A few years ago, on a whim, I took a history of the Silk Road course in graduate school. Although I had no background in Asian history or culture, I quickly became fascinated by the way cultures, religions, and of course, goods were exchanged along these trade routes. Afghanistan was a major crossroad for these caravans; after all, it’s perfectly situated between the major traders, China and Rome. As a result of all this trade (and from its own natural resources), Afghanistan grew wealthy, making it a target for outside invasion and looting. Sadly, over the years, some things haven’t changed, although the reasons and perpetrators have. The looting of Afghanistan’s national museum started with their civil wars in the late 1970s, and in 1994 the museum was hit by rocket fire. A few years later, the Taliban ordered the destruction of all images, and subsequently thousands of the museum’s statues were smashed. The people of Afghanistan assumed most of the museum’s collection was either destroyed or stolen. Then, in 2004, it was revealed that some of their most important artifacts were hidden away in metal strong boxes in the vault of the presidential palace.

The exhibition’s curator Dr. Fred Hiebert, who was there for the opening of these boxes, has called this recovery a “good news story” in a place whose news is largely dominated by tragedy. But it’s even more than that, as he explained to Bob during this interview: this exhibition is an opportunity for viewers to see into Afghanistan’s cultural history, and get a small sense of what true Afghans are really like.

Click here for more Afghan Treasures.

- Cristy Meiners

Generation Kill is their latest creation. After watching five episodes of that HBO miniseries which is also based on true stories from the first days of the invasion of Iraq, I don’t understand why more filmmakers do what David Simon and Ed Burns do. Neither of them are trained screenwriters or producers, so the raw talent they have exercised in this second career of theirs is a marvel to me. Both The Wire and Generation Kill make you feel like you are right there, a fly on the wall in the pits of Baltimore (or one of those Humvees in Iraq), bearing witness to chaos and corruption – and good people doing bad things and bad people doing good things. These television shows are just as complex as humans can be. So much so, I am tempted to finally make the effort to plug in my television in anticipation of the next Simon/Burns production.

Generation Kill is a seven part miniseries that will air every Sunday at 9pm EST starting July 13th. Read more about both shows from the HBO web site.

-Ariana Pekary

Producer Andy Danyo weighs in:

Listen carefully to today's interview with David Simon, even if you have never heard of "The Wire."  And I hope by the end of it, you'll seek out the program and watch all five seasons.  I am one who believes, unequivocally, that the "The Wire" is the best thing that has ever been on TV.  It is television-watching that is active and productive, not something you're doing to relax or veg out for a while.  The tagline for the program is "Listen Carefully" and that's an imperative that means more than just craning your ears to try to understand what Snoop is saying in her thick accent. Simon listens carefully. And then he explains well.  To prepare for this interview, we went back and read some of the articles he wrote when he was a crime reporter for the Baltimore Sun.  They made me sad for newspapers.  His writing is so effusive, so much more than "two arrested in fatal shooting."  As Bob mentions in the interview, three of the last stories he wrote were gut-wrenching narratives: A 12-year-old girl shot by a stay bullet while she was sitting on her stoop; A piece of a tongue found at a crime scene; A man who loaded up his wife and three kids in the car, parked it behind a strip mall, and blew them all up with a bomb he had hidden ahead of time. Here’s a small excerpt from that story, published under the headline, “A Loving Father's Tragic Solution” in the Baltimore Sun on September 18, 1995.

 

He needed a stamp -- a small detail in his elaborate plan -- and he found one at a Royal Farm store, walking into the Rossville outlet on Route 7 at about half past 2 the afternoon of Sept. 11. The letter went into a mailbox too late for that day's pickup, but no matter; it would get to his parents' house near Cumberland soon enough.

"For my family, I feel this is the only option I have left," he had written.

What remained now was the last critical step, the one to give the letter meaning. Just before 6 that evening, Mark Alen Clark gathered everything he cared about -- the wife who had left him, the three children he felt he had lost -- collecting the essential elements of his life in a 1987 Ford station wagon and parking behind an Essex shopping center. There, he blew his world apart.

To most everyone, the deed was incomprehensible; the verdict on the soul of the bomber was certain and fixed. This was absolute evil, cruel and senseless. But to many of those who knew the 32-year-old Mark Clark and watched his life collapse, the bombing in Essex last week was even more horrifying. They recognized the sad and desperate logic that provoked it.

This type of writing seldom has a place in newspapers today.  It’s also an example of the type of nuance and detail that you’ll find in “The Wire.”  I can’t get enough of David Simon explaining the thought process and deliberateness behind the show.  If you feel the same way, you’ll enjoy this discussion from The Atlantic, especially Simon’s response. It’s thoughtful people arguing thoughtfully about a television show.  You don’t come across that too often.  Also, a little silly treat for fans here.

 

 - Andy, who still misses and thinks about Wallace often.

 

I can recall my senior year of high school, right around the 2004 presidential election. Tempers were flaring up and teachers were antsy to know what we (potential) voters thought about the presumptive candidates. Sadly, but surely, I can distinctively remember a good friend’s sole reason to vote for our current president, George W. Bush. “Why not? He’s a cute old man.” Sure. Because we’re all looking for that handsome lad to lead us to victory.

Not to worry, though. If the aforementioned statement does not sit well with your boiling American blood, investigative reporter, George Mason University historian, and New York Times best-selling author Rick Shenkman gives some insight as to why we proud Americans vote the way we do. His latest book, entitled “Just How Stupid Are We?: Facing the Truth About the American Voter” is his sixth publication in the line of political/historical works.

Shenkman says that politicians are counting on Americans to depend on those 30-second infomercials to make their decisions. There is a reason why countless dollars are poured into advertising - political strategists want to take advantage of our emotions. Senkman also explores the myths and misconceptions of some of our presidents from JFK to Jimmy Carter.

Shenkman sums up the way politics and the American people mingle, as if they were strolling past the White House, hand in hand:

“It would be stupid to say that the American people are stupid—as stupid as saying the American people are smart. It is impossible to generalize—and silly. But our politics are often stupid. And there are times when no other word, harsh as it is, seems to capture the essence of the turn politics has taken in recent decades.”

Still not convinced on Rick’s thoughts? Check out these statistics that are featured in his book:

--Only 2 in 5 voters can name the three branches of the federal government.

--Nearly half (49%) of Americans think the president has the authority to suspend the Constitution.

--Only 1 in 7 can find Iraq on a map.

--A majority (70%) continued to believe that Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11, even after the 9/11 Commission reported that the claim was groundless.

--Only 1 in 5 know that there are 100 federal senators.

--Only one-fifth of Americans between ages 18-34 bother to keep up with current events.

Pretty shocking numbers, but in the midst of his explanations as to why the American voter continues to disappoint, Shenkman offers hope (and even a plan) for how voters can improve their intelligence. Check out Rick Shenkman's book, "Just How Stupid Are We?"  published by Basic Books. And here's a link to Shenkman's appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

- John Asante

I'm pretty sure this is a record setter (it's definitely my longest entry ever).  But as Bob put it, documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney is making his fourth appearance on a program that's not yet four years old.  Gibney is here to discuss his latest project - "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson" - which is being released this weekend.  Gibney has previously been on to talk about some of his other films like "The Smartest Guys in the Room" which documents the collapse of Enron, "The Human Behavior Experiments," and earlier this year, he told us about "Taxi to the Darkside" which examined questions of torture and military interrogation techniques used during the war on terror.  It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature this year AND a Peabody Award.  Despite those honors, the film did not do well at the box office and Gibney is suing its distributor.  He has submitted a demand for arbitration against ThinkFilms, which he says hid the fact that it did not have the financial capability to distribute the movie after the awards.  But "Taxi to the Darkside" will be broadcast on HBO September 30 and it will also be released on DVD on the same date.

Alex Gibney's latest film is called "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson."  It's narrated by actor Johnny Depp who portrayed Thompson in the bizarre feature film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" which of course, was based on the bizarre book of the same name written by Thompson.  We'll also hear about Hunter's fascination with guns, alcohol, politics, the American Dream, the Hell's Angels, mind-altering drugs and the invention of Gonzo journalism at the 1970 Kentucky Derby.  What exactly does gonzo mean?  Gibney provides an explanation in the interview.  And so does Hunter Thompson's friend, illustrator and collaborator, Ralph Steadman.  He drew the ink-splattered paintings that accompanied some of Hunter Thompson's best-known works -- and as Alex Gibney puts it, the pair was like the Batman and Robin of counter-culture journalism.  Their connection worked because somehow Steadman could see in pictures what Hunter could say in words. 

The next long-term project for Alex Gibney is an in-depth documentary about Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters, but the next thing you'll be able to see is a film about the Jack Abramoff scandal and how money perverts our political process.  It's working title is "Casino Jack and the United States of Money."  I'm so sorry to go on - and on and on - but Alex Gibney is one of my favorite guests and a very skillful artist.  When we interview him, I have the opportunity to work closely with the audio of his productions.  I always notice and appreciate lots of little things that make each project stand out as the work of a true professional.  Little things that he clearly put a great deal of thought into, in order to reward the person who watches or listens closely enough.  It's what I strive for in every one of my productions and I believe that over the course of 30 minutes or two hours -- those little things add up to something special.  I hope you agree and I hope you appreciate Alex Gibney's films as much as I do.

-Chad

Click here to see the trailer for "Gonzo."

Click here to see when and where "Gonzo" is playing near you.

To me, it's a little disconcerting to see pictures of Willie Nelson without his trademark beard, bandana and braids. THIS is the Willie I know. . .

This one, well it's strange.

Clean-shaven Willie Nelson was trying to fit in with the clean-shaven sound of Nashville in the 1960s. The smooth sounds of Chet Atkins were king, and country music was finding a wider audience with the easy-listening sheen. Try as he might, Willie Nelson never had a hit following the formula. But once Willie returned to Texas, grew his hair out, and started making music in his own way, things changed. Now he's an icon. And the legends and rumors about Willie are sometimes as mesmerizing as the music. Did he really get high on the White House roof while Jimmy Carter was President? I knew about the four wives, the polygamy (it was a paper work problem), and his troubles with the IRS. I didn't realize that Willie released a double album called "The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories" to help raise money to pay his $16.7 MILLION bill in back taxes! "The IRS Tapes" is just one of more than 200 albums Willie has released. And as you'll hear in the interview, he's stored away enough songs that we'll be hearing new Willie Nelson tunes long after he's sung his last hillbilly song.

Willie Links:

Willie Nelson's Website

"One Hell of a Ride" - The new four-disc box set from Legacy Recordings

The latest CD from Noel Paul Stookey, titled 'Facets,' is an example of his fine solo work, but describing him as a solo artist is, in news parlance, burying the lead.  Stookey is known best by his middle name, he's the 'Paul' of the seminal folk group Peter Paul & Mary.

Peter Paul & Mary got together in the early 60s and they quickly established themselves as not just the preeminent group in the folk movement, but the biggest vocal group in the country.

As Noel Paul Stookey explains it, the secret to the longevity of Peter Paul & Mary is the intergenerational nature of their music...mothers sing their kids to sleep with 'Puff the Magic Dragon,' those kids grow older and might discover 'Blowin' in the Wind,' then before they know it, they're having children of their own, and taking them to Peter Paul & Mary shows.

After weathering breakups and health challenges, true folkies can rejoice, the group is going back on the road this year. So far, the following dates have been scheduled for the Fall of '08:

Sep 28, Hartford , CT  The Bushnell
Oct 19, Minneapolis, MN Orchestra Hall
Nov 01, Wilkes-Barre , PA  Kirby Center
Nov 02, Morristown, NJ Community Theatre
Nov 14, Easton , PA  State Theatre
Nov 15, Shippensburg , PA  Luhrs PAC
Nov 23, Philadelphia, PA Kimmel Center
Dec 05, 08 New York , NY  Carnegie Hall

Peter Paul & Mary's website
Noel Paul Stookey's website

-Dan Bloom

Here is a link to George Black’s article “The Gathering Storm,"and to the accompanying photo slide show.

-Ariana