Light On Light Through

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 135, in which I rebut Wade Davis's claim in a recent essay in Rolling Stone that America's decline is irreversible.  (Note: This podcast was recorded before Joe Biden's selection of Kamala Harris for VP on 11 August 2020 -- a selection which I'd say is the first step in America's choosing a new path, away from the precipice.) Further reading Wade Davis's The Unraveling of America, in Rolling Stone, 6 August 2020 my written response, Why I Disagree about the Unraveling of America  

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 134, in which I review the three seasons so far of Absentia. Read the reviews in my blog: Absentia 1: In Your Face and Worth Watching Absentia 2: Even More There than the First Season Absentia 3: Adrenalin and Relevance

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 133, in which I give context to why the SpaceX splashdown today is such a momentous event in lifting our species off this planet. Further reading: Touching the Face of the Cosmos: On the Interaction of Space and Religion

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 132, in which I review two movies by The Safdie Brothers -- Good Time and Uncut Gems. Read these reviews: Good Time Uncut Gems

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 131, in which I review Unsolved Mysteries, recently returned, on Netflix. Further reading: Unsolved Mysteries Is Back - With No Host? The New Unsolved Mysteries: A Proper Review

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 130, in which I talk about one of the bedrocks of my "anthropotropic" theory of media evolution -- why some media, such as sight-only silent movies, are obliterated by the advent of newer media like "talkies" (sight and sound), in contrast to other media, such as sound-only radio, which amply survive and even thrive in the advent of newer media like television (sight and sound).   Further reading: Human Replay: A Theory of the Evolution of Media The Soft Edge: A Natural History and Future of the Information Revolution

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 129, in which I give you a little primer about "media determinism," the bedrock of just about all media studies. Further listening:  Politics and Media in History and Voice Mail from Marshall McLuhan, 1978 Further reading: The Soft Edge: A Natural History and Future of the Information Revolution and McLuhan in an Age of Social Media

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 128, in which I tell you what happened more than seven years ago, when I served as foreperson on a jury in Westchester County, NY, where an African-American male was charged with the felony of assaulting a police officer.  I published a blog post about this right after the trial was over back then, but didn't get a chance to provide the account in a podcast.  I thought, given the murder of George Floyd and the continuing protests about police mistreatment of African-Americans, the time was long since overdue.

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 127, in which I talk about the problem of police authority, which has afflicted African-Americans for decades to the point of innocent people being shot to death and choked to death, and everyone else who challenges police authority in the slightest being assaulted and brutalized in usually less grievous ways.  I relate this to being victimized myself, a 12-year old white boy, in the Bronx in 1959. Read more about this:  The Problem of Police Authority (Paul Levinson, June 2020) Videos:  Paul Levinson talks about Black Lives Matter and Videos (2 July 2020) ... Paul Levinson talks about Black Lives Matter and Video Cams at Annenberg (4 December 2015) 

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 126, in which I share an online lecture I gave a few days ago about Politics and Media in History.  I touch on such topics as literacy and democracy in Ancient Athens, how the printing press revolutionized the world, the four "radio heads" of the 1930s-1940s (FDR, Churchill, Hitler, and Stalin), television Presidents of the United States from JFK through Obama, and the role of Twitter in our current age. Further reading: The Soft Edge: A Natural Future and History of the Information Revolution (Paul Levinson, Routledge: 1997) Digital McLuhan: A Guide to the Information Revolution (Paul Levinson,  Routledge, 1999) McLuhan In An Age of Social Media (Paul Levinson, Connected Editions, 2015-2020) More Summer 2020 lectures (on YouTube)

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 125, in which I review Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 and 2.  Here, for anyone who would also like to read my reviews of these two series, are my written reviews: Star Trek: Picard Star Trek: Discovery 1 Star Trek: Discovery 2 And here's a book of essays about the original series, Boarding the Enterprise, that you might enjoy, and my Light On Light Through podcast review of Star Trek (2009 movie)

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 124, in which I present the audio of the entire 1-hour virtual concert I did via Zoom at HELIOsphere: Beyond the Corona on the afternoon of April 4, 2004.  (You can get the video + audio of my concert here.) I sing songs from Welcome Up: Songs of Space and Time (Old Bear Records, Light In the Attic Records) and from Twice Upon A Rhyme (HappySad Records, Beatball Records, Vivid Records, Whiplash Records), and several new songs not yet on any album. Set list: "Cloudy Sunday" from Welcome Up (words by Paul Levinson, music by Linda Kaplan Thaler) "I Knew You By Heart" from Welcome Up (words by Paul Levinson, music by Peter Rosenthal) "The Lama Will Be Late This Year" from Twice Upon A Rhyme (words by Paul Levinson, music by Ed Fox) "Tau Ceti" from Welcome Up (words by Paul Levinson, music by John Anealio) "Picture Postcard World" from Welcome Up (words & music by Paul Levinson) "Samantha" (from Welcome Up) (words & music by Paul Levinson) "If I Traveled to the Pa

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 123, in which the inimitable Captain Phil (on WUSB Radio) again interviews me about my new music, latest science fiction, and Donald Trump. But this time, there's my brand new album of science fiction related songs, Welcome Up: Songs of Space and Time (now releasing by Old Bear Records), to talk about.  And we're right in the middle of the impeachment trial of Donald Trump (author Bill McNulty joins us for the first part of this discussion).  Phil also plays, at the start and end of the episode, two songs from Welcome Up. Helpful links: a taste of Welcome Up on YouTube lyrics to all the songs on Welcome Up free digital complete album on Bandcamp advance order multi-color limited pressing vinyl (100 copies) from Light In the Attic Records CDs

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 122, in which I play the entire interview, along with all of my music, which Patrick Rands did with me the other day (January 21, 2020) on his show Abstract Terrain on WZBC Radio out of Boston (Newton, MA, to be more exact).  You may recall that Patrick interviewed me in 2005 about Twice Upon A Rhyme and all the other music I had out in various corners of the world back then.  That interview became episode 79 on Light On Light Through in 2010.  The new interview spotlights my new album Welcome Up: Songs of Space and Time, being released right now on digital. vinyl, and CD by Old Bear Records (see links below; limited vinyl being distributed by Light In the Attic).  Patrick also plays some lesser known songs from Twice Upon A Rhyme, and all kinds of demos and singles of my music over the years he's dug up in his inimitable way.   Enjoy -- and here's the playlist if you want to follow along: 1.  "Samantha"  Paul Levinson (words & music by Paul Levinson, 2018) from

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 121, in which I review all three seasons of The Crown. I thought they were superb.  If you'd like to read along, you can find links to my written reviews below, but I always put a little extra into the podcast. Links to my written reviews of The Crown:  Season 1, Season 2, Season 3. And here's a link to Touching the Face of the Cosmos: On the Intersection of Space Travel and Religion, mentioned in the podcast.

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 120, in which I review The Irishman. I thought it was fabulous, perhaps Scorsese's best.  If you'd like to read along, you can find my written review here, but I always put a little extra into the podcast.    

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 119, in which I review The Man in the High Castle - final Season 4. I thought it was the best season so far, which is high praise indeed, since I thought the first three seasons were outstanding. You can find my written reviews of all four seasons here - The Man in the High Castle on Amazon (pilot)... The Man in the High Castle 1.2-1.10: Timely Alternate Reality Par Excellence ... The Man in the High Castle in Reality -- Well, on NYC Subway Cars ... The Man in the High Castle 2.1-2.3: My Heimisch Town ... The Man in the High Castle 2.4-2.6: Rails and Realities ... The Man in the High Castle 2.7-2.10: Alternate Reality to the Rescue, Literally... The Man in the High Castle 3.1: Real People in Alternate History ... The Man in the High Castle 3.2-3: Alternate Realities, Frederic Brown, and Rockwells ...  The Man in the High Castle 3.4-6: "Tis Death that's Dead" ... The Man in the High Castle 3.7-10: The Metaphysics of Alternate Realities ... The Man in the High Castle

Welcome to Episode 118 of Llght On Light Through, a special podcast of a reading I did of The Silk Code in May 1999 for the legendary Seeing Eye Theatre, months before the novel was published by Tor Books. The reading took place in a hotel in Pittsburgh, PA, where the Science Fiction Writers of America's yearly Nebula convention was being held (I was President of SFWA back then) and is from the beginning of the third section of The Silk Code, "The Subatomic Symptom". The novel would go on to win the Locus Award for Best First Science Fiction novel of 1999. You can read more about The Silk Code here.

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 117, in which the notorious Captain Phil (on WUSB Radio) interviews me about my new music, latest science fiction, and Donald Trump's current assaults on democracy.  Phil also plays, at the start of the episode, two rough mixes from my forthcoming Welcome Up album of science fiction songs, to be released by Old Bear Records this Fall: "Alpha Centauri" and "Samantha".  We discuss such topics as the return of Jeff Lynne and the re-launch of Amazing Stories, in which several of my new science fiction stories have appeared. I always have a good time talking to Phil, and this interview was one of the best. Helpful links: Robinson Calculator more on anniversary issue of Amazing Stories my review of Jeff Lynne at Prudential in Newark my review of The Loudest Voice Levinson on television about Trump interview about how I wrote the lyrics to "Looking for Sunsets (In the Early Morning)" Twice Upon A Rhyme by Paul Levinson some of my music - free!

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 116, audio of my appearance on Fox Nation, in which I (a progressive) and three conservatives talk about Donald Trump and the media.  You can see the video here, and more about my book, Fake News in Real Context, here.