Bowie, Jazz and the Unplayable Piano

Mary Bateman lived in Yorkshire in the late 18th Century, an age that prized rational thought. Many people still longed to believe in the old ways and Bateman used this to her advantage, selling spells and enchantments to the desperate. Dr Maddy Pelling, co-host of the After Dark ...  Show more

The Herald of Free Enterprise is a new class of ferry that allows cars to drive directly into the ship. The doors must be closed before every departure, or the ship sails with a gaping hole at one end. One black night in 1987, on the freezing waters off Zebrugge, Belgium, a singl ...  Show more

Broken Record presents an episode of "Cautionary Tales": Bowie, Jazz and the Unplayable PianoIt was the biggest concert of Keith Jarrett's career - but the pianist was in for a shock when he entered Koln's opera house. The only piano at the venue was a broken-down wreck. Should h ...  Show more

It’s possible to create extraordinary beauty in the face of stress, separation, and illness. Explore the value of music during this difficult time with Richard Kogan, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical Center, and noted concert pianist. Guided by the life s ...  Show more

As Bowie’s boundary-shattering breakthrough turns 50, Jordan and Alex dive deep into his alien alter-ego with their first two-part episode. To kick things off, they dissect the many influences that went into Ziggy, from eccentric reclusive rockstars to David’s history with his tr ...  Show more

Franz Liszt was a pianist, a composer and a conductor, and basically the first rock star who drove fans into fits of swooning and screaming. Some fans even stole the detritus of his life (unfinished coffee, broken piano strings) to carry with them. Read the show notes here.