The Voice of the Arts

She was the second woman inducted into the Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame and today few people remember her name, and he is the most famous composer from Brazil but spent much of his life playing the piano in a movie theater.

Which of the following would you consider it advisable to do? 1. Hire Jerry Seinfeld as your life coach… 2. Buy a new automobile from Jerry Lundegaard… 3. Debate Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi) as to the meaning of the concept of Force Majeure. Find out on this week’s episode of “The Voice of the Arts”!  

You just might want to listen to Podcast #22 if you answer YES to the following questions: Are you so tired of superheroes that even a hero sandwich gives you pause? Are you a man who can readily observe unique qualities in your spouse such as the ability to save you from a school of man-eating rainbow trout? Are you a baby boomer who has experienced the heartache of being unable to find a human b...

Flannery O’Connor’s chilling tale of a vacation bound family that encounters three prison escapees on a twisting dirt road in South Georgia is the centerpiece of our most recent podcast from “The Voice of the Arts.”

“Never, never had anyone spoken to me in that tone before. I looked at him incredulously and saw his face convulsed with rage. It was only then that I fully realized how God had codded me, listening to my prayers for the safe return of this monster.” – Character Larry, speaking of his father, in Frank O’Connor’s “My Oedipus Complex.”

It is not rare for us fallible humans to make a mistake every now and again, but does doing something stupid make you an idiot? Or are you merely someone who suffers from idiocy? Humorist Ian Frazier struggles with this distinction in his raucous New Yorker essay “What I Am,” one of two Frazier pieces we feature on this week’s episode. Jeff Foxworthy makes an appearance with some...

When, as children, fate can send us into one of two third grade classrooms, we get our first taste of life’s randomness. Richard Yates’ short story “Fun With a Stranger” captures in exquisite detail how one teacher can make the classroom feel like a dungeon.

The mythic American West has been depicted in stories and legends for more than 150 years, and the larger-than-life personalities and epic range wars have been commemorated in hundreds of films, books and songs. One country that has had a longstanding fascination with the Old West is Italy. In fact, Clint Eastwood mostly got his start as a famous cowboy actor in Sergio Leone’s classic Spaghe...

A passionate and well-crafted speech is often the most impactful way to rouse supporters and sway opponents, and words can sometimes be the most piercing weapon we have. This week, we focus on rhetoric: the power of effective or persuasive speech or writing, as exhibited by some real masters of the craft — Churchill, Shakespeare, Sorkin, and of course, Jack Handey. Through brilliantly chosen...

In order to understand the spiritual mysteries of the world, it sometimes help to explore the irreverent, as can be evidenced by the title of our first piece on this week’s episode: “A Conversation with God and the Man in a Football Helmet and a Speedo who’s Always Shouting Things Next to the A&P.” Humorist Simon Rich seeks to understand what might motivate some of God&...

“Seinfeld” was one of the best TV comedies of the ’90s for many reasons. In addition to whip-smart writing by Larry David, an indelible cast of ne’er-do-well lead characters, and outlandish plotlines which were essentially “about nothing,” it was the revolving cast of oddballs and weirdos who circled the world of Jerry and his friends that gave the show its sign...

“First prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Anybody want to see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third Prize is you’re fired!” These are the merciless admonishments of Blake, Alec Baldwin’s unforgettable character in the film “Glengarry Glen Ross,” as he delivers the bitter news to a lacking Real Estate sales team–all but two of them will be...

“Somebody told me this Bessie, she was the damnedest singer, and I asked her to sing, and that’s how it started. Just as soon as she started out I knew her voice was something that would really have the public going.” That’s legendary New Orleans born jazz saxophonist and clarinetist Sidney Bechet recounting memories from his collaborations with Bessie Smith, just one of th...

This episode marks the 6th edition since the Coronavirus quarantine began, and we hope that it finds you healthy, safe, and finding some joy in a slower, more sedentary pace of life. Many people have been finding outlets for the newfound time at home in cooking, crafting, home projects, new skills, and also baking, a favorite pastime of our host Joe Weber. Joe comes from a long line of bakery supp...

“So far, our town hadn’t had a proper genius, and I intended to supply the deficiency.” So says Larry, the precocious young narrator of Frank O’Connor’s 1957 short story “The Genius.” It is one of several of O’Connor’s stories told from the perspective of a child, and follows our genius Larry navigating the lesser minds around him, questioning...

Our episode this week will feature two magnificent recordings of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” along with some accompanying commentary about the renowned 1904 opera. We then fast-forward about 50 years with a passage from Richard Yates’ novel of suburban frustration, “Revolutionary Road.” Along the way, we’ll have some great music and poetry to lead you th...

We are back this week with a brand new episode designed to transport you to yet another time and place, this time 16th Century Mantua, Italy. Joe explores the rough lawmakers of the time, in particular the Duke of Mantua, through commentary on a glorious recording of Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” We then move to a more modern telling of Italian-American history, and take a look at another...

Travel back to a bygone time with host Joe Weber, as he explores some of the legends and tales of the Old West through music and storytelling. Resident Western expert Jim Dunham returns to teach Joe about Wyatt Earp’s gunfights and why it probably wouldn’t have been smart to ask Doc Holliday for a refund if you weren’t satisfied with your dental work. We’ll feature some won...

This week, your host Joe Weber takes you back on a tour of the Old West with poetry, some classic Western tunes and a fascinating interview about the rivalry between Sheepherders and Ranchers with Cartersville, GA-based expert Jim Dunham. You’ll also be treated to the very first visit to the AM1690 studio of Stephan Fllambeau, Atlanta’s “premiere” performance “artist&...

This week, your host Joe Weber has compiled some of his favorite comedy bits from AM1690, The Voice of the Arts in Atlanta. Comedy was always an essential glue that held together the blend of music, short stories, poetry, and other facets of culture that the station explored. This first edition of our Comedy Roundup features readings, clips from some timeless comedy bits and performers, and a firs...

This week’s episode finds your host, Joe Weber, ruminating on the realities of aging, and features a reading of Flannery O’Connor’s “A Late Encounter with the Enemy”. Written in 1953 and published in 1955 in her short story collection “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, this is O’Connor’s only story dealing with the American Civil War. Enjoy!

On this episode of “The Voice of the Arts,” host Joe Weber offers listeners a reading of Frank O’Connor’s short story “First Confession.” Originally published in 1950, this story uses humor and playfulness to tell the story of a young boy’s fears over going to give his first ever confession at Church. Along with this story, we have a couple other surprises...

The second episode of “The Voice of the Arts” features a reading of Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge.” Originally published in 1961, it won the O’Henry award in 1963. Please enjoy!

The first episode of The Voice of the Arts is a reading of Frank O’Connor’s “The Babes in the Wood,” originally published in The New Yorker in 1947 and later included in his short story collection “The Common Chord.” Enjoy!