Syl Johnson – The Complete Mythology

David speaks with singer Syl Johnson who for decades had one of the most prolific but still unheralded careers in Soul and R&B. Though never a household name in the 1960s and 70s, his music captured new audience in the 90s and early 2000s with the help of hip-hop artists like Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy and the Geto Boys. In fact, his 1967 song “Different Strokes” has become one of the most sampled pieces in hip-hop’s history. A new box set was recently released to honor him and hopefully elevate his profile, it is called, “Syl Johnson: The Complete Mythology.”

Original Air Date: 03-29-2011

[audio:http://1690wmlb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/CWDL-Syl_Johnson_The_Complete_Mythology.mp3]

David Weisberg – The Arava Institute

David speaks with David Weisberg, the Executive Director for Friends of the Arava Institute. The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) is the premier environmental education and research program in the Middle East, preparing future Arab and Jewish leaders to cooperatively solve the region’s environmental challenges. With a student body comprised of Jordanians, Palestinians, Israelis, and students from around the world, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies offers students a unique opportunity to study and live together for an extended period of time; building networks and developing understanding that will enable future cooperative work and activism in the Middle East and beyond. As Executive Director for Friends of the Arava Institute, Weisberg helps spread the message of the Arava Institute worldwide to those who may be otherwise unfamiliar.

Original Air Date: 03-28-2011

[audio:http://1690wmlb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/CWDL-David_Weisberg_The_Arava_Institute.mp3]

David Rohde & Kristen Mulvihill – A Rope and a Prayer

David speaks with New York Times war correspondent David Rohde who was kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan for 7 months. He has written a book along with his wife Krisen Mulvihill about the experience called A Rope and a Prayer: A Kidnapping from Two Sides.

Original Air Date: 03-24-2011

[audio:http://1690wmlb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/CWDL-David_Rohde__Kristen_Mulvihill_A_Rope_and_a_Prayer.mp3]

Cristine Russell – Japan’s Nuclear Challenges

David speaks with journalist Cristine Russell about the challenges facing Japan as they face a possible nuclear meltdown in the wake of the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that hit the country and more importantly three of the country’s nuclear reactors. Russell, a senior fellow in the environment and natural resource program at the Belfer Center for Science and international affairs at Harvard, uses prior meltdowns from Three Mile Island and Chernobyl as benchmarks for the challenges Japan faces in the coming weeks and months.

Original Air Date: 03-22-2011

[audio:http://1690wmlb.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/CWDL-Cristine_Russell_Nuclear_Power.mp3]

Heather Murdock – Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki

A GlobalPost.com reporter in Yemen, Heather Murdock talks about Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki, the only American designated for assassination by the United States. Murdock tells the story linked to the Fort Hood shooter, the underwear bomber and other terror plots.

Original Air Date: 2/1/10

[audio:http://1690wmlb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/CWDL-Heather_Murdock_Sheikh_Anwar_alAwlaki.mp3]

Tracy Kidder – Strength in What Remains

Pulitzer-prize winning author Tracy Kidder talks to David Lewis about his most recent book, Strength in What Remains about an immigrant arriving in America from war ravaged Burundi. The book retells his life escaping genocide in Burundi and eventually landing in medical school at Columbia University in New York City.

Original Air Date: 1/7/10

Part 1[audio:http://1690wmlb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Tracy-Kidder-Strength-in-What-Remains-Part-1-WS.mp3]
Part 2[audio:http://1690wmlb.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Tracy-Kidder-Strength-in-What-Remains-Part-2-WS.mp3]

Robert Smigel & Triumph the Insult Comic Dog

A two-part interview with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and “that guy with his hand up my ass,” Robert Smigel. Smigel is the former head writer for Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and is the voice, brains, and creator (literally) behind Triumph.

Original Air Date: 1/6/10

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Bob Baer – Former CIA Agent

Former CIA agent turned writer talks to David Lewis about the current situation in Iran. Baer discusses the protests that have been happening since June 2009 and how close the country is to its breaking point.

Original Air Date: 12/30/09

[audio:http://1690wmlb.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/CWDL-Bob-Baer-Iranian-Protests-Dec-2009-WS.mp3]

Sue Grafton – Mystery Novelist

David speaks with renown mystery novelist Sue Grafton, author of the Kinsey Millhone Mysteries. Dubbed the Alphabet Series, these detective stories feature titles starting with each letter of the alphabet. Grafton is now at the letter “U” with her most recent book, “U” Is For Undertow

Original Air Date: 12/15/09

[audio:http://1690wmlb.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Conversations-with-David-Lewis-Sue-Grafton-WS.mp3]

Christina Lamb on Afghanistan

Christina Lamb has been one of Britain’s most celebrated foreign correspondents for a decade and has been named Britain’s foreign correspondent of the year five times. Her books include Sewing Circles of Herat: A Personal Voyage through Afghanistan (Harper Collins). She’s ridden on the back of Hamid Karzai’s motorcycle, been with Benazir Bhutto when she returned to Pakistan and reported from Zimbabwe, Brazil, South Africa, Panama and dozens of other countries. In this interview she talks about the current status of America’s involvement in Afghanistan (which she first reported from in 1988) and Hamid Karzai’s food-tasters. Currently Lamb is Washington bureau chief of the London Sunday Times.

Original Air Date: 12/12/09
[audio:http://1690wmlb.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/CWDL-Christiana_Lamb_on_Afghanistan.mp3]