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Books and Beats
with Stu Levitan
Long-form interviews
authors, activists, musicians
Mar 22 -- Meg Hamel, Wisconsin Film Festival; Mikal Gilmore, Stories Done: Writings on the 1960s and Its Discontents
On Air: 321-0921 Voicemail: 663-7291 Sunday Journal Podcast/Archices
Stu Levitan has been a mainstay of Madison media and politics for more than thirty years, a leader in both politics and the press since 1975. In addition to Sunday Journal, Stu hosts Access: City Hall on the Madison City Channel and serves as chair of the Madison Community Development Authority and on the Madison Landmarks Commission. Since 1987, he has been a mediator/arbitrator for the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission. (more below) |
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About Stu
Stu Levitan was the first local host on Madison's Progressive Talk, The Mic 92.1 when the station was launched in the Fall of 2004. Airing weekdays during the afternoon drive home, Stu was there for Madison during the '04 election and the months following. In 2005, Stu debuted "Sundays With Stu" and focused his attention on authors, artists and musicians. Then, during an exhaustive research and writing process, Stu took a break from The Mic 92.1 before releasing Madison: An Illustrated Sesquicentennial History, Volume I, 1856–1931. On the heels of the book's incredible reviews and record sales Stu returned to The Mic 92.1 with "Sunday Journal," 10am to noon starting on February 4.
Stu began his journalism career in the summer of 1975 as the Washington Correspondent for the Capital Times. In 1977, he moved to Madison as a staff writer under the Newspaper Guild contract. Stu had gone back to Washington when five unions, including the Guild, struck the paper and Madison Newspapers, Inc. on October 1, 1977. Stu immediately quit the Cap Times and joined the fledgling Madison Press Connection, where he remained until it folded in January, 1980. (Stu was on the last front page, with an exclusive -- and unauthorized -- interview with Karl Armstrong inside Waupon Prison. Stu then published his own newsletter, Scoopsheet, for about two years. He also worked as a special investigator and analyst for the legislature's Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules. He also punched that essential Madison ticket of driving a cab, on the weekend graveyard shift with Union Cab Co-Op.
Stu was elected to the Dane County Board of Supervisors, where his accomplishments (1982-1987) included writing a countywide Fair Housing Ordinance, creating the Sensitive Crimes Commission, revising the Affirmative Action ordinance, and creating a newspaper recycling program. As a result of these early efforts, the United Way of Dane County in 1984 honored Stu as "Key Person in the Community." Since then, Stu has held numerous leadership positions on various municipal and non-profit boards, including the Madison Plan Commission, the Zoning Board of Appeals and Madison Development Corporation; he currently serves as chair of the Community Development Authority. Stu is also an award-winning magazine writer for Madison Magazine, frequent political reporter, cultural commentator and essayist for several newspapers, and award-winning host of Access: City Hall on the Madison City Channel. And since 1987 he has even had a day (and sometimes night) job, spreading labor peace and imposing industrial justice as a mediator/arbitrator for the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission.
Stu comes by his penchant for politics and the press naturally. His father David worked for the United Nations, served on the Nassau County (NY) Board of Social Services and had his own public affairs show on ABC-TV, "On Trial." His mother, the late poet/playwright Judith Morley, was active in Democratic Party politics and had her own shows on Voice of America and NBC radio. Sister Barbara is head of the law department for the New York Surrogate's Court.
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March, 2009
Saturday 03-21-2009 11:02pm CT
3/22
An abbreviated show, so we can broadcast the UW Women's Hockey team playing in their fourth consecutive NCAA final.
10
Newsweek's Howard Fineman's insightful The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates that Define and Inspire Our Country is now out in paperback. Hear why you should read it.
10:20
George Porter, Jr., is one of the best bass players in New Orleans, which makes him one of the best bass players anywhere. He'll be at the historic Capitol Theater in the Overture Center for the Arts on Saturday night with the Porter-Batiste-Stoltz band. You should be there, too. And we'll be giving away a pair of tickets, so you've got NO excuse! (Part I of our conversation).
10:40
Some people call Railroad Earth a jam-grass band; fiddle player Tim Carbone explains why he prefers "TransAmericana." RRE will be at the historic Barrymore Theater on Madison's fabulous East Side on Friday; again, you should be there, too. (Part I of our conversation).
3/15
10
William Kleinknecht, The Man Who Sold The World: Ronald Reagan and the Betrayal of Main Street America. It took an award-winning crime reporter to write the full, scathing critique of The Gipper's true legacy. (Hint: It ain't good news for most of us.)
10:45-12
Mikal Gilmore, Stories Done: Writings on the 1960s and Its Discontents. Part one of an extended conversation with the veteran music journalist and award-winning memoirist (Shot in the Heart), about his collection of insightful essays on some seminal writers and musicians.
3/8
10
Harper Magazine's Bill Wasik, creator of the first flash mobs and editor of Submersion Journalism: Reporting in the Radical First Person from Harper's Magazine10:45
Blues singer Shemekia Copeland electrified the David Letterman show last week, and she'll be lighting up the High Noon Saloon on Thurs. 3/12 -- but you can hear from her now. We'll also be giving away copies of her dynamic new album, Never Going Back.
11
Continuing to visit with SNCC's Bob Zellner, author of The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement.
11:20
Joan Baez was once the Madonna of Folk; now she is its First Lady. After more than 50 years raising her voice for peace, justice and freedom, she has a wonderful new album on the charts, Day After Tomorrow, and is coming back to the historic Barrymore Theatre on Sat. 3/14. We are privileged to present a conversation with an American musical icon.
11:50
From the 2008 National Poetry Slam Championships in Madison, Dre performs Put Your Fist Up!
11:55
A selection by the Afro-Cuban All Stars, coming to the Overture Center on Fri., 3/13.
3/1
10AM
Newsweek Senior Editor Jonathan Alter, author of The Defining Moment: FDR and the Triumph of Hope, discusses his Mar. 2 cover essay, "The Confidence Game: How Obama Can Talk Us Out Of A Depression."
10:20
More with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason. This week: some surprising political commentary. (See last week's podcast for a full hour with this music legend, whose new album is the excellent 26 Letters, 12 Notes).
10:30
An on-the-bus chat with Dave Mason's lead guitarist and backing vocalist, Johnne Sambataro.
10:45
Casey Grimm drops by the studio to talk about the new Mercury Players Theater and Stage Q productions, "Cloud 9" and "Vamp."
11
Bob Zellner was the first white field organizer for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Part one of a conversation about his important memoir, The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in The Freedom Movement.
11:30
The UW Arboretum is second only to the Four Lakes as the transcendent natural resource in Madison. Kathy Miner, head of Educational Programs at the Arboretum, previews Saturday's "Madison Reads Leopold" tribute to Aldo Leopold.
February, 2009
Monday 02-23-2009 6:43am CT
2/22
It's Legends and Enlightenment Day here at Books and Beats.
10am
As a founding member of Traffic, Dave Mason is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As a sideman, he played with the Beatles, Stones, Hendrix and more. As a solo artist, he made one of the great albums of the seventies, Alone Together. Now he's got a great new solo album, 26 Letters, 12 Notes. After a wonderful Electric Lunch Live on our sister station, WIBA-FM, Dave came to the Mic studios for an in-depth interview. Hear now a candid conversation with a music legend.
11
Dr. Deepak Chopra is one of the great figures in alternative medicine and psychic exploration. He's coming to Madison on Monday, but we've got him first.
11:20
Dark Star Orchestra isn't just my favorite Grateful Dead cover band; DSO is by far the best, the only one able to recreate GD concerts in the style and arrangement of the original. As we prepare for DSO at the Riverside in Milwaukee on Friday and at the historic Barrymore on Madison's fabulous East Side this Saturday, a conversation with drummer Rob Koritz.
10:50
A Washington's Birthday salute to the first Madison City Hall (2.22.1858-8.31.1954)
2/15
10
Dean Baker, author of Plunder and Blunder: The Rise and Fall of the Bubble Economy, warned of the housing bubble in 2002. Hear his take on on the Obama Stimulus Plan and the Bank Bailout Bill.
10:15
Karen Dawn, author of Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals, joins us live in the studio, before her reading and signing at A Room Of One's Own, 357 W. Johnson St., at 2 p.m.
11
More with the prescient Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
11:30
Bob Zellner, the first white field organizer for the Southern Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, is a true American hero. Part One of an extensive conversation about his new memoir, The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement.
2/8
10:15
To mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of our greatest President, Wisconsin Public Television will broadcast The American Experience production, The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln on Monday and Tuesday. I talked with director Barak Goldman after a sneak preview last week.
10:30
Karen Dawn, author of Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals, is coming to Madison next weekend for an Alliance for Animals event and reading at Room of One's Own. But you can hear her now.
11:00
Coffee is the second-most valuable article of international trade, and Starbucks is the world's leading purveyor of premium coffee. Labor activist and progressive organizer Kim Fellner has written a fascinating account of how our personal and political worlds can collide over a cuppa joe, Wrestling with Starbucks: Conscience, Capital, Cappuccino. Here's part one of an extended conversation.
11:30
Water scarcity and purity will be one of the critical issues of the 21st century. Sonya Newenhouse, Ph. D., President of the Wisconsin Environmental Group, previews the movie Flow (which you can see for free Tuesday at Escape Java Joint and Thursday at the Memorial Union).
11:45
Blogger/Journalist/Musician Emily Mills will be giving a reading of her first novel,The Fix Up, at Room of One's Own on Tuesday. But we've got her first.
2/1
Feb. 1 -- Programming for Super Bowl Sunday/Black History Month:
Dave Zirin, A People's History of Sports in the United States: 250 Years of Politics, Protest, People and Play; Patricia Smith, Blood Dazzler January, 2009
Friday 01-30-2009 4:38pm CT
1/25
We mark the inauguration of the most literate and most theologically advanced President since Lincoln with two timely conversations. Then something completely different, from two of our favorite local theater folk.
10a
Robert Schlesinger, A White House Ghosts: Presidents and their Speechwriters;
10:45
Ronald C. White, Jr., A. Lincoln: A Biography;
11:45
Catherine Capellaro, and Andrew Rohn Blasphemy
1/18
10
Rev. Martin Luther King., Jr., "Why I Oppose the War in Viet Nam," April 30, 1967
Dr. King on Meet the Press, 1957
11
The U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was controversial long before its use as a detention center for alleged terrorists. Hear about its hundred-year history from Jana K. Lipman, author of Guantanamo: A Working-Class History Between Empire and Revolution (Univ. Calif. Press)
Dr. King on Look Here, 1957.
Today's Music: Battle Hymn of the Republic (USN Glee Club); Down by the Riverside (Sister Rosetta Tharpe); Glory, Glory Hallelujah and Freedom Highway (Staple Singers); Blowin' in the Wind (Bob Dylan); Eyes on the Prize (Bruce Springsteen); People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions); When the Saints Go Marching In (Hank Williams); You've Got to Be Carefully Taught (Rogers and Hammerstein); Guantanamera. (Los Sabandenos).
1/11
10
Why did four sailors falsely confess to a rape and murder they didn't commit? And why are three of them still in prison? Tom Wells, author of The Wrong Guys: Murder, False Confessions, and the Norfolk Four (The New Press), talks about a shocking miscarriage of justice.
10:45
As more and more people learn what it's like to be poor, we finish our conversation with Stephen Pimpare, author of A People's History of Poverty in America (The New Press).
11:30
Something so different, you'll think you touched that dial: We talk about teenage girls and a grandma's tea shop with Madison's own Laura Schaefer, author of The Tea Shop Girls (Simon and Schuster). She'll be at University Bookstore Hilldale on Monday, Jan. 12 from 7-8pm, but we've got her first.
1/04/09
We start the new year right, with a well-balanced show tackling topics from several disciplines:
10
It's 25,000 Square feet of musical magic in the basement of a Soho brownstone. A tour of the New York Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex with associate curator Craig Inciardi. {Stupid mistake alert -- in intro, I misidentify the closing chord from A Day In The Life as the end of the Abbey Road medly. D'oh! I think it was because I had just seen the Fab Faux do such a great job performing Abbey Road that it was still on my mind. Damn you, Will Lee!}
10:30
To be stuck inside of Delft with the Rotterdam blues again. A look at the explosive allegation that's got the art history world a-buzz with Prof.Benjamin Binstock, author of Vermeer¹s Family Secrets: Genius, Discovery, and the Unknown Apprentice (Routledge Press);
11:15
A People's History of Poverty in America is just that -- a history of domestic poverty from the perspective of the poor, as recounted by Prof. Stephen Pimpare, part of the New Press People's History series (Howard Zinn, series editor).
11:55
National Poetry Slam Championship, 2008
December, 2008
Saturday 01-03-2009 10:21pm CT
12/28: A special holiday show -- so good, listening to it will seem like a holiday. 10a When David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash joined forces in 1968, they created one of the most enduring and important groups in modern music. David Zimmer, author of Crosby, Stills & Nash: The Biography (now out in a fully updated paperback edition, from our friends at Da Capo Press) recaps the lives, times and music of one of the first true supergroups. 11a The how, what and why of presidential speechifyin' is a matter of great importance. And no one knows more about the topic than Robert Schlesinger, author of White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speech Writers (now out in paperback from our friends at Simon and Schuster). As we await the Inaugural Address of the most literate president since TR, here's a special rebroadcast of our conversation from this past summer (with a new, post-inaugural conversation on January 25). 12/21 10a Boris Garcia is one of my favorite new jamgrass bands. Here's a conversation with guitarist/singer Bob Stirner about the band and its great new release, Once More Into The Bliss. 10:30 Part 1 of an in-depth conversation about progressive educational policy with Carl Glickman, editor of Those Who Dared:Five Visionaries Who Changed American Education. 11 Carl Glickman, Part 2. 11:30 Joe Pug, opening for the Bo Deans at the Barrymore Theater on Friday, Dec. 26, is an exceptional young singer-songwriter with a revolutionary marketing plan. Hear about the music and marketing of Joe Pug from his manager, Don Bartlett. 12/14 10a How did a paralyzed mama's boy become president? And how did he apply his magical alloy of attributes to help lift the country out of the Great Depression? Award-winning Newsweek columnist and reporter/NBC analyst Jonathan Alter explains all in The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope. It's in the Obama Book Club, and it's now out in paperback. 11:15 Opponents of same-gender marriage often cite Scripture. But Lisa Miller, Newsweek Religion Editor, author of the cover story in the Dec. 15 issue, Our Mutual Joy, says that what the Bible teachers about love argues for the other side. Hear why. 11:45 Jane Simon, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art curator, discusses MMOCA'S George Segal: Street Scenes, the first exhibition to focus exclusively on the important modern sculptor's work in the gritty urban environment. The show closes Dec. 28 and heads to Dallas, Kansas City and West Palm Beach, so see it, or see it again, now. 12/7 10a
Employers are stealing billions of dollars from their workers each year. Kim Bobo, founder and executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice, explains how they're doing it, and how we can stop them in her eye-opening new book, Wage Theft in America: Why Millions of Working Americans are Not Getting Paid -- And What We Can Do About It (New Press). 10:45
Willie Ney, director of the UW's Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives, previews this weekend's presentation of Boomboxed by the First Wave Hip Hop Theater Ensemble.
11
President Roosevelt's Address to Congress, December 8, 1941
11:15
Long Tall Marcia Ball is coming back to the Majestic Theater this Saturday. A conversation with my favorite honky tonkin' piano player.
11:40
Today's the 84th anniversary of the death of the Father of Madison Parks and Planning. A radio yartzheit for John Myers Olin.
11:50
The Madison Museum of Contemporary Arts' George Segal: Street Scenes is the first exhibit of this seminal modern sculptor to focus exclusively on works reflecting the urban environment. The exhibition will be leaving MMoCA for Dallas, Kansas City and West Palm Beach on December 28. Jane Simon, Curator of Exhibitions, drops in to explain why you should see it (again) before it goes.
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