Resonance FM

From Monday August 18th to Friday 22nd August 2008, broadcasting daily from 10am to 3pm and repeated nightly from 7pm to midnight we broadcast The Free University of the Airwaves, a “summer school on the radio”. Designed to appeal to the general (adult) listener, this series of lectures ranges restlessly across many subjects. The Free University allows listeners to dip into a vast range of material. The result is digressive but always stimulating and unusual.

Historian Ariel Hessayon (Goldsmiths) speaks on two subjects: “Jews in England” from their expulsion in 1290 to their readmission in 1659; and “Restoring the Garden of Eden in England’s Green and Pleasant Land,” which takes a new view of the seventeenth century Diggers. There is more visionary stuff from Plymouth’s Professor Malcolm Miles, who specialises in concepts of Utopia, while at the other end of the scale Mark Miodownik of King’s College’s Materials Library takes us through an elemental reading of the making of a cup of coffee – illustrated in robust fashion in the station’s kitchen. Oneupmanship not intended, Professor Steven Connor (Birkbeck) talks about The History of Air; and, refreshing beverages sorted, ethnographer Caroline Osella asks, How do you make a man?

There is a strong anthropological strand, with contributions from Monica Janowski (Potency, Hierarchy and Food in Borneo), Magnus Marsden (Muslim village intellectuals) and Edward Simpson (Remembering natural disasters and memorials in Gujurat); while Alpa Shah asks, Would Yosemite be a better place for the Elephants of Eastern India? Only Resonance FM can provide the answer.

Influential professor of design Peter Rea offers various insights into Visual Literacy, illustrated with audio from Kraftwerk, Pink Floyd and the rural blues of the 1930s; Dr.Julian Stallabrass talks about visual representations of war; Professor Jean Seaton has recourse to George Orwell’s enduring relevance; and Roberta Mock asks what constitutes avant-garde performance.

Philosophers AC Grayling and Jonathan Wolff, cultural theorist Nicolas Bourriaud, “new complexity” composer Richard Barrett, folk music specialist Professor Reg Hall and Christine Kinnon, Professor of Molecular Immunology at UCL, are among others of the two dozen contributors to this extraordinary project. The station will post brief and user-friendly on-line reference material, photographs and bibliographies for the lectures. So, first get your diaries out and make sure you’ve noted that between August 18th and the 22nd university is coming to you where ever you may be listening, then get your notebooks out.

In today’s edition of Little Atoms (Friday August 15th, 7 - 730pm) Neil Denny talks to writers Julie Burchill and Charles Newkey-Burden.

Julie Burchill has been a journalist and a willfully controversial figure for
almost 30 years. Writing for publications such as The NME, The Spectator,
Daily Mail, The Times, The Express and The Guardian. She was also founding
editor of The Modern Review. Julie’s vivid private and social life has
generated many column inches over the years. She has written
numerous novels, one of which Sugar Rush, was adapted for
television by Channel Four. Julie has also made a number of documentaries
for Sky.

Chas Newkey-Burden is a journalist and the author of a number of intellectually stimulating, heavyweight, books including Great Email Disasters and Amy Winehouse: She Told Us She Was
Trouble.

Julie and Chas have co-written a book, Not In My Name: A Compendium Of
Modern Hypocrisy, published by Virgin on 7th August 2008, undoubtedly this will annoy many liberals.

Steve Buscemi has been a fixture in the independent film circuit for nearly 20 years with in excess of 100 acting credits to his name, he has also written, produced, and directed movies. His most recent film, Interview in which he both directed and starred in, marks a new strand in Buscemi’s activities, bringing the films of assassinated filmmaker Theo Van Gogh to the screen. Tania Ketenjian speaks to Steve Buscemi this afternoon - Thursday August 14th - in Sight Unseen, broadcasting between 3 and 330pm. Interview was recently released on DVD.

The Free University of the Airwaves

Monday 18 August to Friday 22 August 2008, daily from 10am to 3pm, repeated nightly 7pm to midnight.

Resonance FM announces a “summer school on the radio” for a week during the holidays. Designed to appeal to the general listener, this series of lectures ranges restlessly across many subjects. The Free University allows listeners to dip into a vast range of material, a snapshot of contemporary thought and provocative and intriguing subject matter.

The Free University is certainly that. Historian Ariel Hessayon (Goldsmiths) speaks on two subjects: about Jews in England from their expulsion in 1290 to their readmission in 1659; and “Restoring the Garden of Eden in England’s Green and Pleasant Land,” which takes a new view of the seventeenth century Diggers. There is more visionary stuff from Plymouth’s Professor Malcolm Miles, who specialises in concepts of Utopia, while at the other end of the scale Mark Miodownik of King’s College’s Materials Library takes us through an elemental reading of the making of a cup of coffee – illustrated in robust fashion in the station’s kitchen. Oneupmanship not intended, Professor Steven Connor (Birkbeck) talks about The History of Air; and, refreshing beverages sorted, ethnographer Caroline Osella asks, How do you make a man?

There is a strong anthropological strand, with contributions from Monica Janowski (Potency, Hierarchy and Food in Borneo), Magnus Marsden (Muslim village intellectuals) and Edward Simpson (Remembering natural disasters and memorials in Gujurat); while Alpa Shah asks, Would Yosemite be a better place for the Elephants of Eastern India? Only Resonance FM can provide the answer.

Influential professor of design Peter Rea offers various insights into Visual Literacy, illustrated with audio from Kraftwerk, Pink Floyd and the rural blues of the 1930s; Dr.Julian Stallabras talks about visual representations of war; Professor Jean Seaton has recourse to George Orwell’s enduring relevance; and Roberta Mock asks what constitutes avant-garde performance.

Philosophers AC Grayling and Jonathan Wolff, folk music specialist Dr Reg Hall and Christine Kinnon, Professor of Molecular Immunology at UCL, are among others of the two dozen contributors to this extraordinary project.

It’s that time of the month again! Resonance FM and Electric Sheep Magazine are proud to present a screening of the under rated 1998 Sci-Fi film noir Dark City in its newly released “Director’s Cut”.

Dark City presents a 1940s style murder mystery in an eerie city where it is perennially night and mysterious strangers dressed all in black control the lives of the inhabitants. Starring Rufus Sewell, Jennifer Connolly, Kiefer Sutherland, Richard O’Brien, William Hurt and Ian Richardson, from the director of The Crow. The film will be introduced and followed by a Q & A with Electric Sheep film critics and as ever is FREE!
Copies of the Summer ‘08 issue of Electric Sheep will be available to buy at the venue…

I’m ready for my close-up: The Truth is (still) out there

Alex Fitch talks to the creators of two new science-fiction dramas that deal with issues of body augmentation, morality, religion and new technology.

Alex talks to writer / director Chris Carter and producer Frank Spotnitz about their new film The X-Files: I want to believe, which reunites iconic 90s TV characters Mulder and Scully on the big screen. The interview was recorded by Oli Smith.

We also have an interview with Rachel Welch, the writer of the new play Involution, which is set in the near future and deals with human rights and themes of identity in a world where genome mapping dictates people’s lifestyles as well as featuring shadowy government agents and robot sex companions.
Involution is on at The Pleasance Theatre in Edinburgh every day at noon from 31/07/08 to 25/08/08…

10.30pm 31/07/08, repeated 5pm 01/08/08 Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com
[Read more →]

The programme that campaigns for a safe climate takes a look at the scourge of large-scale biofuels and also previews this year’s Camp for Climate Action.

Biofuels have been condemned as a “crime against humanity” by the outgoing UN Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Jean Zeigler. We find out why agrofuels have been responsible for food riots and increasing hunger around the globe as well as being a false solution to the problem of climate change.

And ahead of this year’s Camp for Climate Action, we speak to Connor O’Brien about their plans for sustainable living, education, and shutting down the coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent.

“The 300-350 Show” is named after what is now believed to the safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This finding is based on the work of James Hansen and his team in a paper titled “Target Atmospheric CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim.”

‘The NAVRAS Concept’.
Produced & Presented by Diana Mavroelon with guest VIBHAKER BAXI
‘Live’ from the station, Part 3 in the series - ‘Music of lndia’

On offer: a link to the past, a cultural bridge to the present…. For over a dozen years now, Navras Records has been a specialist label in presenting ‘live’ concert recordings of the classical and traditional music of the lndian sub-continent. The concept of Nav (nine) Rasa (sentiments/emotions) and the Raga theory of lndian music are integral to these unique recordings. Given the predominantly improvisational nature of lndian musical forms and with over 300
entries, the Navras catalogue manages to embrace the entire length & breadth of musical genres.
Clearly it is not possible to do justice in just one hour to this cornucopia of sound, (aptly phrased: ‘lndia has had time to forget more melodies than the West has had time to learn!’); this evening’s show offers an over-view of the catalogue with samples of classical, traditional, light classical, devotional, instrumental, vocal, film sound-track, Bollywood and fusion music, alongside a discussion between Diana Mavroleon and Vib Baxi, one of the founders of Navras (a
man of both brilliant monetary and musical minds), on the extraordinary and diverse worlds of lndian music.

In this Monday’s edition of Six Pillars To Persia Fari Bradley talks to Rudi Mathee author of “The Pursuit of Pleasure:
Drugs and Stimulants in Iranian History, 1500-1900″ The book looks at the consumption of tea, coffee, opium, heroin, wine and sherry.

Six Pillars to Persia is an English language program focusing on Persian heritage and modern Iranian culture. From rebel artists and exiled writers to social entrepreneurs the multifarious guest list builds a picture of the hotchpotch that is the Iranian diaspora in the arts now.

Six Pillars To Persia Monday 1:30 - 2:00pm (repeated every Sunday 8:30 - 9:00pm).

Mark Vernon’s superb series documenting the Leicester Tape Recording Club reaches its conclusion this afternoon…

The Leicester Tape Recording Club was a club for tape recording enthusiasts active in the sixties and seventies. Imagination Unlimited is a story not just of a club but a community, a community of hobbyists, amateurs and charming personalities who captured otherwise long extinct phenomena like ‘The Golden Wonder Boy’.

Imagination Unlimited - The Leicester Tape Recording Club Friday 2:30 - 3:00pm (repeated Wednesday 5 - 5:30pm)

At 4:30 today we broadcast 30 minutes of real, quality, street… Sculptor Ben Barwise recorded ten hours of Britannia Street. A street which stretches between King’s Cross Road and Gray’s Inn Road in London’s Borough Of Camden, here is a condensed version featuring the street in the wee small hours.

Edited by Nick Hammond