One of the world’s most revered classical pianists will play his final public concert in Vienna tonight. WNYC music host Terrance McKnight joins The Takeaway to talk about the legacy and the music of Alfred Brendel.
Selections heard in this segment:
"Jeunehomme," Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat major, K. 271, 2nd movement, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
"Les Adieux sonata," Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat major, opus 81a, by Ludwig van Beethoven
For those of you not in Vienna tonight, here's a YouTube clip of Brendel performing:
The Iraqi journalist who threw a pair of shoes at President Bush over the weekend in Baghdad is expected to appear before a judge tomorrow. It's the first step in a legal process that could end in a criminal trial. But facing jailtime does not have to mean a quiet drifting into anonymity. Joining The Takeaway is Mark Borowski, a British publicist and the author of "The Fame Formula," a book about people who have soared from nothingness to fame.
"Shoe-throwing man is now his brand--He should be sent all over the world to throw shoes at people we don't like." — Mark Borowski on how the Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at President Bush can create tongue-in-cheek commercial gain from his fleeting fame
For some people, the best thing about Thanksgiving dinner is the leftovers. But it isn’t just turkey and potatoes that qualify as leftovers. When it comes to music, methodical composers have for centuries written leftover songs. Sometimes the composer doesn’t like the tune and sometimes the audience doesn’t. For some insight into musical leftovers the Takeaway talks to Terrance McKnight, host of WNYC’s Evening Music.
"It didn't really have any staying power outside of the Cotton Club, so Ellington stuck it in the fridge. Two years later, he brought it back out and called it Lazy Rhapsody. He didn't change a note. Same music. Different title." —Terrance McKnight on musical leftovers
In 1978 Harvey Milk made history as the first openly gay man elected to office in San Francisco. Months later, disgruntled former city employee Dan White made history when he assassinated Milk and San Francisco mayor George Moscone. Thirty years have passed and Hollywood is marking Milk’s legacy with a movie about his life. The Takeaway takes stock of Milk’s enduring influence with attorney Carol Ruth Silver, who served on San Francisco’s Board of supervisors with Harvey Milk. We are also joined by New York State Senator Tom Duane. Duane was the first openly gay and HIV-positive member of the New York state senate and city council.
"The Teamsters wanted to get Coors beer out because they were non-union and Harvey offered them the gay bars. He said if you will allow gays to be truck drivers — to join the Teamsters — I'll organize all the gays in this area and we will get Coors out of the bars." —Carol Ruth Silver on the foundation of Harvey Milk's political strength
At this moment in time, we’re going to interface with someone who will hopefully tell us why words adversely impact so many people. Are we annoying you yet? Jeremy Butterfield might know why. He’s the author of a new book called "A Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare," which features the most annoying words and phrases in the English language
Why do so many otherwise rational individuals make irrational decisions when it comes to money? Why do shoppers overspend when using credit cards, but manage to stay in a budget when they use cash? And why would a person walk five blocks to save $10 on a $20 purchase, but not on a $1,000 suit?
"Our brains evolved to make decisions on the savannah or in a jungle. And a lot of the decisions we have to make as adults in a modern world aren't necessarily applicable to what we might have made 10,000 years ago. The decisions aren't crazy; they are simply obsolete."
--Gary Belsky on irrational spending behaviors
The museums of New York, Paris and London are filled with treasures from Egypt, Italy, Turkey and Greece. And museum directors in those countries are no longer content to sit back and allow their own ancient treasures to take up permanent residence in museums of other nations. The Takeaway is joined by Sharon Waxman, author of the book, “Loot: The Battle over the Stolen Treasures of the Ancient World
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"If you can plan ahead two days in the kitchen, rather than just for tonight, you can go a long way toward saving tons of money -- just by avoiding those urges to go out and buy convenience food."
--Matt and Ted Lee on eating well for less
"The Australian Tourist Ministry is really looking at this as a feature-length advertisment, in the hope it will replicate the 'Crocodile Dundee Effect.'"
--Nick Bryant on Baz Luhrmann's new film, "Australia"
Look for new placards at your grocery store that say "local." More stores are catching on to food that's made close to home. In part, it's because of high oil prices, which make it harder to transport food, but it's also due to the curiosity of Americans who want to know where their food comes from. It's doesn't matter why: Local farmers know a boon when they see it.
Kurt Andersen, writer and host of Studio 360, recently made his first trip to Beijing — and he was amazed by how familiar he felt. It wasn’t the language or the cuisine that brought to his mind the comforts of home — it was the buildings that said New York to him.
" which features the most annoying words and phrases in the English language
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