All Of It with Alison Stewart

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. For this month's Full Bio, we're going to learn more about Lorne Michaels, the show's creator and showrunner. For all of his power and influence in the industry, Michaels remains a somewhat elusive figure. Writer Susan Morrison attempts to get to the man behind the image in her new biography, Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live. In today's installment, we learn about Michaels's early days in Canada, and how he first fell in love with comedy.

A 1987 series called "Eyes On The Prize" explored the contours of civil rights struggles in the U.S., including segregation and the voting rights. A new installment, called "Eyes on the Prize III" explores movements for racial justice from 1977 to 2015. Executive producer Dawn Porter and filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir discuss the film series, which is now streaming on MAX.

In 1966 the Mayor's Office of Film was established to try and encourage local filmmaking, in the hopes that it might help boost the economy. What resulted were films that presented a raw and unfiltered version of the city on the edge of crisis. Starting April 1, the Criterion Channel will feature a collection of films under the headline "Fun City: NYC Woos Hollywood, Flirts with Disaster," featuring films like "Dog Day Afternoon," "Cotton Comes to Harlem," "The Panic in Needle Park," and more. Writer and film critic J. Hoberman, who served as a film critic for the Village Voice and curated the Criterion series, discusses this period of film history. Hoberman’s forthcoming book is called The 1960s New York Avant-Garde: Primal Happenings, Underground Movies, Radical Pop.

Photographer Mary Ellen Matthews is responsible for most of the cast portraits featured each week on Saturday Night Live. She shares her approach to capturing stills of the comedians, including how concepts like ‘comedic timing’ translate to still photography, and discusses her new book The Art of the SNL Portrait.

[REBROADCAST FROM March 7, 2025] Before the 1985 Grammy Awards, no women had ever been nominated for Producer of the Year. Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman became the first as part of Prince and the Revolution, though still no woman has ever won the award. Wendy & Lisa discuss their career as part of our series Equalizers: Women in Music Production. Plus, Susan Rogers, a veteran audio engineer who worked for years with Prince and on a number of Wendy & Lisa's albums, shares some tales from the studio.

[REBROADCAST FROM March 10, 2025] Lauren Christy co-founded the writing/production trio The Matrix, whose work on Avril Lavigne's debut album earned the group their Producer Of The Year Grammy nominations. Christy is the first of only three women nominated for POTY in the 21st century. Christy is featured in today's installment of the Women's History Month series, Equalizers: Women In Music Production.

[REBROADCAST FROM March 17, 2025] Singer, pianist and producer Patrice Rushen holds the distinction of being the first woman musical director of the Grammy Awards, the Emmy Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards. A producer of her own releases, she's also worked with many other artists, notably producing Sheena Easton's jazz standards album No Strings.

[REBROADCAST FROM March 18, 2025] In 2016, DJ and producer TOKiMONSTA underwent two brain surgeries for Moyamoya disease, after which she had to relearn how to speak and hear music. In 2019, she became the first Asian-American woman nominated for Best Dance / Electronic Album at the Grammy Awards. Her new album is called Eternal Reverie. She joins us for another installment of "Equalizers: Women in Music Production."

[REBROADCAST FROM March 3, 2025] The Grammys have never awarded a woman Producer of the Year and only a handful have ever been nominated. Alissia was nominated this year, making her only the third woman in the 21st century to make the shortlist. To kick off our series, Alissia talks about her approach to producing music. She is featured in today's installment of the Women's History Month series, Equalizers: Women In Music Production.

This year marks the 250th birthday of Jane Austen, whose novels have been beloved, riffed on, and adapted for centuries. We discuss her work and legacy with Helen Fielding, whose book Bridget Jones’s Diary drew direct inspiration from Austen, and with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan. Listeners also share their thoughts on the beloved author.

MoMA has just opened a major retrospective of artist Jack Whitten. “Jack Whitten: The Messenger” features more than 175 works spanning the 1960s to the 2010s. Whitten, who died in 2018, was known for his bold abstraction and deep exploration of materiality. MoMA Curator Michelle Kuo and Whitten’s daughter and archive steward Mirsini Amidon discuss the show, on view through August 2.

A new film chronicles the life of folk legend Janis Ian — from jamming in '60s Greenwich Village and rising to fame in the '70s, to facing financial struggles in the '80s, coming out in the '90s, and her recent advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. Ian joins us alongside director Varda Bar-Kar to discuss “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence,” which hits theaters this Friday.This conversation is guest hosted by Tiffany Hansen.

The new documentary “Thank You Very Much” takes a look at the life of groundbreaking comedian and performer Andy Kaufman, a man whose work has always defied expectations. Director Alex Braverman discusses the film, which includes rarely-seen footage of Kaufman and opens in theaters tomorrow.This conversation is guest-hosted by Tiffany Hansen.

Tomorrow is Opening Day for the 2025 Major League Baseball season. Kaitlyn Tiffany, staff writer at The Atlantic, is a big baseball fan, but she's increasingly wondered about why there aren't more opportunities for women to play the game. She discusses her recent article, “Why Aren't Women Allowed to Play Baseball?” and female listeners share their experiences on efforts to play and navigating being a female fan of America's pastime.

Trina Shoemaker is a multiple-Grammy-winning engineer and producer. Her work on Sheryl Crow's The Globe Sessions made her the first woman to win the Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Her credits range from Tanya Tucker to Queens of the Stone Age, to new music releases from Julien Baker and Torres. She discusses her career in today's instalment of our series Equalizers: Women in Music Production.

[REBROADCAST FROM April 23, 2024] Best-selling author Amor Towles, has a short story collection, Table For Two, featuring six stories he wrote in New York set during the turn of the millennium. The book also includes a novella following Evelyn Ross, a character from Towles' first novel, Rules of Civility, as she travels to 1930s Los Angeles to try and make it in Hollywood. Table For Two will be out in paperback next month.

Kirkus Reviews says Colum McCann's latest novel, Twist, is "another astounding novel from a fiction master." The story follows an Irish writer who is a assigned a story about the people who repair the underwater cables that help transmit information around the globe. Soon, the writer finds himself more embedded in the lives of these people than he ever imagined. McCann discusses the novel ahead of his event Wednesday evening at St. Joseph's with Phil Klay.

A new sci-fi thriller starring Elizabeth Olsen is set in the not-so-distant future, where a couple hoping to have a child must undergo a seven-day evaluation to determine their fitness as parents. Olsen joins us to discuss her role as a prospective mother in “The Assessment,” now in theaters. This conversation is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar.

A new exhibition at Poster House explores the history of nuclear technology, showcasing both advocacy and opposition from the 20th century. Chief Curator Angelina Lippert and independent curator Tim Medland discuss the show, “Fallout: Atoms for War & Peace,” on view through Sunday, September 7. This conversation is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar.

Emily Lazar is a locally based audio engineer who became the first woman to win Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) at the 2016 Grammys for her work on Beck’s Colors. She is also the founder of the nonprofit We Are Moving the Needle, which supports female recording industry professionals, audio engineers and producers, and founder of the NYC-based company, The Lodge. Lazar discusses her work in today’s installment of our Women’s History Month series, Equalizers: Women in Music Production. This episode is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar.

Whether it's for health or environmental reasons, more people are trying to cut down on their meat intake — but it can be hard to give it up entirely. The new cookbook Mostly Meatless: Green Up Your Plate Without Totally Ditching the Meat includes recipes that make vegetables and grains the star of the show — while giving meat an occasional cameo. Dan Souza of America’s Test Kitchen shares recipes and techniques.This episode is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar. Almost Beefless Beef StewServes 4 to 6 Total Time: 2 hours Why This Recipe Works The hallmark of an excellent beef stew is exceedingly tender meat swimming in a deeply savory broth. This is usually achieved by using a large cut of meat, so we wondered if there could, or should, be space for such a dish in a book that aims to reduce meat consumption. Early tests seemed to confirm our skepticism—until we tried blade steaks, which consistently turned tender and were convenient to buy in small amounts. The chunks distributed plenty of richness to our medley of vegetables: potatoes, carrots, peas, and pearl onions. However, our glossy sauce seriously lacked beefiness. To rectify this, we turned to ingredients adept at building up tasty browning. Garlic, anchovies, and tomato paste created a flavor-rich base for our stew. We also added a pound of mushrooms, taking care to drive away moisture to concentrate their flavor. Our final recipe had over 4 pounds of veggies and under a pound of meat, yet every bite brimmed with beefy flavor. Use extra small Yukon Gold or red potatoes measuring less than 1 inch in diameter. You can substitute Yukon Gold or red potatoes that are 1 to 2 inches in diameter; just be sure to halve them before adding to the stew in step 4. Ingredients2 (6- to 8‑ounce) blade steaks, ¾ to 1 inch thick, trimmed and cut into 1½‑inch pieces3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large or medium¾ teaspoon table salt, divided1 large onion, halved and sliced thin6 garlic cloves, minced2 tablespoons tomato paste6 anchovy fillets, minced¼ cup all-purpose flour1 cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine, divided2½ cups chicken or beef broth1 pound extra-small potatoes4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick on bias1½ cups frozen pearl onions, thawed1 cup frozen peas, thawed¼ teaspoon pepper DirectionsAdjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pat beef dry with paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add beef and cook until well browned on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes; transfer to bowl. Add mushrooms, 1 tablespoon oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt to fat left in pot and cook, covered, over medium-high heat until mushrooms have released their liquid, 3 to 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until mushrooms are well browned, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with beef. Add onion, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt to now-empty pot and cook until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and anchovies and cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste is slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds. Slowly add 1 cup wine, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in broth, potatoes, and beef-mushroom mixture and any accumulated juices. Bring to simmer, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook for 1 hour. Remove pot from oven. Stir in carrots and pearl onions and bring to simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pot, until carrots are tender, 8 to 12 minutes. Stir in peas and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons wine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. (Stew can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

It’s that period of time in which millions of people try to balance their work lives with... surreptitiously watching hours of live basketball. Yes, it's March Madness, and even people who don't normally care about college sports are obsessed with their brackets. Sports reporter Priya Desai explains why it's having a cultural moment — and we want to know how you got into it.*This segment is guest hosted by David Furst.

The new musical “Buena Vista Social Club” is now on Broadway after an acclaimed off-Broadway run. The show follows a group of Cuban musicians coming together to record the now-famous 1997 album Buena Vista Social Club. Marco Ramirez wrote the book for the musical, and Natalie Venetia Belcon stars as Omara, a vocalist convinced to come out of retirement to work on the album. Ramirez and Belcon discuss the production, which is running now at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater.*This segment is guest hosted by David Furst.

Ariel Loh is a locally based producer and mixing/mastering engineer. At the beginning of 2025, she became the first openly trans Asian-American woman to win a Grammy for her work on the track "Deliver" She joins us for another installment of our Women’s History Month series, Equalizers: Women in Music Production.*This segment is guest hosted by David Furst.

After years of waiting, the wild rollercoaster ride that is "Severance" just aired its second season finale. Erin Qualey, a freelance writer and licensed therapist, has been recapping each episode of the season for Vulture. She analyzes the finale with us, and listeners share their theories, thoughts, and predictions for season three.*This segment is guest hosted by David Furst.

Spring has sprung, and as we turn the page on another season, we'll explore some of the best new forthcoming and recently released books. All Of It Producer Jordan Lauf discusses some of her most anticipated new reads this winter. Plus, we take listeners' book recommendations.This conversation is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar.

Often on Fridays, we invite listeners to share like to hear what they're doing over the weekend. On this first weekend of Spring, listeners shout-out their weekend plans. Plus, producer Luke Green previews his weekend, including watching the NCAA March Madness tournaments and organizing a Team All Of It bracket pool.This segment is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar.

Audio engineer Karrie Keyes started her career at 18 years old and has worked with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and many more artists. She discusses her collaborative work, and also her organization SoundGirls, a non-profit amplifying women in the music industry, for another installment of "Equalizers: Women in Music Production."This conversation is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar.

We speak to Nicholas Quah, critic for Vulture about the new series "Adolescence," which premiered on Netflix last week. The story follows a 13 year old boy arrested for the murder of a classmate and is told from different perspectives, including the cops, the family, the friends and mental health professionals. Each of the 4 episodes is shot in one take, giving it the feel of a play. This conversation is guest-hosted by Kousha Navidar.

Tony-winning actor LaChanze makes her directorial debut with a new revival of "Wine in the Wilderness," an Alice Childress play set in the midst of 1964 riot in Harlem. Grantham Coleman stars as Bill, an artist who is working on a triptych on Black womanhood. His final model is Tomorrow Marie, played by Olivia Washington. And soon their meeting will be about much more than art. Coleman, and Washington discuss "Wine in the Wilderness," running at the Classic Stage Company through April 13.

In February, The Altons, a Southern California-based band, released their debut album on Daptone Records, Heartache in Room 14. Vocalists and front-persons Adriana Flores and Bryan Ponce discuss the story of their group, and we listen to some tracks for an All Of It Listening Party. The Altons play tonight at Racket NYC at 8pm.

Calvin Eng is the Brooklyn-born chef and founder of Bonnie's, a popular Cantonese-American restaurant in Williamsburg that opened in 2021. The restaurant blends Eng's Cantonese background and American upbringing with dishes like Italian combo fried rice and clam chowder jook. Eng has written a new cookbook, Salt Sugar MSG, with recipes inspired by what he serves at his restaurant, and background into why he named his restaurant after his mother, Bonnie. Eng tells us more about his story.

Musician, composer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington talks about her career and approach to music as part of the Women's History Month series Equalizers: Women In Music Production.

[REBROADCAST FROM Feb. 20, 2025] The married musical duo The War And Treaty centers the complexities of love in their music, and even dropped their latest album Plus One on Valentine’s Day. Tanya Trotter and Michael Trotter share some live performances from our studio. They will be performing at Irving Plaza on April 8.

WNYC and Theater of War Productions have teamed up for a series of live readings and discussion series bring actors together with journalists to bring important and complex reporting to life. This month, the series features a December 2023 article from The Atlantic by Rebecca Johns called A Diet Writer’s Regrets, which reflects on weight loss, social pressure, and the unintended consequences of diet culture. On March 22, WNYC will air a recording of the live event, in which actor Hope Davis performs a reading of the article, followed by a conversation with Johns and Theater of War Artistic Director Bryan Doerries, who discuss the series, and its latest installment.

This week, jazz trumpeter Theo Croker takes the stage at SMOKE Jazz Club from Wednesday, March 19, through Sunday, March 23, for a special preview of his upcoming album. He stopped by WNYC's studios for a live performance and a conversation about Dream Manifest, set for release in June 2025. You can hear the full conversation and more music from our conversation on Tuesday. Today, we present a bonus track.

The J-pop duo YOASOBI have earned fans around the world, sold out shows at Radio City Music Hall, and played at Lollapalooza and Coachella. The J-Pop duo's lead singer Ikura performs an exclusive set in our studio, featuring acoustic versions of their hit songs.

The new Peacock series, "Long Bright River," is based on the best selling novel by Liz Moore and is set in an Philadelphia area known for high opioid rates. It tells the story of an awkward cop, played by Amanda Seyfried, investigating the deaths of known prostitutes in the area while also searching for her own sister, also an addict. Seyfriend joins along with showrunner Nikki Toscano to discuss making the series.

In 2016, DJ and producer TOKiMONSTA underwent two brain surgeries for Moyamoya disease, after which she had to relearn how to speak and hear music. In 2019, she became the first Asian-American woman nominated for Best Dance / Electronic Album at the Grammy Awards. Her new album is called Eternal Reverie. She joins us for another installment of "Equalizers: Women in Music Production."

This week, jazz trumpeter Theo Croker takes the stage at SMOKE Jazz Club from Wednesday, March 19, through Sunday, March 23, for a special preview of his upcoming album. But first, he stops by for a live performance and a conversation about Dream Manifest, set for release in June 2025.

In a new film, stand-up comedian and actor John Leguizamo plays a man who finds himself in an unlikely friendship with a young woman searching for her estranged father on Facebook. The two of them just happen to have the same name, Bob Trevino! Leguizamo and writer-director Tracie Laymon, who partly based the film on her own experience, joins us to discuss "Bob Trevino Likes It" which opens in theaters this Friday, March 21.

The "phone eats first" trend is about cooking or ordering your food with an eye toward a visual presentation worth sharing on social media. Author Allyson Reedy has written a new cookbook, The Phone Eats First Cookbook: 50 of Social Media's Best Recipes to Feed Your Feed...and Then Yourself, all about the most viral recipes. Reedy discusses how Instagram and TikTok have changed our food culture and listeners share their favorite recipes that they first saw online. BIRRIA TACOSDahianna | @_cookingwitdServes 6It was the Instagram post heard ’round the world in 2018, when an L.A. influencer posted a picture of his dinner from a neighborhood quesabirria taco truck. Almost instantly, influencers were scouring their own ’hoods for birria tacos, clamoring for that perfect shot of glistening, griddled tacos being dunked into Styrofoam cups full of dark pools of chile-infused goodness. Talk about gussying up #tacotuesday. Demand skyrocketed, with influencers piquing our interest for a dish that, prior to 2018, was barely known to most outside of Mexico. Birria tacos started popping up on Mexican restaurant menus across the country, and food bloggers began posting recipes for DIY tacos and Frankenfoods like birria ramen. This recipe slow simmers dried guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles with garlic, onion, oregano, and cumin to out-birria the rest.HASHTAG PAIRING: #birriatacos #tacotime #whenidipyoudip #tacoboutawesome #birriaiswhyimbrokePHOTO TIP: With brownish foods like tacos, add pops of color with onion, cilantro, and lime 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast6 cloves garlic5 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed5 dried chiles de arbol, stems and seeds removed4 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed4 bay leaves½ medium white onion½ carrot1 tablespoon beef or chicken broth1 tablespoon dried oregano1 tablespoon ground cumin1½ teaspoons sugar1 teaspoon kosher salt12 yellow corn tortillas3 cups grated Chihuahua, Oaxaca, or Monterey Jack cheeseChopped white onion, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges for servingIn a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the beef, garlic, chiles,bay leaves, onion, carrot, and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil overmedium heat, then simmer for 30 minutes. With a slotted spoon or skimmer, remove the garlic, chiles, bayleaves, onion, and carrot and place in a blender. Add about ½ cupof cooking liquid and puree. Add the broth, oregano, cumin, sugar,and salt and blend until thoroughly combined. Strain through afine-mesh sieve back into the pot with the beef and the remainingcooking liquid. Stir to combine, cover, and cook over low heat until the beefshreds with a fork, about 3 hours. Transfer the beef to a cutting board, allow to cool slightly, andshred it with two forks. To make the tacos, heat a cast-iron griddle or skillet overmedium-low heat. Dip a corn tortilla halfway into the broth in thepot. Place on the griddle and top with ¼ cup cheese and about½ cup shredded meat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of broth to thegriddle, fold the taco, and cook until the cheese melts and the meatsizzles. You can make several tacos at a time. When ready to serve, ladle broth into small individual bowls fordipping and top the broth and the tacos with chopped onion andcilantro. Serve with lime halves on the side.

Actor Brian Tyree Henry discusses his starring role in the new series "Dope Thief." The show follows two friends who decide to pose as Drug Enforcement agents to rob a house, a decision that leads to unforeseen consequences. "Dope Thief" airs on Apple TV + on Fridays.

Singer, pianist and producer Patrice Rushen holds the distinction of being the first woman musical director of the Grammy Awards, the Emmy Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards. A producer of her own releases, she's also worked with many other artists, notably producing Sheena Easton's jazz standards album No Strings. Rushen joins us for another installment of "Equalizers: Women in Music Production."

Consuelo Kanaga was one of the first women to be hired as a staff photojournalist for a major American newspaper. She used her camera to document social issues such as racial injustice, urban poverty, and labor rights, particularly in Black communities. However, the The Brooklyn Museum – which owns the most extensive collection of her photographs – argues her work is still overlooked. A new exhibition, “Consuelo Kanaga: Catch the Spirit,” sheds light on Kanaga's legacy. Co-curators Pauline Vermare and Drew Sawyer discuss the show, on view at the Brooklyn Museum through August 3.

When comedian Phil Hanley hit the first grade, he started to realize that while his classmates were learning to read, he couldn't seem to make any progress. That was the start of a lifelong journey with dyslexia, which caused Hanley to struggle in school, only to find success as a male model and now as a comedian. Hanley discusses his memoir Spellbound: My Life as a Dyslexic Wordsmith.

Composer Hans Zimmer has contributed scores to films such as “Dune,” “Gladiator” and “Inception.” He now has his own film: “Hans Zimmer and Friends: A Diamond in the Desert.” Part concert film, part documentary, it features Zimmer performing his most famous works, and commentary from colleagues such as Christopher Nolan and music industry stars like Billie Eilish and Pharrell. Hans joins us in studio to discuss.

Season Three of the hit HBO series "The White Lotus" is set in Thailand, and follows a group of privileged vacationers at a wellness resort and spa. One of those guests, Timothy Ratliffe, seems to be facing a serious impending legal issue. Actor Jason Isaacs, who plays Timothy on the show, joins us to discuss Season Three, and the mysteries of his character.

Social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney rose to fame through her series documenting her gender transition on TikTok. But along with love from many in the LGBTQIA+ community, the videos attracted hate and transphobia. Mulvaney found herself embroiled in a national controversy after her turn as a spokesperson for Bud Light led some to declare a boycott of Bud Light's products. Now, Mulvaney is chronicling her journey into womanhood and national fame in her new memoir, Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer.

This week All Of It is reflecting on the five year anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 quarantine. We finish with the stories of New York's essential workers, compiled in a new book from Manhattan borough historian Robert W. Snyder, When the City Stopped: Stories from New York's Essential Workers. Snyder discusses what he learned from collecting personal accounts from the city's workers who were on the front lines.