Programs

This episode was recorded on May 17th, 2026 at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV. The lineup includes Paul Thorn, Ray Benson, Sunny Sweeney, Andy Friedman. https://bit.ly/4afWiMG⁠

It was the early '80s, the height of the Cold War, when something strange began happening off the coast of Sweden. The navy reported a mysterious sound deep below the surface of the ocean. Again, and again, and again they would hear it near their secret military bases, in their harbors, and up and down the Swedish coastline. After thorough analysis the navy was certain. The sound was an invasion into their waters, an act of war, the opening salvos of a possible nuclear annihilation. Or was it? Today, Annie McEwen pulls us down into a deep-sea mystery, one of international intrigue that asks you to consider the possibility that maybe, just maybe, your deepest beliefs could be as solid as…air. Special thanks to Ben Wilson, Ola Tunander, Hans Gordon, Andreas Timmelstad, Klaus Helmersen, and Meg Bolz. LATERAL CUTS – Atomic Artifacts (https://radiolab.org/podcast/atomic-artifacts) Neither Confirm Nor Deny (https://radiolab.org/podcast/confirm-nor-deny) EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by – Annie McEwin with help from – Magnus Ormstadt Produced by – Annie McEwin, Matt Kielty, Sarah Qari Original music and sound design contributed by – Jeremy Bloom Sign up for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Signup (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 Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot talk with author Erin Osmon about her new book on "heartland rock." She argues that artists like John Mellencamp and Tom Petty filled stadiums in the 1980s, but also pushed back against the politics of the Reagan era. The hosts also pay tribute to Irish troubadour Glen Hansard.Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3sivr9TBecome a member on Patreon: https://bit.ly/3slWZvcSign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/4frcVZoMake a donation via PayPal: https://bit.ly/3dmt9lUSend us a Voice Memo: Desktop: bit.ly/2RyD5Ah  Mobile: sayhi.chat/soundops Featured Songs:Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "I Won't Back Down," Full Moon Fever, MCA, 1989The Beatles, "With a Little Help from My Friends," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone, 1967The Frames, "Fitzcarraldo," Fitzcarraldo, ZTT, 1995The Swell Season, "Falling Slowly (Live On Sound Opinions)," Swell Season, Overcoat, 2006Bruce Springsteen, "Born In The U.S.A.," Born In The U.S.A., Columbia, 1984John Cougar Mellencamp, "Pink Houses," Uh-Huh, Riva, 1983Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, "Like A Rock," Like A Rock, Capitol, 1986Neil Young, "Keep On Rockin' In The Free World (Live on SNL)," Freedom, Reprise, 1989Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Don't Come Around Here No More," Southern Accents, MCA, 1985Bonnie Raitt, "Nick Of Time," Nick Of Time, Capitol, 1989Stephen Wilson Jr., "Gary," (Single), Big Loud, 2026Don Henley, "The Boys of Summer," Building the Perfect Beast, Geffen, 1984John Cougar Mellencamp, "Rain on the Scarecrow," Scarecrow, Riva, 1986Buddy Guy, "Baby Please Don't Leave Me," Sweet Tea, Silvertone, 2001See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Moon forms a nice triangle with the twins of Gemini at dawn tomorrow – the stars Castor and Pollux. Castor is to the left of the Moon, with brighter Pollux about the same distance to the lower left. Castor consists of six known stars. We haven’t found planets orbiting any of them. Pollux is a single star. And it has one likely planet – a giant that’s much heavier than any of the planets in our own solar system. The planet was discovered 20 years ago, by astronomers at McDonald Observatory. They’d seen evidence of the star earlier, but they couldn’t confirm it. The planet is known as Pollux b. It also has a formal name – Thestias – a variation of the name of Pollux’s mother in Greek mythology. The planet is almost three times the mass of Jupiter, the Sun’s largest planet. It’s farther from Pollux than Earth is from the Sun. But that’s much too close for the planet to be habitable. That’s because Pollux has passed beyond the prime phase of life. It’s puffed up to about nine times the Sun’s diameter, so it’s much brighter than the Sun. That extra energy makes Thestias much too hot to have liquid water at its surface – a key ingredient for life. The temperature could have been more comfortable in the past. The planet itself probably is a big ball of gas – not a good place to live. But if it has any moons, it’s possible that they could have offered better environments for life. Script by Damond Benningfield

It's a special rarities episode featuring deep cuts and unreleased gems. Featured artists include Julieta Venegas, Beastie Boys, Ana Tijoux, Kinky, Juana Molina, Mexican Institute of Sound and more.

We head to some of the happiest places on earth: amusement parks! Ira Glass takes us behind the scenes at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, where the young staff – coached by a funny, fun-loving boss just a little older than they are – truly seem to love their jobs.   Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.(00:00:00) Prologue: Host Ira Glass walks through a Kansas City Missouri amusement park called Worlds of Fun with Cole Lindbergh, who had a season pass to the park as a little kid, starting working there summers at 14, and then just stayed. Now he's a full-time, year-round employee, running the games department. It's possible he does this job better than anyone in the country. (9 minutes)(00:09:26) Act One: Ira continues with Cole Lindbergh and the teenagers who work for him in the games department at Worlds of Fun. We watch them compete against each other to see who can do the most business. (23 minutes)(00:32:26) Act Two: We asked for your stories about amusement parks. Three hundred of you called in, with stories of fear, floating carnies and, um, vomit. (9 minutes)(00:42:15) Act Three: Jonathan Goldstein returns to Wildwood, New Jersey, where he spent one not-fateful summer when he was sixteen. (13 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org / This American Life privacy policy. / Learn more about sponsor message choices.