When I [more...]]]> http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/15730/uc-press-podcast-mingus-speaks/feed/ 0 Books like Mingus Speaks come around once in a lifetime, and Music editor Mary Francis’s enthusiasm for the project is palpable. That’s why we asked her to introduce this episode of the UC Press Podcast, a discussion with writer and former music critic John Goodman, complete with music and archival clips from Mingus’s interviews. Take it away, Mary!    When I first encountered John Goodman’s interviews with Charles Mingus I could hardly believe my luck. Detailed reflections from one of the great jazz composers and performers don’t surface every day, much less in-depth interviews that hadn’t been in the public eye. Not all artists are articulate, or even willing to talk much about their work. But I had a hunch that Mingus in his own words would be something special. The interviews don’t disappoint. In his podcast, Goodman calls Mingus, “an incredible talker,” and that’s an understatement. Mingus’ voice, individual and idiosyncratic from the first quote (“Don’t take me for no avant-garde, ready-born doctor.”), reaches off the page to grab your attention. Reading his words it is easy to imagine how absorbing it must have been to sit at a bar, sipping Pernod and soda and listening to him discourse. Mingus was as nimble and inventive a raconteur as he was as a performer and composer. Goodman’s questions don’t just receive answers: they inspire passionate, detailed anecdotes, counterproposals, Socratic volleys of queries, reminiscences, rants, jokes, nuanced appraisals, praise for colleagues and friends, sarcastic cracks, testimonials to the ideals that guided Mingus’ artistic practice. Listen to the podcast for a snippet from one of the interviews: Mingus Speaks, “machine-gun style,” as Goodman observes, rapid, fluent, sharp. The idea of authenticity ties together much of what Mingus had to say. Mingus’ high standards for authentic artistic, professional, even ethical practices shine through these interviews from his first reflections on the skill and study required for true musical mastery. Mingus is celebrated as innovative, even avant-garde, but he was suspicious of the avant-garde label. He speaks repeatedly in the interviews of the importance of studying and mastering the traditions and history of music, not just jazz, but Bach, Varèse, masters of the blues, other original musical thinkers rooted in solid technique and deep respect of their traditions. Briskly scornful of improvisational practices that had little to do with coherent form and expressive structure, Mingus doesn’t hesitate to point out which emperors among the free jazz community were wearing no clothes. Mingus is similarly forceful and articulate about race and musical identity, the shady practices of the music industry, the complexities of working with other musicians to create truly collaborative, expressive music. He isn’t abstract, he doesn’t mince words, his emotions inform his intellectual musings and punctuate his words with laughs, rushes of excitement, anger, moody pauses; his words have the same intensity and integrity as his music. —Mary Francis Listen to the podcast now:   <p>Books like Mingus Speaks come around once in a lifetime, and Music editor Mary Francis’s enthusiasm for the project is palpable. That’s why we asked her to introduce this episode of the UC Press Podcast, a discussion with writer [...] http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/15663/uc-press-podcast-the-amazing-bud-powell/ http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/15663/uc-press-podcast-the-amazing-bud-powell/#comments Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:24:39 +0000 ssilverman http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/?p=15663 In this special edition of the UC Press Podcast, our Music editor Mary Francis introduces author Guy Ramsey, whom she’s worked with for 10 years. Read Mary’s account of the backstory behind the project, then listen to the podcast below. 

I’ve worked with Guy Ramsey on some truly fantastic projects, starting with his ground-breaking Race Music: [more...]]]> http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/15663/uc-press-podcast-the-amazing-bud-powell/feed/ 0 In this special edition of the UC Press Podcast, our Music editor Mary Francis introduces author Guy Ramsey, whom she’s worked with for 10 years. Read Mary’s account of the backstory behind the project, then listen to the podcast below.  I’ve worked with Guy Ramsey on some truly fantastic projects, starting with his ground-breaking Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop (2003), and continuing with his role as editor for our Music of the African Diaspora series. I have always loved Bud Powell’s music, and until now Powell’s legacy as an architect of the bebop idiom had not yet been given its due. I was excited about The Amazing Bud Powell: Black Genius, Jazz History, and the Challenge of Bebop right from the start because I knew that Guy would be able to write something revelatory about Bud Powell, for a lot of reasons. First, because Guy is a terrific pianist himself. If it takes one to know one, a versatile musician like Guy was bound to have plenty of insight into what makes Bud Powell’s musical language so inventive and compelling.  Beyond his musical intelligence, Guy understands Powell’s seminal contribution to the history of jazz and cultural life in such a multifaceted way. Powell’s life, and the stories we tell about it, was shaped by tragedy: struggles against racial prejudice in its myriad forms, outright abuse at the hands of white authorities.  But Powell’s life was also shaped by his own independence of mind about his goals as a composer and performer.  Guy is able to work with the story of Powell’s life, use it as a lens through which we can look critically at the concepts of race and ‘genius.’ Guy’s portrait of Powell as an artist delves into the history of bebop and modernism in a way that should interest anyone who cares about modernism and the arts at midcentury. One day Guy and I were discussing the project on the phone, and we got to talking about Jørgen Leth’s first film, Stopforbud (1963). Guy mentions the film in his podcast as a great introduction to Powell, and I share his enthusiasm. This gorgeous black and white short follows Powell, dapper and solitary, as he strolls the streets of Copenhagen, accompanied by the sound of his playing.  Powell’s steps are sometimes on the path as he crosses a bridge or moves through a gate.  But sometimes he strikes out across a field of stones, or a dock: he’s taking his own path, just as his music does.  The visual and aural pairing is spare and expressive; like Powell’s phrasing, the camera angles are often unconventional, even challenging, but deliberate and convincing.  I think both Guy and I appreciate the empathy Leth seems to have with Powell and his music, and I think Guy’s own approach to the amazing Bud Powell shows an equally rewarding empathy and insight. —Mary Francis Listen to the podcast now: Watch Stopforbud: <p>In this special edition of the UC Press Podcast, our Music editor Mary Francis introduces author Guy Ramsey, whom she’s worked with for 10 years. Read Mary’s account of the backstory behind the project, then listen to the podcast [...] http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/15630/phil-tiemeyer-on-plane-queer-and-the-history-of-male-flight-attendants/ http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/15630/phil-tiemeyer-on-plane-queer-and-the-history-of-male-flight-attendants/#comments Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:41:02 +0000 ssilverman http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/?p=15630 Phil Tiemeyer, author of Plane Queer: Labor, Sexuality, and AIDS in the History of Male Flight Attendants recently spoke about the history of the profession and how it came to be identified with gay men on the Michelangelo Signorile Show.

Listen now:

Tiemeyer will be at the GLBT History Museum in San Francisco on Thursday, April 11 to [more...]]]> http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/15630/phil-tiemeyer-on-plane-queer-and-the-history-of-male-flight-attendants/feed/ 0 Phil Tiemeyer, author of Plane Queer: Labor, Sexuality, and AIDS in the History of Male Flight Attendants recently spoke about the history of the profession and how it came to be identified with gay men on the Michelangelo Signorile Show. Listen now: Tiemeyer will be at the GLBT History Museum in San Francisco on Thursday, April 11 to talk about the book. Joining him will be Bill Wright, a Pan Am flight attendant from the 1950s through the 1980s. Together, they’ll reveal the neglected queer history of a gay-identified career that emerged with the dawn of commercial passenger flight in the late 1920s and that continues today. The program will highlight the ways that gay men at times thrived in this workplace, and at other times encountered sexism and homophobia that threatened their foothold in the profession. <p>Phil Tiemeyer, author of Plane Queer: Labor, Sexuality, and AIDS in the History of Male Flight Attendants recently spoke about the history of the profession and how it came to be identified with gay men on the Michelangelo Signorile [...] http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/15532/uc-press-podcast-sabine-heinlein-on-life-after-a-murder-conviction/ http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/15532/uc-press-podcast-sabine-heinlein-on-life-after-a-murder-conviction/#comments Mon, 11 Mar 2013 23:13:35 +0000 ssilverman http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/?p=15532 What is it like for a convicted murderer who has spent decades behind bars to suddenly find himself released into a world he barely recognizes? What is it like to start over from nothing? To answer these questions Sabine Heinlein followed the everyday lives and emotional struggles of Angel Ramos and his friends Bruce and [more...]]]> http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/15532/uc-press-podcast-sabine-heinlein-on-life-after-a-murder-conviction/feed/ 0 What is it like for a convicted murderer who has spent decades behind bars to suddenly find himself released into a world he barely recognizes? What is it like to start over from nothing? To answer these questions Sabine Heinlein followed the everyday lives and emotional struggles of Angel Ramos and his friends Bruce and Adam—three men convicted of some of society’s most heinous crimes—as they return to the free world. In the latest episode of the UC Press Podcast, Heinlein discusses how she chose Bruce, Angel, and Adam as subjects, the social function of facilities like the Castle (the halfway house profiled in the book), and the three men’s unexpected strategies for coping with life on the outside. Listen now: <p>What is it like for a convicted murderer who has spent decades behind bars to suddenly find himself released into a world he barely recognizes? What is it like to start over from nothing? To answer these questions Sabine Heinlein followed [...] http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14946/uc-press-podcast-the-final-leap-suicide-on-the-golden-gate-bridge/ http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14946/uc-press-podcast-the-final-leap-suicide-on-the-golden-gate-bridge/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 17:36:45 +0000 ssilverman http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/?p=14946 A note from the person who maintains this blog: Almost exactly a year ago, a dear of friend of mine walked out on to the Golden Gate Bridge, sent a text asking that her dog be cared for and jumped. If the publication of The Final Leap deters a single troubled person from making the [more...]]]> http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14946/uc-press-podcast-the-final-leap-suicide-on-the-golden-gate-bridge/feed/ 0 A note from the person who maintains this blog: Almost exactly a year ago, a dear of friend of mine walked out on to the Golden Gate Bridge, sent a text asking that her dog be cared for and jumped. If the publication of The Final Leap deters a single troubled person from making the same decision, it will be most important book we’ve published all year.  On with the post. The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most beautiful and most photographed structures in the world. It’s also the most deadly. Since it opened in 1937, more than 1,500 people have died jumping off the bridge, making it the top suicide site on earth. It’s also the only international landmark without a suicide barrier. Weaving drama, tragedy, and politics against the backdrop of a world-famous city, The Final Leap is the first book ever written about Golden Gate Bridge suicides. John Bateson leads us on a fascinating journey that uncovers the reasons for the design decision that led to so many deaths, provides insight into the phenomenon of suicide, and examines arguments for and against a suicide barrier. He tells the stories of those who have died, the few who have survived, and those who have been affected—from loving families to the Coast Guard, from the coroner to suicide prevention advocates. On the newest UC Press podcast, Chris Gondek talks to John Bateson about the experiences that lead him to write The Final Leap. And for additional context, here’s a short review from the San Jose Mercury News. <p>A note from the person who maintains this blog: Almost exactly a year ago, a dear of friend of mine walked out on to the Golden Gate Bridge, sent a text asking that her dog be cared for and jumped. If the publication of The Final Leap [...] Chris Gondek 1500 podcast, John Bateson, The Final Leap clean http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14885/uc-press-podcast-race-monogamy-and-other-lies-they-told-you-busting-myths-about-human-nature/ http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14885/uc-press-podcast-race-monogamy-and-other-lies-they-told-you-busting-myths-about-human-nature/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:03:51 +0000 ssilverman http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/?p=14885 There are three major myths of human nature: humans are divided into biological races; humans are naturally aggressive; men and women are truly different in behavior, desires, and wiring. In an engaging and wide-ranging narrative Agustín Fuentes counters these pervasive and pernicious myths about human behavior. Tackling misconceptions about what race, aggression, and sex really [more...]]]> http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14885/uc-press-podcast-race-monogamy-and-other-lies-they-told-you-busting-myths-about-human-nature/feed/ 0 There are three major myths of human nature: humans are divided into biological races; humans are naturally aggressive; men and women are truly different in behavior, desires, and wiring. In an engaging and wide-ranging narrative Agustín Fuentes counters these pervasive and pernicious myths about human behavior. Tackling misconceptions about what race, aggression, and sex really mean for humans, Fuentes incorporates an accessible understanding of culture, genetics, and evolution requiring us to dispose of notions of “nature or nurture.” Presenting scientific evidence from diverse fields, including anthropology, biology, and psychology, Fuentes devises a myth-busting toolkit to dismantle persistent fallacies about the validity of biological races, the innateness of aggression and violence, and the nature of monogamy and differences between the sexes. A final chapter plus an appendix provide a set of take-home points on how readers can myth-bust on their own. Accessible, compelling, and original, this book is a rich and nuanced account of how nature, culture, experience, and choice interact to influence human behavior. Here’s our own Chris Gondek interviewing Race, Monogramy, and Other Lies They Told You author Agustín Fuentes: And for additional context, Agustin Fuentes wrote an author blog for Psychology Today and gave this interview to Good Morning (New Zealand) <p>There are three major myths of human nature: humans are divided into biological races; humans are naturally aggressive; men and women are truly different in behavior, desires, and wiring. In an engaging and wide-ranging narrative Agustín [...] Chris Gondek 1500 podcast, anthropology, clean http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14588/uc-press-podcast-a-peoples-guide-to-los-angeles/ http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14588/uc-press-podcast-a-peoples-guide-to-los-angeles/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:57:07 +0000 ssilverman http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/?p=14588 A People’s Guide to Los Angeles offers an assortment of eye-opening alternatives to L.A.’s usual tourist destinations. It documents 115 little-known sites in the City of Angels where struggles related to race, class, gender, and sexuality have occurred. They introduce us to people and events usually ignored by mainstream media and, in the process, create [more...]]]> http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14588/uc-press-podcast-a-peoples-guide-to-los-angeles/feed/ 0 A People’s Guide to Los Angeles offers an assortment of eye-opening alternatives to L.A.’s usual tourist destinations. It documents 115 little-known sites in the City of Angels where struggles related to race, class, gender, and sexuality have occurred. They introduce us to people and events usually ignored by mainstream media and, in the process, create a fresh history of Los Angeles. Roughly dividing the city into six regions—North Los Angeles, the Eastside and San Gabriel Valley, South Los Angeles, Long Beach and the Harbor, the Westside, and the San Fernando Valley—this illuminating guide shows how power operates in the shaping of places, and how it remains embedded in the landscape. And here’s a capsule review of A People’s Guide to Los Angeles from our friends at Booklist to give you a bit more context about the book. <p>A People’s Guide to Los Angeles offers an assortment of eye-opening alternatives to L.A.’s usual tourist destinations. It documents 115 little-known sites in the City of Angels where struggles related to race, class, gender, and [...] http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14552/uc-press-podcast-why-calories-count/ http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14552/uc-press-podcast-why-calories-count/#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:46:21 +0000 ssilverman http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/?p=14552 Calories—too few or too many—are the source of health problems affecting billions of people in today’s globalized world. Although calories are essential to human health and survival, they cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted. They are also hard to understand. In Why Calories Count, Marion Nestle and Malden Nesheim explain in clear [more...]]]> http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14552/uc-press-podcast-why-calories-count/feed/ 0 Calories—too few or too many—are the source of health problems affecting billions of people in today’s globalized world. Although calories are essential to human health and survival, they cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted. They are also hard to understand. In Why Calories Count, Marion Nestle and Malden Nesheim explain in clear and accessible language what calories are and how they work, both biologically and politically. As they take readers through the issues that are fundamental to our understanding of diet and food, weight gain, loss, and obesity, Nestle and Nesheim sort through a great deal of the misinformation put forth by food manufacturers and diet program promoters. They elucidate the political stakes and show how federal and corporate policies have come together to create an “eat more” environment. Finally, having armed readers with the necessary information to interpret food labels, evaluate diet claims, and understand evidence as presented in popular media, the authors offer some candid advice: Get organized. Eat less. Eat better. Move more. Get political. In this UC Press podcast, Marion talks to Chris Gondek about the ideas and issues behind Why Calories Count. And for a bit more information about Why Calories Count, here is a review of the book from the San Francisco Chronicle. <p>Calories—too few or too many—are the source of health problems affecting billions of people in today’s globalized world. Although calories are essential to human health and survival, they cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted. They [...] Chris Gondek 1800 podcast, Marion Nestle, Why Calories Count clean http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14542/uc-press-podcast-engineering-happiness/ http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14542/uc-press-podcast-engineering-happiness/#comments Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:59:06 +0000 ssilverman http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/?p=14542 Manel Baucells and Rakesh Sarin have been conducting ground-breaking research on happiness for more than a decade, and in this book they distill their provocative findings into a lively, accessible guide for a wide audience of readers. Integrating their own research with the latest thinking in the behavioral and social sciences—including [more...]]]> http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/14542/uc-press-podcast-engineering-happiness/feed/ 0 Manel Baucells and Rakesh Sarin have been conducting ground-breaking research on happiness for more than a decade, and in this book they distill their provocative findings into a lively, accessible guide for a wide audience of readers. Integrating their own research with the latest thinking in the behavioral and social sciences—including management science, psychology, and economics—they offer a new approach to the puzzle of happiness. Woven throughout with wisdom from the world’s religions and literatures, Engineering Happiness has something to offer everyone—regardless of background, profession, or aspiration—who wants to better understand, control, and attain a more joyful life. In the newest UC Press podcast, Chris Gondek talks to Engineering Happiness co-author Manel Baucells about the theories and patterns behind the book. <p>Manel Baucells and Rakesh Sarin have been conducting ground-breaking research on happiness for more than a decade, and in this book they distill their provocative findings into a lively, accessible guide for a wide audience of readers. [...] Chris Gondek 1800 podcast, Manel Baucells, engineering happiness clean