GRITtv: Not so Happy "Holidays with Harry Shearer, and Music as Labor" (video)

GRITtv, with video (56:00):

Happy Holidays from all of us at GRITtv. While you’re sitting down with family–or celebrating alone–or not celebrating at all, we’ve got a special show for you to enjoy tonight.

You may know Harry Shearer best as the voice of Ned Flanders or Mr. Burns on The Simpsons. Maybe your first exposure to him was in This Is Spinal Tap. But did you know that he was a child star, a journalist and a teacher? Did you know that he’s working on a documentary about why New Orleans flooded after Hurricane Katrina? Or that he’s got a live concert DVD with other Spinal Tappers Christopher Guest and Michael McKean? Neither did we, until he sat down with Laura for a chat before the holidays.

Ganessa James and Mary McBride both stopped by our studio recently to perform for us. To help celebrate, we bring you additional songs they recorded just for us.

While we’re talking about music, the digital music revolution has made a lot of changes in the way musicians create and distribute their music. The line between laborer and entrepreneur has been blurred. Stanley Aronowitz, professor of sociology and cultural studies at CUNY joins two musician/activists, Mark Ribot and Morley, in studio to discuss music as labor: the pitfalls of organizing and the trouble with the digital music age.

Finally, we also have another performance by Morley, and Laura weighs in on who’s been naughty and who’s been nice.

Howie P.S.: Shearer and I have at least two things in common: we both are Jewish and majored in political science at UCLA. We have met briefly on several occasions and I can tell you a few things you may already suspect:

1. I am taller than him.

2. He is smarter, funnier, more talented and richer than me.