American Icons
 This is an exceptionally cool series from Public Radio International's Studio 360. Host Kurt Andersen conducts wide-ranging—and often surprising—surveys into the books, movies, art, and architecture that have come to represent American culture and character. In the episode on "Moby-Dick," listen to Laurie Anderson compare Melville's literary masterwork to "Star Trek." In a segment on "The Great Gatsby," hear the only known recording of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Salman Rushdie cites "The Wizard of Oz" as his first literary influence, and Bobby McFerrin performs snippets from his eight-minute medley condensing the entire movie. Other shows take on Superman, Barbie, "Gone With the Wind," Emily Dickinson, Andy Warhol's homage to the Campbell's soup can, and "Kind of Blue" by the truly iconic Miles Davis. So listen up. You might even be inspired to dive in to that book about Captain Ahab and the whale.
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