Johnny Cash's Folsom At 50, Paul Simon, Chuck Klosterman, Aaron Scott's Greatest Hits

OPB's State of Wonder

Do we sound a little verklempt this week? Our show is full of fond farewells, from Paul Simon's goodbye tour to our own producer Aaron Scott's departure for green Field Guide pastures. But it's not all tears. Before Aaron goes, he'll tell what he’s learned reporting on arts for the better part of a decade. We also chirp with the writer who followed Paul Simon’s life story, and mix it up with one of the top practitioners of pop criticism working today.
Reconsidered: Johnny Cash's "At Folsom Prison" Album at 50 - 1:08
In May 1968, Johnny Cash made a record that opened America’s eyes to life behind bars. But are those songs still relevant today? A group of Oregon musicians and artists, under the name Luther’s Boots, are re-staging the concert at prisons around the state to find out.
To help fund their Folsom50 tour, they’re putting on a concert for those on the outside at Portland’s Polaris Hall May 20.
Pop Culture Talk with Chuck Klosterman - 8:33
If the first eighteen years of the century have left you gasping for breath, take heart. The post-Avengers, post-Kapernick, post-#MeToo, post-Beyonce era is not just an amazing time for pop culture; it's also a golden age of pop culture critics. Chuck Klosterman is one of the best. His bracing essays on music and sports in the "New York Times," the "Washington Post," "Esquire," and "Grantland."
Klosterman will read from his latest book, “Chuck Klosterman X: A Highly Specific, Defiantly Incomplete History of the Early 21st Century,” at Powell's in Portland next week.
Paul Simon’s Farewell Tour - 19:17
This summer concert season is rife with acts doing farewell tours — Joan Baez, Elton John, Yassiin Bey (Mos Def) — but one of the most significant is legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon. His "Homeward Bound Tour" hits the Moda Center May 19. To send him off, we listen back to our interview with Peter Ames Carlin, author of the biography “Homeward Bound: The Life of Paul Simon,” at Wordstock 2016.
Aaron Scott’s Greatest Hits - 30:32
It’s our bittersweet duty to inform you that this is State of Wonder producer Aaron Scott’s last week on the show. He is moving on to report and produce stories for "Oregon Field Guide." We're totally excited for him and couldn't resist the chance to pull him in front of the mic one more time to talk about some of his favorite moments, and trends he's observed in the regional arts ecosystem as he's reported on it for the better part of a decade.