Studio 360 With Kurt Andersen

The Peabody Award-winning show from PRI.

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.

Dec 12, 2019

Raising a Glass … to Glass!

A whole episode about the cultural impact of glass, from Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie and Bauhaus-inspired glass skyscrapers to composer Philip Glass and unbroken glass ceilings.

Dec 10, 2019

Extra: New York Icons: The Brill Building

How a bunch of teenagers in a midtown Manhattan office building changed pop music.

Dec 05, 2019

The Talent Behind The Talented Mr. Ripley

American Icons looks at Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley novels, perfumer Tanwi Nandini Islam creates a fragrance based on Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and writer Sadie Stein goes to bat for the word moist.

Dec 03, 2019

From Aria Code: The Shattered Illusions of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly

The aria “Un bel dì vedremo” captures Butterfly’s unwavering faith in her reunion with her American husband and her unflagging desire for a better life.

Nov 28, 2019

Is Knives and Skin Today’s Heathers?

Director Jennifer Reeder on her new film, Knives and Skin.

Nov 26, 2019

Extra: The Classical Side of Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis and the evolution of the swing rhythm, but with a classical twist.

Nov 21, 2019

Why Lynda Barry Loves The Family Circus

Lynda Barry’s Guilty Pleasure, giving Willa Cather’s My Ántonia its due, and Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins on why he’s not always trying to paint the prettiest picture.

Nov 19, 2019

Extra: New York Icons: West Side Story

This is the show that changed the Broadway musical—and how New York City sees itself.

Nov 14, 2019

New York Icons: The Bell Jar and Siembra

What Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and the landmark salsa album Siembra owe to New York City.

Nov 12, 2019

Extra: Guilty Pleasure: Comic Sans

The widely loathed font serves a noble purpose.

Nov 07, 2019

Mark Morris’ Musical Mind

The choreographer’s musical obsessions, Carmen Maria Machado on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and how Rocky and Bullwinkle was the Simpsons of its time.

Nov 05, 2019

Why Should Tenors Have All the Fun?

Jamie Barton puts a bisexual spin on classical music.

Oct 31, 2019

American Icons: The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe

These are the stories that introduced America to its dark side.

Oct 29, 2019

New York Icons: The Bell Jar

The making of The Bell Jar and the unmaking of its author.

Oct 24, 2019

Why Michelle Obama’s Portraitist Will Only Paint African Americans

The portraits of everyday people Amy Sherald painted after her official Michelle Obama portrait, and the unlikely making—and legacy—of “96 Tears,” by ? and the Mysterians.