Our Chemical "Body Burden"
The average American carries a “body burden” of hundreds of synthetic chemicals—like Teflon and pesticides. In The Hundred-Year Lie, investigative journalist Randall Fitzgerald says everyday chemical exposures are ruining our health…and making humans the most polluted species on Earth.

Big Ticket Items
Alan Krueger, co-author of the paper "Rockonomics: The Economics of Popular Music," discusses the changing landscape of concert ticket sales.

Opera lives on YouTube
James Jorden, editor of the opera blog Parterre Box, explains how YouTube is bringing opera to the masses.

Lampchop
Lambchop, one of Nashville's most outrageous country bands has released a new record, Damaged. We'll speak with bandleader and songwriter Kurt Wagner about how the little things in life inspire some of the greatest songs. And, the band will play live in the studio.

Yo La Tengo
Some call "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass" Yo La Tengo's best record to date. Others have called it over-reaching and self-indulgent. We'll speak with bandmember Ira Kaplan about his thoughts on the indie trio's latest release.

M. Ward
The raspy-voiced singer-songwriter M. Ward has just released a new record, "Post-War." He's said he looked to the postwar music of the late 1940s and 50s for inspiration. He's on a nationwide tour and he's live in our studio.

Science of Sleep
The new film The Science of Sleep is director Michel Gondry's fantasy tale about a young man who begins to lose himself in the area between waking life and his dreams.

Looking to Cash In on a Punk Rock Youth
Back in 1980, when 16-year-old Spike Priggen played guitar for the band TV Neats, he sent out copies of the band's demo tape, hoping to get signed. Little did he know he would be 42 by the time their album would finally get released.

From Blogs to the Brink of a Blockbuster
Led by the crazed and confident Nathan Willett, the California band Cold War Kids belongs to a recent crop of acts that have gained popularity through the blog world.

Cell Phones Encouraged at Music Performance
Cell-phone haters will really hate a concert coming up in Chicago next month. During the debut performance of his "Concertino for Cellular Phones and Orchestra," jazz composer David Baker wants members of audience and the orchestra to turn on their cell phones. They can even turn up the volume on their ringers. Baker hopes the effect will illustrate how cell phones bring both order and chaos to our lives.