Next up: Tom Waits reads Charles Bukowski’s poem, The LaughÂing Heart. As Zoran (a readÂer from Greece) observes, Waits reads the poem much like BukowsÂki would have read it himÂself.
Of course, this raisÂes the quesÂtion: How did BukowsÂki read his poetÂry? The Secret of My Endurance holds the answer.
Thanks Zoran…
AnothÂer great way to rememÂber the great Lena Horne. This clip brings you back to 1958, when Horne appeared on What’s My Line, the longest-runÂning game show in AmerÂiÂcan teleÂviÂsion hisÂtoÂry. DurÂing its eighÂteen seaÂsons, the show feaÂtured hunÂdreds of celebriÂties, includÂing some of America’s leadÂing culÂturÂal figÂures. You can rewind the video tape and also check out appearÂances made by SalÂvador Dali, Alfred HitchÂcock, Frank Lloyd Wright, Eleanor RooÂsevelt, GrouÂcho Marx, Carl SandÂburg, among othÂers.
Sad to note the passÂing of Lena Horne, one of the first black talÂents to break the colÂor barÂriÂer in HolÂlyÂwood. Here we have her singing her sigÂnaÂture song “Stormy WeathÂer” in 1943. Thanks to @wesalwan, a regÂuÂlar conÂtribÂuÂtor, for flagÂging this vinÂtage piece.
Great litÂtle find by Doug. At an April 19th conÂcert in San FranÂcisÂco, the ChiÂnese pianist Lang Lang threw his audiÂence a bit of a curveÂball when he startÂed playÂing NikoÂlai RimÂsky-KorÂsakov’s Flight of the BumÂbleÂbee on … yup … an iPad. AccordÂing to The Wall Street JourÂnal, this perÂforÂmance comes preÂloaded on the MagÂic Piano App that retails for 99 cents. Thanks Doug for sendÂing this one our way!
via 9to5mac
We’re movÂing back in time. Before the iPod, and before the CD. We’re going back to the anaÂlog age, a moment when the vinyl record reigned supreme. (That moment lastÂed most of the 20th cenÂtuÂry.) The clip above, which feaÂtures the great Duke EllingÂton, shows you how records were actuÂalÂly recordÂed, platÂed and pressed. Alois HavrilÂla, a pioÂneer radio announcÂer, narÂrates.
NOTE: For some reaÂson, it looks like you need to click play twice to get this video startÂed.
The place: A proÂduce marÂket in ValenÂcia, Spain. The day: Just a day like any othÂer. But then sudÂdenÂly Verdi’s La traviÂaÂta booms out over the speakÂers, and opera singers, iniÂtialÂly masÂqueradÂing as shopÂkeepÂers, take cenÂter stage. Stick with it until the end. The cusÂtomer reacÂtion is preÂcious. We’ve added this one to our YouTube favorites. Thanks CharÂlie for the tip …
The BBC brings you Folk AmerÂiÂca, a three-part docÂuÂmenÂtary series on AmerÂiÂcan folk music, “tracÂing its hisÂtoÂry from the recordÂing boom of the 1920s to the folk revival of the 1960s.” We feaÂture above the third segÂment, Blowin’ in the Wind, which takes you straight to the 1960s, when Bob Dylan and Joan Baez hit the stage. The othÂer two segÂments that make up Folk AmerÂiÂca include Birth of a Nation and This Land is Your Land.
via MetafilÂter
Open Culture scours the web for the best educational media. We find the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & educational videos you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between.
©2006-2026 Open Culture, LLC.
All rights reserved.
