Programs

Five Faves: 2005 Edition Executive producer Adam Harris walks us through some of the most memorable sets and performances from his first season with Mountain Stage, twenty short years ago. Tune in to hear The Del McCoury Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Lizz Wright, Guy Clark, Nanci Griffith, Odetta and more! https://bit.ly/4sptuc8

Most of us spend some part of our lives feeling bad about ourselves and wanting to feel better. But this preoccupation is a surprisingly new one in the history of the world, and can largely be traced back to one man: a rumpled, convertible-driving California state representative named John Vasconcellos who helped spark a movement that took over schools, board rooms, and social-service offices across America in the 1990s. This week, we look at the rise and fall of the self-esteem movement and ask: is it possible to raise your self-esteem? And is trying to do so even a good idea?Special thanks to big thank you to the University of California, Santa Barbara Library for use of audio material from their Humanistic Psychology Archives and to their staff for helping located so many audio recordings. EPISODE CREDITS:Reported by – Heather Radke and Matt Kielty Produced by – Matt KietlyOriginal music and sound design by – Jeremy S. BloomFlute performance and compositions by –  Ben BatchelderVoiceover work by – Dann FinkFact-checking by – Anna Pujol-Mazzini and  Angely Mercadoand Edited by  – Pat WaltersEPISODE CITATIONS:Articles – UCSB Humanistic Psychology Archive (https://zpr.io/HfVjUmvcVevE)Books – Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It's Doing to Us (https://zpr.io/eGRyqz9zNQHu) by Will Storr. Counterpoint, 2018.A Liberating Vision (https://zpr.io/tJn7BR5m84fv) by Vasconcellos, John. Impact Publishers, Inc., 1979The Therapeutic State (https://zpr.io/tJn7BR5m84fv) by Nolan, James, Jr. NYU Press, 1998Our newsletter comes out every Wednesday. It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)!Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today.Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

This week, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot talk with Phil Manzanera, the guitarist behind Roxy Music and a prolific record producer whose career spans more than five decades. The hosts also pay tribute to Bob Weir of Grateful Dead.Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9TBecome a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvcSign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3eEvRnGMake a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lUSend us a Voice Memo: Desktop: bit.ly/2RyD5Ah  Mobile: sayhi.chat/soundops Featured Songs:Roxy Music, "If There Is Something," Roxy Music, Island and Reprise, 1972The Grateful Dead, "Sugar Magnolia," American Beauty, Warner Bros., 1970Bob Weir, "Cassidy," Ace, Warner Bros., 1972Roxy Music, "Re-Make/Re-Model," Roxy Music, Island and Reprise, 1972Roxy Music, "The Thrill of it All," Country Life, Island and ATCO, 1974Roxy Music, "Amazona," Stranded, Island and ATCO, 1973Roxy Music, "Do the Strand," For Your Pleasure, Island and Warner Bros., 1973Phil Manzanera, "Big Day," Diamond Head, Island and ATCO, 1975Roxy Music, "Both Ends Burning," Siren, Island and ATCO, 1975Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay, "Ambulante – Live," AM.PM Soho Live, Expression, 2025Aterciopelados, "Baracunatana," La Pipa de la Paz, RCA, 1996Jason P. Woodbury & The Night Bird Singing Quartet, "Get To Meet Them," (Single), Always Happening, 2025See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When a dying Sun-like star exhales its final breath, it’s a doozy. The star blows its outer layers of gas into space. That surrounds the star’s dying core with a colorful bubble. The bubble can last for tens of thousands of years before it fades away. One of those bubbles is on the edge of Gemini, which is well up in the east at nightfall. Known as the Medusa Nebula, the bubble is about 1500 light-years away, and it spans more than four light-years. It’s named for one of the Gorgons of Greek mythology. That’s because some of its tendrils of gas have reminded skywatchers of the snakes on Medusa’s head. Those tendrils have been expanding into space for thousands of years. They began their journey when their star could no longer produce nuclear reactions in its core. Gravity squeezed the dying core tighter, making it smaller and hotter. The radiation of the hotter core pushed away the layers of gas around the core. Today, they’re moving outward at more than 30 miles per second. Ultraviolet light from the core “energizes” the gas in the nebula, making it glow like a fluorescent bulb. Different elements glow in different colors. That tells astronomers about the original star, and about the process of its demise. The fate of the Medusa Nebula is shared by all Sun-like stars. So billions of years from now, the Sun will create its own nebula – a colorful bubble blown with its dying breath. Script by Damond Benningfield

We take the musical time machine thirty years back to 1994, a time when 'Rock en Español' was beginning to explode and veteran Salsa acts continued to shine. Featured artists include Mano Negra, Caifanes, Cafe Tacvba, Eddie Palmieri, Fito Paez, A Lighter Shade of Brown, Todos Tus Muertos, Joe Arroyo and more.

In the new year, stories of people trying a radical approach to solving their problems. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Prologue: Ira meets two sisters who got into a fight, and then learned a lesson in turning the other cheek. (8 minutes)Act One: A hardened PI works the toughest case of his very young life. (18 minutes)Act Two: Producer Aviva DeKornfeld talks to a man who finds himself the target of vengeful crows. (8 minutes)Act Three: Comedian Josh Johnson wonders if some people should’ve been spanked as kids. (10 minutes)Act Four: Writer Etgar Keret reads his story about a bus driver who refuses to open the doors for late passengers. (9 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life privacy policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices.