Watching America

With more than 13 million videos, the ASMR genre has blown up into a bona fide internet subculture. Based on the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, the invigorating “brain tingles” caused by aural triggers, this category of mini-movies of people tapping, whispering, or role-playing has captured America’s imagination. Dr. Alan Campbell will discuss ASMR with Dr. Craig A. H. Richard, a professor...

Abbey Road Studios in London provides rare access to Watching America's host and creator, Dr. Alan Campbell. Aside from providing an iconic image of the Beatles at the famous crosswalk, Abbey Road Studios has served as an inspirational beacon for American recording artists since 1931 when African-American actor and singer Paul Robeson first recorded there. From Glenn Miller to Kanye West, American...

Command Sergeant Major Eric Haney (ret) served his country for more than 20 years as a soldier, and became one of the earliest operators in First Special Forces Operational Detachment-D, otherwise known as Delta Force. The US government still denies that the force exists, but men like Haney have risked their lives in it fighting terrorists across the world. Dr. Alan Campbell will talk to Haney abo...

The legacy and the promise of John F. Kennedy, Jr. has always been a subject of controversy speculation in American culture. Now a scholar and friend of Kennedy comes forward with an important book to help unravel the mystery. In AMERICA'S RELUCTANT PRINCE: THE LIFE OF JOHN F. KENNEDY JR. , Steven M. Gillon draws on his scholarship and his personal experience to bring us a portrait of a could-be l...

We had the very special treat of speaking with Bela Lugosi, Jr., one might say the spawn of Dracula himself! First, we'll hear from author/journalist Paul Bibeau about his investigations into the history of vampires in his book, Sundays with Vlad: From Pennsylvania to Transylvania, One Man's Quest to Live in the World of the Undead . And you won't believe the song host Alan Campbell crafted just f...

You've likely heard about the calamity dinosaurs underwent, but author Peter Brannen says that wasn't the worst catastrophe life on earth faced since the beginning. Brannen talks about the 5 major mass extinctions through earth's history and where we sit now in relation to them all. Brannen is the author of The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Ear...

Terry O’Quinn, of Lost and Emergence fame, is one of the most compelling character actors of his generation. Dr. Alan Campbell explores the live, love, and the craft of acting with this singular talent.

Dr. Campbell talks to William Klingaman, author of The Darkest Year: The American Home Front 1941-1942 . During one of the most pivotal times in our nation’s history, we faced a war on two fronts, an economic crisis, and social upheaval. The period transformed our country, and its effects are still felt today. Kirkus Reviews called the book “A welcome study of an aspect of wartime history that is...

Today's guests: author Paul Tough (The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us) and Alia Wong (The Surreal End of an American College)

Bestselling author Richard Preston of The Hot Zone fame talks about how the well-prepared we are for the next plague, and from where it will likely arise. His latest book, Crisis in the Red Zone , was just published. Not an episode for the feint of heart.

Paul Theroux, prolific writer and traveler, is best known for The Great Railway Bizarre and The Mosquito Coast. His latest book, On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey , examines cultures on both sides of the US-Mexico border, to be published October 8. Listen to a fascinating and intimate conversation about his life and travels.

We originally broadcast this program in April, and it has been one of our most popular shows. We bring it to listeners again during our Labor Day Holiday. Our guest is communication expert Christine M. Bacon, Ph. D., an author, speaker, trainer, and the radio talk-show host of "Breakfast with Bacon: The Relationship Doctor." Her latest book is "The Super Couple: A Formula for Extreme Happiness in...

Jonathan Haidt is an American social psychologist, Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business, and author. Haidt has written three books for general audiences: The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom ; The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion , and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions...

Author Maureen Callahan's best-selling true crime thrill is a detailed account of the case of Israel Keyes. She joins us to talk about how she researched the book for years, and share all the details she uncovered. This conversation includes graphic details not appropriate for all listeners, including children.

Host Alan Campbell travels back in time with two authors, Kevin Boyle and Greg Messel, to revisit a strange and “horrible” year: 1968. Dr. Kevin Boyle is an historian of 20th century United States with a particular interest in modern American social movements. Boyle has published widely and received various awards, including finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Boyle’s upcoming books are The Splendid...

Todd Zwillich, NPR’s Washington Correspondent and host on The Takeaway and 1A, crafted an audiobook telling the story of John C. Houbolt, an unsung hero of Apollo 11 and the man who showed NASA how to put America on the moon. According to Zwillich (and many from NASA), without John C. Houbolt, a mid-level engineer at NASA, Apollo 11 would never have made it to the moon. Top NASA engineers on the p...

Bestselling author Lori Gottlieb talks about being the therapist and the patient in the intimate space of psychotherapy. Gottlieb's latest book is Maybe You Should Talk to Someone . She is also the author of Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough and Stick Figure . Visit lorigottlieb.com for more.

Dr. Ryan Martin is the chair of the Psychology Program at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and an anger researcher. His work focuses on healthy and unhealthy expressions of anger, including how we express anger online. He teaches courses on mental illness, emotion, and anger and violence. He also hosts the popular UW-Green Bay Psychology podcast, Psychology and Stuff, along with a podcast on...

Jenny has participated in the group “Emotions Anonymous” in order to gain control of anger issues she has dealt with since childhood. She speaks candidly about how anger nearly ruined her life and about the 12 step program she has followed to gain control. emotionsanonymous.org

Dr. Ryan Martin is the chair of the Psychology Program at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and an anger researcher. His work focuses on healthy and unhealthy expressions of anger, including how we express anger online. He teaches courses on mental illness, emotion, and anger and violence. He also hosts the popular UW-Green Bay Psychology podcast, Psychology and Stuff, along with a podcast on...

Greg Lukianoff is an attorney, New York Times best-selling author, and the President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Most recently, he co-authored The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure with Jonathan Haidt. This New York Times best-seller expands on their September 2015 Atlantic cover story o...

Author Casey Cep’s first book, “Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee,” is a New York Times Best Seller. Listen to Alan Campbell’s conversation with Cep to find out what makes this work so compelling. From Penguin Random House: Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members for insurance money in the 1970s. With the help of a s...

This week on Watching America: New York Times best-selling author Mark Bego already wrote one book about Elton John: The Bitch is Back (2013). But he brings us a new expanded biography this year—Rocket Man: The Story of Elton John. Pegasus Books says Bego is the “#1 best-selling pop biographer,” with dozens of books to his name, including those that have sold millions of copies on Michael Jackson,...

The Watching America team had planned to air this episode in a few weeks, but after the tragedy in Virginia Beach, we wanted to share these conversations as soon as possible. We hope this discussion of being a hero from two very different angles--psychology and criminal justice--will inspire you as much as it did us.

A lively discussion with Nancy Grden, the Executive Director of the Strome Entrepreneurial Center at ODU. Grden says everyone is an entrepreneur--we just don't all know it yet.