American Freethought

Darwin Day 2008 - Charles Darwin’s birthday is February 12, which is as good a day as any to celebrate his achievements and those of science in general.  We talk to evolutionary biologist, philosopher and popular science writer Massimo Pigliucci of the State University of New York in Stony Brook, the organizer of SUNY’s Darwin Day events, and who organized the University of Tennessee’s first Darwin Day in 1997.  Massimo maintains several web presences, including RationallySpeaking.org, PlatoFootnote.org, and GenotypebyEnvironment.org.  We’ll also feature a special “scientific gospel” song from the California based band The Galapagos Mountain Boys.

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 American Freethought Podcast #11: Download (1603)

Susan Werner - We interview the talented singer/songwriter whose latest album - The Gospel Truth - she describes as “agnostic gospel”, combining the music of faith with the lyrics of doubt.  Also worth a listen is her I Can’t Be New, which pays homage to classic songbook tunes by composers like Cole Porter.  Susan also appears in a supporting role in the concert DVD 3,000 Miles, starring Ellis Paul (who performed the song “Did Galileo Pray?” on our last episode).

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Hosted by John C. Snider and David Driscoll.  Recorded 1/30/2008.

 American Freethought Podcast #10: Download (1388)

Galileo Galilei - An exploration of his life and influence, including an interview with UNLV professor Dr. Maurice A. Finocchiaro (author of Retrying Galileo); a discussion of the recent controversy involving Pope Benedict XVI (whose 1990 speech defending the Inquisition has come back to bite him in the cassock); and a special musical contribution by singer/songwriter Ellis Paul from his album Essentials.

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 American Freethought Podcast #9: Download (1636)

by John C. Snider © 2008

We conclude our interview with singer/songwriter Susan Werner, whose latest album The Gospel Truth is an unusual collection of songs that combine”the music of faith and the lyrics of doubt.”  In Part One (The Genesis of The Gospel Truth) she discusses what motivated her to launch this project.  In Part Two (Reactions and Revelations) she talks about the fan response and what she learned about herself in the process.  In this third and final installment, she looks to what she might say about the future of America in her upcoming work.

Learn more about her on the web at www.SusanWerner.com.

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by John C. Snider © 2008

We continue our interview with singer/songwriter Susan Werner, whose latest album The Gospel Truth is an unusual collection of songs that combine”the music of faith and the lyrics of doubt.”  In this second installment, she talks about the response of fans to this (as far as we can tell) unique artistic project.

Learn more about her on the web at www.SusanWerner.com.

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by John C. Snider © 2008

Singer/songwriter Susan Werner has been on the music scene for over fifteen years.  She has toured nearly constantly and released seven successful albums (including I Can’t Be New, her delightful homage to Tin Pan Alley), and despite consistent critical acclaim and positive audience response, she flies just under the mainstream radar.  Her output is eclectic, but generally skews to the soft side: jazz, folk, lounge, easy listening - Werner is difficult to pin down.  Equally at home with guitar and piano, she possesses a clear voice and a head for clever lyrics and biting satire (she’s opened for such diverse acts as Madeleine Peyroux and George Carlin).

Werner’s latest album is The Gospel Truth, released in February 2007, a unique collection of songs that combine “the music of faith and the lyrics of doubt.”  Musically, each offering sounds like something that could have been pulled from any Protestant hymnal or sung by an African-American choir, but in the finest tradition of folk and the blues, the lyrics express indignation, hope, and calls for social justice. 

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