All Of It with Alison Stewart

Steely Dan released their eighth studio album Two Against Nature on February 29, 2000, after a 20 year album gap. The following year, to the surprise of many, it won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. To discuss the album's 25th anniversary in our series Silver Liner Notes, we're joined by New Yorker staff writer Amanda Petrusich and Elliot Scheiner, an engineer who worked on the album and others by Steely Dan. Plus, listeners call in to talk about the album's impact on them.

The documentary "Roberta," now streaming on PBS, provides a portrait of the life and career of the celebrated vocalist Roberta Flack, who died on Monday, February 24. Director Antonino D’Ambrosio discusses the life and work of the legendary singer.

A new book called You Didn’t Hear This From Me: Notes On The Art Of Gossip, explores humanity's relationship to gossip, and what it suggests about our desire to seek out the truth. Journalist, author and former host of the Normal Gossip podcast Kelsey McKinney, shares what she's learned about the social value of the rumor mill.

A new Black History comedy podcast dives into the gossip columns of black newspapers during the golden age of the Black press. Our Ancestors Were Messy was self-produced and financed by creator and host Nichole Hill, who discusses the show, the gossip she found, and why learning about our ancestors messy drama is just as valuable as what you can learn in a textbook.

The popularity of tinned fish is rising rapidly in the American diet, thanks in part to social media influencers. A new cookbook, The Fishwife Cookbook: Delightful Tinned Fish Recipes for Every Occasion, comes from Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co., a women owned tinned fish company. Co-founder Becca Milstein discusses the cookbook and recipes to use tinned fish at home, and we take your calls.

A new exhibition at the Museum of Broadway honors Black theater trailblazers through costumes, archival material, and history. Musical theater artist and historian Ben West discusses Crafting Excellence: Black Storytellers of Broadway and how Black artists have shaped the New York theater scene. The exhibition is on view through March 16.

When actor Michael Imperioli isn't starring in shows like "The White Lotus," he's playing with his rock band Zopa, who put out a new album on Friday, Diamond Vehicle. Imperioli joins us with bandmates Olmo Tighe and Elijah Amitin for a Listening Party.

As part of our series on Harlem for Black History Month, we learn about venues and places of historical significance from Carolyn Johnson, founder of Welcome to Harlem, which hosts walking tours of the neighborhood. Johnson also created the Monopoly spinoff board game, Harlem-Opoly, featuring historical sites and figures of the Renaissance era.

The latest production from playwright Bess Wohl blends the present and the past to examine the Women's Lib movement in the 1970s. "Liberation" stars Susannah Flood as Lizzie, a woman who, to better understand her mother's past, embodies her mother to witness how she started a consciousness raising group with other women in her Ohio community. One of those women is Celeste, played by Kristolyn Lloyd, a Radcliffe-educated student who has her own thoughts on what it means to achieve liberation. Wohl, Flood, and Lloyd discuss the show, running now at the Laura Pels Theatre through March 30.

The documentary, "The Only Girl in the Orchestra," is nominated for an Academy Award this year for Documentary Short Film. It tells the story of double bassist Orin O'Brien, the first female musician hired to play in the New York Philharmonic. O’Brien retired from the Philharmonic in 2021, after she was first hired by conductor Leonard Bernstein in 1966. Director Molly O'Brien (who is Orin's niece), discusses her aunt's story and the short film, streaming now on Netflix.

What's up this weekend? We ask listeners about their weekend plans. *This segment is guest-hosted by David Furst.

[REBROADCAST FROM Jan 23, 2025] Today it feels almost balmy after the last few days of single digit temperatures. But cold weather is great for cooking. We speak to Food & Wine assistant editor Andee Gosnell about some of her favorite one pot meals to keep you warm this winter.*This segment is guest-hosted by David Furst.

This weekend marks one year since beloved celebrity owl, Flaco, tragically died. Flaco first made headlines in 2023 after escaping from the Central Park Zoo. A new exhibition at the New-York Historical, The Year of Flaco, traces Flaco's story and the surrounding phenomena his escape created. Rebecca Klassen, associate curator of material culture at the New York Historical, discusses the show and we take your calls.*This segment is guest-hosted by David Furst.

Legendary keyboardist Benmont Tench will release his new solo album, The Melancholy Season, on March 7. It's his first solo album in a decade. This week he's at Cafe Carlyle through Saturday. Tench stops by to play some music live from our studio.*This segment is guest-hosted by David Furst.

The married musical duo The War And Treaty dropped their latest album Plus One on Valentine’s Day. Tanya and Michael Trotter share some live performances from our studio.

Writer and director Osgood Perkins talks about his new film adaptation of a Stephen King short story called The Monkey, which will be showing in theaters beginning Friday, Feb. 20, which follows the carnage that a cursed wind-up toy leaves in its wake.

West Philadelphia native and serial entrepreneur Muhammad Abdul-Hadi founded Down North Pizza to help reduce recidivism by offering jobs to formerly incarcerated individuals. Recently, he published a new cookbook, We the Pizza: Slangin' Pies and Savin' Lives, offering 68 recipes for award-winning Philadelphia-style pizzas, wings, and shakes. Abdul-Hadi joins us to discuss and share some recipes.

Art Spiegelman is the author of Maus, the graphic novel that changed how we read comics, and how we understand Holocaust literature. A new documentary called "Art Spiegelman : Disaster Is My Muse," tells the story of Spiegelman's life, from his childhood in Rego Park raised by holocaust survivors, to the current-day efforts by some to ban Maus in schools. Art will join me next alongside the film’s co-directors Molly Bernstein and Philip Dolin.

[REBROADCAST FROM Feb. 3, 2025] National Book Award-winning author Imani Perry previews our February Get Lit with All Of It book club event. We are spending the month reading her latest, Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People. It's an exploration of the relationship between Black Americans and the color blue, from the indigo dye trade to R&B. Perry will join us for a book club event on February 26. Grab tickets here!

Called "gritty, glittering and exuberant" by the Boston Globe, the new novel, Dream State, tells the story of love and family over a 50 year period. We speak to author Eric Puchner.

In her new exhibition, Allison Janae Hamilton draws on her upbringing in the rural American South to explore environmental justice, folklore, and mythology through immersive sculptures, photography, and video. She joins us to discuss her show, Celestine, which is on display at Marianne Boesky Gallery through March 8.

Bartees Strange embraces fear on his new album, Horror. He joins us for a Listening Party, before a show at Rough Trade on February 21.

[REBROADCAST FROM Jan. 21, 2025] The Pulitzer Prize-winning play "English" is now on Broadway. The story follows a group of people practicing for their English proficiency exam. Playwright Sanaz Toossi discusses the show alongside actor Marjan Neshat and Tala Ashe, who star in the comedy. "English" is running at the Todd Haimes Theater through March 2.

Recently, the National Endowment of the Arts announced it is eliminating fundraising programs that support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and underserved communities. New York Times theater reporter Michael Paulson discusses his reporting around the news and what it means for local arts organizations, as well as a recent unionization push in off-Broadway theaters. Plus, he previews the spring Broadway season and takes your calls.

For Black History Month this year, All Of It is focusing on the vibrant and historically influential community of Harlem. Today we discuss some of our favorite Harlem-based books with librarian Dana Bello, who works at the Countee Cullen branch of the NYPL in Harlem. And we take your calls about your favorite Harlem based books and authors.

The "Wicked" screen adaptation blew away audiences for many reasons. One underrated aspect of the film is that the actors performed on practical constructed sets, from Shiz University to Emerald City. Oscar-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley discusses his vision for designing the world of "Wicked" as part of our series, The Big Picture, spotlighting Oscar-nominated talent who worked behind the camera.

For our latest installment of our call-in series, "Small Stakes, Big Opinions," we focus on the great equalizer: the NYC Subway. Call to shout out your favorite line and why, vote whether dogs should be on the subway and your take on buskers (yes, that includes Showtime!) Josh Gondelman joins to give us subway opinions.

A new exhibition at the Transit Museum looks at the artists behind an enduring New York metro PSA, The Subway Sun. Curator Jodi Shapiro talks about Shining a Light on The Subway Sun: The Art of Fred G. Cooper and Amelia Opdyke Jones and take your calls.

[REBROADCAST FROM Dec. 19, 2024] The film "Conclave," which is nominated for 'Best Picture' at this year's Academy Awards, tells the story of a dramatic papal election. Director Edward Berger joins us to discuss alongside actor Stanley Tucci, who plays an American cardinal up for election.

[REBROADCAST FROM Feb. 12, 2025] Actor Mikey Madison discusses her Oscar-nominated performance in the Sean Baker film "Anora," which is also nominated for best picture. She plays the titular character, a stripper who believes she's beginning a new life when she meets the son of a Russian oligarch.

[REBROADCAST FROM Dec. 17, 2024] The film "The Brutalist," which is nominated for 'Best Picture' at this year's Academy Awards, stars Adrien Brody as a celebrated architect who tries to build a new life in America after fleeing Europe following World War II. Brody and writer/director Brady Corbet join us to discuss the film.

[REBROADCAST FROM Dec. 13, 2024] Actor Edward Norton portrays Pete Seeger in the new Bob Dylan biopic, "A Complete Unknown." His performance has been nominated for a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award, while the film is nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

[REBROADCAST FROM Dec. 12, 2024] The Colson Whitehead novel The Nickel Boys is a brutal story of an abusive reform school in segregated South Florida. Filmmaker RaMell Ross discusses writing and directing the new film adaptation of the novel, "Nickel Boys," which is nominated for 'Best Picture' at this year's Academy Awards, and shares how his background in documentary filmmaking helped him create a unique take on this novel.

[REBROADCAST FROM Jan. 10, 2025] Fernanda Torres just took home the Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for her role as Eunice Paiva in the new Brazilian film "I'm Still Here," which is the first ever Brazilian film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Torres joins us, alongside director Walter Salles, to discuss the film, which tells the story of a woman determined to find out the truth about the disappearance of her husband in the midst of Brazil's military dictatorship.

One of the most memorable aspects of the epic film"The Brutalist" is the moving and dramatic score. Composer Daniel Blumberg discusses his work on the film, which has earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score. He joins us as part of "The Big Picture," our series of conversations with the Oscar-nominated talent who worked behind the camera to make movie magic in 2024.

In honor of the "SNL 50" special airing this weekend, we take some time to reflect on the best sketches of the past 50 years of "Saturday Night Live." From cowbells to Wayne's World to What Up With That? we talk about it all with Abigail Covington, writer and contributing editor at Esquire Magazine. She's the author of the piece "50 Best Saturday Night Live! Sketches of All Time" for Esquire. Plus, we take your calls!

A new cookbook takes a look at the history of the date, a stone fruit with a long history, and compiles both savory and sweet date recipes. On Valentine's Day, we speak to author and illustrator Rawaan Alkhatib about her book, Hot Date!

In her early forties and single, journalist Nicola Slawson provides an honest exploration of single life through personal experiences and insights in her new book, Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms. Slawson discusses what she found and takes your calls about single life.

The body-horror film "The Substance" is nominated for five Academy Awards, including for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Makeup played a key role in the film, as we see Demi Moore transform from the stunning Elizabeth Sparkle into a different person altogether. Makeup artist Pierre-Olivier Persin discusses his work on the film as part of "The Big Picture," our series of interviews with Oscar-nominated talent who worked behind the camera to make movie magic in 2024.

Thursday, February 20, 7 PM: Join us for a Listening Party Live with The War and Treaty! We'll hear live music and break down their brand-new album, Plus One, out February 14. Join us in The Greene Space next Thursday. Get your tickets, here.

Actor Monica Barbaro earned an Oscar nomination for her performance as folk singer Joan Baez in the film "A Complete Unknown." She joins us to discuss the role, and how she learned to sing and play guitar like Baez.

Suzy Hopkins was taken by complete surprise when her husband of 30 years decided to leave her and begin a relationship with an old flame from 30 years prior. So, she decided to write a book about her experience, What to Do When You Get Dumped: A Guide to Unbreaking Your Heart. The book features illustrations from her daughter, New Yorker cartoonist Hallie Bateman. They join us to discuss the book, and take your calls.Event: Hopkins and Bateman will be at Books Are Magic tonight at 7 pm.

In honor of WNYC's 100th birthday, All Of It is celebrating 100 pieces of art in New York City. Each month we speak with a tastemaker in the arts world about their 10 favorites. This month we speak with Jaime Rojo and Steven P. Harrington, co-founders of the online street art community Brooklyn Street Art, about 10 pieces of street art they think all New Yorkers should see.

In the 1970s, no group loomed as large as Sly and the Family Stone. Led by the charismatic and musical savant Sly Stone, no one looked or sounded quite like the band. But the pressures of stardom and being "the first" took a toll, and Stone became a footnote in the lore of funk music history. A new documentary, "Sly Lives: the Burden of Black Genius," from Oscar-winning producer Joseph Patel, directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson ("Summer of Soul"), examines the life and legacy of Sly. Patel joins to discuss the documentary, which begins streaming on Hulu tomorrow.

New York Magazine has a launched a new newsletter, Night School, that delivers six-week courses from their writers to your inbox. The first course is How to Write, and New York executive editor Genevieve Smith discusses the lessons she plans to share with readers, from finding a writing voice to crafting better emails, and takes your calls.

In 1955 London, a glamorous model and nightclub hostess shot and killed her aristocrat lover and was sentenced to death for the crime. Her name was Ruth Ellis, and her life and crime has fascinated the British public for years, and led to the elimination of the death penalty in the UK. Ruth's story is now the subject of a four-part drama series on Britbox, starring Lucy Boynton. We speak to Boyton and showrunner Kelly Jones about "A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story."

Actor Mikey Madison discusses her Oscar-nominated performance in the Sean Baker film "Anora." She plays the titular character, a stripper who believes she's beginning a new life when she meets the son of a Russian oligarch.

Particle physicist and science communicator Brian Cox takes questions on the nature of the universe, and shares his insights on the study of the sun, the upcoming 'planetary parade,' and the 100-year anniversary of Edwin Hubble's confirmation of galaxies beyond the Milky Way.

In her new cookbook, My (Half) Latinx Kitchen: Half Recipes, Half Stories, All Latin American, food writer and recipe developer Kiera Wright-Ruiz reflects on her journey to embrace all of her cultural identities: Latinx, Asian, and American. She includes recipes such as Ecuadorian Seco de Pollo, Peruvian Ceviche with Leche de Tigre, and Okonomiyaki Quesadillas. Wright-Ruiz discusses the book before her talk at P&T Knitwear tonight at 6:30 p.m.

In her new short story collection, Little Mysteries: Nine Miniature Puzzles to Confuse, Enthrall, and Delight, beloved mystery author Sara Gran both reinvents the mystery genre and returns to one of its quirkiest tropes. Kirkus Reviews calls it a "charming, gritty explorations of the greatest mysteries of all: Who are we, and what is this life?” Sara Gran joins us to discuss her book, out today.