Todd St. John

Podcast Archive

Listen to previous podcasts from the Book Review.

In this Sunday’s Book Review, the editors choose their 10 Best Books of 2011, which include four first novels, Stephen King’s 52nd novel (by our count), and nonfiction books that are models of their various forms — biography, memoir, history, argument and scientific analysis. The issue also includes Gerald Marzorati’s review of “Love Goes to Buildings on Fire,” Will Hermes’ book about the New York music scene in the 1970s. Mr. Marzorati writes:

Perhaps the most striking thing about those years was just how much live music there was, and in so many different kinds of places. Steve Reich played his works in progress at an art gallery, Philip Glass at his sculptor friend Donald Judd’s loft. There were punk and downtown art bands nearly every night at CBGB and Max’s Kansas City and uncategorizable music at art spaces like the Kitchen and Franklin Furnace. Of course, this had as much to do with the availability of cheap real estate as anything else. Hilly Kristal had acquired the Bowery bar that became CBGB for about $20,000. The rent on the second-floor loft where Nicky Siano opened his disco was $460 a month.

On this week’s podcast, Mr. Marzorati talks more about “Love Goes to Buildings on Fire”; The Times’s Susan Chira discusses Condoleezza Rice’s new memoir; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.