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The Five: Reflections on American history, race — and pop culture
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MPR News director of programming Steph Curtis stopped by with a spring edition of “The Five,” where she recommends things to read, listen to and experience right now.
1) Read “The Final Revival of Opal & Nev” by Dawnie Walton
It is a fictional oral history of a band called Opal & Nev. Opal is a working-class Black woman from Detroit. Nev is a singer-songwriter from England. Together, the interracial duo create music in early 1970s America. It’s a delightful and intriguing investigation into pop culture, American history and race. It makes you question why you’re drawn to the music that you like, forces you to reflect on important moments in pop culture, and makes you think about who gets forgotten over time.
2) Read “The clockwork universe: Is free will an illusion?” by Oliver Burkeman in The Guardian
The story is about an ongoing metaphysical debate among neuroscientists and philosophers questioning whether we possess free will. It makes you think deeply about injustices we witness and our agency in affecting change.
3) Listen “Spectacle: An Unscripted History of Reality TV,” a podcast by Neon Hum Media and hosted by Mariah Smith
She’s a comedian and writer who interviews other creators to dissect how reality TV often captures the racial divide in America and shapes pop culture in the process.
4) Watch “A New Leaf” by Elaine May
In her 1971 directorial debut starring May and Walter Matthau, “A New Leaf” is a dark comedy about a couple named Henry and Henrietta. Henry, a once rich playboy gone broke, comes up with a scheme with the help of his butler to maintain his lavish lifestyle. Henry’s plan: find a woman to court, marry her, and then murder her.
5) Listen “Love and Hate in a Different Time” by The Gabriels
The soundtrack of a short film examining the relationship between subjects and and the stories they inspire.
Bonus from Kerri Miller: “Hinterland” on BBC One
A dark, moody and suspenseful crime drama set in the coastal town of Aberystwyth, Wales about a troubled detective trying to escape his past.
Correction (May 3, 2021): A previous version of this story incorrectly described who the main character in “A New Leaf” works with on a get-rich-quick scheme. The story has been updated.
Share
MPR News director of programming Steph Curtis stopped by with a spring edition of “The Five,” where she recommends things to read, listen to and experience right now.
1) Read “The Final Revival of Opal & Nev” by Dawnie Walton
It is a fictional oral history of a band called Opal & Nev. Opal is a working-class Black woman from Detroit. Nev is a singer-songwriter from England. Together, the interracial duo create music in early 1970s America. It’s a delightful and intriguing investigation into pop culture, American history and race. It makes you question why you’re drawn to the music that you like, forces you to reflect on important moments in pop culture, and makes you think about who gets forgotten over time.
2) Read “The clockwork universe: Is free will an illusion?” by Oliver Burkeman in The Guardian
The story is about an ongoing metaphysical debate among neuroscientists and philosophers questioning whether we possess free will. It makes you think deeply about injustices we witness and our agency in affecting change.
3) Listen “Spectacle: An Unscripted History of Reality TV,” a podcast by Neon Hum Media and hosted by Mariah Smith
She’s a comedian and writer who interviews other creators to dissect how reality TV often captures the racial divide in America and shapes pop culture in the process.
4) Watch “A New Leaf” by Elaine May
In her 1971 directorial debut starring May and Walter Matthau, “A New Leaf” is a dark comedy about a couple named Henry and Henrietta. Henry, a once rich playboy gone broke, comes up with a scheme with the help of his butler to maintain his lavish lifestyle. Henry’s plan: find a woman to court, marry her, and then murder her.
5) Listen “Love and Hate in a Different Time” by The Gabriels
The soundtrack of a short film examining the relationship between subjects and and the stories they inspire.
Bonus from Kerri Miller: “Hinterland” on BBC One
A dark, moody and suspenseful crime drama set in the coastal town of Aberystwyth, Wales about a troubled detective trying to escape his past.
Correction (May 3, 2021): A previous version of this story incorrectly described who the main character in “A New Leaf” works with on a get-rich-quick scheme. The story has been updated.
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
