FRESH AIR
For 25 years, author and journalist Ahmed Rashid has covered Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia. He files for
English language papers including the International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal and The Daily Telegraph. Based in Lahore, Rashid is the author of the bestselling books, Taliban and Jihad. ALSO, Critic Milo Miles reviews the new four DVD set, “Popeye the Sailor 1933-1938.” The animated series features the classic Popeye cartoons by the Fleischer brothers studios. Miles calls the set a first rate reissue.
RADIO TIMES
Hour 1
(Rebroadcast tonight at 11)
Observers of the Justice Department say that the institution is struggling after the Gonzales scandal, resignation of high-ranking officials, resulting low morale and the questionable handling of a range of issues. We talk with two former Justice Department officials about the challenges for the next Attorney General. Our guests are DANIEL METCALFE, who retired from the department in January, and DANIEL MARCUS, who served as Associate Attorney General in the Clinton administration. Listen to this show via Real Audio | mp3
Hour 2
In her new book, The Zookeeper’s Wife, writer DIANE ACKERMAN tells the true story of a Polish husband and wife who during the Holocaust saved save over 300 Jews by hiding them from the Nazis in the Warsaw zoo. Ackerman is in the studio with Marty. Listen to this show via Real Audio | mp3
THE WORLD CAFE
One of the sweetest voices in American pop music emerged from a gospel group named the Soul Stirrers. Within a year, Sam Cooke, the owner of
that voice, had released the lilting ballad “You Send Me,” beginning his uncomfortable, yet unstoppable, climb to fame. The story of how Cooke became a musical success story — and how that story often took tragic turns — is the subject of a new book by music historian Peter Guralnick, Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke.
In his account, Guralnick details how Cooke struggled against a music industry that often devalued black artists — even as he laid the foundations of modern soul music.
As he navigated copyright and contractual issues — which often tangled the careers of fellow singers, like Jimmy Scott — Cook acquired his own record label, a music publishing company, and worked in both production and management.
But his cultural influence can hardly be overstated. From the infectious “Another Saturday Night” and “Twistin’ the Night Away” to the anthemic “A Change Is Gonna Come,” Cooke’s impact on American popular music is lasting. His singing style has been connected to everyone from Otis Redding to Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye.
Dream Boogie also details the personal problems Cooke faced, and his surprising death. At just 33 years old, he died after being shot three times by a hotel manager. Cooke reportedly had been chasing a young woman who had stolen his wallet and clothes while he was in the shower.
Previously, Guralnick wrote several books examining the history of a broad range of music, from blues to country to rock and soul. The writer’s epic biography of Elvis Presley, published in two installments and totaling over 1,000 pages, is considered the definitive account of the singer’s life.
SAM COOKE: A Change Is Gonna Come