I was lucky enough to be a fly on the wall for Kurt’s interview with David Hockney last week. It was a revelation to hear him talk about his way of seeing. And I was surprised to learn that he has started painting on his iPhone, using the “Brushes” application, to “paint” lovely little pictures that he then sends off to his friends.

Hockney has a history of successful experiments with new technology. He went into a faxing frenzy during the 1980’s, sending an entire show to the Sao Paolo Biennale in Brazil via the machine. Earlier this year he had an exhibition of work executed on his computer using Photoshop and Graphics Tablet.  But I think the works on his iPhone are especially surprising and delightful.

In fact, I was so thrilled and inspired that I’ve decided to take the leap: henceforth, I will be a Touch Phone painter.

Have you made any art on your iPhone?  We want to see it!   Please post a link to your image in the Comments section.

- Susie Karlowski

Say you’re from the future, a future in which time machines exist.  Why not take a trip back to the good old 21^st century? And join us here at WNYC on Tuesday, November 17, as Kurt hosts the live taping of our show all about time travel.  You’ll meet some of the great scientists and fiction writers of our time as they grapple with this age-old fantasy, and hopefully you can enlighten us.

People from the present are also welcome.  Serious scientists argue that time travel is theoretically possible, so get prepared — and get a funk fix from The hottest android diva of the 28^th century, embodied by Janelle Monae.  For more information and tickets, visit the Greene Space.

Generally when somebody says to the editor of a radio program “I’m going to get a grant to do long-form multimedia reporting with a poet writing about the working poor,” the editor gets a look on his face.  Poetry and poverty — not the most popular subjects in the rundown.  But when that somebody is very persuasive, and also one of the most talented and tenacious producers in public radio, the editor swallows the small thing in his throat and says sheepishly “Great.  When’s our first edit?”

Now I’m not feeling so sheepish about “In Verse,” the collaborative project put together by our regular contributor Lu Olkowski and Ted Genoways, the editor of Virginia Quarterly Review.  “In Verse” combines intimate, startling photography, from-the-gut poems, and documentary tape — you’ve never heard/seen anything quite like it.  The first installment is live: “Women of Troy,” a set of three stories about Bille Jean and DJ, single mothers in the hard-luck town of Troy, New York.  They’re brash, snarky, tired, pissed off, raunchy, desperate.  Check out their stories.  If you’re impressed, read how the sausage is made on Jay Allison’s radio insider site Transom.org.  And shout thanks to the folks at the Association of Independents in Radio, for going out on a limb to support creative work in sound.

(If you can’t see the video, watch it here.)

You can read more of Susan B.A. Somers-Willett’s Troy poems at VQR; and see plenty more of Brenda Ann Keanneally’s photographs.  Let me know what you think.

- David Krasnow

If you’re planning to see “Amelia,” the new Amelia Earhart biopic now in theaters, keep an eye out for recent “Studio 360″ guest Gore Vidal — or at least the actor playing him. The film takes place long before he became notorious for his envelope-pushing novels and on-air political smackdowns with William F. Buckley. At the time he knew the famous female aviator, Vidal was still a kid. But it turns out that his father, Gene, was an able pilot in his own right and one of Earhart’s great loves.

Hilary Swank as Earhart and Ewan McGregor as Gene Vidal in Fox Searchlight Pictures' "Amelia" (Photo by Ken Woroner)

Kurt asked Vidal to share his memories of this period, but the conversation was lost somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle and crash landed on the cutting room floor. Fortunately, it has been recovered and posted for your enjoyment:

You can see a photo taken at Glen Echo in the just-published scrapbook-style memoir, Gore Vidal: Snapshots in History’s Glare. It shows Amelia congratulating Gene Vidal on his appointment as director of Air Commerce under Franklin Roosevelt. Further evidence that Gore knew everyone.

Listen to the full interview here:

- Jordan Sayle

This week New York welcomes “Performa ‘09“, the third biennial of performance art to hit the city. The event features more than 150 artists over three weeks, and one of whom has me very excited.

I was lucky enough to experience South African artist Candice Breitz’s video installation “Legend” a few years ago, and have been a devoted fan ever since. “Legend” is an homage to Bob Marley using 30 of his fans. She had each of them wear headphones in a simple studio setting, and then individually recorded them singing the entire album. The effect is stunning: the videos are synced so it appears that all 30 participants are singing together a cappella (imagine grooving to your favorite song when you think you are alone):

There’s an even better quality version of the video on Breitz’s website, along with similar homages to John Lennon, Madonna, and Michael Jackson.

Breitz’s usual media are video and photography. For “Performa ‘09″ she is directing her first live performance, “New York, New York.” She’s working with four sets of twins: each set will work with her to develop a single character. Then the twins will be separated into two groups, who will do independent, improvised performances based on their characters. As with much of her work, “New York, New York” is meant to address the complexity of individuality. This work may raise more questions than it answers, but promises to be fun while doing so.

- Susie Karlowski

Speech Therapy
Speech Debelle

In our contest-obsessed culture, it’s easy to tune out awards hoopla. But England’s Mercury Prize has done what a meaningful award should do: shine a light on an artist who deserves it.  Twenty-six year-old Speech Debelle was virtually unknown before she won the prize last month.  Her debut record, Speech Therapy, is filled with hopeful, street-sassy rapping over organic beats.  Brushes, upright bass, piano and clarinet back up Debelle’s rhymes about growing up in London. She’s had some tough times, but doesn’t let it get her down.  The best track, “Spinning,” opens with her staccato flow: “This is for the tat on my wrist/ this is for the black of my fist/ this is for the S in my lisp…” and leads into an irresistible schoolyard chorus: “The world keeps spinning… nobody knows where it will take us, but I hope it gets better.”  With this delightfully catchy song, you feel like it is.

- Leital Molad

"Mirror Image"; "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"; "The Hitch-Hiker"

Errant kid-carrying balloons, planes that overshoot the runway by 150 miles — these days, preternatural occurrences are the stuff of cable news. But 50 years ago, viewers tuned in to “The Twilight Zone” to get their weekly eeriness fix. Before the “The Twilight Saga,” and before “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF” became the creepiest show in TV history, Rod Sterling’s groundbreaking sci-fi series premiered on a Friday night in October 1959. Not only did it offer far-fetched premises and unexpected twists; there was also a heavy dose of social commentary shrouded in all of the fantasy and suspense.

This month has been full of “Twilight Zone” 50th anniversary commemorations across the country. Regional theaters in places like Tuscumbia, Alabama and Ben Lomond, California have produced stage versions of some of the show’s classic episodes. Binghamton, New York, Sterling’s hometown, hosted its own celebration. And if you’re reading this from Los Angeles, consider checking out tonight’s panel discussion and screening at the Egyptian Theatre. There’s also a lot to look forward to: Warner Brothers, in conjunction with Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, is developing a new “Twilight Zone” feature film for 2011.

And on a different sci-fi note, “Studio 360″ is planning its first ever live show in WNYC’s Greene Space on November 17, and it’s about time. The time travel-themed show will feature astrophysicist David Goldberg and forward-thinking funk singer Janelle Monae (along with her alter-ego Cindi Mayweather). We’ll broadcast the show later in the year, so you’ll literally be glimpsing into the future by joining us: tickets info here.

– Jordan Sayle

The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum
By Heinrich Boll

When I first read this 1974 novel, set in West Germany around the time of the Red Army Faction, it seemed very foreign to me in every sense.  A serious terrorist threat?  Law enforcement overreach to deal with it?  Powerful, sensationalist right-wing media whipping up the panic?  Well, times have changed, and the resonances today are different for American readers.  I discovered as much earlier this year, when Penguin asked me to write an introduction for this new paperback edition.

- Kurt Andersen

With Halloween fast approaching, the swag coming into the studio this week has taken a spooky turn. We appreciated these vampire teeth, which accompanied The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published…

… and brought out our ghoulish side!

We’ll have some ghoulish stories on the show this week – including instructions on how to make your skeleton scary, by Deep Thoughts’ Jack Handey.

- Erin Calabria

I know I’m well past the age of someone who should be doing this, but every once in a while I like to watch Saturday morning cartoons. Last weekend while watching “Jane and the Dragon” (great show, by the way), I saw a commercial for a new cereal called Raisin Brahms.

As in the 19th century German composer Johannes Brahms.

Ok, so it’s not a real cereal. It’s actually a public service announcement created by an organization called Americans for the Arts. As part of their “The Arts. Ask for More.” campaign, they partnered up with the NAMM Foundation and the Ad Council to produce commercials that encourage parents to get their kids interested in the arts. Because Brahms really is part of a complete breakfast. Take that Frosted Flakes.

- Alana Harper