The Bridge

Time for the weekly songfest as Heyang introduces music from Jam Hsiao, Alex Parks, Travis and James Blunt. John drops the needle on The Beach Boys, Gladys Knight & The Pips and country supergroup Alabama. Bringing the world together, one song at a time... on The Bridge.

This is one of those episodes of The Bridge that have John & Liu Yan talking about anything and everything that comes to mind. From John sharing how he feels being the "hub" of the wheel, with Liu Yan, BeiBei, Heyang and Cimcie the "spokes" of the radio wheel, to the concept of "The Gaper's Block" which is a traffic phenomenon when it comes to car accidents, a metaphor that Liu Yan understands as it relates to programming that is more about the headlines than the lifelines. John & Liu Yan compare notes on things like the glory of an ice cream truck in summer, the love of great music and the ongoing attempt to bring the world closer, one conversation at a time.

Liu Yan is back after a couple of weeks off, and it's a serious conversation right out of the starting gate about the challenge of dying with dignity, as John shares the story of a friend of his that chose to die on her own terms after a diagnosis of cancer with no chance of recovery. Shifting gears, KT Tunstall is the topic of conversation, as John recalls his off air "tech-check" conversation before her guest appearance on The Bridge on Music Monday on July 5th. Finally, the last two topics are the effect stress has on the "gray hair look" and the world champion hot dog eater Joey Chestnut, who consumed 76 wieners on the 4th of July.

BeiBei talks about how she sleeps under a mosquito net, and had to do battle with a pesky blood sucker very early in the morning. John shares a few thoughts about how his dad used to use gasoline to wipe them out back in the day, and how his summer nemesis has been the horsefly. As the conversation continues, BeiBei admits she was in a bikini photo shoot in Thailand for a magazine, much to John's amazement. As it turns out, BeiBei's legions of listeners in China voted her into the contest that resulted in the layout. Then John & BeiBei compare notes on the joys of summer, including the fruits and veggies, as well as memories from childhood. Finally, John shares info on a massive dinosaur skeleton found in Australia, and tries to convince BeiBei to watch Jurassic Park.

Internationally known ocean educator and photographer Annie Crawely stops by to share her latest underwater musings with John & BeiBei, including giant manta rays, swimming in a school of hammerhead sharks and a dog that can smell orca scat for a mile, which helps researchers gather more information on an endangered orca pod. BeiBei shares the journey of a man who has collected garbage for years and turns into highly sought-after art, as TikTok videos have brought him international recognition.

John's taken a few days off and is just back from the Northwoods of Wisconsin, BeiBei is curious about his mini-vacay experience, so John shares his thoughts about going off the grid for a few days, the magical moments of the forest lit up by fireflies and how his vacations as a boy shaped his love for the All-American Road Trip. BeiBei shares her side of taking time off, and both agree that a little R&R is vitally important, especially now as Covid is receding, and summer is proceeding.

Super Producer Cimcie is back on board The Bridge and it's a bit of a free-for-all. BeiBei introduces the team to the story of "The Monkey King" then Cimcie starts bringing in headlines that might have been missed, including an asteroid that was on its way to Earth and was worth more than a quadrillion bucks, and how her dad signed up for a one-way ticket to Mars, which prompts conversation around Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk wanting to go into space, and that there's a petition to not let them return being passed around by those who aren't fans of the billionaires. John makes a few points about how the free-market system has made Bezos and Musk billionaires, but they can't be blamed for creating platforms that have made them super-rich. Finally, the show becomes a serious conversation about the cost of living, how life has changed over the decades, and the importance of perspective.

KT Tunstall first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later with Jools Holland.
The name of her debut album, Eye to the Telescope was inspired by her childhood experiences at her father's physics laboratory at University of St. Andrews. Released in 2004, this album launched her music career. That album inspired her nomination for the Mercury Prize in 2005, BRIT Award, for Best British Live Act and BRIT Award for Best Breakthrough Act in 2006, and Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2007.
Her personal story is beyond incredible, Tunstall was born to a half-Chinese, half-Scottish mother, who was from Hong Kong, and an Irish father and given up for adoption. As it turns out, her adoptive family in Scotland had zero musical background-which didn't matter at all to KT, as the music comes from deep inside her soul.
The international recording artist and performer, joins John & BeiBei on The Bridge to share her journey, lessons learned and music. 

John starts the show sharing his amazement that he's doing a radio show on the 4th of July with BeiBei in Beijing, something he couldn't have possibly imagined when he was staring at the Tall Ships off of Navy Pier during the American Bicentennial in 1976. BeiBei brings up the fact that while Chinese history is thousands of years old, China as a nation state, is only 70 years old. Once again, John revisits history a bit, and the idea and concept that America is an ongoing experiment, and built in so many ways from people all over the world. John also shares some of the more interesting trivia and tidbits from 1776 and a few songs to commemorate the holiday and BeiBei shares stories from her childhood around fireworks.

Liu Yan has the weekend off so BeiBei and Cimcie join John on the show, and right out of the gate it's all about revisiting the "thousand-year-old eggs" that are consumed in China, and BeiBei suggests salted duck eggs as a better alternative. As it's the day before the 4th of July celebrations Cimcie asks John about his holiday habits, and he recalls his favorite 4th of July, in 1976,  which then, turns into a deep discussion about the Founding Fathers, the Declaration of Independence and patriotism. A powerful, provocative episode of The Bridge.