All Of It with Alison Stewart

According to Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of Pod Save America, the past few years, and frankly the news today, make it clear that conservative issues in the United States are becoming more and more extreme. Whether it's book banning, gun control, or abortion rights, the Republican Party's political agenda seems to be aimed at fanning culture wars to create more division, amplified by Fox News, Facebook, and what Pfeiffer calls "MAGA media." Pfeiffer joins us to discuss his new book, Battling the Big Lie: How Fox, Facebook, and the MAGA Media are Destroying America, to trace the political history of how the core of the Republican Party became so extreme, and how certain media outlets share some of the blame.

For our Good Vibes today, we honor those in the Class of 2020 who missed their graduations two years ago and who've recently finally had their commencement ceremonies. We present to you two of the speakers from Wesleyan’s graduation season: the great feminist & writer Gloria Steinem and University of Maryland Baltimore County president, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski III, once named by TIME as one of America’s best college presidents. This weekend, the most recent member to join team All Of It was a member of the Wesleyan Class of 2020, and Luke returned this weekend and got to put on his cap and gown and graduate...again. We have photo evidence! 

A near 40-year-old song is climbing the charts again thanks to being featured in the hit series, "Stranger Things." Salon.com writer Alison Stine joins to talk about Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" and her enduring connection to lonely kids.

Summer's here and it's time to head to the beach and bring a great book with you! Joining us to recommend some great summer reads is Bradley Tusk, the founder of the brand-new bookstore P&T Knitwear. Tusk is also the CEO and co-founder of Tusk ventures. We will also take calls about what summer reads you're loving right now.

Recommendations from Bradley:

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone 

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocuumb 

Fake by Erica Katz 

Let's Not Do That Again by Greg Ginder 

The Adventures of Herbie Cohen: World's Greatest Negotiator by Rich Cohen 

Recommendations from listeners: 

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub 

The Hourglass Throne by K.D. Edwards 

Love Marriage by Monica Ali 

The Lonely Londoners by Samuel Selvon 

Shackleton's Forgotten Men: The Untold Tragedy of the Endurance Epic by Lennard Vickel 

The Morning Star by Karl Ove Knausgård

Bewilderment by Richard Powers 

All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Showbiz by Mel Brooks

Comedy, Comedy, Comedy, Drama by Bob Odenkirk 

Hiding in the Spotlight: A Musical Prodigy's Story of Survival: 1941-1946 by Greg Dawson

Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times by Jonathan Sacks

Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration, and Change by Day Schildkret

Faron Goss by Diane Lechleitner

Tribeca Festival returns this year with a whole slate of new films, events and even games. We get a preview from co-founder and CEO of Tribeca Jane Rosenthal.

This summer, artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Ravyn Lenae, and Erykah Badu will perform at the Lena Horne Bandshell at Prospect Park. We receive an overview of this summer’s BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! festival from BRIC’s executive producer, Diane Eber.

For the latest installment of our ongoing Full Bio series, we speak with Amy Odell, author of a new biography about Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, called, Anna: The Biography. On day one, we discuss Anna Wintour's early life growing up in England as the daughter of a well-known newspaperman.

NOTE: This segment has been edited. The original version, which aired on the radio, stated that Anna Wintour became Vogue's editor-in-chief in 1998. The correct year was 1988.

[REBROADCAST FROM MAY 11, 2022] A lot has happened in the art world recently. The most expensive painting ever at auction was sold, the Sackler name was removed from two institutions, and there are two blockbuster shows at two of the city's institutions: Matisse at MOMA and Homer Winslow at The Met. We discuss what's different about the way artists in the canon are being considered by exhibitions in 2022. New York Times culture reporter Robin Pogrebin joins us to discuss.

[REBROADCAST FROM December 7, 2021] Growing up in Pittsburgh, Andy Warhol was raised as a devout Catholic. Even after he moved to New York City and lived as openly gay man, he never abandoned his faith and would regularly attend Mass. Andy Warhol: Revelation, a new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, explores the complicated relationship between Warhol's faith and his art. Lead curator Carmen Hermo, as well as José Carlos Diaz, chief curator of the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, speak with us about the intersections between Warhol's identity, art, and faith. Andy Warhol: Revelation runs through June 19.

[REBROADCAST FROM February 18, 2022] The painter, educator, and organizer Faith Ringgold was born into the Harlem Renaissance in 1930. After getting her degrees in visual arts at the City College of New York, she made a career of working with paint, sculptures, and quilts to question our conceptions of race, gender, and history. Now, the most comprehensive exhibition of her work is on display at The New Museum, called Faith Ringgold: American People. Curator Massimilliano Gioni and contributing artist Tschabalala Self are with us to speak about the exhibition. Faith Ringgold: American People is on display until June 5.