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About Rich Schur

NBN Episodes hosted by Rich:

Music January 24, 2018

Lions of the North

Sounds of the New Nordic Radical Nationalism

Benjamin R. Teitelbaum

Hosted by Rich Schur
Music is frequently connected to leftist politics and seen as the soundtrack to social protest movements, most notably the civil rights movement. But the far right groups use music too …
Music November 2, 2017

Do You Have a Band?

Poetry and Punk Rock in New York City

Daniel Kane

Hosted by Rich Schur
Often, poetry and punk rock are seen as distinct activities that occur in different locations with separate audiences. Many would also ascribe to them varying levels of cultural and political …
Music July 12, 2017

The Humorless Ladies of Border Control

Touring the Punk Underground from Belgrade to Ulaanbaataar

Franz Nicolay

Hosted by Rich Schur
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? What kind of venues …
Music June 13, 2017

Hip-Hop DJs and the Evolution of Technology

Cultural Exchange, Innovation, and Democratization

Andre Sirois

Hosted by Rich Schur
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 mixers, faders …
Music January 9, 2017

Original Gangstas

The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap

Ben Westhoff

Hosted by Rich Schur
The real story behind the origin of gangsta rap is difficult to discern. Between the bombastic rhetoric and imagery, the larger-than-life characters, and the subsequent success of many of the …
Music September 8, 2016

Waking the Spirit

A Musician's Journey Healing Body, Mind, and Soul

Andrew Schulman

Hosted by Rich Schur
What do the musical compositions of Bach, Gershwin, and the Beatles all have in common? Besides being great pieces of music, according to Andrew Schulman, they promote healing in intensive …
Music August 12, 2016

The Spitboy Rule

Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band

Michelle Cruz Gonzales

Hosted by Rich Schur
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 …
Music June 2, 2016

The Banjo

America's African Instrument

Laurent Dubois

Hosted by Rich Schur
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 economic effects of music. Laurent …
Music April 1, 2016

Modernity's Ear

Listening to Race and Gender in World Music

Roshanak Kheshti

Hosted by Rich Schur
The origins of world music can be found in early ethnographic recordings as anthropologists and ethnomusicologists sought to record the songs of lost or dying cultures. In Modernity's Ear: Listening …
Music January 14, 2016

Home With Hip Hop Feminism

Aisha Durham

Hosted by Rich Schur
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 in an …
Music November 9, 2015

Soundtracks of Asian America

Navigating Race Through Musical Performance

Grace Wang

Hosted by Rich Schur
Many people assume that music, especially classical music, is a universal language that transcends racial and class boundaries. At the same time, many musicians, fans, and scholars praise music's ability …
Music September 9, 2015

Playboy Swings

How Hugh Hefner and Playboy Changed the Face of Music

Patty Farmer

Hosted by Rich Schur
What do Aretha Franklin, Rodney Dangerfield, and desegregation in New Orleans have in common? Perhaps, surprisingly, the answer is Playboy. Playboy magazine served as a guidebook for young people in …
Music July 26, 2015

Queerness in Heavy Metal Music

Metal Bent

Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone

Hosted by Rich Schur
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 book, Queerness in Heavy …
Music June 20, 2015

Rebel Rebel

Chris O'Leary

Hosted by Rich Schur
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 (Zero Books, 2015) meticulously examines …
Music February 19, 2015

Bruce Springsteen

American Poet and Prophet

Donald Deardorff

Hosted by Rich Schur
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 release of his classic …
Music February 2, 2015

Ska

The Rhythm of Liberation

Heather Augustyn

Hosted by Rich Schur
What is Ska music? This is a deceptively complicated question. In this podcast Heather Augustyn, the author of Ska: The Rhythm of Liberation(Scarecrow Press, 2013) discusses ska's journey from a …
Music January 19, 2015

Dance Floor Democracy

The Social Geography of Memory at the Hollywood Canteen

Sherrie Tucker

Hosted by Rich Schur
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 war effort …
Music October 22, 2014

Stealing All Transmissions

A Secret History of the Clash

Randal Doane

Hosted by Rich Schur
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 History of the Clash …
Music September 30, 2014

Sing Us a Song, Piano Woman

Female Fans and the Music of Tori Amos

Adrienne Trier-Bieniek

Hosted by Rich Schur
What are female fans of popular music seeking and hearing when they listen to music and attend concerts? In an innovative and fascinating study entitled Sing Us a Song, Piano …
Music August 23, 2014

Popular Music in a Digital Music Economy

Problems and Practices for an Emerging Service Industry

Tim Anderson

Hosted by Rich Schur
Since the 1990s, the music industry has been going through a massive transformation. After World War II, the primary way audiences participated in the music business in the period between …
Music July 23, 2014

The Michael Jacksons

Lorena Turner

Hosted by Rich Schur
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 Jackson Five and it …
Music May 3, 2014

Gender, Branding, and the Modern Music Industry

Kristin Lieb

Hosted by Rich Schur
It is a challenge for all musicians to find success in the modern music industry, but women face unique challenges. Cultural narratives shape how female artists get sold to the …
Music April 6, 2014

Why Jazz Happened

Marc Myers

Hosted by Rich Schur
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 fascinating book Why …
Music February 28, 2014

Eminem

The Real Slim Shady

Marcia Alesan Dawkins

Hosted by Rich Schur
Who is Eminem? Is he a violent misogynist, another "white" performer imitating African American musical styles, or is he something else entirely? In her provocative bookEminem: The Real Slim Shady(Praeger …