix Contreras tried to do a \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> when he was a college student at Cal State University Fresno in the late ’70s. His friends would have \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> contests after a long night. “It was pathetic. I thought, ‘Ugh, I definitely won’t be doing that again.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even though his alt.latino co-host Jasmine Garsd has been trying to get him to do a \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> on-air, Contreras says he won’t do it. “You have to not be afraid to be the subject of attention in a small world,” Contreras says. “You have to use the front of the diaphragm, full of gusto, and release anguish and joy from your soul to do a successful \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contreras has found himself listening to more mariachi music over the years. “It’s an acquired taste as you get older, you experience life’s heartbreaks and joys, the lyrics and the recitations and the performance resonates in a different way,” Contreras says. “It has all the secrets to life in the lyrics. You don’t know that when you’re in your twenties.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the time you hit your forties, Chente knew what he was talking about,” Contreras says. And you might feel inspired to try out your own \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=In+Mariachi+Music%2C+A+Distinctive+Yell+Speaks+To+The+Soul&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The 'grito' is a spontaneous burst of emotion — a shout — that is part of the mariachi tradition. Some younger Mexican-Americans are reclaiming the grito for a new generation.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1726787473,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 26,
"wordCount": 1103
},
"headData": {
"title": "In Mariachi Music, a Distinctive Yell Speaks to the Soul | KQED",
"description": "The 'grito' is a spontaneous burst of emotion — a shout — that is part of the mariachi tradition. Some younger Mexican-Americans are reclaiming the grito for a new generation.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "In Mariachi Music, a Distinctive Yell Speaks to the Soul",
"datePublished": "2016-08-24T15:00:28-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-19T16:11:13-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprImageCredit": "Hector Guerrero",
"nprByline": "Brenda Salinas",
"nprImageAgency": "AFP/Getty Images",
"nprStoryId": "488502412",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=488502412&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/08/23/488502412/in-mariachi-music-a-distinctive-yell-speaks-to-the-soul?ft=nprml&f=488502412",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Tue, 23 Aug 2016 10:48:00 -0400",
"nprStoryDate": "Tue, 23 Aug 2016 04:34:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Tue, 23 Aug 2016 10:48:38 -0400",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2016/08/20160823_me_in_mariachi_music_a_distinctive_yell_speaks_to_the_soul.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1039&d=231&p=3&story=488502412&t=progseg&e=491014246&seg=9&ft=nprml&f=488502412",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/1491024865-89ab85.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1039&d=231&p=3&story=488502412&t=progseg&e=491014246&seg=9&ft=nprml&f=488502412",
"path": "/arts/11975582/in-mariachi-music-a-distinctive-yell-speaks-to-the-soul",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2016/08/20160823_me_in_mariachi_music_a_distinctive_yell_speaks_to_the_soul.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1039&d=231&p=3&story=488502412&t=progseg&e=491014246&seg=9&ft=nprml&f=488502412",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.npr.org/player/embed/488502412/491024865\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Do you know that feeling when a song moves you so much, you just feel like you have to add your own voice? Mexican culture has an answer to that: a cathartic, joyous yell called a \u003cem>grito. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Legendary Mexican performer Vicente Fernández, aka “Chente,” performs the crazy tragic love song “Volver, Volver.” “It’s one of the most iconic mariachi songs of all time, performed by the most popular Mexican mariachi vocalist ever,” says alt.latino’s Felix Contreras. “And there is a championship \u003cem>grito \u003c/em>at the top of the song.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/ugNQ5uIN09Q'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/ugNQ5uIN09Q'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Growing Up Hearing \u003cem>Gritos\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like lots of Mexican-American kids, Contreras and I grew up hearing the adults in our lives performing \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em> when they listened to mariachi music at family barbecues, or cheering on friends and family at graduation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In my family, my mother and my grandfather, her step-dad, when we would be at family parties like Christmas or something like that, we’d be in the other room playing, we’d hear a really loud \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>, we knew the party was on, it just took it to a different level,” Contreras says. “It was the ultimate expression that we were really having a good time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I am pretty sure I could identify my \u003cem>t\u003c/em>\u003cem>í\u003c/em>\u003cem>os \u003c/em>and \u003cem>t\u003c/em>\u003cem>í\u003c/em>\u003cem>as\u003c/em> by their \u003cem>gritos, \u003c/em>and many Mexican-American children begin finding their own \u003cem>grito \u003c/em>voice early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many schools in Texas, students at Perez Elementary school in Austin have the opportunity to learn and perform mariachi music. Their teacher, Angela Machado, is too busy teaching them chords and song lyrics to teach them \u003cem>gritos. \u003c/em>“It is not part of the curriculum necessarily but I know a lot of them do already know how,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11975584\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-1180x885.jpg\" alt=\"Angela Machado and her third-grade class perform at the University of Texas's Cinco de Mayo festivities.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11975584\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-1180x885.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/grito-photo-42d57bba568c5eedd28163b959938c5cb2a09d90-960x720.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Angela Machado and her third-grade class perform at the University of Texas’s Cinco de Mayo festivities. \u003ccite>(Photo: Brenda P. Salinas)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Third graders Leo Garcia, Jose Jaimes, Mario Flores and Angelita Alivter Cardenas show me their \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em>. They sound like lion cubs learning how to roar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If they want to keep working on their \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em>, these kids may have a chance in college. Ezekiel Castro is \u003ca href=\"http://music.utexas.edu/about/people/castro-ezekiel-zeke\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a lecturer\u003c/a> at the University of Texas Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music. He is also director of the school’s mariachi ensemble and teaches about mariachi culture. The\u003cem> grito\u003c/em> is an important part of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Mexicans are very emotional people,” says Castro. “When they hear mariachi music, whether it’s because of sorrow or because of joy, they do these \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em>, these yells.” Castro says his students do a much better \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> than he does. “Some people are just exquisite with it. Others, you know, we just do the best we can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/2014/03/19/291475061/grito-the-longest-shout-youll-hear-today-with-a-history\">Gritos\u003c/a> \u003c/em>aren’t just emotional; they’re political. One of Mexico’s founding fathers uttered the first documented \u003cem>grito \u003c/em>in history when he declared the war for Mexican independence. The president of Mexico does a more formal \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> every year on that anniversary, as Enrique Peña Nieto did in 2015.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Grito\u003c/em> 101\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/zUeGRVy2IIY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/zUeGRVy2IIY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Laura Gutierrez \u003ca href=\"http://www.utexas.edu/finearts/tad/people/gutierrez-laura\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">teaches Mexican performance studies\u003c/a> at the University of Texas. She says \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em> are complex expressions. “They’re like small narrative capsules, without the narrative that are full of layers of emotion,” Gutierrez says. And belting out a great \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> feels really good. “When you finally release the last gasp of air, there’s relief,” Gutierrez says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>Video producer Kathryn Gonzales rediscovered the \u003cem>grito \u003c/em>at a 2014 Day of the Dead party in west Texas. “I was the only brown person at the whole party,” Gonzales says. “There was a little conjunto band and I was so moved, I don’t even really honestly remember the song, but I was compelled to do a \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there were two things stopping her. “I thought well, A, I don’t know if anyone here would know what that was and why I was doing it,” Gonzales says. “And B, I thought I don’t really know if I know how to do a good \u003cem>grito,\u003c/em> like I’m not sure that I could pull it off.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Gonzales teamed up with a developer friend and created the \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/GritoApp/?fref=ts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cem>Grito\u003c/em> App\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You scroll through the different sounds, each sound has its own screen. You can learn a little more about the \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>, you can share the \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>, you can save it to your videos and just kind of text it or email it around,” Gonzales says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since mariachi music is less popular among newer generations, not that many young people know how to do a good \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>. Castro says that’s no reason not to try. “Everybody has their own individual way of doing \u003cem>gritos\u003c/em>,” he says. “It’s a great expression.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Growing Into \u003cem>Gritos\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Felix Contreras tried to do a \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> when he was a college student at Cal State University Fresno in the late ’70s. His friends would have \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> contests after a long night. “It was pathetic. I thought, ‘Ugh, I definitely won’t be doing that again.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And even though his alt.latino co-host Jasmine Garsd has been trying to get him to do a \u003cem>grito\u003c/em> on-air, Contreras says he won’t do it. “You have to not be afraid to be the subject of attention in a small world,” Contreras says. “You have to use the front of the diaphragm, full of gusto, and release anguish and joy from your soul to do a successful \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contreras has found himself listening to more mariachi music over the years. “It’s an acquired taste as you get older, you experience life’s heartbreaks and joys, the lyrics and the recitations and the performance resonates in a different way,” Contreras says. “It has all the secrets to life in the lyrics. You don’t know that when you’re in your twenties.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By the time you hit your forties, Chente knew what he was talking about,” Contreras says. And you might feel inspired to try out your own \u003cem>grito\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=In+Mariachi+Music%2C+A+Distinctive+Yell+Speaks+To+The+Soul&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/11975582/in-mariachi-music-a-distinctive-yell-speaks-to-the-soul",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_11975582"
],
"categories": [
"arts_69"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1119",
"arts_1118",
"arts_596"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_11975583",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_11975409": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_11975409",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11975409",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1472065251000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "john-lennons-deportation-fight-paved-way-for-obamas-deferred-action-policy",
"title": "John Lennon's Deportation Fight Paved Way for Obama's Deferred Action Policy",
"publishDate": 1472065251,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "John Lennon’s Deportation Fight Paved Way for Obama’s Deferred Action Policy | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 137,
"site": "arts"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.npr.org/player/embed/490957803/491103757\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in 1972, John Lennon hired Leon Wildes, an immigration attorney who had no idea who he was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildes’ son, Michael, remembers his father coming home to tell his mother about their first meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And he said, ‘A singer by the name of Jack Lemon and his wife Yoko Moto,’ ” Michael recalls. “My mom looked at him like he wasn’t well. ‘Are you talking about the Beatles and John Lennon?’ My father said, ‘Yeah!’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next five years, Lennon and Wildes often were caught on camera outside immigration court in New York City — as well as on late-night talk shows, such as NBC’s \u003cem>The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What is your status in the country right now?” Snyder asked Lennon during a show taping in 1975.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s why Leon’s here,” Lennon answers. He glances over at Leon Wildes sitting across from him on a dark TV set. “What, what am I, Leon?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Well, John was charged with being deportable in the U.S. for being an overstay,” says Wildes, who has written a new book about Lennon’s deportation case called \u003cem>John Lennon vs. The U.S.A\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, Lennon was on a tourist visa that expired while he was helping his wife, Yoko Ono, with a custody battle over her daughter from a previous marriage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Wildes got that visa extended. But immigration officials gave them only just over month before Lennon would have to leave. Later, Wildes put in an application for a green card, which was denied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Lennon still wanted to stay in America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I like to be here because this is where the music came from,” Lennon said. “This is what influenced my whole life and got me where I am today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildes appealed the denial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But FBI files show that the Nixon administration wanted Lennon, along with his anti-war activism and influence over young voters, out of the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Wildes started digging for another route.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I always had a feeling that the government must have a program to exercise some discretion,” Wildes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked why he had that feeling, Wildes said it was “because there were rumors of certain guys who were — had critical criminal backgrounds and bad immigration histories and seemed to be still around.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those guys probably benefited from what’s now known as “prosecutorial discretion.” It’s based mainly on the premise that the federal government doesn’t have enough resources to deport all of the immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under federal law, immigration officials can choose to prioritize certain deportation cases while holding off on other ones for humanitarian or political reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem at the time was that Wildes didn’t have proof that this kind of program existed until he filed a Freedom of Information Act request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When the box came into my office, there was jubilation!” Wildes said. “Unbelievable feeling that I had succeeded.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Lennon received a green card, which allowed him to stay in the U.S. But those files led U.S. immigration officials to publicize a secret policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Before the work of Mr. Wildes, deferred action was a complete mystery because there wasn’t even a guideline for attorneys and noncitizens,” says Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, who teaches immigration law at Penn State University and wrote \u003cem>Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The files showed that for decades, the government had shielded some immigrants living in the U.S. illegally from deportation because of their sympathetic cases. The Obama administration used that policy to create the original Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization,” said President Obama in a 2012 announcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An expansion of the program, as well as the creation of a similar program called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, is currently on hold because of legal challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But today, the original DACA program covers more than 700,000 young people brought to the U.S. as children — all in part because of that immigrant from Liverpool. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=John+Lennon%27s+Deportation+Fight+Paved+Way+For+Obama%27s+Deferred+Action+Policy&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "John Lennon once fought a deportation order to stay in the U.S. His lawyer uncovered documents that eventually led to a program to temporarily protect unauthorized immigrants from deportation.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1726787474,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 29,
"wordCount": 774
},
"headData": {
"title": "John Lennon's Deportation Fight Paved Way for Obama's Deferred Action Policy | KQED",
"description": "John Lennon once fought a deportation order to stay in the U.S. His lawyer uncovered documents that eventually led to a program to temporarily protect unauthorized immigrants from deportation.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "John Lennon's Deportation Fight Paved Way for Obama's Deferred Action Policy",
"datePublished": "2016-08-24T12:00:51-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-19T16:11:14-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprImageCredit": "Anthony Camerano",
"nprByline": "Hansi Lo Wang",
"nprImageAgency": "AP",
"nprStoryId": "490957803",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=490957803&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/2016/08/23/490957803/john-lennons-deportation-fight-paved-way-to-obamas-deferred-action-policy?ft=nprml&f=490957803",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Wed, 24 Aug 2016 08:34:00 -0400",
"nprStoryDate": "Tue, 23 Aug 2016 16:42:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Wed, 24 Aug 2016 08:34:24 -0400",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2016/08/20160823_atc_john_lennons_green_card_fight_paved_way_to_obamas_deferred_action_policy.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1003&d=257&p=2&story=490957803&t=progseg&e=491014243&seg=16&ft=nprml&f=490957803",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/1491103757-cf9865.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1003&d=257&p=2&story=490957803&t=progseg&e=491014243&seg=16&ft=nprml&f=490957803",
"path": "/arts/11975409/john-lennons-deportation-fight-paved-way-for-obamas-deferred-action-policy",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2016/08/20160823_atc_john_lennons_green_card_fight_paved_way_to_obamas_deferred_action_policy.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1003&d=257&p=2&story=490957803&t=progseg&e=491014243&seg=16&ft=nprml&f=490957803",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.npr.org/player/embed/490957803/491103757\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in 1972, John Lennon hired Leon Wildes, an immigration attorney who had no idea who he was.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildes’ son, Michael, remembers his father coming home to tell his mother about their first meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And he said, ‘A singer by the name of Jack Lemon and his wife Yoko Moto,’ ” Michael recalls. “My mom looked at him like he wasn’t well. ‘Are you talking about the Beatles and John Lennon?’ My father said, ‘Yeah!’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the next five years, Lennon and Wildes often were caught on camera outside immigration court in New York City — as well as on late-night talk shows, such as NBC’s \u003cem>The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What is your status in the country right now?” Snyder asked Lennon during a show taping in 1975.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s why Leon’s here,” Lennon answers. He glances over at Leon Wildes sitting across from him on a dark TV set. “What, what am I, Leon?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Well, John was charged with being deportable in the U.S. for being an overstay,” says Wildes, who has written a new book about Lennon’s deportation case called \u003cem>John Lennon vs. The U.S.A\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, Lennon was on a tourist visa that expired while he was helping his wife, Yoko Ono, with a custody battle over her daughter from a previous marriage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Wildes got that visa extended. But immigration officials gave them only just over month before Lennon would have to leave. Later, Wildes put in an application for a green card, which was denied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Lennon still wanted to stay in America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I like to be here because this is where the music came from,” Lennon said. “This is what influenced my whole life and got me where I am today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildes appealed the denial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But FBI files show that the Nixon administration wanted Lennon, along with his anti-war activism and influence over young voters, out of the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Wildes started digging for another route.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I always had a feeling that the government must have a program to exercise some discretion,” Wildes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked why he had that feeling, Wildes said it was “because there were rumors of certain guys who were — had critical criminal backgrounds and bad immigration histories and seemed to be still around.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those guys probably benefited from what’s now known as “prosecutorial discretion.” It’s based mainly on the premise that the federal government doesn’t have enough resources to deport all of the immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under federal law, immigration officials can choose to prioritize certain deportation cases while holding off on other ones for humanitarian or political reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem at the time was that Wildes didn’t have proof that this kind of program existed until he filed a Freedom of Information Act request.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When the box came into my office, there was jubilation!” Wildes said. “Unbelievable feeling that I had succeeded.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Lennon received a green card, which allowed him to stay in the U.S. But those files led U.S. immigration officials to publicize a secret policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Before the work of Mr. Wildes, deferred action was a complete mystery because there wasn’t even a guideline for attorneys and noncitizens,” says Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, who teaches immigration law at Penn State University and wrote \u003cem>Beyond Deportation: The Role of Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Cases\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The files showed that for decades, the government had shielded some immigrants living in the U.S. illegally from deportation because of their sympathetic cases. The Obama administration used that policy to create the original Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization,” said President Obama in a 2012 announcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An expansion of the program, as well as the creation of a similar program called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, is currently on hold because of legal challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But today, the original DACA program covers more than 700,000 young people brought to the U.S. as children — all in part because of that immigrant from Liverpool. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=John+Lennon%27s+Deportation+Fight+Paved+Way+For+Obama%27s+Deferred+Action+Policy&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/11975409/john-lennons-deportation-fight-paved-way-for-obamas-deferred-action-policy",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_11975409"
],
"categories": [
"arts_73",
"arts_69",
"arts_235"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1118",
"arts_596",
"arts_1427"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_11975410",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_11971684": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_11971684",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11971684",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1471985048000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1471985048,
"format": "standard",
"title": "The Tragic Turn of the Frightnrs' First — and Last — Record",
"headTitle": "The Tragic Turn of the Frightnrs’ First — and Last — Record | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>“That’s frickin’ \u003cem>sick!\u003c/em>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the moment when Dan Klein, singer of the retro reggae outfit the Frightnrs, saw the finished cover of his band’s first full-length album, \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em>, he was sitting in his apartment in Windsor Terrace, situated in a narrow strip of blocks between Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and Greenwood Cemetery. On the cover, Klein is crouching, all sharp angles: hunched shoulders, bent elbows and knees. His bandmates, Rich Terrana, Chuck Patel and Preet Patel stand in a row to his left, upright, their jackets just as wrinkled at the joints as Klein’s, just lived-in enough, the level of worn that comes from breaking them out for special occasions and big gigs. Their frontman’s eyes are fixed to the ground, but Terrana and the Patels gaze at the lens, the vibe calmed by the violet rendering of the original photo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cover reflects the thought and care the Frightnrs have put into their streamlined, vintage sensibility that emerged as the Jamaica, Queens-based group found its footing in a scene shaped by “years of ska-punk crossover and a lot of fake, white-rasta stage antics,” as Klein put it. “We wanted to come across as the Rat Pack,” he said of the musicians’ aesthetic and penchant for ’70s rhythms that distanced them from their peers. “We wanted to be sharp. We wanted to wear suits, be dark, get down to business, all ‘\u003cem>This is New York\u003c/em>.’ We looked like a soul band, and we also enjoy a lot of Motown, doo-wop, blues and gospel music, and I think that comes out in our music.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s an effortless cool to the cover of \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> that matches the music inside, and a discussion of this — of “cool” as a state of being, a vibe, a reflex or an instinct — brought an intense shine to Klein’s eyes. “Because of circumstances, this record is particularly significant, because it’s going to be our only record,” he said. “Everybody wanted to make sure it’s just right. It turns out we already had some pictures from last year that were very much appropriate for what we’re going for. It didn’t even occur to anybody that we’d want to use those. I’m really relieved. Those pictures were the right ones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That afternoon, Klein, having long since lost the ability to crouch the way he does on the album cover, was sitting upright thanks to the chair he now spent his days in, a position that facilitated breathing with the help of a machine that routinely filled his lungs. As he looked again at the artwork — which Gabe Roth, the founder of Klein’s label, Daptone Records, had finalized just a few days before — the comment was made that the guys come off as the epitome of cool, that they don’t even look like they’re trying to nail the shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Really?” Klein paused. The machine clicked. He breathed. “I’m trying really hard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> was supposed to be a collection of triumphant firsts for the Frightnrs, for Daptone, for everyone involved in the project. It is the Frightnrs’ first full-length album, and it follows three EPs, the most recent of them being \u003cem>Inna Lover’s Quarrel\u003c/em>, which Mad Decent put out last September. It is the first reggae album released by Daptone, the first deviation for the Bushwick-based label — best known for championing artists with hard-lived stories to tell, like \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/15325312/sharon-jones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/175953068/charles-bradley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Charles Bradley\u003c/a> — from its brassy, funk-laden foundation of soul (save for its recently launched rock imprint, Wick Records). It is the first record produced by Victor Axelrod, a.k.a. “Ticklah,” for the label, which is a doubly special event considering his close Daptone ties: An organist / piano player / man-on-the-keys of different persuasions and a prolific reggae composer based in Brooklyn, Axelrod has been around since the days before the Dap-Kings and \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/15158396/antibalas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Antibalas\u003c/a>, back when members of both outlets played together as the Soul Providers in North Brooklyn in the late ’90s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is also singular for being the first album Daptone will release following the death of one of the artists who made it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971686\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-1180x1180.jpg\" alt=\"The cover art of 'Nothing More to Say'.\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11971686\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-400x400.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-600x600.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-1920x1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-960x960.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-50x50.jpg 50w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e.jpg 1990w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cover art of ‘Nothing More to Say’. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of the band)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On June 8, Klein, in spite of the concerns of his family and caregivers, went to Prospect Park to see Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings perform. Axelrod, who plays with the Dap-Kings for special occasions, joined them onstage that day, having heard about the difficult year Jones was having; she’s in the process of battling cancer for the second time. Klein sent a simple “Nicely done, sir!” text to Axelrod following the gig. He succumbed to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in the hours following the performance. The illness had first seeped into his muscles, making them feel strained and foreign, in the summer of 2015, just days after he and the Frightnrs began recording\u003cem> Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> with Axelrod at Daptone’s House of Soul studio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Things were moving along and going well, but there was this lingering issue of, ‘What the hell is wrong with Dan? Why is he being such a drag?'” Axelrod recalls in a conversation several weeks after Klein’s death. “It was during that week in the studio that his symptoms started to manifest to the point where he was really struggling to sing and was complaining about feeling lousy and weak the whole time. This continued for the rest of the summer into the fall, when we were recording his lead vocals, but it wasn’t until the end of November that we all learned what was going on with him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ALS is a brutal and efficient disorder in which fatigue and weakness are eventually followed by loss of motor function and muscular degeneration, but its invasion of the body offers no exact timeline. Immediately following Klein’s diagnosis, the Frightnrs, Axelrod and Daptone found themselves challenged on two fronts: by their own stubborn standards for creating a superlative record with Daptone’s trademark throwback vibe, and by the mechanics it takes to do that on an intimidating and tragic deadline. From November onward, pressure forged the backbone of \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em>: The Frightnrs’ time with Klein was finite, as was their opportunity to cut the record with Axelrod, and they needed to work through their anguish before Klein lost his ability to breathe, and to sing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Axelrod says urgency was in the air long before anyone knew Klein was sick: Now that the Frightnrs, Axelrod and Daptone had found each other, they didn’t want to wait to get \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> out of the House of Soul and onto turntables.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>“The profound change in the energy surrounding the album was that it went from the normal process of working on music to meet a label deadline to working on the album as quickly as possible in an attempt to have it released before Dan passed away,” he says. “It was a horrible feeling to work with. It felt ugly and surreal for all of us in the final months of completing the record. We got through it and did everything we needed to do. I just think it felt like we all had 50-pound weights strapped to our chests while we did it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Axelrod spent two days snaking wires and finagling mics to zero in on the time-traveling sound of \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em>. His microscopic approach to the technical minutiae isn’t simply the process of a perfectionist: It’s both reflective of Axelrod’s commitment to a band he’s believed in for years and an economical strategy, considering the suffocating deadlines and Klein’s declining health. Through the window by the soundboard at the House of Soul, one can see into the recording room, where Klein cut his vocals in the same spot that \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/15159821/amy-winehouse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amy Winehouse\u003c/a> sang her way through some of \u003cem>Back to Black\u003c/em>‘s most beloved tracks and Sharon Jones gave voice to \u003cem>Give the People What They Want \u003c/em>just before her own fight against a deadly illness nearly derailed her career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not uncommon to have very little time to record with a group of people and therefore rush through this initial process, only to have some possibly deep regrets later,” Axelrod says of his meticulous preparations. “I went into the studio with the idea that there would be a certain character to the sound of the record, which was to be established up front rather than on the back end. Everyone was patient with me, thankfully. The songs were all pretty new to everyone involved, so it was also a good way to just get settled in — for them to play a lot and go over the songs while I turned knobs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Axelrod saw the Frightnrs for the first time in 2011 at Otto’s Shrunken Head, a tiki bar in the East Village that serves tropical drinks and hosts small shows in its back room. Their idiosyncrasies and instrumental flourishes struck him immediately. “There were subtleties in their playing and the way they sang together that really resonated with me,” he recalls. “Dan’s energy was simultaneously subdued and manic. He looked so uncomfortable with himself, but there was a sound that came from him that had everyone in the room mesmerized for the whole show.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This sound, which harkens back to the soul-inflected stylings of ’60s and ’70s reggae, hit Axelrod’s ear as informed and appreciative. This was hardly a band participating in musical tourism, but a band that lived and breathed vintage reggae — Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/15374434/toots-the-maytals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Toots and the Maytals\u003c/a> — and studied up on how these Jamaican singers were informed by the soulful hits coming out of Motown a decade prior, a tie that would later lay the foundation of its relationship with Daptone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/271731134″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are all kinds of different rhythmic and textural approaches that are a part of the history of this genre, and it’s not all late-’70s \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/15283623/bob-marley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bob Marley\u003c/a>,” Axelrod says. “I could hear that the Frightnrs were loving and learning from different aspects of reggae that I also love and try to learn from. I can’t say that about too many other groups of musicians. They’re also a great example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. They know how to play together — with each other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easy to picture Axelrod staring down a stubborn microphone as he coaxes it into position to record Terrana’s metallic cymbal hits or Patel’s bobbing bass lines: The dual pulses of the rhythm section were stronger as a unit, and stronger still when recorded to the same track, even if it meant hours of additional setup time and a riskier endeavor to tackle in post, if need be. But it was Klein’s voice — a resonant, somber tenor that took on the tone of a begging lover (“Gotta Find a Way”), a cheeky fighter (“Trouble In Here”) or a frustrated romantic whose best intentions have been defeated (“All My Tears”) — that stood out to Axelrod as a vital organ of \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’ll notice there are no Jamaican accents on this record,” Klein said in May, his Brooklyn lilt serving as a point of pride that further differentiates the Frightnrs from other like-sounding acts. “I sing in my regular voice; I sing as an American.” Some singers belt and wail and give off the impression that these could be the last notes they ever sing. The intensity of Klein’s delivery doesn’t squander the sad truth that the notes heard on \u003cem>Nothing More To Say\u003c/em> are, in fact, the last he would ever lay to tape. “Despite the fact that his symptoms had taken hold by the time we began recording his vocals, I feel like, more than ever, Dan really found his voice as a singer and writer for this album,” Axelrod says. “I think the lyrics and melodies that Dan wrote for this album show the depth of his talent like never before.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Klein was a part of the process up until his passing, checking in with Daptone to see about a confirmed release date and offering his insight on the tracks in mastering when he could bring himself to do so. “I would check my emails sometimes, listen to things,” he said. “There were things that Victor would hear that I wouldn’t; certain guys in my band would hear things. I don’t have the same amazing ear for details. I was so desperate for the thing to be completed that I’d be more inclined to be like, ‘That’s awesome, let’s go, let’s go!’ Half of me was overexcited and maybe not critical enough, and then the other half of me didn’t want to listen to it because I didn’t want to cry. There are songs on this album that I never got to sing in front of an audience. That’s a bummer, you know? I’m really proud of it. I think we did a good job. We had the best help we could get.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think everybody feels a certain onus as far as making this record happen,” Roth says, sitting on the couch behind the engineer’s chair at the House of Soul. He lives in Riverside, Calif., but was in New York in July on Daptone business, checking in with his staff, working on tracks for the forthcoming Sharon Jones album and surveying the pieces of the \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> puzzle that had started coming together. On the morning of the Dap-Kings’ Brooklyn gig five weeks prior, Roth had visited Klein in Windsor Terrace and told him that the album’s release was confirmed for early September — later than they’d hoped, a result\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>of overwhelmed vinyl pressing plants. “I had to tell him that the record was coming out on Sept. 2,” Roth says. “He was a little disappointed by that. It was rough.” The announcement of the release date, the drop of the first song, the all-too-aptly named title track, the building buzz in the press — all are facets of the experience Klein missed, unfolding barely a month after his passing. “I think that everyone top to bottom here feels like a certain sense of duty with that record,” Roth continues. “It’s not just because Dan is gone; it’s because it’s such a beautiful record, and everybody feels like it’s so important to get that record out to people. Obviously that task becomes a little more solemn. It feels a little more important. Mostly, it’s very sad. But it’s a great record, man.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Roth, the Frightnrs’ commitment to the real deal is what made them a perfect addition to the label’s roster. Klein, the Patels and Terrana looked to many of the same soul singers of the ’60s and ’70s for inspiration that Roth, Jones, the Dap-Kings and the Daptone roster at large have while building their reputation, and that kinship is rooted in more than old-school appreciation and well-worn suits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The way they’re making music is the way we make music,” Roth says. “It’s the same kind of love and respect, and soulful, not in the way of aping some style or trying to co-opt something that’s not yours, but in the way of just being honest and making music that feels good and raw, stripping all the bulls*** out of the process, just systematically dismantling something until the only thing that’s left is the real part of it. That, to me, is what that their record has. It has this real raw, naked kind of soul to it, which is what we aspire to as far as Daptone and the way we try to make records. The way that Victor recorded it, the way it’s put together, it was just a lot of balls and a lot of heart, and not a lot of bulls***.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking to Klein in his final days, it was apparent he’d been thinking about what the album meant to him, especially now that he likely wouldn’t live to see its release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The songs that I wrote were my personal stories of relationships and personal growth, and what I was going through before I knew I was sick,” he said. “I wish my relationship to the songs was that I can’t wait to go sing them live on tour, opening for other Daptone acts. But now it’s more what I’m leaving behind. It makes it more significant in that way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is where a first chapter turns to a final one, where a debut becomes a legacy. The swift loss of life is devastating enough, but to extinguish the Frightnrs’ run just as the flame of their success was beginning to spark feels especially, needlessly cruel on the part of fate. And yet, from the most difficult challenges one can face, \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> emerged as a polished, seemingly effortless work of art. Though Klein’s passing is deeply felt by those who knew him and the artists he counted as friends and family, the strength of the album, and knowledge of the superhuman determination it required to make it at such a breakneck pace, comfort in the wake of grief. \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> is not just a premiere, not just a meticulously crafted and ruthlessly good record of unique reggae that could only be created by crate-digging kids that call the Queens County Jamaica home instead of the Caribbean one. It’s an uppercut straight to the chin of mortality, thrown by some of the best musicians in the business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Klein may have been trying really hard — during his cover photo shoot, during the vocal sessions he tracked with the clock running out — for the big break he didn’t get to fully realize. But he wasn’t alone. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=The+Tragic+Turn+of+the+Frightnrs%27+First+%E2%80%94+And+Last+%E2%80%94+Record&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 3309,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 30
},
"modified": 1705033234,
"excerpt": "How a retro reggae band crafted a triumphant Daptone Records debut, all while racing against the most intimidating deadline possible.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "How a retro reggae band crafted a triumphant Daptone Records debut, all while racing against the most intimidating deadline possible.",
"title": "The Tragic Turn of the Frightnrs' First — and Last — Record | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "The Tragic Turn of the Frightnrs' First — and Last — Record",
"datePublished": "2016-08-23T13:44:08-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T20:20:34-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "the-tragic-turn-of-the-frightnrs-first-and-last-record",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=490958536&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Hilary Hughes",
"nprStoryDate": "Tue, 23 Aug 2016 11:15:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Tue, 23 Aug 2016 12:54:24 -0400",
"sticky": false,
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2016/08/23/490958536/the-tragic-turn-of-the-frightnrs-first-and-last-record?ft=nprml&f=490958536",
"nprImageAgency": "Courtesy of the artist",
"nprImageCredit": "Kisha Bari",
"nprStoryId": "490958536",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Tue, 23 Aug 2016 12:54:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/11971684/the-tragic-turn-of-the-frightnrs-first-and-last-record",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>“That’s frickin’ \u003cem>sick!\u003c/em>”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the moment when Dan Klein, singer of the retro reggae outfit the Frightnrs, saw the finished cover of his band’s first full-length album, \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em>, he was sitting in his apartment in Windsor Terrace, situated in a narrow strip of blocks between Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and Greenwood Cemetery. On the cover, Klein is crouching, all sharp angles: hunched shoulders, bent elbows and knees. His bandmates, Rich Terrana, Chuck Patel and Preet Patel stand in a row to his left, upright, their jackets just as wrinkled at the joints as Klein’s, just lived-in enough, the level of worn that comes from breaking them out for special occasions and big gigs. Their frontman’s eyes are fixed to the ground, but Terrana and the Patels gaze at the lens, the vibe calmed by the violet rendering of the original photo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cover reflects the thought and care the Frightnrs have put into their streamlined, vintage sensibility that emerged as the Jamaica, Queens-based group found its footing in a scene shaped by “years of ska-punk crossover and a lot of fake, white-rasta stage antics,” as Klein put it. “We wanted to come across as the Rat Pack,” he said of the musicians’ aesthetic and penchant for ’70s rhythms that distanced them from their peers. “We wanted to be sharp. We wanted to wear suits, be dark, get down to business, all ‘\u003cem>This is New York\u003c/em>.’ We looked like a soul band, and we also enjoy a lot of Motown, doo-wop, blues and gospel music, and I think that comes out in our music.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s an effortless cool to the cover of \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> that matches the music inside, and a discussion of this — of “cool” as a state of being, a vibe, a reflex or an instinct — brought an intense shine to Klein’s eyes. “Because of circumstances, this record is particularly significant, because it’s going to be our only record,” he said. “Everybody wanted to make sure it’s just right. It turns out we already had some pictures from last year that were very much appropriate for what we’re going for. It didn’t even occur to anybody that we’d want to use those. I’m really relieved. Those pictures were the right ones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That afternoon, Klein, having long since lost the ability to crouch the way he does on the album cover, was sitting upright thanks to the chair he now spent his days in, a position that facilitated breathing with the help of a machine that routinely filled his lungs. As he looked again at the artwork — which Gabe Roth, the founder of Klein’s label, Daptone Records, had finalized just a few days before — the comment was made that the guys come off as the epitome of cool, that they don’t even look like they’re trying to nail the shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Really?” Klein paused. The machine clicked. He breathed. “I’m trying really hard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> was supposed to be a collection of triumphant firsts for the Frightnrs, for Daptone, for everyone involved in the project. It is the Frightnrs’ first full-length album, and it follows three EPs, the most recent of them being \u003cem>Inna Lover’s Quarrel\u003c/em>, which Mad Decent put out last September. It is the first reggae album released by Daptone, the first deviation for the Bushwick-based label — best known for championing artists with hard-lived stories to tell, like \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/15325312/sharon-jones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/175953068/charles-bradley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Charles Bradley\u003c/a> — from its brassy, funk-laden foundation of soul (save for its recently launched rock imprint, Wick Records). It is the first record produced by Victor Axelrod, a.k.a. “Ticklah,” for the label, which is a doubly special event considering his close Daptone ties: An organist / piano player / man-on-the-keys of different persuasions and a prolific reggae composer based in Brooklyn, Axelrod has been around since the days before the Dap-Kings and \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/15158396/antibalas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Antibalas\u003c/a>, back when members of both outlets played together as the Soul Providers in North Brooklyn in the late ’90s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is also singular for being the first album Daptone will release following the death of one of the artists who made it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11971686\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-1180x1180.jpg\" alt=\"The cover art of 'Nothing More to Say'.\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11971686\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-400x400.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-600x600.jpg 600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-1920x1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-960x960.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-32x32.jpg 32w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-50x50.jpg 50w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-64x64.jpg 64w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-96x96.jpg 96w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-128x128.jpg 128w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e-150x150.jpg 150w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/dap-042-lp_f-largea_enl-070780570b46c9d14474ed36f4958585e516c54e.jpg 1990w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cover art of ‘Nothing More to Say’. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of the band)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On June 8, Klein, in spite of the concerns of his family and caregivers, went to Prospect Park to see Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings perform. Axelrod, who plays with the Dap-Kings for special occasions, joined them onstage that day, having heard about the difficult year Jones was having; she’s in the process of battling cancer for the second time. Klein sent a simple “Nicely done, sir!” text to Axelrod following the gig. He succumbed to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, in the hours following the performance. The illness had first seeped into his muscles, making them feel strained and foreign, in the summer of 2015, just days after he and the Frightnrs began recording\u003cem> Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> with Axelrod at Daptone’s House of Soul studio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Things were moving along and going well, but there was this lingering issue of, ‘What the hell is wrong with Dan? Why is he being such a drag?'” Axelrod recalls in a conversation several weeks after Klein’s death. “It was during that week in the studio that his symptoms started to manifest to the point where he was really struggling to sing and was complaining about feeling lousy and weak the whole time. This continued for the rest of the summer into the fall, when we were recording his lead vocals, but it wasn’t until the end of November that we all learned what was going on with him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ALS is a brutal and efficient disorder in which fatigue and weakness are eventually followed by loss of motor function and muscular degeneration, but its invasion of the body offers no exact timeline. Immediately following Klein’s diagnosis, the Frightnrs, Axelrod and Daptone found themselves challenged on two fronts: by their own stubborn standards for creating a superlative record with Daptone’s trademark throwback vibe, and by the mechanics it takes to do that on an intimidating and tragic deadline. From November onward, pressure forged the backbone of \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em>: The Frightnrs’ time with Klein was finite, as was their opportunity to cut the record with Axelrod, and they needed to work through their anguish before Klein lost his ability to breathe, and to sing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Axelrod says urgency was in the air long before anyone knew Klein was sick: Now that the Frightnrs, Axelrod and Daptone had found each other, they didn’t want to wait to get \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> out of the House of Soul and onto turntables.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>“The profound change in the energy surrounding the album was that it went from the normal process of working on music to meet a label deadline to working on the album as quickly as possible in an attempt to have it released before Dan passed away,” he says. “It was a horrible feeling to work with. It felt ugly and surreal for all of us in the final months of completing the record. We got through it and did everything we needed to do. I just think it felt like we all had 50-pound weights strapped to our chests while we did it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Axelrod spent two days snaking wires and finagling mics to zero in on the time-traveling sound of \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em>. His microscopic approach to the technical minutiae isn’t simply the process of a perfectionist: It’s both reflective of Axelrod’s commitment to a band he’s believed in for years and an economical strategy, considering the suffocating deadlines and Klein’s declining health. Through the window by the soundboard at the House of Soul, one can see into the recording room, where Klein cut his vocals in the same spot that \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/15159821/amy-winehouse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amy Winehouse\u003c/a> sang her way through some of \u003cem>Back to Black\u003c/em>‘s most beloved tracks and Sharon Jones gave voice to \u003cem>Give the People What They Want \u003c/em>just before her own fight against a deadly illness nearly derailed her career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not uncommon to have very little time to record with a group of people and therefore rush through this initial process, only to have some possibly deep regrets later,” Axelrod says of his meticulous preparations. “I went into the studio with the idea that there would be a certain character to the sound of the record, which was to be established up front rather than on the back end. Everyone was patient with me, thankfully. The songs were all pretty new to everyone involved, so it was also a good way to just get settled in — for them to play a lot and go over the songs while I turned knobs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Axelrod saw the Frightnrs for the first time in 2011 at Otto’s Shrunken Head, a tiki bar in the East Village that serves tropical drinks and hosts small shows in its back room. Their idiosyncrasies and instrumental flourishes struck him immediately. “There were subtleties in their playing and the way they sang together that really resonated with me,” he recalls. “Dan’s energy was simultaneously subdued and manic. He looked so uncomfortable with himself, but there was a sound that came from him that had everyone in the room mesmerized for the whole show.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This sound, which harkens back to the soul-inflected stylings of ’60s and ’70s reggae, hit Axelrod’s ear as informed and appreciative. This was hardly a band participating in musical tourism, but a band that lived and breathed vintage reggae — Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/15374434/toots-the-maytals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Toots and the Maytals\u003c/a> — and studied up on how these Jamaican singers were informed by the soulful hits coming out of Motown a decade prior, a tie that would later lay the foundation of its relationship with Daptone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='”100%”' height='”166″'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/271731134″&visual=true&”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false”'\n title='”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/271731134″'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are all kinds of different rhythmic and textural approaches that are a part of the history of this genre, and it’s not all late-’70s \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/artists/15283623/bob-marley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bob Marley\u003c/a>,” Axelrod says. “I could hear that the Frightnrs were loving and learning from different aspects of reggae that I also love and try to learn from. I can’t say that about too many other groups of musicians. They’re also a great example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. They know how to play together — with each other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easy to picture Axelrod staring down a stubborn microphone as he coaxes it into position to record Terrana’s metallic cymbal hits or Patel’s bobbing bass lines: The dual pulses of the rhythm section were stronger as a unit, and stronger still when recorded to the same track, even if it meant hours of additional setup time and a riskier endeavor to tackle in post, if need be. But it was Klein’s voice — a resonant, somber tenor that took on the tone of a begging lover (“Gotta Find a Way”), a cheeky fighter (“Trouble In Here”) or a frustrated romantic whose best intentions have been defeated (“All My Tears”) — that stood out to Axelrod as a vital organ of \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’ll notice there are no Jamaican accents on this record,” Klein said in May, his Brooklyn lilt serving as a point of pride that further differentiates the Frightnrs from other like-sounding acts. “I sing in my regular voice; I sing as an American.” Some singers belt and wail and give off the impression that these could be the last notes they ever sing. The intensity of Klein’s delivery doesn’t squander the sad truth that the notes heard on \u003cem>Nothing More To Say\u003c/em> are, in fact, the last he would ever lay to tape. “Despite the fact that his symptoms had taken hold by the time we began recording his vocals, I feel like, more than ever, Dan really found his voice as a singer and writer for this album,” Axelrod says. “I think the lyrics and melodies that Dan wrote for this album show the depth of his talent like never before.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Klein was a part of the process up until his passing, checking in with Daptone to see about a confirmed release date and offering his insight on the tracks in mastering when he could bring himself to do so. “I would check my emails sometimes, listen to things,” he said. “There were things that Victor would hear that I wouldn’t; certain guys in my band would hear things. I don’t have the same amazing ear for details. I was so desperate for the thing to be completed that I’d be more inclined to be like, ‘That’s awesome, let’s go, let’s go!’ Half of me was overexcited and maybe not critical enough, and then the other half of me didn’t want to listen to it because I didn’t want to cry. There are songs on this album that I never got to sing in front of an audience. That’s a bummer, you know? I’m really proud of it. I think we did a good job. We had the best help we could get.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think everybody feels a certain onus as far as making this record happen,” Roth says, sitting on the couch behind the engineer’s chair at the House of Soul. He lives in Riverside, Calif., but was in New York in July on Daptone business, checking in with his staff, working on tracks for the forthcoming Sharon Jones album and surveying the pieces of the \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> puzzle that had started coming together. On the morning of the Dap-Kings’ Brooklyn gig five weeks prior, Roth had visited Klein in Windsor Terrace and told him that the album’s release was confirmed for early September — later than they’d hoped, a result\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>of overwhelmed vinyl pressing plants. “I had to tell him that the record was coming out on Sept. 2,” Roth says. “He was a little disappointed by that. It was rough.” The announcement of the release date, the drop of the first song, the all-too-aptly named title track, the building buzz in the press — all are facets of the experience Klein missed, unfolding barely a month after his passing. “I think that everyone top to bottom here feels like a certain sense of duty with that record,” Roth continues. “It’s not just because Dan is gone; it’s because it’s such a beautiful record, and everybody feels like it’s so important to get that record out to people. Obviously that task becomes a little more solemn. It feels a little more important. Mostly, it’s very sad. But it’s a great record, man.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Roth, the Frightnrs’ commitment to the real deal is what made them a perfect addition to the label’s roster. Klein, the Patels and Terrana looked to many of the same soul singers of the ’60s and ’70s for inspiration that Roth, Jones, the Dap-Kings and the Daptone roster at large have while building their reputation, and that kinship is rooted in more than old-school appreciation and well-worn suits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The way they’re making music is the way we make music,” Roth says. “It’s the same kind of love and respect, and soulful, not in the way of aping some style or trying to co-opt something that’s not yours, but in the way of just being honest and making music that feels good and raw, stripping all the bulls*** out of the process, just systematically dismantling something until the only thing that’s left is the real part of it. That, to me, is what that their record has. It has this real raw, naked kind of soul to it, which is what we aspire to as far as Daptone and the way we try to make records. The way that Victor recorded it, the way it’s put together, it was just a lot of balls and a lot of heart, and not a lot of bulls***.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking to Klein in his final days, it was apparent he’d been thinking about what the album meant to him, especially now that he likely wouldn’t live to see its release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The songs that I wrote were my personal stories of relationships and personal growth, and what I was going through before I knew I was sick,” he said. “I wish my relationship to the songs was that I can’t wait to go sing them live on tour, opening for other Daptone acts. But now it’s more what I’m leaving behind. It makes it more significant in that way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is where a first chapter turns to a final one, where a debut becomes a legacy. The swift loss of life is devastating enough, but to extinguish the Frightnrs’ run just as the flame of their success was beginning to spark feels especially, needlessly cruel on the part of fate. And yet, from the most difficult challenges one can face, \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> emerged as a polished, seemingly effortless work of art. Though Klein’s passing is deeply felt by those who knew him and the artists he counted as friends and family, the strength of the album, and knowledge of the superhuman determination it required to make it at such a breakneck pace, comfort in the wake of grief. \u003cem>Nothing More to Say\u003c/em> is not just a premiere, not just a meticulously crafted and ruthlessly good record of unique reggae that could only be created by crate-digging kids that call the Queens County Jamaica home instead of the Caribbean one. It’s an uppercut straight to the chin of mortality, thrown by some of the best musicians in the business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Klein may have been trying really hard — during his cover photo shoot, during the vocal sessions he tracked with the clock running out — for the big break he didn’t get to fully realize. But he wasn’t alone. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=The+Tragic+Turn+of+the+Frightnrs%27+First+%E2%80%94+And+Last+%E2%80%94+Record&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/11971684/the-tragic-turn-of-the-frightnrs-first-and-last-record",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_11971684"
],
"categories": [
"arts_69",
"arts_235"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1119",
"arts_1118",
"arts_596"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_11971685",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_11967358": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_11967358",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11967358",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1471893204000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1471893204,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Lou Pearlman, Boy Band Manager and Ponzi Schemer, Dies in Prison",
"headTitle": "Lou Pearlman, Boy Band Manager and Ponzi Schemer, Dies in Prison | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Lou Pearlman, the impresario behind boy band giants such as the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, has died in prison while serving a 25-year sentence tied to a $300 million Ponzi scheme.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Federal Bureau of Prisons said 62-year-old Pearlman died Friday, without specifying a cause of death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with the Ponzi scheme allegations, Pearlman faced accusations of sexual misconduct against numerous young boy band members, \u003ca href=\"http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/11/pearlman200711\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">first detailed in a 2007 Vanity Fair article\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some, especially the teenagers, shrugged and giggled when he showed them pornographic movies or jumped naked on their beds in the morning to wrestle and play. Others, it appears, didn’t get off so easily,” the article read. “For any number of young men who sought to join the world’s greatest boy bands, Big Poppa’s attentions were an open secret, the price some paid for fame.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearlman had denied the allegations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearlman started in the aviation industry but shifted focus in the early ’90s to music. As NPR’s Rebecca Hersher told our Newscast unit, “Pearlman created the Backstreet Boys in 1993, after funding a talent search for young musicians in the Orlando area. The quintet went on to become the best-selling boy band ever.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He later managed other successful boy bands such as *NSYNC, LFO, Take 5 and O-Town. But as Becky reported, “his pop empire fell apart when he was accused of pocketing the profits of his young proteges, and Florida regulators uncovered a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearlman “was ultimately sued by every act he represented except one,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7480171/lou-pearlman-dead\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to Billboard\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lou-pearlman-backstreet-boys-n-sync-svengali-dead-at-62-w435453\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">As Rolling Stone reported\u003c/a>, he fled the country but was taken into custody in Bali in 2007 and “indicted on charges of conspiracy, money laundering and making false statements.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The elaborate scheme involved “nearly 2,000 investors, many of them elderly Florida retirees,” and took place over the course of 15 years, as \u003cem>Vanity Fair\u003c/em> reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/jtimberlake/status/767366499585568768\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/IamCKirkpatrick/status/767167056416542722\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reaction to his death from former band members hints at complicated relationships. “I hope he found some peace. God bless and RIP, Lou Pearlman,” \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/jtimberlake/status/767366499585568768\">wrote Justin Timberlake\u003c/a>. “Mixed emotions right now, but RIP Lou Pearlman,” *NSYNC’s \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/IamCKirkpatrick/status/767167056416542722\">Chris Kirkpatrick tweeted\u003c/a>. Lance Bass \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/LanceBass/status/767136214692474880\">of *NSYNC wrote\u003c/a>, “He might not have been a stand up businessman, but I wouldn’t be doing what I love today [without] his influence.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearlman “clung tenaciously to the notion that he can conquer the charts once more” during his time in prison, \u003ca href=\"http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/backstreet-boys-lou-pearlmans-prison-672724\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">as The Hollywood Reporter wrote in 2014\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I deeply regret what happened,” he said in the interview with THR. “And I’ll be back.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Lou+Pearlman%2C+Boy+Band+Manager+And+Ponzi+Schemer%2C+Dies+In+Prison&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 490,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 15
},
"modified": 1705033247,
"excerpt": "Lou Pearlman, the impresario behind boy band giants such as the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, has died in prison while serving a 25-year sentence tied to a $300 million Ponzi scheme.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Lou Pearlman, the impresario behind boy band giants such as the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, has died in prison while serving a 25-year sentence tied to a $300 million Ponzi scheme.",
"title": "Lou Pearlman, Boy Band Manager and Ponzi Schemer, Dies in Prison | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Lou Pearlman, Boy Band Manager and Ponzi Schemer, Dies in Prison",
"datePublished": "2016-08-22T12:13:24-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T20:20:47-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "lou-pearlman-boy-band-manager-and-ponzi-schemer-dies-in-prison",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=490826928&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Merrit Kennedy",
"nprStoryDate": "Sun, 21 Aug 2016 13:46:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Mon, 22 Aug 2016 12:11:35 -0400",
"sticky": false,
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/21/490826928/lou-pearlman-backstreet-boys-nsync-boy-bands-dies-in-prison?ft=nprml&f=490826928",
"nprImageAgency": "WireImage/Getty Images",
"nprImageCredit": "Mark Weiss",
"nprStoryId": "490826928",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Mon, 22 Aug 2016 12:11:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/11967358/lou-pearlman-boy-band-manager-and-ponzi-schemer-dies-in-prison",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Lou Pearlman, the impresario behind boy band giants such as the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, has died in prison while serving a 25-year sentence tied to a $300 million Ponzi scheme.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Federal Bureau of Prisons said 62-year-old Pearlman died Friday, without specifying a cause of death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with the Ponzi scheme allegations, Pearlman faced accusations of sexual misconduct against numerous young boy band members, \u003ca href=\"http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/11/pearlman200711\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">first detailed in a 2007 Vanity Fair article\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some, especially the teenagers, shrugged and giggled when he showed them pornographic movies or jumped naked on their beds in the morning to wrestle and play. Others, it appears, didn’t get off so easily,” the article read. “For any number of young men who sought to join the world’s greatest boy bands, Big Poppa’s attentions were an open secret, the price some paid for fame.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearlman had denied the allegations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearlman started in the aviation industry but shifted focus in the early ’90s to music. As NPR’s Rebecca Hersher told our Newscast unit, “Pearlman created the Backstreet Boys in 1993, after funding a talent search for young musicians in the Orlando area. The quintet went on to become the best-selling boy band ever.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He later managed other successful boy bands such as *NSYNC, LFO, Take 5 and O-Town. But as Becky reported, “his pop empire fell apart when he was accused of pocketing the profits of his young proteges, and Florida regulators uncovered a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearlman “was ultimately sued by every act he represented except one,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7480171/lou-pearlman-dead\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to Billboard\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lou-pearlman-backstreet-boys-n-sync-svengali-dead-at-62-w435453\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">As Rolling Stone reported\u003c/a>, he fled the country but was taken into custody in Bali in 2007 and “indicted on charges of conspiracy, money laundering and making false statements.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The elaborate scheme involved “nearly 2,000 investors, many of them elderly Florida retirees,” and took place over the course of 15 years, as \u003cem>Vanity Fair\u003c/em> reported.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "767366499585568768"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "767167056416542722"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The reaction to his death from former band members hints at complicated relationships. “I hope he found some peace. God bless and RIP, Lou Pearlman,” \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/jtimberlake/status/767366499585568768\">wrote Justin Timberlake\u003c/a>. “Mixed emotions right now, but RIP Lou Pearlman,” *NSYNC’s \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/IamCKirkpatrick/status/767167056416542722\">Chris Kirkpatrick tweeted\u003c/a>. Lance Bass \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/LanceBass/status/767136214692474880\">of *NSYNC wrote\u003c/a>, “He might not have been a stand up businessman, but I wouldn’t be doing what I love today [without] his influence.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pearlman “clung tenaciously to the notion that he can conquer the charts once more” during his time in prison, \u003ca href=\"http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/backstreet-boys-lou-pearlmans-prison-672724\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">as The Hollywood Reporter wrote in 2014\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I deeply regret what happened,” he said in the interview with THR. “And I’ll be back.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Lou+Pearlman%2C+Boy+Band+Manager+And+Ponzi+Schemer%2C+Dies+In+Prison&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/11967358/lou-pearlman-boy-band-manager-and-ponzi-schemer-dies-in-prison",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_11967358"
],
"categories": [
"arts_69",
"arts_235"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1118",
"arts_596",
"arts_1091"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_11967359",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_11952825": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_11952825",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11952825",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1471618817000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1471618817,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Dreamlike 'Kubo And The Two Strings' Offers A Gorgeous, Richly Textured Adventure",
"headTitle": "Dreamlike ‘Kubo And The Two Strings’ Offers A Gorgeous, Richly Textured Adventure | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>With dark bangs draped over an eyepatch, a stack of colorful origami paper, and a two-stringed, lute-like instrument called a \u003cem>shamisen\u003c/em> strapped to his back, young Kubo heads into a seaside village to put on a street performance for spare change. As he rocks the \u003cem>shamisen\u003c/em> like the Joe Satriani of ancient Japan, the origami paper dances to life around him, folding into sharply edged characters and objects, and occasionally bursting into ribbons of confetti. He tells the legend of a great samurai warrior named Hanzo and the evil force that takes many forms in an effort to take him down. Kubo holds the villagers rapt, but inevitably disappoints them. He doesn’t know how the story ends. It will be his quest to find out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you must blink, do it now” are the first words spoken in \u003cem>Kubo and the Two Strings\u003c/em>, a line that doubles as a primer and a brag about the abstract wonders to come. The film is asking the audience to accept every off-the-wall premise that it’s given, up to and including a \u003cem>shamisen\u003c/em> that can part a tidal wave or making origami figures dance like the runaway mops in Disney’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” There’s a strong internal logic to the dense mythology it creates, but first the barriers between life and death, reality and fantasy, and past and present must come down. In the magical world of \u003cem>Kubo\u003c/em>, these walls are transformed into pathways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/p4-6qJzeb3A\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fourth and, to date, best film from Laika, the Portland-based animation house responsible for \u003cem>Coraline\u003c/em>, \u003cem>ParaNorman\u003c/em>, and \u003cem>The Boxtrolls\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Kubo and the Two Strings\u003c/em> has more in common with the serene eccentricities of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki (\u003cem>My Neighbor Totoro\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Spirited Away\u003c/em>) than American brands like Disney/Pixar, Blue Sky Studios, or Illumination Entertainment. Though the tactility and dimension of its 3D stop-motion process sets Laika apart, \u003cem>Kubo\u003c/em> has a specific faith that younger viewers will readily accept a world that has nothing in common with their own, save for the yearning of a child to complete his story and understand who he is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simply stated, the film is about Kubo’s quest to locate three items that will help protect him from the wrathful Moon King: the Sword Unbreakable, the Armor Impenetrable, and the Helmet Invulnerable. And it’s important to hold onto that basic goal, because the particulars of his adventure resist tidy description. Living in a rock cave with his sick mother, Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson) discovers a terrible vendetta against them from his evil aunts, who appear like black-shroud ghosts in a Japanese horror picture, and the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), his grandfather, who plucked out his eye as an infant and wants to claim the other one, too. (Another expectation of younger viewers: They’ll be able to withstand a little darkness.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Kubo is catapulted to a frosty, unfamiliar landscape, he gets some guidance on his journey from Monkey (Charlize Theron), an ally who materializes from a wooden totem his mother gave him, and a goofy human-insect hybrid named Beetle (Matthew McConaughey). They are pursued by supernatural threats that can appear in many different forms and their destination is so obscure that only Kubo’s dreams hint at where to go—and even then, it’s not a place that could be found by any compass or map.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the topography of the imagination, there are no discernible trails leading from one location to the next. The greatness of \u003cem>Kubo and the Two Strings\u003c/em> is convincing the audience to understand that immediately and intuit their way through a narrative that must be experienced to be understood. Director Travis Knight and his animators make Kubo’s street performance a model for the film itself, which constructs an entire world out of origami paper—sharp-angled yet colorful and delicate, capable of folding into many different shapes and objects while subject to dramatic change, like being crumpled and thrown into the wastebasket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With \u003cem>Kubo\u003c/em>, Laika adds more texture to the dark beauty that’s been the house style since \u003cem>Coraline\u003c/em>, but it’s more emotionally expansive, too. There’s plenty of wry humor and samurai action to lighten the mood and a young hero who learns that decency, as much as courage and tenacity, can save the world. The film empowers children (and adults) to share in that idealism and dream along with it.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 770,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 9
},
"modified": 1705033263,
"excerpt": "The latest animated film from Laika Studios owes more to the emotional impressionism of Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki than the comparatively rigid and familiar story structure of Disney/Pixar.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The latest animated film from Laika Studios owes more to the emotional impressionism of Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki than the comparatively rigid and familiar story structure of Disney/Pixar.",
"title": "Dreamlike 'Kubo And The Two Strings' Offers A Gorgeous, Richly Textured Adventure | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Dreamlike 'Kubo And The Two Strings' Offers A Gorgeous, Richly Textured Adventure",
"datePublished": "2016-08-19T08:00:17-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T20:21:03-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "dreamlike-kubo-and-the-two-strings-offers-a-gorgeous-richly-textured-adventure",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=490254864&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Scott Tobias",
"nprStoryDate": "Thu, 18 Aug 2016 17:00:13 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Thu, 18 Aug 2016 17:00:13 -0400",
"sticky": false,
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/2016/08/18/490254864/dreamlike-kubo-and-the-two-strings-offers-a-gorgeous-richly-textured-adventure?ft=nprml&f=490254864",
"nprImageAgency": "LAIKA / Focus Features",
"nprStoryId": "490254864",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Thu, 18 Aug 2016 17:00:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/11952825/dreamlike-kubo-and-the-two-strings-offers-a-gorgeous-richly-textured-adventure",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>With dark bangs draped over an eyepatch, a stack of colorful origami paper, and a two-stringed, lute-like instrument called a \u003cem>shamisen\u003c/em> strapped to his back, young Kubo heads into a seaside village to put on a street performance for spare change. As he rocks the \u003cem>shamisen\u003c/em> like the Joe Satriani of ancient Japan, the origami paper dances to life around him, folding into sharply edged characters and objects, and occasionally bursting into ribbons of confetti. He tells the legend of a great samurai warrior named Hanzo and the evil force that takes many forms in an effort to take him down. Kubo holds the villagers rapt, but inevitably disappoints them. He doesn’t know how the story ends. It will be his quest to find out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you must blink, do it now” are the first words spoken in \u003cem>Kubo and the Two Strings\u003c/em>, a line that doubles as a primer and a brag about the abstract wonders to come. The film is asking the audience to accept every off-the-wall premise that it’s given, up to and including a \u003cem>shamisen\u003c/em> that can part a tidal wave or making origami figures dance like the runaway mops in Disney’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” There’s a strong internal logic to the dense mythology it creates, but first the barriers between life and death, reality and fantasy, and past and present must come down. In the magical world of \u003cem>Kubo\u003c/em>, these walls are transformed into pathways.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/p4-6qJzeb3A'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/p4-6qJzeb3A'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The fourth and, to date, best film from Laika, the Portland-based animation house responsible for \u003cem>Coraline\u003c/em>, \u003cem>ParaNorman\u003c/em>, and \u003cem>The Boxtrolls\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Kubo and the Two Strings\u003c/em> has more in common with the serene eccentricities of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki (\u003cem>My Neighbor Totoro\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Spirited Away\u003c/em>) than American brands like Disney/Pixar, Blue Sky Studios, or Illumination Entertainment. Though the tactility and dimension of its 3D stop-motion process sets Laika apart, \u003cem>Kubo\u003c/em> has a specific faith that younger viewers will readily accept a world that has nothing in common with their own, save for the yearning of a child to complete his story and understand who he is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Simply stated, the film is about Kubo’s quest to locate three items that will help protect him from the wrathful Moon King: the Sword Unbreakable, the Armor Impenetrable, and the Helmet Invulnerable. And it’s important to hold onto that basic goal, because the particulars of his adventure resist tidy description. Living in a rock cave with his sick mother, Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson) discovers a terrible vendetta against them from his evil aunts, who appear like black-shroud ghosts in a Japanese horror picture, and the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), his grandfather, who plucked out his eye as an infant and wants to claim the other one, too. (Another expectation of younger viewers: They’ll be able to withstand a little darkness.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Kubo is catapulted to a frosty, unfamiliar landscape, he gets some guidance on his journey from Monkey (Charlize Theron), an ally who materializes from a wooden totem his mother gave him, and a goofy human-insect hybrid named Beetle (Matthew McConaughey). They are pursued by supernatural threats that can appear in many different forms and their destination is so obscure that only Kubo’s dreams hint at where to go—and even then, it’s not a place that could be found by any compass or map.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the topography of the imagination, there are no discernible trails leading from one location to the next. The greatness of \u003cem>Kubo and the Two Strings\u003c/em> is convincing the audience to understand that immediately and intuit their way through a narrative that must be experienced to be understood. Director Travis Knight and his animators make Kubo’s street performance a model for the film itself, which constructs an entire world out of origami paper—sharp-angled yet colorful and delicate, capable of folding into many different shapes and objects while subject to dramatic change, like being crumpled and thrown into the wastebasket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With \u003cem>Kubo\u003c/em>, Laika adds more texture to the dark beauty that’s been the house style since \u003cem>Coraline\u003c/em>, but it’s more emotionally expansive, too. There’s plenty of wry humor and samurai action to lighten the mood and a young hero who learns that decency, as much as courage and tenacity, can save the world. The film empowers children (and adults) to share in that idealism and dream along with it.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/11952825/dreamlike-kubo-and-the-two-strings-offers-a-gorgeous-richly-textured-adventure",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_11952825"
],
"categories": [
"arts_74"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1118",
"arts_769"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_11952826",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_11948186": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_11948186",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11948186",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1471465694000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "painter-romaine-brooks-challenged-conventions-in-shades-of-gray",
"title": "Painter Romaine Brooks Challenged Conventions in Shades of Gray",
"publishDate": 1471465694,
"format": "aside",
"headTitle": "Painter Romaine Brooks Challenged Conventions in Shades of Gray | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 137,
"site": "arts"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Twentieth century painter Romaine Brooks introduces herself in a 1923 self-portrait: She wears a narrowly cut, long, black riding jacket with a white blouse. She has short cropped hair, and her eyes are shadowed by a black high hat. There’s the slightest smudge of maybe pink on her lips — otherwise the whole portrait is black and various shades of gray.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11948187\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff-677x1180.jpg\" alt=\"A wealthy American living in Paris, Romaine Brooks had the freedom to paint whatever and however she wanted. Don't let her sober, 1923 'Self-Portrait' fool you — Smithsonian curator Virginia Mecklenburg says in the 1910s and 1920s, Brooks and her circle of friends had plenty of fun in Paris.\" width=\"640\" height=\"1116\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11948187\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff-677x1180.jpg 677w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff-400x697.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff-344x600.jpg 344w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff-768x1339.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff.jpg 803w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A wealthy American living in Paris, Romaine Brooks had the freedom to paint whatever and however she wanted. Don’t let her sober, 1923 ‘Self-Portrait’ fool you — Smithsonian curator Virginia Mecklenburg says in the 1910s and 1920s, Brooks and her circle of friends had plenty of fun in Paris. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>An American who lived in Paris, Brooks conveys loneliness, strength and vulnerability, says Joe Lucchesi, consulting curator of \u003ca href=\"http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2016/brooks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an exhibit of Brooks’ work\u003c/a> at the Smithsonian — “a kind of careworn but very strong presence all combined in one.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brooks painted androgynous women and depicted nudes so melancholy they’d make Renoir’s pink ladies weep. She left most of her work to the American Art Museum, where her work is currently on view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The women she paints share a severe palette and a certain mood. In their man-tailored jackets, their aesthetic sensibilities, their intense love relationships, Brooks’ women moved in the artistic circles of 1920s Paris. Poets, novelists, socialites, photographers and painters, they were fashionable and rich. Their money helped insulate them from social constraints of their day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Brooks’ case, money freed her to paint whatever and however she wanted — the unconventional, androgynous women, the limited, gloomy palette — and to ignore what her Big Guy contemporaries were doing — Picasso and Matisse, whose vivid and revolutionary canvases filled the homes of Gertrude Stein and family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She really painted as though Picasso and Matisse didn’t exist,” Lucchesi says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11948188\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-1180x648.jpg\" alt=\"Brooks' 1910 "Azalées Blanches" (White Azaleas) recalls Édouard Manet's 1863 "Olympia."\" width=\"640\" height=\"351\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11948188\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-1180x648.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-400x220.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-800x439.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-768x422.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-960x527.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brooks’ 1910 “Azalées Blanches” (White Azaleas) recalls Édouard Manet’s 1863 “Olympia.” \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Critics liked her, but she didn’t sell much — she didn’t have to. She’d inherited a fortune after a miserable childhood (her unpublished memoir is called \u003cem>No Pleasant Memories\u003c/em>). And so Brooks could mix her whites and blacks into shades of grays and paint \u003cem>White Azaleas\u003c/em> — her 1910 take on Édouard Manet’s famous \u003ca href=\"http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/search.html?no_cache=1&zoom=1&tx_damzoom_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=4042\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Olympia\u003c/a>, nude reclining on couch, staring into space, as a servant brings her a huge arrangement of flowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s wistful in some ways,” says Smithsonian curator Virginia Mecklenburg. “Wistful, maybe wishful also, but there’s an erotic undertone to Brooks’ nudes. There is some sort of a longing … if not [for] sexual encounter, for emotional intimacy is probably a better way to put it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11948189\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-851x1180.jpg\" alt='Brooks sold reproductions of her 1914 \"La France Croisée\" to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I.' width=\"640\" height=\"887\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11948189\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-851x1180.jpg 851w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-400x554.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-433x600.jpg 433w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-768x1065.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-960x1331.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63.jpg 1010w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brooks sold reproductions of her 1914 “La France Croisée” to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her bare body twists in our direction — she’s making herself very available. But there’s no come hither in the twist, just melancholy gloom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brooks and her circle of wealthy women lead gloomy lives on canvas, but Mecklenburg says on the streets, it was different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They were having a good time in Paris in the teens and the ’20s,” she says. “On the Bois de Boulogne, taking carriage rides, on horses, going to parties, there was a really active, high-energy, friendly, fun relationship among all these women.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At \u003ca href=\"http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2016/brooks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Romaine Brooks show\u003c/a> at the American Art Museum, you might wish some of that fun showed up on the canvases — but what \u003cem>is \u003c/em>there is a brave sense of modernity and freedom. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Painter+Romaine+Brooks+Challenged+Conventions+In+Shades+Of+Gray&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "A wealthy American living in Paris, Brooks had the freedom to paint whatever and however she wanted. In a subtle but powerful palette, she depicted androgynous women and melancholy nudes.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1726771081,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 14,
"wordCount": 668
},
"headData": {
"title": "Painter Romaine Brooks Challenged Conventions in Shades of Gray | KQED",
"description": "A wealthy American living in Paris, Brooks had the freedom to paint whatever and however she wanted. In a subtle but powerful palette, she depicted androgynous women and melancholy nudes.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Painter Romaine Brooks Challenged Conventions in Shades of Gray",
"datePublished": "2016-08-17T13:28:14-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-19T11:38:01-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Susan Stamberg",
"nprImageAgency": "Smithsonian American Art Museum",
"nprStoryId": "489757481",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=489757481&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/2016/08/17/489757481/painter-romaine-brooks-challenged-conventions-in-shades-of-gray?ft=nprml&f=489757481",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Wed, 17 Aug 2016 11:36:00 -0400",
"nprStoryDate": "Wed, 17 Aug 2016 04:35:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Wed, 17 Aug 2016 11:36:46 -0400",
"nprAudio": "http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2016/08/20160817_me_painter_romaine_brooks_challenged_conventions_in_shades_of_gray.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1141&d=212&p=3&story=489757481&t=progseg&e=490300864&seg=9&ft=nprml&f=489757481",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/1490314081-8d23f6.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1141&d=212&p=3&story=489757481&t=progseg&e=490300864&seg=9&ft=nprml&f=489757481",
"path": "/arts/11948186/painter-romaine-brooks-challenged-conventions-in-shades-of-gray",
"audioUrl": "http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2016/08/20160817_me_painter_romaine_brooks_challenged_conventions_in_shades_of_gray.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1141&d=212&p=3&story=489757481&t=progseg&e=490300864&seg=9&ft=nprml&f=489757481",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Twentieth century painter Romaine Brooks introduces herself in a 1923 self-portrait: She wears a narrowly cut, long, black riding jacket with a white blouse. She has short cropped hair, and her eyes are shadowed by a black high hat. There’s the slightest smudge of maybe pink on her lips — otherwise the whole portrait is black and various shades of gray.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11948187\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff-677x1180.jpg\" alt=\"A wealthy American living in Paris, Romaine Brooks had the freedom to paint whatever and however she wanted. Don't let her sober, 1923 'Self-Portrait' fool you — Smithsonian curator Virginia Mecklenburg says in the 1910s and 1920s, Brooks and her circle of friends had plenty of fun in Paris.\" width=\"640\" height=\"1116\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11948187\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff-677x1180.jpg 677w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff-400x697.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff-344x600.jpg 344w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff-768x1339.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_self-portrait_enl-3c3d466eb8610513d8fe77325b60b6c184b593ff.jpg 803w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A wealthy American living in Paris, Romaine Brooks had the freedom to paint whatever and however she wanted. Don’t let her sober, 1923 ‘Self-Portrait’ fool you — Smithsonian curator Virginia Mecklenburg says in the 1910s and 1920s, Brooks and her circle of friends had plenty of fun in Paris. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>An American who lived in Paris, Brooks conveys loneliness, strength and vulnerability, says Joe Lucchesi, consulting curator of \u003ca href=\"http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2016/brooks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an exhibit of Brooks’ work\u003c/a> at the Smithsonian — “a kind of careworn but very strong presence all combined in one.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brooks painted androgynous women and depicted nudes so melancholy they’d make Renoir’s pink ladies weep. She left most of her work to the American Art Museum, where her work is currently on view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The women she paints share a severe palette and a certain mood. In their man-tailored jackets, their aesthetic sensibilities, their intense love relationships, Brooks’ women moved in the artistic circles of 1920s Paris. Poets, novelists, socialites, photographers and painters, they were fashionable and rich. Their money helped insulate them from social constraints of their day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Brooks’ case, money freed her to paint whatever and however she wanted — the unconventional, androgynous women, the limited, gloomy palette — and to ignore what her Big Guy contemporaries were doing — Picasso and Matisse, whose vivid and revolutionary canvases filled the homes of Gertrude Stein and family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She really painted as though Picasso and Matisse didn’t exist,” Lucchesi says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11948188\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-1180x648.jpg\" alt=\"Brooks' 1910 "Azalées Blanches" (White Azaleas) recalls Édouard Manet's 1863 "Olympia."\" width=\"640\" height=\"351\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11948188\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-1180x648.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-400x220.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-800x439.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-768x422.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1-960x527.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_azalees-blanches_enl-dd3383d4135d4e09406d9c3fd471bb34737d84d1.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brooks’ 1910 “Azalées Blanches” (White Azaleas) recalls Édouard Manet’s 1863 “Olympia.” \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Critics liked her, but she didn’t sell much — she didn’t have to. She’d inherited a fortune after a miserable childhood (her unpublished memoir is called \u003cem>No Pleasant Memories\u003c/em>). And so Brooks could mix her whites and blacks into shades of grays and paint \u003cem>White Azaleas\u003c/em> — her 1910 take on Édouard Manet’s famous \u003ca href=\"http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/search.html?no_cache=1&zoom=1&tx_damzoom_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=4042\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Olympia\u003c/a>, nude reclining on couch, staring into space, as a servant brings her a huge arrangement of flowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s wistful in some ways,” says Smithsonian curator Virginia Mecklenburg. “Wistful, maybe wishful also, but there’s an erotic undertone to Brooks’ nudes. There is some sort of a longing … if not [for] sexual encounter, for emotional intimacy is probably a better way to put it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11948189\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-851x1180.jpg\" alt='Brooks sold reproductions of her 1914 \"La France Croisée\" to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I.' width=\"640\" height=\"887\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11948189\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-851x1180.jpg 851w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-400x554.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-433x600.jpg 433w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-768x1065.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63-960x1331.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/brooks_la-france-croisee_enl-bbdc97994926f28b6a3eecccec7a2a167fcd7a63.jpg 1010w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brooks sold reproductions of her 1914 “La France Croisée” to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her bare body twists in our direction — she’s making herself very available. But there’s no come hither in the twist, just melancholy gloom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brooks and her circle of wealthy women lead gloomy lives on canvas, but Mecklenburg says on the streets, it was different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They were having a good time in Paris in the teens and the ’20s,” she says. “On the Bois de Boulogne, taking carriage rides, on horses, going to parties, there was a really active, high-energy, friendly, fun relationship among all these women.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At \u003ca href=\"http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2016/brooks/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Romaine Brooks show\u003c/a> at the American Art Museum, you might wish some of that fun showed up on the canvases — but what \u003cem>is \u003c/em>there is a brave sense of modernity and freedom. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Painter+Romaine+Brooks+Challenged+Conventions+In+Shades+Of+Gray&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/11948186/painter-romaine-brooks-challenged-conventions-in-shades-of-gray",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_11948186"
],
"categories": [
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1118",
"arts_596",
"arts_1427"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_11948213",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_11944221": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_11944221",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11944221",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1471380553000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1471380553,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Philly Artist Tastes the Rainbow and Saves the Wrappers",
"headTitle": "Philly Artist Tastes the Rainbow and Saves the Wrappers | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Sean Brown knows his way around a candy shop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My candy knowledge is pretty crazy,” he says. “Put me up against anyone in a candy battle — and I’ll beat them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11944223\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 433px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e-433x600.jpg\" alt=\"Philly-based artist Sean Brown transforms the refuse from candy wrappers into art.\" width=\"433\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11944223\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e-433x600.jpg 433w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e-400x554.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e-768x1064.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e-852x1180.jpg 852w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e.jpg 866w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 433px) 100vw, 433px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Philly-based artist Sean Brown transforms the refuse from candy wrappers into art. \u003ccite>(Photo: Veronica Perez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"https://seanebrown.wordpress.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brown\u003c/a> is less interested in the candy than the wrappers. For the past five years, this Philly-based artist and (full disclosure!) former neighbor of mine, has been transforming the refuse from Skittles, Tootsie Pops, Starburst, Mamba — and whatever other candy he can get his hands on — into works of art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of the pieces celebrate famous individuals or pay homage to the artists who inspire him. He’s done \u003ca href=\"https://seanebrown.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/st.jpg\">Questlove\u003c/a> in Tootsie Pops and \u003ca href=\"https://seanebrown.wordpress.com/2016/07/29/marilyn/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Warhol’s “Marilyn”\u003c/a> in Tootsie Pops, Mamba, Starburst and Andes Creme de Menthe Thins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown, who’s been working as an artist since graduating from the Art Institute of Philadelphia in 2007, presents his work in art shows primarily in the Philadelphia and New York areas. His next show is this Sunday at \u003ca href=\"http://www.madgallerynyc.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MAD Gallery\u003c/a> in New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s sold over 100 of his candy wrapper works, which ranged in price from $50 for a simple depiction of a banana to $5,000 for a detailed remake of a Gustav Klimt work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His hues are limited by his candy wrapper palette — which turns out to be no limitation at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11944224\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-960x1180.jpg\" alt='\"I Saw the Figure 5 in Starburst.\" Starburst wrappers, acrylic and ink on canvas. 2011.' width=\"640\" height=\"787\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11944224\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-960x1180.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-400x492.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-488x600.jpg 488w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-768x944.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-1180x1451.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2.jpg 1627w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“I Saw the Figure 5 in Starburst.” Starburst wrappers, acrylic and ink on canvas. 2011. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Sean Brown)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I had always liked taking candy wrappers off as neatly as possible, and I always liked to keep them as flat as possible,” Brown says. “One day I was sitting with a friend and eating a bunch of candy and I looked at the pile of trash and I thought, ‘I’m going to use this.’… I started putting them on canvasses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown’s first candy wrapper piece was a take on the painting “\u003ca href=\"http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/488315\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold\u003c/a>” by Charles Demuth. Then he moved on to Warhol and Lichtenstein.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The paintings that I liked, I would recreate but with candy wrappers,” Brown says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11944225\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-885x1180.jpg\" alt=\"At Brown's studio in Philadelphia, he stores candy wrappers by kind and color in Ziploc bags.\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11944225\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-885x1180.jpg 885w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-400x533.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-450x600.jpg 450w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At Brown’s studio in Philadelphia, he stores candy wrappers by kind and color in Ziploc bags. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Sean Brown)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At Brown’s art shows, he lays out a pile of candy along with a bucket that says, “Enjoy the candy! (I want your wrapper).”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, he says, “I mostly like other people to eat [the candy]. I’m trying to save myself the diabetes.” He gets a lot of wrappers from donations through word of mouth. “People get excited about the idea,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tootsie Roll has also sent him boxes of candy and rolls of uncut wrappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11944226\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-882x1180.jpg\" alt='\"Nat Geo Too.\" Tootsie Pop, Tootsie Roll Frooties, Mamba, Starburst, Now and Later and Andes Creme de Menthe Thins wrappers with gold leaf and ink on wood. 2015.' width=\"640\" height=\"856\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11944226\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-882x1180.jpg 882w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-400x535.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-449x600.jpg 449w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-768x1027.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-1180x1579.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-960x1284.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773.jpg 1495w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Nat Geo Too.” Tootsie Pop, Tootsie Roll Frooties, Mamba, Starburst, Now and Later and Andes Creme de Menthe Thins wrappers with gold leaf and ink on wood. 2015. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Sean Brown)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Brown describes the Starburst color palette as grand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Starburst has 11 different shades of red” and also offers good flesh tones, he explains. “Mamba actually also has really good flesh tones. I think I like them better than Starburst. They’re softer and creamier.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown is now working on a series he calls Mary POPpuns where — you guessed it — all the works involve puns. He’s already completed the series’s title piece, which relies heavily on lollipop wrappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown envisions candy wrappers will be a part of his art for years to come. “Candy is not going anywhere and they are always going to come out with new flavors and new colors. And [candy] offers that piece of nostalgia for some people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11944227\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-885x1180.jpg\" alt=\""Mary Jane's Bones & Bows." Mary Jane wrappers with ink and acrylic screen print on canvas. Artwork by Sean Brown. 2012.\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11944227\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-885x1180.jpg 885w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-400x533.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-450x600.jpg 450w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Mary Jane’s Bones & Bows.” Mary Jane wrappers with ink and acrylic screen print on canvas. Artwork by Sean Brown. 2012. \u003ccite>(Photo: Carolyn Beans)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nostalgia is exactly what prompted my brother to buy me this piece, one of 99 bananas that make up a Warhol-inspired series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My grandmother kept a cabinet full of candy within easy reach of her grand kids. I always went for the Mary Janes. But I never thought to save the wrappers. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Philly+Artist+Tastes+The+Rainbow+And+Saves+The+Wrappers&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 764,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 21
},
"modified": 1705033300,
"excerpt": "Philly-based artist Sean Brown transforms the refuse from Skittles, Tootsie Pops, Starburst, Mamba — and whatever other candy he can get his hands on — into works of art.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Philly-based artist Sean Brown transforms the refuse from Skittles, Tootsie Pops, Starburst, Mamba — and whatever other candy he can get his hands on — into works of art.",
"title": "Philly Artist Tastes the Rainbow and Saves the Wrappers | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Philly Artist Tastes the Rainbow and Saves the Wrappers",
"datePublished": "2016-08-16T13:49:13-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T20:21:40-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "philly-artist-tastes-the-rainbow-and-saves-the-wrappers",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=489305156&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Carolyn Beans",
"nprStoryDate": "Sat, 13 Aug 2016 08:00:17 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Sat, 13 Aug 2016 08:00:17 -0400",
"sticky": false,
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/13/489305156/philly-artist-tastes-the-rainbow-and-saves-the-wrappers?ft=nprml&f=489305156",
"nprImageAgency": "Courtesy of Sean Brown",
"nprStoryId": "489305156",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Sat, 13 Aug 2016 08:00:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/11944221/philly-artist-tastes-the-rainbow-and-saves-the-wrappers",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Sean Brown knows his way around a candy shop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My candy knowledge is pretty crazy,” he says. “Put me up against anyone in a candy battle — and I’ll beat them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11944223\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 433px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e-433x600.jpg\" alt=\"Philly-based artist Sean Brown transforms the refuse from candy wrappers into art.\" width=\"433\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11944223\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e-433x600.jpg 433w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e-400x554.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e-768x1064.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e-852x1180.jpg 852w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/seanbrown_enl-738b3b517930f9010f3a26ff907a7732c754b40e.jpg 866w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 433px) 100vw, 433px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Philly-based artist Sean Brown transforms the refuse from candy wrappers into art. \u003ccite>(Photo: Veronica Perez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But \u003ca href=\"https://seanebrown.wordpress.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brown\u003c/a> is less interested in the candy than the wrappers. For the past five years, this Philly-based artist and (full disclosure!) former neighbor of mine, has been transforming the refuse from Skittles, Tootsie Pops, Starburst, Mamba — and whatever other candy he can get his hands on — into works of art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of the pieces celebrate famous individuals or pay homage to the artists who inspire him. He’s done \u003ca href=\"https://seanebrown.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/st.jpg\">Questlove\u003c/a> in Tootsie Pops and \u003ca href=\"https://seanebrown.wordpress.com/2016/07/29/marilyn/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Warhol’s “Marilyn”\u003c/a> in Tootsie Pops, Mamba, Starburst and Andes Creme de Menthe Thins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown, who’s been working as an artist since graduating from the Art Institute of Philadelphia in 2007, presents his work in art shows primarily in the Philadelphia and New York areas. His next show is this Sunday at \u003ca href=\"http://www.madgallerynyc.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MAD Gallery\u003c/a> in New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s sold over 100 of his candy wrapper works, which ranged in price from $50 for a simple depiction of a banana to $5,000 for a detailed remake of a Gustav Klimt work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His hues are limited by his candy wrapper palette — which turns out to be no limitation at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11944224\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-960x1180.jpg\" alt='\"I Saw the Figure 5 in Starburst.\" Starburst wrappers, acrylic and ink on canvas. 2011.' width=\"640\" height=\"787\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11944224\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-960x1180.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-400x492.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-488x600.jpg 488w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-768x944.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2-1180x1451.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/number-5_small_enl-cedfd92f650839dbb40d581f6822e5661a8ddbb2.jpg 1627w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“I Saw the Figure 5 in Starburst.” Starburst wrappers, acrylic and ink on canvas. 2011. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Sean Brown)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I had always liked taking candy wrappers off as neatly as possible, and I always liked to keep them as flat as possible,” Brown says. “One day I was sitting with a friend and eating a bunch of candy and I looked at the pile of trash and I thought, ‘I’m going to use this.’… I started putting them on canvasses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown’s first candy wrapper piece was a take on the painting “\u003ca href=\"http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/488315\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold\u003c/a>” by Charles Demuth. Then he moved on to Warhol and Lichtenstein.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The paintings that I liked, I would recreate but with candy wrappers,” Brown says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11944225\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-885x1180.jpg\" alt=\"At Brown's studio in Philadelphia, he stores candy wrappers by kind and color in Ziploc bags.\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11944225\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-885x1180.jpg 885w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-400x533.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-450x600.jpg 450w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/wrapper-palette-3_small_enl-e85d4e4ef18644307abf5aba647b6d495ef4be85.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At Brown’s studio in Philadelphia, he stores candy wrappers by kind and color in Ziploc bags. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Sean Brown)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At Brown’s art shows, he lays out a pile of candy along with a bucket that says, “Enjoy the candy! (I want your wrapper).”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These days, he says, “I mostly like other people to eat [the candy]. I’m trying to save myself the diabetes.” He gets a lot of wrappers from donations through word of mouth. “People get excited about the idea,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tootsie Roll has also sent him boxes of candy and rolls of uncut wrappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11944226\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-882x1180.jpg\" alt='\"Nat Geo Too.\" Tootsie Pop, Tootsie Roll Frooties, Mamba, Starburst, Now and Later and Andes Creme de Menthe Thins wrappers with gold leaf and ink on wood. 2015.' width=\"640\" height=\"856\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11944226\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-882x1180.jpg 882w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-400x535.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-449x600.jpg 449w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-768x1027.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-1180x1579.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773-960x1284.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/nat-geo_small_enl-dfc9554796c353d3e33a897c2eebf7919358a773.jpg 1495w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Nat Geo Too.” Tootsie Pop, Tootsie Roll Frooties, Mamba, Starburst, Now and Later and Andes Creme de Menthe Thins wrappers with gold leaf and ink on wood. 2015. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Sean Brown)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Brown describes the Starburst color palette as grand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Starburst has 11 different shades of red” and also offers good flesh tones, he explains. “Mamba actually also has really good flesh tones. I think I like them better than Starburst. They’re softer and creamier.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown is now working on a series he calls Mary POPpuns where — you guessed it — all the works involve puns. He’s already completed the series’s title piece, which relies heavily on lollipop wrappers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown envisions candy wrappers will be a part of his art for years to come. “Candy is not going anywhere and they are always going to come out with new flavors and new colors. And [candy] offers that piece of nostalgia for some people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11944227\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-885x1180.jpg\" alt=\""Mary Jane's Bones & Bows." Mary Jane wrappers with ink and acrylic screen print on canvas. Artwork by Sean Brown. 2012.\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11944227\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-885x1180.jpg 885w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-400x533.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-450x600.jpg 450w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-1180x1573.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603-960x1280.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/08/banana_small_enl-bf4e3c9584e8864fdb70d1540d0a32c2cd8e1603.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">“Mary Jane’s Bones & Bows.” Mary Jane wrappers with ink and acrylic screen print on canvas. Artwork by Sean Brown. 2012. \u003ccite>(Photo: Carolyn Beans)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nostalgia is exactly what prompted my brother to buy me this piece, one of 99 bananas that make up a Warhol-inspired series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My grandmother kept a cabinet full of candy within easy reach of her grand kids. I always went for the Mary Janes. But I never thought to save the wrappers. \u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Philly+Artist+Tastes+The+Rainbow+And+Saves+The+Wrappers&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/11944221/philly-artist-tastes-the-rainbow-and-saves-the-wrappers",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_11944221"
],
"categories": [
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1118",
"arts_596",
"arts_1427"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_11944222",
"label": "arts_137"
},
"arts_11932158": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_11932158",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "11932158",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1471118943000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "arts",
"term": 137
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1471118943,
"format": "standard",
"title": "'Star Wars' Actor Kenny Baker, Who Played R2-D2, has Died",
"headTitle": "‘Star Wars’ Actor Kenny Baker, Who Played R2-D2, has Died | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Rarely has an actor not seen or heard made such a big impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kenny Baker, the actor who played R2-D2 in six of the Star Wars films, died Saturday, his agent confirms to NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Standing at 3 feet 8 inches tall, the British actor also appeared in \u003cem>The Elephant Man\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Time Bandits\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Flash Gordon\u003c/em>, among other films.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He was just a lovely guy,” said agent Johnny Mans, “and I shall miss him terribly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baker rose to fame in 1977 as R2-D2 in the first \u003cem>Star Wars\u003c/em>, the speechless droid “counterpart” to the chatty C-3PO. Mans says that Baker told people that was his favorite role, though he enjoyed being actually seen in other roles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baker suffered from chest problems in his later years and was confined to a wheelchair more recently, but he would still sign autographs, Mans says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baker was born in Birmingham, England and began performing at age 16 “as a circus clown, nightclub performer and in pantomime,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37072736?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to the BBC\u003c/a>. He was part of a comedy and music duo called the “Mini Tones” with partner Jack Purvis before beginning in the movie business, Mans says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mans recalls that Baker didn’t always want to be treated differently because of his height.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people used to, when they were talking to him, they would bend down and talk to Kenny because he was short,” he recalls. “And he used to say to them, ‘Listen, I’m short, not deaf.’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baker’s niece Abigail Shield \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/13/kenny-baker-r2-d2-dies-star-wars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told The Guardian\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cp>“It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless. He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world. We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>He was found Saturday morning by his nephew. Baker is survived by two sons, a niece and nephew. His wife Eileen died in 1993, the BBC reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In speaking to NPR, Mans called Baker “a great friend” who “will be sadly missed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tributes to Baker poured in from fans and colleagues on Twitter: \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/764532827001991168\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/DarickR/status/764524387659808772\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/20thcenturyfox/status/764518830370656256\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/Daniel_Logan/status/764515749960581121\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/pettycommajared/status/764522737675173888\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27Star+Wars%27+Actor+Kenny+Baker%2C+Who+Played+R2-D2%2C+Has+Died&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 430,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 16
},
"modified": 1705033318,
"excerpt": "Best known for playing R2-D2 in six Star Wars films, a role where he was unseen, the actor was found Saturday morning by his nephew.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Best known for playing R2-D2 in six Star Wars films, a role where he was unseen, the actor was found Saturday morning by his nephew.",
"title": "'Star Wars' Actor Kenny Baker, Who Played R2-D2, has Died | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "'Star Wars' Actor Kenny Baker, Who Played R2-D2, has Died",
"datePublished": "2016-08-13T13:09:03-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-11T20:21:58-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "star-wars-actor-kenny-baker-who-played-r2-d2-has-died",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=489908274&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "James Doubek",
"nprStoryDate": "Sat, 13 Aug 2016 15:08:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Sat, 13 Aug 2016 15:18:06 -0400",
"sticky": false,
"nprHtmlLink": "http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/08/13/489908274/star-wars-actor-kenny-baker-who-played-r2-d2-has-died?ft=nprml&f=489908274",
"nprImageAgency": "AP",
"nprImageCredit": "Reed Saxon",
"nprStoryId": "489908274",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Sat, 13 Aug 2016 15:08:00 -0400",
"path": "/arts/11932158/star-wars-actor-kenny-baker-who-played-r2-d2-has-died",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Rarely has an actor not seen or heard made such a big impact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kenny Baker, the actor who played R2-D2 in six of the Star Wars films, died Saturday, his agent confirms to NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Standing at 3 feet 8 inches tall, the British actor also appeared in \u003cem>The Elephant Man\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Time Bandits\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Flash Gordon\u003c/em>, among other films.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He was just a lovely guy,” said agent Johnny Mans, “and I shall miss him terribly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baker rose to fame in 1977 as R2-D2 in the first \u003cem>Star Wars\u003c/em>, the speechless droid “counterpart” to the chatty C-3PO. Mans says that Baker told people that was his favorite role, though he enjoyed being actually seen in other roles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baker suffered from chest problems in his later years and was confined to a wheelchair more recently, but he would still sign autographs, Mans says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baker was born in Birmingham, England and began performing at age 16 “as a circus clown, nightclub performer and in pantomime,” \u003ca href=\"http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37072736?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to the BBC\u003c/a>. He was part of a comedy and music duo called the “Mini Tones” with partner Jack Purvis before beginning in the movie business, Mans says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mans recalls that Baker didn’t always want to be treated differently because of his height.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of people used to, when they were talking to him, they would bend down and talk to Kenny because he was short,” he recalls. “And he used to say to them, ‘Listen, I’m short, not deaf.’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baker’s niece Abigail Shield \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/13/kenny-baker-r2-d2-dies-star-wars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told The Guardian\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cp>“It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless. He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world. We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>He was found Saturday morning by his nephew. Baker is survived by two sons, a niece and nephew. His wife Eileen died in 1993, the BBC reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In speaking to NPR, Mans called Baker “a great friend” who “will be sadly missed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tributes to Baker poured in from fans and colleagues on Twitter: \u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "764532827001991168"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "764524387659808772"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "764518830370656256"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "764515749960581121"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "764522737675173888"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27Star+Wars%27+Actor+Kenny+Baker%2C+Who+Played+R2-D2%2C+Has+Died&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/11932158/star-wars-actor-kenny-baker-who-played-r2-d2-has-died",
"authors": [
"byline_arts_11932158"
],
"categories": [
"arts_74",
"arts_75"
],
"tags": [
"arts_1118",
"arts_596",
"arts_1091",
"arts_1427"
],
"affiliates": [
"arts_137"
],
"featImg": "arts_11932159",
"label": "arts_137"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/arts?affiliate=npr": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 2088,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 2506,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"arts_12005479",
"arts_12001274",
"arts_11983556",
"arts_11981343",
"arts_11975582",
"arts_11975409",
"arts_11971684",
"arts_11967358",
"arts_11952825",
"arts_11948186",
"arts_11944221",
"arts_11932158"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts_affiliate_npr": {
"isLoading": true
},
"arts_137": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_137",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "137",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2014/04/logo-npr-lg1.png",
"name": "NPR",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "affiliate",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "NPR Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 138,
"slug": "npr",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/affiliate/npr"
},
"arts_70": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_70",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "70",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Visual Arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Visual Arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 71,
"slug": "visualarts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/visualarts"
},
"arts_1118": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1118",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1118",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1135,
"slug": "featured",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/featured"
},
"arts_596": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_596",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "596",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "ntv",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "ntv Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 602,
"slug": "ntv",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/ntv"
},
"arts_1427": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1427",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1427",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wire",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wire Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1439,
"slug": "wire",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/wire"
},
"arts_235": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_235",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "235",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 236,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/news"
},
"arts_1091": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1091",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1091",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "obit",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "obit Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1108,
"slug": "obit",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/obit"
},
"arts_74": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_74",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "74",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Movies",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Movies Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 75,
"slug": "movies",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/movies"
},
"arts_990": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_990",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "990",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "TV",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "TV Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1008,
"slug": "tv",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/tv"
},
"arts_1119": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1119",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1119",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "feature",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "feature Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1136,
"slug": "feature",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/feature"
},
"arts_769": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_769",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "769",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "review",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "review Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 787,
"slug": "review",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/review"
},
"arts_69": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_69",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "69",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Music",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Music Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 70,
"slug": "music",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/music"
},
"arts_73": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_73",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "73",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Books",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Books Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 74,
"slug": "literature",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/literature"
},
"arts_75": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_75",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "75",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Pop Culture",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Pop Culture Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 76,
"slug": "popculture",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/popculture"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
}
}
