Vincent Cunningham
Appearances
The New Yorker Radio Hour
The Writer Katie Kitamura on Autonomy, Interpretation, and “Audition”
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
The Writer Katie Kitamura on Autonomy, Interpretation, and “Audition”
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Sara Bareilles Talks with Rachel Syme
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Sara Bareilles Talks with Rachel Syme
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Sara Bareilles Talks with Rachel Syme
Yeah, that's not the right question. The question is, why would they do such a stupid thing? Yeah, that is the question, isn't it? Yeah, that's the question.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Donald Trump Is Trying to Rewrite the Rules of Capitalism
A lot of times, big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Alan Cumming on “The Traitors” and His Brush with Reality Television
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Alan Cumming on “The Traitors” and His Brush with Reality Television
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Alan Cumming on “The Traitors” and His Brush with Reality Television
Yeah, that's not the right question. The question is, why would they do such a stupid thing? Yeah, that is the question, isn't it? Yeah, that's the question.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A Historical Epic of the Chinese in America
The Catholic Church was made for this moment. I think 2,000 years ago, the Catholic Church basically anticipated TikTok, Instagram, X. You don't have those little Swiss guard outfits and think they're not being photographed. Oil painting is not enough.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A Historical Epic of the Chinese in America
The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Our theme music was composed and performed by Meryl Garbus of Tune Yards, with additional music by Louis Mitchell.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A Historical Epic of the Chinese in America
This episode was produced by Max Balton, Adam Howard, David Krasnow, Jeffrey Masters, Louis Mitchell, Jared Paul, and Ursula Sommer, with guidance from Emily Botin and assistance from Michael May, David Gable, Alex Parrish, Victor Guan, and Alejandra Deckett. The New Yorker Radio Hour is supported in part by the Cherena Endowment Fund.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A Historical Epic of the Chinese in America
This is the New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A Historical Epic of the Chinese in America
Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Returning to a Home Consumed by the Wildfires
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Returning to a Home Consumed by the Wildfires
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Returning to a Home Consumed by the Wildfires
And we had special assistance this week from Jonathan Mitchell.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A West Bank Family on the Verge of Annexation
Since WNYC's first broadcast in 1924, we've been dedicated to creating the kind of content we know the world needs. Since then, New York Public Radio's rigorous journalism has gone on to win a Peabody Award and a DuPont Columbia Award, among others.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A West Bank Family on the Verge of Annexation
In addition to this award-winning reporting, your sponsorship also supports inspiring storytelling and extraordinary music that is free and accessible to all. To get in touch and find out more, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A West Bank Family on the Verge of Annexation
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A West Bank Family on the Verge of Annexation
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A West Bank Family on the Verge of Annexation
Smotrich suggested planning for this is already in motion.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A West Bank Family on the Verge of Annexation
Now, that's not the right question. The question is, why would they do such a stupid thing? Yeah, that is the question, isn't it? Yeah, that's the question.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Richard Brody Presents the 2025 Brody Awards
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Richard Brody Presents the 2025 Brody Awards
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
From “On the Media” ’s “Divided Dial”: “Fishing in the Night”
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
From “On the Media” ’s “Divided Dial”: “Fishing in the Night”
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
We the Builders: Federal Employees Stand Up to DOGE; Plus, Celebrating 100 Years: Michael Cunningham on “Brokeback Mountain”
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
We the Builders: Federal Employees Stand Up to DOGE; Plus, Celebrating 100 Years: Michael Cunningham on “Brokeback Mountain”
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
One Environmental Journalist Thinks that the U.S. Needs More Mining
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
One Environmental Journalist Thinks that the U.S. Needs More Mining
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
One Environmental Journalist Thinks that the U.S. Needs More Mining
Now, that's not the right question. The question is, why would they do such a stupid thing? Yeah, that is the question, isn't it? Yeah, that's the question.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Percival Everett’s “James” Wins a Pulitzer
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Percival Everett’s “James” Wins a Pulitzer
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
You know, as I was reading this book, I asked myself, if we are today in the modern world more or less inclined to believe in miracles than the contemporaries of Jesus.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
You've said that you left the faith as a teenager after briefly entering it. You've been through everything in life and more that has to offer, whether it's life and loss and love and its loss and all these things, and have had an incredibly rich scholarly intellectual life. Does religion as such play any role in your life beyond its being a source of your intellectual commitment and study?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
Her new book out next week, a kind of culmination of her career, is called Miracles and Wonder. It takes on some of the central historical controversies of Christianity, including the stories of Immaculate Conception and the Resurrection.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
Well, Judaism also is the one that I know where it's closest to me. It's also a matter of its being a civilization and a language and what language is and a great deal more. It's not just do I believe in God, do I not believe in God.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
Meeting Pagels again 30 years later, I was struck by just how focused she is on the topic of belief in Christian history and how the world of two millennia ago and the historical landscape, the world of the Jews and the Romans and Jesus, is to her so vividly alive. We first met, you're not going to believe this, 30 years ago.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
So is it too banal to ask you if you're a Christian or not?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
What does all your study and experience lead you to think what happens after we die?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
And shortly thereafter, you published a book and I decided to write about you. You had suffered unimaginable loss. First, one of your children had died after a long illness. And then your husband, Heinz Pagels, had an accident and died while hiking. And you told me, and this is a quote from you at that time, I found that in times of grief, the church has little to say. It's just too remote.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
Elaine Pagels is a professor of religion at Princeton University, and her new book is Miracles and Wonder, The Historical Mystery of Jesus. My colleague Adam Gopnik wrote a long, terrific, thoughtful piece about the book, which you can find at newyorker.com. And you can subscribe to the magazine at newyorker.com as well, newyorker.com. I'm David Remnick. Thanks so much for joining us this week.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
How did those losses affect your relationship to faith at that time?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
You describe this scene... It was, I think, at the old Cow Palace in San Francisco where basketball games were played. And you were so taken with Billy Graham, who was, I guess for younger people who are listening, don't know, but Billy Graham was the great evangelist of his day and filled Yankee Stadium and other such places. That's it.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
And you were so swept away as a teenager that in the course of the evening, you were called to Christ.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
So how did you decide to make a life of scholarship in religion? You've now published... the latest book in what I consider a lifelong project. There's a real continuity to all these books. Why did you come to focus on Christianity and some of the lesser-known narratives of Christianity, books that aren't part of the official canon.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
You've given your professional life to this, your intellectual life to this.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
Describe that, because not everybody's had that. How did it change your life and your mind?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
When you were a kid and had this kind of evangelical breakthrough, no matter how fleeting it was, did you think of Jesus as a real person existing in a real historical time or Among political currents, as well as think of him in terms of a kind of supernatural or religious presence.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
It was a cinematic metaphor, but not real.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
If you could, and I know it's an elementary question, but it's crucial to understand it if we're going to get at your work in a deeper way. But we know the New Testament, and we know that there are four Gospels. Right.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
Before Gospels emerged and somehow became canonical in what we know as the New Testament, there was a discovery at a certain point of a gigantic jar by somebody who basically came across it. And broke it open, and inside were texts, some of which were used as, I hate to even think about it, half of them seem to have been burned up most likely, right? Used as kindling for the fire, yes.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
But what survived are what's called the Gnostic Gospels. What are they, and how do they compare to the book of Mark and Matthew?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
This is the New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick. Decades ago, in fact, 30 years ago precisely, I published a piece in the New Yorker with the title The Devil Problem. It was a profile of Elaine Pagels, a scholar of early Christianity, who would also improbably become a best-selling author.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
Why did they emerge and become the canon and the others fell away?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
But why would they be considered heretical?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
I'm talking with the religion scholar Elaine Pagels, and we'll continue in a moment.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
One part of your new book that's already received some, let's just say, attention in the Catholic hierarchy long before publication is your investigation of the narratives of Immaculate Conception. Tell me... How this is still controversial and uncertain 2,000 years later.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
Or any Joseph. Or any Joseph, yes.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
Pagels' 1979 book, The Gnostic Gospels, was scholarly and rigorous, but also accessible outside the academy and widely read. She changed how a lot of people, Christian and those we might call Christian-curious, how they thought about the Bible itself. Pagels went on to write The Origin of Satan, as well as works on Adam and Eve and the Book of Revelation.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
How long has that been in the scholarly discussion, the possibility that Jesus might have been an illegitimate child, to use the old phrase?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
Is it an unspeakable thing among Catholic prelates and in Catholic academia to raise this question?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
So it wasn't an entirely positive review.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elaine Pagels on the Mysteries of Jesus
He thought you were making a mountain out of a molehill.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Bob Menendez Came By His Gold Bars
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Bob Menendez Came By His Gold Bars
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Bob Menendez Came By His Gold Bars
Yeah, that's not the right question. The question is, why would they do such a stupid thing? Yeah, that is the question, isn't it? Yeah, that's the question.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elissa Slotkin to Fellow-Democrats: “Speak in Plain English”
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Elissa Slotkin to Fellow-Democrats: “Speak in Plain English”
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
What Trump Has Got Wrong—and Right—About the War in Ukraine
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
What Trump Has Got Wrong—and Right—About the War in Ukraine
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
What Trump Has Got Wrong—and Right—About the War in Ukraine
Yeah, that's not the right question. The question is, why would they do such a stupid thing? Yeah, that is the question, isn't it? Yeah, that's the question.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Rachel Aviv on Alice Munro’s Family Secrets
The Catholic Church was made for this moment. I think 2,000 years ago, the Catholic Church basically anticipated TikTok, Instagram, X. You don't have those little Swiss guard outfits and think they're not being photographed. Oil painting is not enough.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Rachel Aviv on Alice Munro’s Family Secrets
The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Our theme music was composed and performed by Meryl Garbus of TuneArts, with additional music by Louis Mitchell. This episode was produced by Max Balton, Adam Howard, David Krasnow, Jeffrey Masters, Louis Mitchell, Jared Paul, and Ursula Sommer.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Rachel Aviv on Alice Munro’s Family Secrets
With guidance from Emily Botin and assistance from Michael May, David Gable, Alex Barish, Victor Guan, and Alejandra Deckett. The New Yorker Radio Hour is supported in part by the Cherena Endowment Fund.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Rachel Aviv on Alice Munro’s Family Secrets
This is the New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Does Tim Walz Have Any Regrets?
Yeah, that's not the right question. The question is, why would they do such a stupid thing? Yeah, that is the question, isn't it? Yeah, that's the question.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Does Tim Walz Have Any Regrets?
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Does Tim Walz Have Any Regrets?
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
The Art of Cooking with Ina Garten
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
The Art of Cooking with Ina Garten
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Cory Booker: “America Needs Moral Leadership, and Not Political Leadership”
A lot of times, big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Cory Booker: “America Needs Moral Leadership, and Not Political Leadership”
And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Kaitlan Collins Is Not “Nasty”; She’s Just Doing Her Job
Now, that's not the right question. The question is, why would they do such a stupid thing? Yeah, that is the question, isn't it? Yeah, that's the question.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Kaitlan Collins Is Not “Nasty”; She’s Just Doing Her Job
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Kaitlan Collins Is Not “Nasty”; She’s Just Doing Her Job
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
John Fetterman on Trump’s “Raw Sewage,” and What the Democrats Get Wrong
The Catholic Church was made for this moment. I think 2,000 years ago, the Catholic Church basically anticipated TikTok, Instagram, X. You don't have those little Swiss guard outfits and think they're not being photographed. Oil painting is not enough.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
John Fetterman on Trump’s “Raw Sewage,” and What the Democrats Get Wrong
The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Our theme music was composed and performed by Meryl Garbus of TuneArts, with additional music by Louis Mitchell and Jared Paul. This episode was produced by Max Balton, Adam Howard, David Krasnow, Jeffrey Masters, Louis Mitchell, Jared Paul, and Ursula Sommer.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
John Fetterman on Trump’s “Raw Sewage,” and What the Democrats Get Wrong
With guidance from Emily Botin and assistance from Michael May, David Gable, Alex Barish, Victor Guan, and Alejandra Deckett. The New Yorker Radio Hour is supported in part by the Tarina Endowment Fund.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
John Fetterman on Trump’s “Raw Sewage,” and What the Democrats Get Wrong
This is The New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk. Kraftwerk, of course. This is Rook Zook. I'm seeing them tomorrow night. From their 1970 debut album. You're going to see Kraftwerk.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
Well, this will be a pre-concert primer for you then. Oh, I hope so. Listeners of a certain age may know that song, Rook Zook, because it was used as the theme song to Newton's Apple, the public television show about science. And back then, Kraftwerk, they were kind of like a progressive rock band back then, right? It kind of almost sounds like Tubular Bells or one of those records.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
Yes, early 70s. 73, too? Well, the debut record is 1970. And, you know, they're obsessed with electronic instruments, but also electronic rhythm, which turned out to be important to the history of music. Sure did. In 1974, they made this album called Autobahn. Here's a little bit of it.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
It went to number five on the American album chart. And it was kind of like a lot of great bands or great tracks. It was kind of considered a novelty record, right? Like these Germans singing about the Autobahn.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
And there was this idea that, like, these artsy Germans from Dusseldorf were making the music of the future. And the funniest thing about that joke is it turned out to be true, more or less. Although, if you wanted to make a parody of German music, you probably couldn't do much better than this track, Trans Europe Express, 1977. Rendezvous Heidi, it's severe, lyrics about trains.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
But the funny thing about this is a few years later, Trans Europe Express was reborn as a track called Planet Rock by Afrika Bambaataa and Soul Sonic Force.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
Yeah. And part of what I like about this history is it kind of flips the history of rock and roll, right? You have this rock and roll history of these beloved old black blues musicians and these upstart white bands are ripping them off. And here the role of the beloved black older blues musician is played by the members of Kraftwerk.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
And, you know, it's funny how quickly that sound, that Kraftwerk-y sound comes to be associated with other things. It comes to be associated with break dancers and stuff.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
Did you ever bust out a little bit of cardboard and do some moves, David? Less frequently than you would have thought. I can barely spin on my feet. It wouldn't have worked well. So in 1981, Kraftwerk, you know, synthesizers are not so new anymore. And Kraftwerk makes basically a concept album about a different emerging technology, the personal computer. also turned out to be important.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
I heard that. They called it Computer World, and one of the best tracks is Numbers. You know, the vocals kind of sound like they're coming from a speakin' spell. But in fact, I believe they're coming from a device called the Language Translator, which was made by the same company, Texas Instruments, that made the speakin' spell. They were experimenting with all this stuff.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
And one of the things they've realized is, you know, I think a lot of us thought that to be a hit, a song probably needed a catchy tune. I think what they realized is they got more and more interested in the textures and sounds that were coming out of these electronic equipments.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
And they realized that you could have a rigid electronic beat, but somehow have enough happening that it wouldn't be boring and it wouldn't be predictable. Or if it was predictable, it would be predictable in a good way. But they were arguably the first. Well, you know, a lot of people were using this stuff, right? Like Sly Stone has one of the first drum machine hits, right, in 1971.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
So, you know, people are using this electronic stuff, but they had a – there was something about their vision. And as with anything else, they put elements together in a way that was catchy. It's a funny word to use about a track like Numbers, but – Numbers comes back. Here's a way in which Numbers comes back. A trio from Florida called Anquette has a song called Shake It, Do the 61st.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
And if you listen closely, you can hear those chirping, fluttering synthesizers in the background from Numbers. That's the group Anquette, yeah. So, I know we are a little bit digressive. I'd like to get extra digressive here for a moment, David.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
The single is called Janet Reno, who at the time was, I believe, a U.S. attorney in Miami-Dade County. Oh, it was before she was in the Clinton administration. Yes, because she was a local figure. And the idea was that if you don't pay your child support, Janet Reno was going to come after you. I don't know if she owns an autographed copy of that single, but I hope she does.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
Anyway, back to Kraftwerk. This one particular track, Numbers, kept getting recycled and sampled and sampled. You might recognize the robotic counting in this techno track. This is Mike Hitman Wilson's remix of Rock to the Beat by Reese, which is a name of the producer Kevin Saunderson, who was one of the Detroit producers who created techno. And so this is a fairly early techno track.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
This is only a few years after the genre was born. And by this point, like, Kraftwerk is roots music. And for a techno producer, that's a way of paying tribute to, you know, the eight, by this point, eight years old German track that helped inspire them. Okay, one last Kraftwerk track, Computer Love, from that same 1981 album Computer World. It's kind of a love song about computers.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
I think the sense of humor in Kraftwerk is sometimes underrated. Overlooked. Yeah, there's a silliness to them or a sense of play.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
Well, I think it's fair to say most of the people who come to see them now are there for the older songs, right? They would call that a legacy act, right? Not oldies. It's pejorative.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
Yeah, so the heart of Kraftwerk was Florian Schneider and Ralf Hutter. Ralf Hutter is still alive and touring. Florian Schneider died in 2020. So, you know, it's partly an opportunity to pay tribute to this legacy. But, David, I think you might have told on yourself a little bit. You said that this track, Computer Love, sounded kind of familiar. Something. I think I know why. Why?
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
Because Coldplay took the melody and used it for Talk from 2005. Wow. This is the ultimate musical lesson that no matter what kind of pioneer you are, you're going to come back to life as a Coldplay song. Okay.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
I have so much to say on this subject.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Confounding Politics of Junk Food. Plus, Kelefa Sanneh on the Long Influence of Kraftwerk
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Science Fiction Led Elon Musk to DOGE
Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up, so now I only buy one.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Science Fiction Led Elon Musk to DOGE
The Catholic Church was made for this moment. I think 2,000 years ago, the Catholic Church basically anticipated TikTok, Instagram, X. You don't have those little Swiss guard outfits and think they're not being photographed. Oil painting is not enough.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Science Fiction Led Elon Musk to DOGE
The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Our theme music was composed and performed by Meryl Garbus of TuneArts, with additional music by Louis Mitchell and Jared Paul.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Science Fiction Led Elon Musk to DOGE
This episode was produced by Max Balton, Adam Howard, David Krasnow, Jeffrey Masters, Louis Mitchell, Jared Paul, and Ursula Sommer, with guidance from Emily Botin and assistance from Michael May, David Gable, Alex Barish, Victor Guan, and Alejandra Deckett.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Science Fiction Led Elon Musk to DOGE
The New Yorker Radio Hour is supported in part by the Cherena Endowment Fund.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Science Fiction Led Elon Musk to DOGE
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Science Fiction Led Elon Musk to DOGE
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
How Science Fiction Led Elon Musk to DOGE
This is The New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Atul Gawande on Elon Musk’s “Surgery with a Chainsaw”
The Catholic Church was made for this moment. I think 2,000 years ago, the Catholic Church basically anticipated TikTok, Instagram, X. You don't have those little Swiss guard outfits and think they're not being photographed. Oil painting is not enough.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Atul Gawande on Elon Musk’s “Surgery with a Chainsaw”
The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Our theme music was composed and performed by Meryl Garbus of Tune Yards, with additional music by Louis Mitchell. This episode was produced by Max Balton, Adam Howard, David Krasnow, Jeffrey Masters, Louis Mitchell, Jared Paul, and Ursula Sommer.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Atul Gawande on Elon Musk’s “Surgery with a Chainsaw”
With guidance from Emily Botin and assistance from Michael May, David Gable, Alex Barish, Victor Guan, and Alejandra Deckett. The New Yorker Radio Hour is supported in part by the Cherena Endowment Fund.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Atul Gawande on Elon Musk’s “Surgery with a Chainsaw”
This is the New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
The A.C.L.U. v. Trump 2.0
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
The A.C.L.U. v. Trump 2.0
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
The A.C.L.U. v. Trump 2.0
Yeah, that's not the right question. The question is, why would they do such a stupid thing? Yeah, that is the question, isn't it? Yeah, that's the question.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Will the Supreme Court Yield to Donald Trump?
From the online spectacle around Leo XIV's election to our favorite on-screen cardinals. This week on Critics at Large, we're talking all things Pope.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Will the Supreme Court Yield to Donald Trump?
I'm Vincent Cunningham. Join me and my co-hosts for an episode on what can only be described as Pope Week. New episodes of Critics at Large drop every Thursday. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.