The Culture Show Podcast

Hockey historian Mike Commito joins The Culture Show to celebrate the Boston Bruins—one story at a time. His new book, Bruins 365, serves up a memorable moment for every day of the year, combining sharp research with the spirit of the game. From there it’s another edition of “Sound Files,”  our ongoing series when we invite local musicians and cultural critics to zero in on one of their favorite e...

Edgar B. Herwick III,  Culture Show contributor Lisa Simmons  and Culture Show contributor Joyce Kulhawik co-host this week’s arts and culture week-in-review. First up, the Louvre heist. Thieves disguised as maintenance workers pulled off a seven-minute jewel theft at the world’s most famous museum — raising questions about how security slipped for treasures worth nearly $100 million. From there a...

Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David McCullough spent decades helping Americans see their past in human terms. A new collection, “History Matters”, gathers his essays and speeches on why history endures — edited by his daughter Dorie McCullough Lawson and longtime collaborator Mike Hill. She joins us ahead of her American Ancestors Headquarters event today at 5 p.m. To learn more go here .   Fro...

Halloween is lurking around the corner and the Coolidge Corner Theatre is preparing for its 24th annual Halloween Horror Marathon. Mark Anastasio, the Coolidge’s Program Director, joins us to preview twelve hours of horror classics, creature features, and surprise screenings — all shown on 35 millimeter film. To learn more go here . Then, author Gish Je n discusses her new novel, “Bad Bad Girl.” I...

It’s October in Salem, where history and Halloween converge. Peabody Essex Museum curator-at-large Paula Richter joins The Culture Show to talk about the Ropes Mansion — its role as “Allison’s House” in Hocus Pocus , and how the museum brings it to life each October. Starting October 23 and continuing through Halloween, the mansion’s exterior will once again be decorated in full “Hocus Pocus” styl...

As the only son of Johnny Cash and June Carter, John Carter Cash has carried forward one of America’s most enduring musical legacies. A Grammy-winning producer, songwriter, and author, he’s worked with artists from Willie Nelson to Sheryl Crow while preserving his parents’ archives and spirit. He joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest book, The Complete Johnny Cash: Lyrics from a Lifetime...

Today Edgar B. Herwick III, Callie Crossley and Culture Show contributor Lisa Simmons,  artistic and executive director of the Roxbury International Film Festival and program manager at Mass Cultural Council, go over the latest arts and culture headlines.  First up, remembering Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning actress of “Annie Hall,” “The Godfather,” and “Something’s Gotta Give.” Over five decades...

Donnie Wahlberg — familiar to millions as “Blue Bloods’” Detective Danny Reagan — spent fourteen seasons trading barbs, saying grace, and solving crimes in New York City. Now Danny Reagan is back — but this time, he’s doing it Boston-style. “Blue Bloods” followed a multi-generational law-enforcement family bound by duty, faith, and those famous Sunday dinners. In "Boston Blue, " premiering this Fr...

Acclaimed glass artist Josh Simpson crafts luminous worlds in miniature. His signature “Planets” —swirls of color and complexity sealed inside glass  — reflect his lifelong fascination with space and science. Now, he’s received a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts grant to explore how lunar dust could be melted into glass for future Moon habitats, in collaboration with architect Martin Bermudez of...

Bobbi Brown built a beauty empire on simplicity and self-expression. Now, with her new book  “Still Bobbi”  she lays bare her lessons in reinvention, resilience, and redefining beauty on her own terms. Catch her at Emerson College on October 27, 2025 for “An Evening with Bobbi Brown” — learn more here . From there Culture Show contributor Joyce Kulhawik joins us for a roundup of the plays and movi...

Music legend Peter Wolf has had a long solo career and rose to recognition as former lead singer of the J. Geils Band–famous for its high-octane shows and top 40 hits.  Wolf joins The Culture Show to talk about his new memoir “ Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters and Goddesses .”.  Regie Gibson , an assistant professor at Berklee College of Music and an instructor at Clark Univ...

Jared Bowen, Edgar B. Herwick III, and Joyce Kulhawik co-host this week’s arts and Culture week-in-review. Joyce Kulhawik is a Culture Show contributor, Emmy-award winning arts and entertainment reporter and president of the Boston Theatre Critics Association. You can find her reviews at Joyce’s Choices. First up, In Danvers, a young-adult novel is sparking debate. “All American Boys”—the story of...

CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper joins The Culture Show to talk about his new book "Race Against Terror," which tells the thrilling story of how prosecutors traversed the globe, tracking down evidence to convict terrorist "Spin Ghul" for killing American servicemen in Afghanistan. On October 16th he’ll be at WBUR’s CitySpace. To learn more go here .   As a child Matthew Sh...

Actor and comedian Chris Grace joins The Culture Show to talk about his one-man show, “Sardines(A Comedy About Death),” which is onstage at The Huntington Theatre through November 16th. “Sardines” explores  the tragic, hilarious, and important questions of our time: Can we enjoy life if we know how it ends?  To learn more go here . From there, under a cloak of darkness, we head to Old Sturbridge V...

Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston, joins The Culture Show for his monthly segment  “AI: Actual Intelligence.” This month we get his take on Bunny’s final concert in Puerto Rico, which Jeffries attended. It wasn’t just a performance — it was a homecoming and a moment of pride for millions across the diaspora. We’ll also get his take on the reaction that Bad Bunny’s Super Bow...

We continue our “Countdown to 2026”  series with the Museum of Fine Arts to look at the art  reframing  our understanding of the American Revolution. Ahead of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we zoom in on Fritz Scholder’s “Bicentennial Indian.”  Ethan Lasser, John Moors Cabot Chair, Art of the Americas and Marina Tyquiengco, Ellyn McColgan Associate Curator of Native American Art, lead the conversation....

Today Culture Show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III drive our arts and culture week-in-review. First up, Taylor Swift dropped her new album at midnight. “Life of a Showgirl” blends spectacle with storytelling, marking –and marketing–another milestone in her reign over pop culture. From there, Bad Bunny is headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, a career touchdown tha...

Celebrated writer Walter Mosley joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest book in his Easy Rawlins series, “Gray Dawn: An Easy Rawlins Mystery.”  Easy has led readers through Los Angeles — from the 1940s to the turbulent 1970s — with stories that combine the pace of classic crime fiction and the depth of literary character. In “Gray Dawn” a search for a missing woman drags Easy back into sec...

Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley, and Edgar B. Herwick III host our inaugural Wednesday Watch Party with a comedy classic: Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America . The 1988 hit follows a prince who trades royal privilege for a crash course in Queens. At the time critics were divided, audiences were not. It was a box office smash at the time, now  we ask you, nearly 40 years later, does it hold up.  From the...

We continue our Countdown to 2026 series with  Andrea Puccio, Director of the Library at The Clark Art Institute . She gave us an overview  of their new exhibition “Back Bay to the Berkshires: Celebrating 250 Years of Art in Massachusetts.” Russell Lord, Chief of Curatorial Affairs at the Norman Rockwell Museum , also joined us with a preview of  their upcoming exhibition “Visions of a Nation: 250...

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Stephen Greenblatt joins The Culture Show , to talk about his latest book, “ Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival .”  It traces the meteoric rise and violent end of Christopher Marlowe—playwright, poet, spy, and heretic—whose genius endures today.  Stephen Greenblatt is the John Cogan University Professor of the Humani...

Culture show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.  First up: Jimmy Kimmel is back on late night. After ABC pulled his show, he returned with a monologue defending satire and drawing his biggest audience in years. From there, Apple TV+ has postponed “The Savant,” Jessica Chastain’s thriller about infiltra...

Acclaimed filmmaker Simon Curtis joins The Culture Show to talk about directing “Downton Abbey:The Grand Finale.”  To learn more go here . Boston comedian Tony V has collaborated with renowned musicians on “Rock Bottom: The Musical,” which debuts tonight as part of National Recovery Month. To learn more go here. McGonagle’s Pub has landed a spot on “The New York Times” list of America’s best resta...

 Joyce Kulhawik joins the Culture Show with Balancing Acts, a look at the latest plays in the area with a focus on what to prioritize amid an abundance of productions.  Joyce Kulhawik is an Emmy-award winning arts and entertainment reporter, president of the Boston Theatre Critics Association and you can find her reviews on joyceschoices.com From there we get a preview of Club Passim’s “Reimaginin...

Actor Barry Bostwick joins The Culture Show  ahead of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary Spectacular” at Emerson Colonial Theatre. The celebration includes the unedited film, a live shadow cast, audience participation, a costume contest, and VIP meet-and-greets— it’s  the full midnight-movie experience. The event is on Wednesday, October 1st. To learn more go here . From there Susanne...