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Word Of Mouth 4.12.14

Sarah Thomas

Beside the weather, the signs of spring might still be few and far between. Not to worry! We checked the forecast for this weekend, and sunny and (close to) seventy is more than enough reason to celebrate with a healthy helping of the best of Word of Mouth. If you're driving with the top down, turn it up. If you're running with your ear buds in, tune in. All you weekend workers and weekend warriors out there, pop on some headphones and be inspired by our Saturday show!

The Full Show

Part 1: The Origin Myth of Jackson Pollock's "Mural" & Suzanne Heintz's "Life Once Removed"

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LA Times art critic Christopher Knight explains how a good myth about the origin of a painting, is hard to debunk. You can read his article, "Rebirth of Jackson Pollock's 'Mural'" at the LA Times website. And Suzanne Heintz talks about her "familyquins." Heintz says her project called 'Life Once Removed' is about ‘spinsterhood and the American way’. Her work will be featured in a short documentary called ‘Playing House.’

Part 2: 'Happy Birthday' Copyright and Alternatives

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Happy Birthday …a song created for kids, that’s revived annually until you die. It’s automatic… co-workers, family members …even random strangers sing it if in the vicinity when the tune begins. The Happy Birthday song has been around since 1893, and guess what – anyone who sings it is supposed to pay royalties to its publisher. Here with more on the song’s history is Scott Keyes, senior reporter for Think Progress. He wrote the article, ‘Why We Should Stop Singing Happy Birthday’ for Pacific Standard Magazine. Plus, our own brand new rendition of "Happy Birthday"! Tell us what you think on our Facebook page! Or send your own version at an Mp3 to wordofmouth@nhpr.org, or call and record it on our listener line at 603 223 2448!

Part 3: "Neurocomic" & Digital Art

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Dr. Matteo Farinella and Dr. Hana Ros are authors of a beautifully illustrated new graphic novel called "Neurocomic." Then Melena Ryzik joins Virginia to talk about the conservation of The World's First Collaborative Sentence.

There's more information about each segment from our Saturday show, including any links we mentioned during the broadcast, under the heading 'Related Content'.  Just scan the available selections to find what you're looking for, or email us at wordofmouth@nhpr.org if you have any questions!

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