A Fresh Nation Needs Fresh Radio

I've been to two Jazz Master Ceremonies sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, which honor great living Jazz figures. So I know that the organization is doing some all right things. But their current motto “A Great Nation Deserves Great Art,” is an idea that only a Bush appointee could love.

A great nation doesn’t deserve great art. A nation needs art to be great.

We also need great commentary on art to keep the arts alive. That’s what NPR is for. Especially Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

A few great NPR links:

Terry Gross interviews Thom Yorke about his first solo album, The Eraser.

Terry Gross interviews Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian.

And as annoying as the concept of a storyteller is, Kevin Kling’s piece “Weaving the Land into Stories, and History” is worth a listen.