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Which America Gets Through to the "East", and Which Gets Lost in Translation?

Writer PICO IYER (PEE-coe EYE-er). His book Video Night in Kathmandu explores the subtle and often humorous Westernization of the Far East. Iyer, who reported for Time Magazine for four years, found the West's influence in mohawk haircuts in Bali, six Filipino girls doing a perfect rendition of a Madonna hit, Japan's baseball mania and a Chinese cafeteria that served dishes like "Yes, Sir, Cheese My Baby," and "Ike and Tuna Tuner." (Rebroadcast. Originally broadcast on August 22, 1989.) (Interview by Sedge Thomson)

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Other segments from the episode on January 15, 1990

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, January 15, 1990: Interview with Pico Iyer; Review of Wilbur Ware's album "Chicago Sound"; Interview with John F. Sears; Review of the television show "Eyes on the Prize:…
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06:27

The High-Water Mark of Wilbur Ware's Career.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a reissue of a 1957 album by bassist Wilbur Ware. Kevin says that year was the highlight of Ware's career--he recorded with Sonny Rollins and Thelonius Monk as well as recording his only album as a leader.

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Tourist Attractions and the United States.

John F. Sears, author of "Sacred Places: American Tourist Attractions in the Nineteenth Century." Sears went back to magazines, fiction and painting of the 19th century to find out when and why tourism developed in this country. He says that natural wonders like Niagara Falls and Yellowstone were a substitute for the cathedrals of Europe, and that tourism gave Americans a way to shape their national identity. (Interview by Sedge Thomson)

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23:09

Which America Gets Through to the "East", and Which Gets Lost in Translation?

Writer Pico Iyer. His book Video Night in Kathmandu explores the subtle and often humorous Westernization of the Far East. Iyer, who reported for Time Magazine for four years, found the West's influence in mohawk haircuts in Bali, six Filipino girls doing a perfect rendition of a Madonna hit, Japan's baseball mania and a Chinese cafeteria that served dishes like "Yes, Sir, Cheese My Baby," and "Ike and Tuna Tuner." Video Night in Kathmandu has just been published in paperback. (Interview by Sedge Thomson)

Interview
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14:36

Traveling to Vietnam.

Travel writer Pico Iyer (rhymes with 'tire"). Iyer has an article on traveling to Vietnam in the new edition of "Conde Nast Traveler." Iyer's the author of "Video Night In Kathmandu" and the new book, "The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto".

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16:34

Southern Christianity, Around the World

Religion professor Philip Jenkins talks about his latest book, The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South. The book is a follow-up to his 2002 title, The Next Christendom: the Coming of Global Christianity, which was named on of the top religion books of that year by USA Today.

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