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A Look at the "Cultural Hierarchy in America"

Historian Lawrence Levine's new book examines the split between high and low culture. He argues that one should look at cultural horizontally -- rather than vertically -- in order to see how different kinds of art and media interact with each other, and are consumed by different social groups.

09:39
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Other segments from the episode on February 7, 1989

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, February 7, 1989: Interview with Hernando de Soto; Commentary on rock bands from the Pacific northwest; Interview with Lawrence Levine; Review of V.S. Naipal's memoir "A…
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27:59

The Economics of Peru's Informal Market

Hernando de Soto says that the inefficient and often corrupt bureaucratic system in Peru makes starting a legal business nearly impossible for most people. As a result, a robust, informal, and technically-illegal market has emerged. De Soto explores this phenomenon -- and similar cases throughout Latin America -- in his new book, The Other Path.

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07:00

The History of the Northwest Sound

Rock historian Ed Ward says that 1960s bands from Oregon and Washington are often overlooked. Their style was distinctive, featuring distorted guitars and raw, sneered vocals -- a sound that endures today.

Commentary
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03:46

An Author Makes a Wrong "Turn in the South"

Book critic John Leonard says that V.S. Naipal's book about his travels in the American South reflects a tourist's mindset. The author's sentimental perspective prevents him from seeing the complicated race and class issues that shape the region.

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27:44

Body Image and the Demand to Be Attractive

Sociologist Barry Glassner's new book Bodies explores the pressures Americans face to conform to particular standards of health and beauty. He says this cultural expectation -- which even extends to the workplace -- has led to a proliferation of diet and exercise programs, which most participants are doomed to fail.

Interview

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52:30

Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

In the series Jury Duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden has agreed to participate in what he believes is a documentary about the experience of being a juror--but what Ronald doesn't know is that the whole thing is fake.

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