Directly and indirectly, this series of illustrations by Maira Kalman provides a crystal clear example of why, no matter what the naysayers say, art is a vital part of human society that is just as deserving of public support as our auto industry and financial institutions (perhaps more so, when you consider the details). Why does that make us nervous sometimes, like it's some sort of hyperbole that would make "realistic" people laugh? Would you want to be left alone in 2020 with only reality … [Read more...]

Well, sort of. There were a few (hundred thousand) people in between us and the new president. Now we wait. There's been talk about arts policy proposals and such already, of course. If Obama got up this morning after that marathon performance (his fierce new ride didn't turn into a pumpkin until well past 3 a.m., apparently) and went to work, what should the arts community be up and at in the first 100 days? And in the spirit of "ask not what your country can do for you...", while we're … [Read more...]

Listen on demand: Terry Gross interviews Steve Knopper, author of Appetite For Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Recording Industry in the Digital Age. In case you were sleeping these past few decades, crash your way through the recent past in recording industry issues. Made me so nostalgic for the time I spent during high school wandering the aisles of Best Buy picking out CDs, strangely. Do I miss the middle man? (Gulp.)[h/t to the NPR-listening husband] … [Read more...]

Is it sad that the first thing I thought of when I saw this slide show was "music publisher lawsuit"? With Beethoven, though, I think you're clear. Oh, and did you see Lawrence Lessig with his new book Remix on the Colbert Report last Friday? Well, if you didn't, you can't watch it on YouTube, which is sort of sharply illustrative of the issues at hand considering the topic and the fact that Lessig issued a remix challenge using the segment itself as source material. The interview was not that … [Read more...]

Here's an interesting take on how 21st-century orchestra musicians deal with the fact that their jobs often drive them a little crazy: they go out and get additional jobs. "Dual careers are almost always a bonus--both for the income and for the variety and exposure to contrasting environments," says Barbara Sher, author of the 2006 book "Refuse to Choose: A Revolutionary Program for Doing Everything That You Love." The article politely leaves out the part about how a person manages to eat, … [Read more...]

When I first moved to New York, I often wondered why so many writers dream of typing their way to success in Gotham. Sure, there are plenty of coffee shops and it's probably easier to network your way into penning an article for Harper's at cocktail parties in Manhattan than it would be in Missoula, but with so much activity 24/7 and a cost of living that just never seems to give a sucker a break, isn't the place also just a tease? You can chat up an editor from Farrar, Straus & Giroux, but … [Read more...]