The Third Story

In his annual birthday conversation with his son Leo, Ben Sidran reflects on aging, ambition, practice and the surprising persistence of a worldview formed long ago.

Ben Wikler, author of This Is the Plan, talks to Leo Sidran about humor, organizing, civic life, and the Wisconsin values that shaped his approach to democracy. A thoughtful discussion of community, political communication, and why, as Wikler says, "democracy is exhausting until you discover solidarity."

Thirty years after Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? became one of the defining songs of the 1990s, Paula Cole reflects on writing, recording and ultimately misunderstanding the success of a song that never fit neatly into a category.

Forty years ago this summer, singer songwriter Pat MacDonald released one of the defining pop songs of the 1980s: “The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.” Today Leo Sidran considers the song’s legacy.

Leo and Ben Sidran reflect on 250 years of America, jazz being arguably one of America's greatest contributions to the world, and democracy both conceptually and in practice.

Writer Heather Aimee O’Neill spoke to Leo Sidran about her debut novel and about how she knew it was time to come out of the shadows as a writer.

Leo Sidran talks to composer and musician Arturo O’Farrill about creation, discovery and imposter syndrome.

Vocalist and educator Theo Bleckmann on why artists need community, how to "code the self," and why a life in music matters more than a career.

Food writer Melissa Clark talks to Leo Sidran about when a kitchen improvisation becomes a recipe—and how finding the right name can help bring it to life.

Leo Sidran catches up with Zev Feldman, a man often called 'the Indiana Jones of Jazz'. Others know him as 'the jazz detective'. He prefers something simpler: a music fan who never stopped asking questions. “I literally search the world for previously unissued recordings of this music - America’s classical music."