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About Rich Schur
NBN Episodes hosted by Rich:
December 30, 2023
The Banjo
Most scholars of popular music use songs, artists, and clubs as the key texts and sites in their exploration of the social, cultural, political, and e…
January 24, 2018
Lions of the North
Music is frequently connected to leftist politics and seen as the soundtrack to social protest movements, most notably the civil rights movement. But …
November 2, 2017
Do You Have a Band?
Often, poetry and punk rock are seen as distinct activities that occur in different locations with separate audiences. Many would also ascribe to them…
July 12, 2017
The Humorless Ladies of Border Control
What is the punk music scene like in Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, or Mongolia? Who listens to punk in Eastern Europe and in the Balkans?…
June 13, 2017
Hip-Hop DJs and the Evolution of Technology
What is the role of the deejay in shaping hip-hop? Did deejays shape the technology that is used to create the music or were they simply consumers of …
January 9, 2017
Original Gangstas
The real story behind the origin of gangsta rap is difficult to discern. Between the bombastic rhetoric and imagery, the larger-than-life characters, …
September 8, 2016
Waking the Spirit
What do the musical compositions of Bach, Gershwin, and the Beatles all have in common? Besides being great pieces of music, according to Andrew Schul…
August 12, 2016
The Spitboy Rule
In her new book The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band (PM Press, 2016), Michelle Cruz Gonzales tells her story as a member of a fe…
April 1, 2016
Modernity's Ear
The origins of world music can be found in early ethnographic recordings as anthropologists and ethnomusicologists sought to record the songs of lost …
January 14, 2016
Home With Hip Hop Feminism
Is hip hop defined by its artists or by its audience? In Home With Hip Hop Feminism, Aisha Durham returns hip hop scholarship to its roots by engaging…
November 9, 2015
Soundtracks of Asian America
Many people assume that music, especially classical music, is a universal language that transcends racial and class boundaries. At the same time, many…
September 9, 2015
Playboy Swings
What do Aretha Franklin, Rodney Dangerfield, and desegregation in New Orleans have in common? Perhaps, surprisingly, the answer is Playboy. Playboy ma…
July 26, 2015
Queerness in Heavy Metal Music
Much of the scholarship on heavy metal has assumed that the primary audience is straight white males, who are likely sexist and homophobic. In her new…
June 20, 2015
Rebel Rebel
Who is David Bowie? Fans and critics have debated this question throughout his lengthy and storied career. Chris O'Leary, in his new book Rebel Rebel …
February 19, 2015
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen is an American icon, known to his fans as "Bruce" and the "Boss." Springsteen burst onto the American music scene in 1975 with the r…
February 2, 2015
Ska
What is Ska music? This is a deceptively complicated question. In this podcast Heather Augustyn, the author of Ska: The Rhythm of Liberation(Scarec…
January 19, 2015
Dance Floor Democracy
Cultural memory of World War II frequently draws on swing music and the USO dance floor as symbols of how the country came together in support of the …
October 22, 2014
Stealing All Transmissions
Who are the Clash? How did they become the "only band that matters"? In this podcast, Randal Doane, the author of Stealing All Transmissions: A Secret…
September 30, 2014
Sing Us a Song, Piano Woman
What are female fans of popular music seeking and hearing when they listen to music and attend concerts? In an innovative and fascinating study entitl…
August 23, 2014
Popular Music in a Digital Music Economy
Since the 1990s, the music industry has been going through a massive transformation. After World War II, the primary way audiences participated in the…
July 23, 2014
The Michael Jacksons
During his lifetime, Michael Jackson became a global icon. Michael Jackson was beloved by millions; his journey began as he became a boy star with The…
May 3, 2014
Gender, Branding, and the Modern Music Industry
It is a challenge for all musicians to find success in the modern music industry, but women face unique challenges. Cultural narratives shape how fema…
April 6, 2014
Why Jazz Happened
How did jazz take shape? Why does jazz have so many styles? Why do jazz songs get longer as the twentieth century proceeds? Marc Myers, in his fascina…
February 28, 2014
Eminem
Who is Eminem? Is he a violent misogynist, another "white" performer imitating African American musical styles, or is he something else entirely? In h…