We remember record producer Milt Gabler, who died July 20 at the age of 90. Gabler founded America's first independent record label, Commodore Records. He was the first to record Billie Holiday's anti-lynching song, Strange Fruit, after major record companies refused. He was also the first to pair Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Later, he produced records for Bill Haley and the Comets, Peggy Lee, the Weavers, the Ink Spots and many others. His record store Commodore Music was legendary and a hangout for musicians and music lovers.
Mike Judge, the creator of, and voice behind, MTVs phenomena Beavis and Butthead. His current creation is the Fox series King of the Hill, where he provides the voice for main character, Hank. Hes also the writer, director and producer of the cult movie Office Space. A self-taught animator with a physics degree, Kraft talks about animation and comedy. King of the Hill is an Emmy nominated series nearing its 100th episode next week.
Guitarist and singer Howard Fishman of the Howard Fishman Quartet. The group's material draws on a wide variety of American music: jazz, blues, country, folk and Texas swing, but their experimental and improvisational style sets them apart. The Quartet includes trumpeter Erik Jekabson, bassist Jonathan Flaugher, and violinist Russell Farhang. The group debuted in the Oak Room of the Algonquin two years ago. They wrap up a engagement at Joe's Pub in New York City July 29th. The Quartet is currently working on a jazz opera We Are Destroyed in conjunction with The Public Theatre.
His new book is called Rebel Code: Linux and the Open Source Revolution (Perseus, 2001). It charts the movement begun by computer programmers who believe software should be given away for free. Moody is a London-based writer whose work has appeared in Wired, The Economist, and The Financial Times.
Singer and musician David Johansen was the lead singer for the 70s pre-punk punk rock band New York Dolls. Later he performed as Buster Poindexter, a pompadour tuxedo wearing lounge lizard swing bandleader of the band Banshees in Blue. Now he has a new roots-music band and a new album of straight blues, David Johansen and the Harry Smiths.
Teenagers are the hottest consumer demographic in America. Media analyst Douglas Rushkoff examines the multi-billion dollar marketing industry aimed at teenagers in the new Frontline documentary The Merchants of Cool. (Tuesday, Feb. 27th at 10 PM). Rushkoff is also the author of Coercion: Why We Listen to What They Say (Riverhead books) about how our everyday decisions are influenced by marketers, politicians, religious leaders, and other forces.
Religion scholar Karen Armstrong. The best-selling author of The History of God, and The Battle for God, has a new book about the life of Buddha. From North India, Sidhatta Gotama, renounced normal life, leaving his wife and child to live alone and attain enlightenment. He found it through his own experiences, did not rely on a supernatural God, and fought against the cult of personality that would turn him into a leader. Instead the Buddha taught his disciples to discover the truth within themselves.
He directed the new HBO movie Wit based on the Pulitzer-prize winning off-Broadway play about a college professor dying of ovarian cancer. (It premieres on HBO Saturday, March 24 at 9PM). Nichols is also the director of The Graduate (for which he won an Oscar for Best Director), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Silkwood, Working Girl, and Primary Colors. Before he became a film director NICHOLS was known for his popular comedy improvisations with Elaine May.
Military affairs correspondent for the New York Times, Michael Gordon. He former Moscow bureau chief for the paper. He covered the war in Chechnya when the Times was one of only two Western news organizations allowed in Chechnya by the Russian military. Gordon also covered the Gulf War and the war in Kosovo, and is co-author of the book The Generals' War about the Gulf War.
Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman of the band, Le Tigre . Hanna was the lead singer of the 90s band Bikini Kill. Bikini Kill was part of the music/cultural/feminist movement know as Riot Grrl, which focused on the concept of girl power and young womens empowerment. The movement was based primarily in Washington, DC and Olympia, WA, and its members formed bands, wrote fanzines, and held meetings, protests and festivals. Hanna was a leader and spokesperson for the movement. Her first solo project after Bikini Kill was called Julie Ruin. She then formed Le Tigre.
Bundles is former Washington deputy bureau chief for ABC News, and an award winning producer. Her new book is a biographer of her great-great-grandmother Madam C.J. Walker, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, . Walker was the daughter of slaves, and a widow at the age of 20. She built a business empire creating hair products for African-American women, and then turned her wealth into philanthropy. Her friends included W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington.
