Larry Mantle

Martin Scorsese sounds like a kid

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:11:08 -0800

That’s what I discovered when interviewing him for an “AirTalk” segment that airs Wednesday morning in our first hour. It was infectious to hear his excitement about movies and what he’s continuing to learn about the art form.

Scorsese is well-known for his championing of film preservation and appreciation of silent cinema. In his current movie, “Hugo,” he’s been able to combine his love of movie history with a family-friendly story he filmed for his 12-year-old daughter. Though some of our “Film Week” critics thought the film was a cold creampuff, it emotionally connected with me.

As a fan of Scorsese’s earlier films and his latest, hearing his dedication to learning how best to use new technology was a pleasure. One of the highlights of our conversation was hearing Scorsese laugh as he recounted George Lucas telling him, “this is what I’ve been talking about!” when hearing his friend was finally embracing special effects and 3-D. We should all be so open to learning new tricks.

Former L. A. Times Editor Russ Stanton is SCPR's new VP of Content

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:59:03 -0800

For once I guessed right! I was getting ready for work this morning telling my wife, Kristen, about our afternoon staff meeting to announce who would be taking this important editorial leadership position for KPCC. I hadn’t heard any rumors, and hadn’t received any inside word.

I told Kristen about my lack of info on the hire, but told her Russ Stanton was my guess. I’m happy to know I was correct and look forward to working with him.

The best listeners in radio support us in many ways

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:43:35 -0800

Sunday morning, over 200 members of KPCC’s Leadership Circle gathered for our annual brunch at the Museum of Latin-American Art in Long Beach. It’s an event I look forward to, as it gives those of us on the air a chance to talk about the process of doing our shows with some of our most loyal and generous listeners.

Every year, I’m particularly struck by how knowledgeable these listeners are about the evolution of KPCC over the past few years. They remember things I’d forgotten, such as how I used to talk about running down the hall to share an idea with the “AirTalk” production team, as we didn’t even work in the same area. A lot has changed since we moved into our new building less than two years ago.

Madeleine Brand and NPR Political Editor Ken Rudin were terrific – talking about the stunning performance by Newt Gingrich at last Saturday’s South Carolina primary, and looking ahead to next week’s Florida primary. Ken and I picked up that theme on Monday’s “AirTalk.”

Our CEO Bill Davis talked about KPCC’s future plans for expansion in 12 distinct areas of reporting – traditionally called “beats,” but termed “verticals” in our shop (I have to ask someone why).

After the brunch, most of us toured the current exhibition in the museum. It was a fun event on a beautiful Southern California day.

I share the details just to give all listeners who are interested a sense of what the Leadership Circle is about. I know it’s a level of giving that puts it out of reach for many of our most devoted listeners. However, the gifts from Circle members help all of us who are listeners.

Regardless of what you contribute to KPCC, your contribution extends beyond funding your listening alone. You’re truly providing this service to others, as well. It’s an act of generosity that we deeply appreciate. Thank you very much.

AirTalk's higher education summit

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:19:35 -0800

Wednesday evening, we brought together the Presidents of USC and Pitzer College, along with the Chancellors of UCLA and the state Community College system. It was a great chance to put these four leaders in a room together to talk about the biggest challenges facing their institutions.

One of the jobs of a college CEO is to put a positive face on unpleasant trends, such as fast-rising tuition, bidding wars over “star” professors, and large cutbacks in funding for public institutions. As expected, we heard some of that, but I was impressed that the panelists consistently acknowledged that the current model was going to have to change.

One of the biggest areas of concern is over teaching methodology itself. Does it still make sense to teach introductory students by placing hundreds of them in a large lecture hall so that they can listen to the dot below? Now that lecturers are competing with electronic devices, probably not. Looking even bigger picture, is the physical campus going to downsize, as the need for traditional classrooms declines?

Clearly cost increases in higher education are going to reach the point where they can’t be sustained. Eventually, debt becomes so large that prospective students decide they can’t afford to take it on.

We closed our conversation by talking about the political homogeneity that’s evident at most non-religious schools. Is it a problem that public and top-level colleges and universities tend to have liberal arts faculties that skew liberal?

Pitzer President Laura Skandera Trombley thought not. She pointed out that students at her college are free-thinkers who regularly challenge the views of their professors. Dr. Trombley also mentioned the ideologically-diverse guest speakers who come to campus. I’m sure that’s true. My question, though, is whether that’s a sufficient substitute for the in-house passionate conservative professor who’s also, presumably, going to stimulate wide-ranging debate. I’d argue there’s also a benefit to professors in being surrounded with colleagues who strongly disagree on fundamental issues.

Though there are conservatives who say widespread discrimination exists against humanities and social sciences professors who aren’t liberal, part of the problem is probably cultural. Just as real estate developers likely skew conservative, academics skew liberal. Even if college leaders engage in ideological “affirmative action” in an effort to reflect broader views, it might be hard to find those conservative sociology professors you’d like to hire.

On a personal note, before Wednesday night’s program, I found out that Dr. Trombley is the daughter of Mary Skandera, the assistant principal at the Inglewood elementary school I attended in the late-1960s. I told Dr. Trombley that I fondly remember her mother and how much latitude and respect she gave me as a sixth-grader at Centinela Elementary. I’m hoping to talk with Mary Skandera directly to tell her how much I appreciate her, to this day.

Also at Wednesday night’s event, my former high school English teacher was in attendance. I hadn’t seen her in 35 years, but recognized her right away. She complimented me on my use of language, which made me feel like a 16-year-old again – in a good way!

Bob O'Rourke (1939-2011)

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:18:23 -0800

I lost a good friend yesterday – a man I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for 25 years—longtime VP of Public Relations for Caltech, Bob O’Rourke. Bob was not only a dedicated booster of Caltech; he was always working to connect people he knew when their interests intersected. He was a matchmaker in every area but romance (as far as I knew).

I last visited Bob about two weeks ago and, even as his body was failing, his robust personality was fully there. He was interested in connecting me with an acquaintance of his who was doing significant philanthropic work in our area. His mind never stopped working.

Bob also dedicated his last years to furthering research into the treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, the disease that eventually took his life. He joined me on “AirTalk” just over a year ago to talk about how he was diagnosed with the illness and little is known about its causes.

Bob used his force of personality and persuasive abilities to lobby UCLA into performing a lung transplant on him. After waiting for nine months to get a match, Bob got a new lung to replace one of his diseased ones. Unfortunately, the donor lung never properly functioned in Bob’s body and, from that point, the illness’s course was clear.

During these past few months that Bob was home on hospice care, I had the chance to visit him a few times and enjoy his and his wife Sandy’s company, despite his difficulty in breathing. He made sure our conversations were upbeat and warm. His was the best example of facing impending death head-on and with spirit fully intact.

I’m sure that for Sandy, their children, grandchildren, and those very closest to him, it was extremely difficult and stressful to provide full-time care and to see the man they love so much struggle for breath. However, I have no doubt how much pride they have in the man who set the best possible example for how to live with fast-approaching death.

I’ve reached the age of 52 with this being my first loss of a good friend. I’ve seen the passing of several family members, but, until now, no friends. This loss is tough. There will never be another Bob O’Rourke, but his impact on this community and his friends will outlive us all. Bob, I’ll miss you.

When best laid plans go potluck

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:56:07 -0800

Tuesday morning on “AirTalk,” one of our planned segments completely fell apart just a few minutes before airtime. Though that’s not unheard of, fortunately, it’s fairly rare. We usually have at least 45-minutes to book an open segment.

Faced with a gaping half-hour hole in our show, I revisited an idea that I’d dismissed the day before from our producer, Katie Sprenger. That suggestion, which I thought would have only limited appeal to listeners, led to an impassioned on-air and online conversation.

Katie had been complaining about spending hours cooking a turkey for her child’s daycare potluck, only to see some of the other food having been purchased at restaurants or supermarkets. To Katie, “potluck” means it should be handmade by the participant, not purchased.

I was surprised by Katie’s take, as I figured the quality of the food was the issue, not where it came from. However, Katie went so far as to say it’s better to have something of lesser quality that’s personally cooked or baked than a higher-quality item that’s purchased.

Listeners took off on this topic and had wonderful anecdotes and personal opinions on what “potluck” means to them. Opinions were varied and descriptions were mouth-watering – so much so that I closed out the segment and the hour as though the show was over. We had another hour to go, but lunch was clearly on my mind after all the great culinary descriptions.

I can’t ever remember mistaking the end of “AirTalk’s” first hour for the end of the entire show. I got lost in the pleasure of the conversation and assumed the segment was so much fun that we must be closing with our usual “softer” topic that we typically do at the end our second hour. Regardless of my error, it was a blast.

A music lover's dream

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:12:15 -0800

That’s what I experienced last week at the historic recording stage at Sony Pictures in Culver City. The stage was where musical soundtracks for numerous classic MGM films were recorded, including “The Wizard of Oz.”

I was there at the invitation of Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, who was recording the score for next year’s Disney action release, “John Carter.” The film is adapted from a series written by “Tarzan” creator Edgar Rice Burroughs. Giacchino had an orchestra of over 100 musicians, being recorded in-synch with scenes from the film. Time-coded sections of the movie were projected onto a huge screen at the back of the room, facing the conductor.

Given how rarely full orchestras are recorded with all the musicians together at the same time, it was particularly fun to see. Standing in various parts of the room, with the orchestra playing around me, was an experience I won’t forget.

A particular treat was seeing the number of instruments and miscellaneous toys and devices available to the six or so percussionists. They had one case after another loaded with oddities that could create different sounds – toys, pieces of metal, wood, and plastic. Percussionists clearly look at every object as having unique sound potential.

I was joined on the field trip by “AirTalk” producer Karen Fritsche and “Offramp” producer/reporter Kevin Ferguson. We’re planning soon to add video from our visit and, hopefully, a fully-produced piece for “Offramp.”

A powerless couple of days

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:26:07 -0800

Two of our four “AirTalk” producers, and our technical director, were still without power in their homes Friday morning, after Wednesday night’s historically high winds hit parts of the Southland. They’re representative of thousands of our listeners who are trying to cope with outages.

Hopefully, this is a good reminder of our vulnerability to a major earthquake, which could leave us without electricity or safe running water for weeks. With this outage, there were at least places to go that had power. In a big quake, we’ll be on our own.

As I was working around the lack of electricity at our home, I took it as a challenge to get our household better prepared for a natural disaster. Maybe this time I’ll thoroughly follow through.

If you’ve seriously prepared for a disaster, was there a particular event that prodded you?

Believing the unbelievable

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:50:40 -0800

Tuesday morning on “AirTalk,” we reported on GOP Presidential candidate Herman Cain’s conference call with aides in which he seemed to pave the way toward dropping out of the race. This followed Monday’s claim from an Atlanta woman that she and Cain had, until just before the campaign was launched, been romantically involved for 13 years.

I find this whole story unbelievable. I don’t mean that I disbelieve either person’s account. What doesn’t make sense to me is that if Cain and the woman were in a relationship, why he didn’t figure out how to deal with it first. By the same token, I don’t see any reason why a woman who’s known Cain for 13 years would falsely claim they were lovers. Neither scenario makes sense.

The nature of their friendship or relationship may never be known. However, the allegation is almost certain to hurt an already reeling campaign. As you read this, Cain may have already dropped out. If so, it’s another example of the power of allegations of sexual behavior to determine many a political fate.

As for me, I’m far less interested in a politician’s personal sex life than strong, detailed, allegations of abusive behavior. We hear many stories of politicians behaving poorly with staff and others within their sphere of influence. That’s, to me, the real indicator of character – how someone behaves when they think they’re free to act however they like.

It's especially important to give thanks in difficult times

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:57:05 -0800

This Thanksgiving season couldn’t come at a better time, as our government drives us to fury and our economy drives us to…well, name your coping mechanism. This is the most negativity I’ve sensed from the American public in my adult lifetime. Folks are struggling, angry, and don’t have a lot of hope about what’s going to pull us out of partisan standoffs and economic malaise. Even back in my childhood and teen years of the Vietnam War and race riots, there was a sense of hopefulness amid the rancor. People really believed the war would eventually end and that racial equality would one day arrive.

However, this time around, I don’t hear many hopeful words about government problem solving nor economic resurgence. We’re in the dumps with nothing to look forward to but uncertainty.

So why is this a great time for Thanksgiving? Because, in the aggregate, things are rarely as bad or as good as we perceive them. We’re down now not just because of objectively tough times, but because we’re angry, frustrated, and getting burned out, too. Thanksgiving gives us a chance to briefly stand back from the accident scene and be thankful we’ve survived. This is also our chance to remember that life is about more than the economy and government.

Thanksgiving is about the steadfastness of family and friends, as the institutions around us are reeling. It’s about surviving life’s toughest challenges with resiliency, kindness, and empathy. These qualities are in abundant supply in our world and provide many reasons for being thankful.

I’m personally thankful for a family that has consistently accepted me for who I am and encouraged me to follow my instincts. I’m thankful for a tremendously supportive audience that encourages me every day and cares enough to offer valuable critique that I can use to improve. I’m thankful for an employer that’s driven by the mission of both informing and bringing together Southern Californians to honestly face our challenges. I’m thankful for a dynamite “AirTalk” producing staff that goes well beyond the norm in its devotion to making the best possible program for listeners.

I could go on and on, but I’d rather hear what you’re thankful for. In the comments below, please let me know what’s going well in your life, what challenge you’ve successfully faced, who’s making a difference in your life, or what the best thing is that’s happened to you this year.

I’ll share some of these thankful postings on Wednesday’s “AirTalk,” to help ease us into the spirit of Thanksgiving. Remember that the more succinct your posting, the greater the odds that I can do justice in sharing it on the air. Thanks for sharing your thanks with all of us.

Where does Occupy go from here?

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:03:47 -0800

At least for now, there won’t be any tents at the park where Occupy Wall Street has been protesting for two months. Other sites are being considered, but it’s not clear what form the protests will now take.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck says he’s moving toward shutting down the City Hall camp. The future of local protests will, similarly, be in doubt.

For me, the bigger question is whether this movement can connect with the larger portion of the “99-percent,” who don’t find the Occupy movement culturally familiar or attractive. A huge portion of the country shares the anger, frustration, and critique provided by Occupy, but sees it as a liberal, not populist, movement. If Occupy is going to catch fire, I think it needs to tap into that populist sensibility.

However, it’s not clear to me that participants in Occupy have a cultural affinity for, or knowledge of, working class residents in the heartland. Those are the voters who decided the elections in favor of both Bush and Obama. They weren’t comfortable with John Kerry, but responded to Barack Obama’s message of hope. They’re angry with Washington, don’t feel they have a voice, and will most likely again decide next year’s election. Once we better know the demands of the Occupy movement, we’ll also have an idea whether they coincide with fixes that significant numbers of Americans will support.

Though Republican leaders claimed that the Tea Party’s election victories last year were a national referendum on the size and power of government, they were, instead, targeted localized victories that added up a Congressional surge. The Tea Party doesn’t represent most Americans, but has still become influential. However, we’re seeing its limits in the Republican Presidential race, where a non-Tea Party Mitt Romney is the frontrunner.

For now, Occupy has garnered considerable attention and support. Whether it will translate into a political movement remains to be seen.

The power of mental images

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:50:29 -0800

Monday morning on “AirTalk,” we opened with the non-detailed allegations by three unidentified women that GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain had sexually harassed them during the time he headed the National Restaurant Association trade and lobbying group.

Our focus was on how, despite the reports and Cain’s initially poorly prepared response, he was still getting significant support in polls of GOP voters. This didn’t seem surprising to me, given the vagueness of the allegations and the range in seriousness the claims could represent, even if they were true.

However, this morning’s news conference with Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred and her client, Sharon Bialek of Chicago, significantly raises the challenge for Cain. Regardless of the truth of her claim, her specific recounting of his alleged effort to grope her and push her head onto his lap now creates a mental picture that the other allegations didn’t.

To combat this image, if it’s fabricated, means Cain’s team has to find a way to create a competing visual image of what the job-seeking interaction truly was between the two. If they can’t do that, either because the account is correct or Cain doesn’t remember his interaction with her, I don’t see how he can overcome this hit.

Internet dependency

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:09:35 -0700

If you’re like me, you’ve asked yourself many times how we functioned before the Internet. It’s true that some things were better before we became tethered to the online world. Nevertheless, most of our jobs are constructed in a way that now requires digital contact at all times.

I was reminded of this Wednesday morning when KPCC’s Internet connection was lost just minutes before “AirTalk” began. Not only did we lose our ability to gather important last-minute information on our guests and topics, but we also lost the ability to create our daily “AirTalk” page that features each of our segments. Without the updated page, we had no ability to take listener comments or questions, apart from phone calls.

Though our online component for listeners started just a couple of years ago, I felt as though I’d lost an important way of connecting with listeners. It is funny how quickly we not only adapt to a new normal, but how that loss hits us.

Fortunately, our Internet connection resumed after about fifteen minutes. All was back to normal and we were able to take online listener comments. However, it forced us to consider what we would do with a longer outage. Now that we’re so Internet dependent, it would be significant challenge.

What social safety net would Jesus construct?

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:17:51 -0700

That’s the gist of a conversation we’re planning for Tuesday morning’s "AirTalk." As a former Biblical Studies major in college (before getting my degree in psychology), I’m particularly interested in this topic. I’ve encountered many guests over the years who are convinced that their interpretation of the Bible is correct. I’m looking forward to hearing what our upcoming guests have to say about how they discern a Christian position on aid to the poor.

Speaking of aid to the needy, I appreciated hearing the voices of numerous patients and health workers at the just-concluded free clinic at the L. A. Sports Arena. It was impressive to see all the volunteers who provided expertise and time to this worthy cause.

Jerry West opens up on "AirTalk"

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:43:32 -0700

I wasn’t a child who actively looked for heroes. I was enamored enough with my parents and friends that I didn’t feel the need to put my hopes and dreams onto a public figure. However, that didn’t keep me from putting Jerry West on a very high level.

In reading West’s first autobiography from 1969, “Mr. Clutch,” I was riveted by his descriptions of life in West Virginia and his total dedication to basketball. As an eleven-year-old enjoying a balmy Southern California life, West’s story was a world away from my experience.

However, I related to his work ethic and desire to master a skill as thoroughly as possible. It impressed me and allowed me to further appreciate what he did on the court.

In his new autobiography, “West by West: My Charmed and Tormented Life,” the reasons for his obsessive escape into basketball become clear. Reading it over this past weekend, I felt like that boy again reading “Mr. Clutch.”

West’s openness about his chronic depression and barriers to relational intimacy hit me just as his earlier book did. Though I’ve not struggled with emotional pain like West frequently experiences, all of us have been affected by loved ones dealing with challenges much like his.

“West by West” just adds to my appreciation of Jerry West. He may be “weird,” as his son Ryan describes him, but West is certainly a man of substance and great inspiration – whether he’s comfortable with that or not.

What will we miss without Steve Jobs?

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:28:27 -0700

The strong and in-depth response to Jobs’ death isn’t surprising, but the emotions elicited by his passing are stronger than I expected.

Jobs was far from a warm presence, yet many Americans took to him personally, regardless. He was one of the most trusted men in the world, with millions immediately responding to his solicitations. The lines down the block for new product debuts were testament to his relationship with consumers.

I wonder if people’s emotional attachment to Jobs is also rooted in our appreciation for how much he’s changed the way we do things. Certainly it’s a mixed bag, with digital devices creating their own challenges to balanced lives. Yet, few of us would want to go back.

As has been repeatedly noted, Jobs changed the way we relate to computers, phones, music, and entertainment. He might not have been an inventor, but he was the full package visionary, hard-nosed businessman, design genius, and barker. There is no one with whom to compare him.

His death leaves a significant void. We’re left to wonder what his future breakthroughs would have been, and how our lives would’ve been affected by them, had he lived longer.

The Klitschko brothers visit KPCC

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:37:10 -0700

This afternoon we welcomed heavyweight boxing champions Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko to our studios for an interview to be aired in a few weeks. The brothers are doing interviews in advance of the opening of the new documentary, Klitschko, which features the back-story of how the pair became the first brothers to ever simultaneously capture all the heavyweight titles available.

I won’t bother recounting the interview, as you’ll have a chance to hear it in about three weeks. However, I wanted to share with you what the brothers were like off-mic during their visit.

Wladimir greeted me by saying how much he appreciated my willingness to interview them, given how hard he’d heard it was to get a booking on AirTalk. I told him the pleasure was mine and that I’d seen many of his and Vitali’s fights over the years. I’m a big fan of both boxers and thanked them for coming to talk about the documentary and their careers. Over the course of our 45-minutes together, I understood why the Klitschkos are generally well-liked in boxing. They were pleasant and gracious.

This fits the pattern I’ve experienced with interviewing boxers. Among my favorite AirTalk guests have been George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, and, now, the Klitschkos.

Wladimir is the younger brother and has a somewhat stronger command of English. However, I had no problem understanding Vitali and was impressed by how passionate he was about his interests outside of boxing.

Vitali is a political activist in his native Ukraine, going so far as twice running for mayor of Kiev. Though he finished as runner-up, Vitali’s intense opposition to the current government is so strong that I expect he’ll continue to look for political opportunities. He and I talked politics for several minutes after we finished recording. Vitali was passionate and pointed in his criticism of how Ukraine is being run, but optimistic about future reform.

This intersection between politics and boxing is fascinating. The sport’s most popular draw, Manny Pacquiao, spends time between fights as an elected member of the Philippine Congress. Like Vitali Klitschko, he seems driven by disappointment in how his country is representing the needs of its citizenry.

The battle between humans and computers at the heart of "Moneyball"

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:27:08 -0700

As a sports fan, I’m always glad for movies and books that relate the intricacies of professional sports. My interest began in the 1970s with Jim Bouton’s inside-the-locker-room classic, Ball Four.

I was also excited to read Michael Lewis’ Moneyball when it came out, given that it profiled a pioneer in using computer analysis to determine future player performance, Oakland As General Manager, Billy Beane. The book was terrific, though I thought it shortchanged the art of player assessment in favor of statistics.

Beane showed how much a team could be improved by incorporating additional sophisticated measurements into the mix. However, in my opinion, a General Manager ignores the subjective judgments of scouts at his own peril.

What’s so wonderful about baseball is its mix of art and science. The artistry may be squishy to measure, but that doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant to success. You can’t simply reduce player assessment down to numbers, particularly when players are young and largely unformed.

With the release this weekend of the film version of Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, there’ll be many non-fans showing up at theaters. I suspect they’ll enjoy the compelling drama of an enterprising man bucking a conservative establishment. Though Beane’s experience includes plenty of “man against the system,” I hope the artistry and subjective impressions of players and the game aren’t lost to the machines.

Criminal charges in the death of homeless Fullerton resident Kelly Thomas

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 13:30:05 -0700

Orange County D. A. Tony Rackauckas took the big step of filing second-degree murder charges against one of the officers involved in the beating death of homeless Fullerton resident Kelly Thomas. Thomas lived with schizophrenia and was apparently well-known to business owners and residents in the area.

Historically, it’s been difficult to convict police officers of murder. Legal scholars tend to give law enforcement the benefit of the doubt when officers are dealing with a “non-compliant” suspect. However, in this case, as the D. A. pointed out, Thomas’ inability to comply was likely due to his mental illness. Thomas is also a very sympathetic alleged victim, which isn’t always the case in prosecutions of police.

This will be a fascinating case to watch, as Officer Manuel Ramos faces charges of murder and manslaughter, and his colleague, Corporal Jay Cicinelli, stands trial for manslaughter and use of excessive force.

Jurors will undoubtedly see several videotapes of the incident, and also hear the audio recordings taken by the officers themselves during the incident. In the past, we’ve seen widely differing interpretations of such recordings from the competing legal teams in the courtroom.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge for jurors in deciding this case?

Grooving to the sounds of Black affirmation

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:38:32 -0700

If you’ve been listening to AirTalk for even a few months, you’ve probably heard me talk about my love of jazz and soul. When you combine either with creative political commentary -- so much the better.

Wednesday morning, I spoke with music writer Denise Sullivan about her new book, Keep on Pushing: Black Power Music from Blues to Hip-Hop. It was so much fun to play excerpts from great songs of the 60s and 70s. From Curtis Mayfield to Sam Cooke, Odetta to Nina Simone, we have no shortage of creative giants to consider.

My favorites such recordings would have to include Curtis Mayfield’s (Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Down Below (which begins its long version with a string of racial epithets), Choice of Colors, and People Get Ready, along with Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, and Bobby Womack’s Across 110th Street.

I’d like your input about what you consider the greatest social commentary, or explicitly political, songs on the late-20th and early-21st centuries.