Studio 360 With Kurt Andersen

The Peabody Award–winning show from PRI.

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About the Show

Studio 360 is a smart and surprising guide to what’s happening in pop culture and the arts. Each week, Kurt introduces the people who are creating and shaping our culture. Life is busy—so let Studio 360 steer you to the must-see movie this weekend, the next book for your nightstand, or the song that will change your life. Produced in association with Slate.

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Shades of Noir

How film noir inspired Portishead’s album Dummy, gave novelist Karen Russell a creative breakthrough, and launched the career of composer Carter Burwell.

Touring Edgar Allan Poe’s Baltimore With Laura Lippman

The acclaimed mystery writer tells Kurt about her fascination with Poe, and why Baltimore is a “good noir town.”

Taking Stock of Woodstock

The oddity of Sha Na Na at Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix’s searing performance of the national anthem, how Sly and the Family Stone’s album Stand! sounded a note of hope in a turbulent time, and the surprising, life-changing influence of that other Woodstock—the Peanuts character.

Hallelujah

How Leonard Cohen lives on for artists and fans, Nick Waterhouse performs live, and why Bim Adewunmi still loves the Sweet Valley High books.

Remembering Toni Morrison

In a 2014 interview, the late Nobel Prize laureate explains why she began writing: She couldn’t find the novels she wanted to read.

American Icons: Mad magazine

Along with serving up a generous helping of dirty-ish jokes and goofy parodies, Mad magazine changed the way we consume pop culture and how we talk about world affairs.

American Icons: Moby-Dick

In this Peabody Award–winning show, Kurt Andersen sets sail in search of the great white whale.

John Leguizamo for Dummies

Plus how the updated version of Oklahoma! took a bold approach to choreography, and trying to bring peace to L.A. gangs after Nipsey Hussle’s death.

This Woman’s Work: The B-52’s

How the debut B-52s album wedded punk with fun.

On a High Note

A chorus of stories about singers: Billie Holiday’s Lady Sings the Blues, Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir, and the Silver Lake Chorus.

How Sword of Trust Made Conspiracy Theories Hilarious

Lynn Shelton on her new movie Sword of Trust, a studio visit to see how Ursula von Rydingsvard makes her enigmatic sculptures, and how the villain from One Hundred and One Dalmatians changed everything for a fourth grade boy.

The Craft of John Leguizamo’s Lasting Impressions

How the comedian dissolves into multitudes of characters, from his mother to Andrew Jackson, in his one-man plays.

Live With Studio 360!

Onstage with Yo La Tengo, Aasif Mandvi, and Friends Who Folk.

Los Espookys, Stonewall on Film, and Mistaking “Multiple Discoveries” for Stolen Ideas

Julio Torres and Ana Fabrega of Los Espookys, what Hollywood gets wrong about Stonewall, and when two artists independently come up with the same original-seeming idea.

American Icons: Shaft

This is a new American hero.

John Cameron Mitchell, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, and a Doom Metal Schoolteacher

John Cameron Mitchell’s podcast musical about a cancer patient, Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s tragically funny novel about divorce, and how Steve Von Till balances being a metal guitarist in Neurosis and an elementary school teacher.

Nick Waterhouse: Live on Studio 360

How Van Morrison and John Lee Hooker inspired the retro-styled music of Nick Waterhouse.

The Spektor of Performing on Broadway

How Regina Spektor prepared for Broadway, plus the real drama behind Salt of the Earth, and finding oneself through Finding Nemo.

Deadwood Creator David Milch on Swearing and Swearengen

“There are no rules out here. Do not expect to be treated with a complicated civility.”

Booksmart’s Besties, and Ishtar Reconsidered

Why Elaine May’s 1987 flop Ishtar deserved better, the stars of Booksmart on their favorite on-screen friendships, and how watching Star Trek as a boy changed everything for Ronald D. Moore.