Human Voices Wake Us
Patti Smith / Mazzy Star & Living Colour / Philip Glass (from the archive)
20 Jan 2025
An episode from 11/13/23: Tonight, I talk about our attachment to music as teenagers and adults, and the lessons that loving music—and finding meaning in musicians’ life stories—can teach us. First, I read two passages from Patti Smith’s memoir, Just Kids. Those parts on her early life with the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, before either of them were well-known, are incredibly moving. Next, I talk about my attachment to the band Mazzy Star, and then read from a listener’s email about seeing the band Living Colour perform live for the first time, after years of listening to their music. Finally, I read a few passages from Words Without Music, a memoir by the composer Philip Glass. You can support Human Voices Wake Us here, or by ordering any of my books: Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone. I've also edited a handful of books in the S4N Pocket Poems series. Email me at [email protected].
No persons identified in this episode.
This episode hasn't been transcribed yet
Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.
Popular episodes get transcribed faster
Other recent transcribed episodes
Transcribed and ready to explore now
NPR News: 12-08-2025 2AM EST
08 Dec 2025
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-07-2025 11PM EST
08 Dec 2025
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-07-2025 10PM EST
08 Dec 2025
NPR News Now
Meidas Health: AAP President Strongly Pushes Back on Hepatitis B Vaccine Changes
08 Dec 2025
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Democrat Bobby Cole Discusses Race for Texas Governor
07 Dec 2025
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Fox News Crashes Out on Air Over Trump’s Rapid Fall
07 Dec 2025
The MeidasTouch Podcast