Angélique Kidjo and David Byrne on “Remain in Light”

Angélique Kidjo and David Byrne on “Remain in Light”

When a young Amanda Petrusich, now a staff writer who covers music, first heard Talking Heads’ “Remain in Light,” she felt “almost like it was being beamed in from outer space.” The record, released in 1980, was strikingly original—a hybrid of experimental rock, Afrobeat, and seventies funk, reimagined by a white American rock band and their English producer. Nearly forty years later, the Beninese pop star Angélique Kidjo has chosen to release her own, track-by-track cover version of “Remain in Light,” working with the producer Jeff Bhasker, who is known for his collaborations with Kanye West and Beyoncé. Kidjo has figuratively brought the record back to Africa, with spoken interludes in her native language of Fon. Nonetheless, she is skeptical of the idea of cultural appropriation, broadly defined. “Who are we to [own] any culture?” she asks. “Even our own culture doesn’t belong to us.” Petrusich spoke with Kidjo and with David Byrne, formerly of Talking Heads, about the impulses behind both versions, and the large influence of Fela Kuti. And the food correspondent Helen Rosner recommends a baking show, a book, and a perfect summer cake recipe.

New Yorker Radio Hour listeners, we want to hear from you. We have a few questions about the show and how you listen to it. The survey takes about twenty minutes, and your feedback will help us make our podcast better. Take the survey here.

Episoder(1020)

Donald Trump’s War on Culture Is Not a Sideshow

Donald Trump’s War on Culture Is Not a Sideshow

The term “culture wars” is most often associated with issues of sexuality, race, religion, and gender. But, as recent months have made plain, when Donald Trump refers to the culture wars, he also mean...

29 Aug 202531min

How Extreme Heat Affects the Body

How Extreme Heat Affects the Body

The Korey Stringer Institute, at the University of Connecticut, is named after an N.F.L. player who died of exertional heatstroke. The lab’s main research subjects have been athletes, members of the m...

26 Aug 202517min

How Big Tech Sets the Agenda in Trump’s America

How Big Tech Sets the Agenda in Trump’s America

Donald Trump is the most tech-friendly President in American history. He enlisted social media to win office; he became a promoter—and beneficiary—of cryptocurrency, breaking long-standing norms aroun...

22 Aug 202532min

A Palestinian Journalist Escapes Death in Gaza

A Palestinian Journalist Escapes Death in Gaza

Mohammed R. Mhawish was living in Gaza City during Israel’s invasion, in the immediate aftermath of the October 7th attack. He witnessed the invasion for months and reported on its devastating consequ...

18 Aug 202526min

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington on a Reunion Making “Highest 2 Lowest”

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington on a Reunion Making “Highest 2 Lowest”

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington first worked together on “Mo’ Better Blues,” released in 1990. Washington starred as a trumpet player trying to make a living in jazz clubs; Lee, who directed the film,...

15 Aug 202523min

Richard Brody Picks Three Favorite Clint Eastwood Films

Richard Brody Picks Three Favorite Clint Eastwood Films

With seven decades in film and television, Clint Eastwood is undeniably a Hollywood institution. Emerging first as a star in Westerns, then as the embattled cop in the Dirty Harry films, the ninety-fi...

12 Aug 202516min

Your Questions Answered: Trump vs. the Rule of Law

Your Questions Answered: Trump vs. the Rule of Law

From the attempt to end birthright citizenship to the gutting of congressionally authorized agencies, the Trump Administration has created an enormous number of legal controversies. The Radio Hour ask...

8 Aug 202534min

Jamaica Kincaid on “Putting Myself Together”

Jamaica Kincaid on “Putting Myself Together”

Jamaica Kincaid began writing for The New Yorker in 1974, reporting about life in the magazine’s home city. She was a young immigrant from Antigua, then a British colony; she had been sent to New York...

5 Aug 202525min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
forklart
popradet
aftenpodden-usa
stopp-verden
det-store-bildet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
fotballpodden-2
nokon-ma-ga
rss-gukild-johaug
dine-penger-pengeradet
hanna-de-heldige
rss-ness
aftenbla-bla
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-espen-lee-usensurert
frokostshowet-pa-p5