The Organist

A mindbending new radio drama, written by the bestselling novelist and playwright Gordon Dahlquist, finds the connection between artificial intelligence and method acting. Starring Jared Harris (Mad Men), Leo Marks (co-founder, the Elevator Repair Service), and Laura Flanagan (numerous Off-Broadway productions).

CREDITS Produced by Ross Simonini, Jenna Weiss-Berman, and Andrew Leland. Special thanks to David Levine for his input in the conception of this piece.

Banner Image Credit: Max Barners

To celebrate the release of Lena Dunham's new book Not That Kind of Girl, out this week, we're re-airing a conversation recorded last year between Lena and Judy Blume.

To order Lena's book, go here: http://lenadunham.com/

Banner Image: Lena Dunham & Judy Blume. Photo by Jenna Weiss-Berman.

CREDITS Produced by Jenna Weiss-Berman, Ross Simonini and Andrew Leland. Thanks to Gary Scott, Jenny Radelet, Melissa Morton, Mario Diaz and Monika Scott.

Tao Lin is the author of the novels Taipei and Shoplifting from American Apparel, among others. For The Organist, Lin discusses his recent novel and reads his work aloud and employs rappers Kool AD and Kitty to read his prose at tongue tying speed for an experiment in reading comprehension. Christian Lorentzen, an editor at the London Review of Books, gives a critical perspective on Lin's work and Kitty provides a mixtape. CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE.

CREDITS: Produced by Ross Simonini. The Organist is produced by Simonini along with Jenna Weiss-Berman and Andrew Leland.

Banner Image Credit: Mallory Whitten

What if your neighbor's dog talks to you a la Son of Sam, except in this case it's just a mild daily annoyance that the neighbor's dog is always commanding you in vain to do horrible things? An original radio drama written by TV writer (Teen Wolf, Hannibal) and novelist (The Girlfriend Game, Fires) Nick Antosca and performed by legendary downtown actor and writer Edgar Oliver.

CREDITS Produced by Jenna Weiss-Berman, Whitney Jones, Andrew Leland, and Ross Simonini.

Banner Image Credit: Maia C

Peter Mendelsund is an award-winning book designer and the author of What We See When We Read, a phenomenological treatise on the visual art of reading. In this episode of the Organist, Mendelsund discusses the auditory side of reading and the sound of the classic orators of literature, including James Joyce, Ezra Pound, and Dylan Thomas. CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE.

CREDITS: Produced by Ross Simonini. The Organist is produced by Simonini along with Jenna Weiss-Berman and Andrew Leland.

Banner Image Credit: George Baier IV

We're thrilled to unearth a classic story by legendary radio producer Scott Carrier, an inspiration for radio producers from Ira Glass to Jad Abumrad, which hasn't been heard since it originally aired on All Things Considered in 1993.

CREDITS "The Drywall" was produced by Scott Carrier. David Weinberg interviewed Carrier and Ira Glass for the Organist.

Banner Image Credit: Paolo Trabattoni

Neko Case, whose musical career spans over two decades, brings the listener on a journey of the music that has shaped her, from the time she was a child listening to "Taking Care of Business" by Bachman Turner Overdrive until now, listening to "People Have the Power" by Patti Smith. Over the years she's listened to 80s hardcore, country, gospel, and punk, all of which have contributed to her unique sound. CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE.

CREDITS Produced by Jenna Weiss-Berman, Ross Simonini and Andrew Leland. Thanks to Gary Scott, Jenny Radelet, Melissa Morton, Mario Diaz and Monika Scott.

Pre-order the latest album from Neko's side project, the New Pornographers, out August 25th.

We take to the streets with Mal Sharpe, a man who, along with his partner James Coyle, was among the first wave of fake newsmen, paving the way from everyone from Borat to Colbert. Over the years Sharpe has conducted thousands of surrealist man on the street interviews, accosting random pedestrians and asking them a series of progressively strange and extreme questions, creating classic recordings of absurdist radio comedy. Reporter Ike Sriskandarajah found Sharpe in San Francisco and returned to the streets for a few new adventures in vox-pop.

CREDITS Produced by Ike Sriskandarajah.

The fiction writer, humorist, and essayist, George Saunders talks with the Organist's executive producer, Ross Simonini about the sonic aspects of his writing and reading. After reading aloud a passage from his most recent story collection, Saunders discusses his use of writerly voice as both a written and spoken device in his work. CONTAINS LANGUAGE THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES.

CREDITS This week's show was produced by Ross Simonini with Jenna Weiss-Berman and Andrew Leland. Banner Image Credit: George Saunders. Music: "Fairyland" by Balam Acab.

This week's show features an interview with composer and singer, Meredith Monk, who holds the 2014-2015 Composer's Chair at Carnegie Hall. For 50 years, Monk has created music that bends the limits of the human voice, much of it connected to her own films, dance, opera, and site-specific performances. The Organist's executive producer, Ross Simonini interviews her about Buddhism, her early days in New York, and her wide array of curious vocal techniques.

CREDITS This week's show was produced by Ross Simonini, with Jenna Weiss-Berman, and Andrew Leland. Banner Image: Meredith Monk