The Naked American Songbook

This summer we brought you Ira Glass in 3 Acts, such an impossible feat that we are forced to add an Act 4!

Julian welcomes 5778 with his new favorite Jewess Rachel Bloom, praises of Sheldon Harnick, and gluten-free matzo!

You can learn a lot about Rachel Bloom from her recent Naked Songbook chat. But you'll have to hear this bonus episode to get the full blown Rachel Bloom Space Jam experience!

If you are a certain age, you know that Darren Criss made his name on the hit show Glee. Or you may also know that he recently starred in American Crime Story, and the Broadway revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. And he's also the founder of a Broadway and showtune party called ElsieFest, which returns to New York in October (featuring friend of the show, Alan Cumming). Speaking of that sappy Scotsman, Cumming was also featured in our Magic of Disney Extra, in which Darren Criss admitted to being a bit of a Stephen Schwartz fan. Turns out, Darren's favorite Disney composer (and Glee) led him to a beautiful friendship with a legendary member of the original Rat Pack... Listen to find out which Stephen Schwartz song from Pippen brought Darren together with the force that is Shirley MacLaine! Want more? Have you heard the Magic of Disney Extra and Darren Criss's longer conversation with Julian Fleisher, The Song is The Song, in which Darren compared Cole Porter to Carly Rae Jepson? What?! You haven't? Stop reading this and GO LISTEN NOW!!!  And if you have already listened to those, there's plenty more at the Naked American Archives. Please tell your friends, tell your local podcatchers, tell your teachers, and tell your parents.  Darren Criss and Julian Fleisher (The Jonathan Channel / Hillary Bonhomme) Subscribe to The Naked American Songbook Podcast on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts or wherever else you like to listen. And while you're there, leave us a rating and a comment, it really helps the Naked American Songbook cause. Then you can join the Naked American conversation on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Keep it naked!

Naked American Songbook host Julian Fleisher has a painfully clear memory of his mother nagging him about her friend Shirley Glass' son. The young Glass had recently found success as a public radio host. To Julian's mother, it was simple: "Why don't you get a radio show like Shirley's son Ira?" A couple decades down the line, it's old home week here on The Naked American Songbook. Julian finally convinced his fellow Baltimorean to talk songs, though Ira decided to stay in his same seat, and invited Julian into This American Life studios. After we admired the show's trophy collection and caught up on Baltimore-specific Jewish geography, Ira got deep into the songs he loves, and how they made him who he is today.  It's a Naked American Songbook in 3 parts! Act I, Growing up Glass. Act II, Ira Gets His Wings. Act III: Getting Under Ira’s Skin. Stay with us. When multiple Peabody Award-winning Ira Glass got naked in his studio, he came prepared and eager to discuss the most incidental of musics from Fiddler on the Roof, his favorite Cole Porter arrangement, and other musicals from his childhood, which shaped the way he tells stories on This American Life. We also learned what surprised Ira about his sexuality. Ira then shared some soothing but lyrically-problematic music he'd picked during stints at AfroPop and down at National Headquarters, and then told us what Bruce Springsteen and Frank Sinatra and even little Donald Trump have in common Sadly, this is our last full episode of the summer season. You can still check out the Naked American Archives and the podcast feed for extras and other bits you might have missed. But for now, we're ripping a page right out of Sinatra's songbook. As Julian promised in the episode, here's a clip of Sinatra's "farewell concert" from June 13th, 1971. He closes the set with 'Angel Eyes.' Leaving the crowd with the eerie words: "Excuse me while I disappear..." But please, please, don't YOU disappear! Share this episode with your friends and make sure to subscribe on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts. While you're there, leave us a rating and a comment, it really helps the Naked American Songbook cause. Then you can join the Naked American conversation on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

Rachel Bloom takes musical comedy seriously. A graduate of the NYU Tisch of the Arts, and an avid scifi reader, she's found a way to take music and fantasy and make comedy gold. She started hitting it big on her own YouTube channel and now is the Golden Globe-winning star of the prime-time musical comedy show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The CW show, which boldly references to Jazz, musical theater, old Hollywood, and some of the biggest names of Broadway, will launch a third season in the fall. Clearly, Rachel Bloom's incidentals are much bigger than two lentils. When she came to the studio over Passover, Rachel and host Julian Fleisher made a meal out of the Great American Songbook, as well as our Naked American offering: a box of gluten-free matzo and a blessed bottle of fermented concord grape juice. All in the name of songs and freedom.  Maybe it was the grape juice, but you can hear in this show that Julian was kvell-ing over Rachel's deep knowledge of great American art forms like Broadway, Hollywood, and the Disney Songbook. [For more on that, you can listen to our EXTRA: The Magic of Disney] Rachel Bloomed left her Naked American Songbook Interview with a taste for kosher wine (Kim Nowacki/WNYC) Rachel kindly took time out of her busy schedule of co-producing Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, filming her husband's movie, and appearing on stage, to share her love of music with you, The Naked American Songbook audience. So why don't you go ahead and take the time to subscribe to the show on Stitcher or Apple Podcasts. And while you're there, please rate the show and leave a comment. It really helps the Naked American Songbook cause. Then you can join the Naked American conversation on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Listen to what happens when you put a Disney Princess impersonator, a Funny Girl-quoting boy from Baltimore, two microphones, and bottle of kosher wine in small studio! Tuesday, July 18th at 7pm ET and Thursday, July 20th at 10pm ET on The Jonathan Channel. And check out the explicit version wherever you park your podcasts!

You're looking at a very special Naked American Songbook episode. Our first-ever live show was also our Lincoln Center debut (perhaps you heard the Doris Day-soaked preview). And for a special show, a special guest. Host Julian Fleisher described the singer-songwriter-producer-genius Stephin Merritt as having a unique combination: the craftsmanship of Cole Porter, the heartbreak of Roy Orbison, the polished production of Brian Wilson, the wizardly wordplay of Noël Coward, the radical redemptive queerness of Oscar Wilde, and the sheer output of Pablo Picasso. Merritt's trademark croaking baritone, against all conventional wisdom, both breaks and baffles our collective heart. Julian Fleisher and Stephin Merritt at the New York Library for the Performing Arts And in this episode you'll hear that baritone intoning on the songs he loves. There's a clear line from Gershwin to Sondheim to Neil Innes to The Magnetic Fields. We took the naked show on the road, to the fabulous New York Public Library for the Performing Arts to learn about what songs marinated in Merritt's mind to make him the profound songwriter of his time. And we must admit, we were pretty surprised at what made the list. There were some well known pop stars like ABBA and some lesser known groups like The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and the Ray Charles Singers (not that Ray Charles). But luckily, we had Evan Leslie and the archives at the Library for the Performing Arts to help us do some research. Clipping of promotional material of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts/NYPL) Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book (The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts/NYPL) You'll hear all of that and more on this week's episode of The Naked American Songbook with Julian Fleisher. Listen all the way through for Stephin's special live performance of a song from his recent auto-biographical album 50 Song Memoir. Thanks to Steve Remote (that's right) and Jon D'Uva at Aura-Sonic for recording the live show. Make sure you don't miss an episode by subscribing to Naked American Songbook on iTunes! And while you're there, please rate us and leave a comment. It really helps the Naked American Songbook cause. Then join the Naked American conversation on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Brad from Los Angeles has sent in his request for Judge Julian to preside over the case of Fitzgerald vs. O'day. A case file that contains each artist's definitive versions of "Sweet Georgia Brown." The song has brought two unlikely opponents to court to claim title of "Who Sung it Better!"  Watch each plaintiff make their case and listen as Julian makes his! Need more Naked Songbook? Check out the Naked American Songbook archives, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Join the conversation on Twitter/Facebook, and tell Judge Julian what case you’d like the Naked American Songbook court to hear next!   

Almost everyone has a favorite Disney song. There's something for everyone, it's like a proto-songbook training we unknowingly receive as babes. Is magic too strong a word to describe the glimmering nostalgia that only a Disney song can provoke? We don't think so. And neither do our Naked American guests like Glee's Darren Criss, the always-sappy Alan Cumming, and the upcoming Rachel Bloom, from the hit TV musical show, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend! We begin this Naked American EXTRA by clearing up some confusion about the Prince of Egpyt's Disney affiliation and dig deeper into the components of standout songs from your/our favorite Disney movies like Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and The Beast, and host Julian Fleisher's favorite, The Little Mermaid. You can hear Alan Cumming's delight in his Disney find. "Darling it's better / Down where it's wetter / Take it from me." Indeed. Darren Criss performing a mashup up of "The River Lullaby" and "All I've Ever Wanted": Need more Naked Songbook? Check out the Naked American Songbook archives, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Do you have a favorite Disney song? It's time to @ us and tell us what! While you're being social, please, please, please tell your friends, leave us a comment in your podcast app, and join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook!

Almost everyone has a favorite Disney song. There's something for everyone, it's like a proto-songbook training we unknowingly receive as babes. Is magic too strong a word to describe the glimmering nostalgia that only a Disney song can provoke? We don't think so. And neither do our Naked American guests like Glee's Darren Criss, the always-sappy Alan Cumming, and the upcoming Rachel Bloom, from the hit TV musical show, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend! We begin this Naked American EXTRA by clearing up some confusion about the Prince of Egpyt's Disney affiliation and dig deeper into the components of standout songs from your/our favorite Disney movies like Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and The Beast, and host Julian Fleisher's favorite, The Little Mermaid. You can hear Alan Cumming's delight in his Disney find. "Darling it's better / Down where it's wetter / Take it from me." Indeed. Darren Criss performing a mashup up of "The River Lullaby" and "All I've Ever Wanted": Need more Naked Songbook? Check out the Naked American Songbook archives, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Do you have a favorite Disney song? It's time to @ us and tell us what! While you're being social, please, please, please tell your friends, leave us a comment in your podcast app, and join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook!

If you've watched (or binged) Orange is the New Black you might know Lea DeLaria as Big Boo. But as we showed in her Naked American Songbook episode last fall, Big Boo Sings, Too. The new season has been on Netflix for days now, so if you need some more Lea, this is for you. Two years ago, Lea DeLaria released an album that taught us Bowie could be jazzy. At the very same time, Bowie was recording what would be his final album, showing us that Ziggy Stardust had a jazzy side. In this Naked American Songbook EXTRA hear Lea DeLaria tell the tale of meeting Stephen Sondheim, and almost meeting David Bowie. Need more Songbook? Check out the Naked American Songbook archives, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please, please, please: tell your friends, leave us a comment in your podcast app, and join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook!

For years, NPR's Golden Boy Ari Shapiro has been moonlighting in concert halls as a lyric baritone. The All Things Considered host became a regular guest singer for the Portland, Oregon-based group Pink Martini after a trial debut with them on stage at the Hollywood Bowl. Way back before the election, Ari joined Julian Fleisher in the Naked American studios to discuss his work with NPR, Pink Martini, and his musical convictions. In honor of the group's current summer tour, here is a little more Ari Shapiro and Julian Fleisher. You can hear the full episode from last November right here. In this Naked American Extra, we'll hear some cuts from Pink Martini's latest record, Je dis oui, where you can hear Shapiro singing in both Armenian and Arabic. Hear for yourself why Julian is the first to call Ari Shapiro "creamy." NPR correspondent Ari Shapiro (COD Newsroom/Flickr) Looking for more? Check out the Naked American Songbook archives, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please, please, please: tell your friends, leave us a comment in your podcast app, and join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook!

In between breaking down the secrets of the stars, the mysteries of the Milky Way, and all the things that come with exploring the limitless universe, your local astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson also enjoys the American Songbook. Specifically, those perfect little lyrical phrases they contain.In the episode last fall, our astrophysicist got frothy about Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jesus Christ Superstar, and My Fair Lady, among others. In this podcast extra, Neil excitedly tells host Julian Fleisher about his environmental perspective on a pair of songs written by Paul Simon in the mid-1960s. Both songs spark a flurry of questions for Neil about how times have changed, and how science affects songwriting. Back when Neil visited us at Naked American Headquarters, he'd recently released not one but two books: Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour and Star Talk the book. Now he's got another: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. In fact, he's probably written another book by the time you hear this Simon & G-Funk Naked American bonus. If you want more of Neil deGrasse Tyson's take on music and astrology, listen here to his deep dive on Gustav Holst's The Planets with WQXR host Elliott Forrest. And you can hear more of his American Songbook musings on our full episode: Perfect Phrases with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Looking for more? Check out the Naked American Songbook archives, and subscribe on iTunes so you don't miss an episode. Please leave us a comment if you like the show, and be sure to join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook!

The Naked American Songbook went LIVE last month with singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt, member of The Gothic Archies, and the force behind The Magnetic Fields.Stephin willingly stripped down in front of a live audience at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts to talk to Julian about why he can't live without Doris Day, the effective songwriting duo of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and what he's been up to lately. Stephin's newest album for The Magnetic Fields, called 50 Song Memoir, is being released this Friday (March 10th). He told Julian about what it takes to produce a project of this size and even played a song for the audience. But since this is only a preview, you'll have to wait to hear Stephin's live performance and more of the music that makes him tick. So, make sure you don't miss an episode by subscribing to Naked American Songbook on iTunes! And while you're there, please rate us and leave a comment. It really helps the Naked American cause. Then join the Great American conversation on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

What are you gonna do about Nina Simone? We're going to talk about and listen to her. Piercing vocals, pristine piano chops, and enduring activism, all lend themselves to decades upon decades of discussion. This is why we've compiled a few thoughts from our friends Zachary Quinto, Tonya Pinkins, Ari Shapiro, and Lea Delaria, to make one Naked American Songbook style tribute to the High Priestess of Soul. As promised by host Julian Fleisher and Star Trek star Zach Quinto, check out Nina Simone - Live in Montreux 1976!! Yes, there are more Extras and Previews on the way! So subscribe on iTunes to make sure you don't miss a beat! And while you're there, please give a rating and leave a comment on iTunes. It really helps the Naked American cause. Then you can join in the conversation on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

In the final episode of this second Naked Songbook season, Julian asks "How do you thank someone who has taken you from crayons to perfume?" As usual, the solution here is music.  Join Julian as he sits with one of his idols, legendary lyricist Sheldon Harnick. What makes him a legend? Well, Harnick is one of the creators of the modern Broadway musical, for one. And at 92 years old, he's still writing music for the stage. In fact, he's got a New York premiere coming up in the spring: a one-act opera based on the life of Lady Bird Johnson.With his writing partner, composer Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick's Broadway hits include She Loves Me, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fiorello, and the crown jewel, Fiddler on the Roof. The global smash musical has been produced over a thousand times in Japan, and is well-beloved by Jewish Grandmas, theater nerds, and bar mitzvah DJs everywhere. Sheldon is also a friend of Lin (that is, Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton, who sang a song from Fiddler at his own wedding). In this episode you'll learn about Sheldon's beginnings as a violinist, and what show sparked his interest in lyrics that expanded us all beyond the borders of "intimate, obstinate Anatevka." Harnick talked about his life on Broadway, his favorite songs, his hero Yip, which fellow-legendary songwriter he calls Dick, and other answers to questions that could cross a Rabbi’s eyes.

Unless you're what they call a "millennial," Darren Criss may be a new name for you. But this excitable heart throb who made it big on the hit show Glee and starred Broadway's Hedwig and the Angry Inch, has a mature appreciation for the music. His love for the music is actually so deep that despite having a full day of rehearsals and a slight fever he came down to Naked American Headquarters to talk at length about Chet Baker, Jack Jones, and the immortal importance of the Rat Pack.In the course of their chat, Darren compared Cole Porter to Carly Rae Jepson, and wondered aloud why he hasn't recorded more Radiohead covers. Host Julian Fleisher and Darren also did a little impromptu harmonizing on Darren's favorite of his own compositions, one he hopes to enter into the Naked American Songbook. Hear more TNAS by checking out the Naked American Songbook archives and subscribe on iTunes to make sure you don't miss an episode. Then join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook and don't forget to leave a comment!

Lyricist, Jewish hero and architect of modern Broadway, Sheldon Harnick, is best known for his monumental musical Fiddler on the Roof... (Lin-Manuel Miranda is a big fan). But you'll discover this NJB (Nice Jewish Boy) doesn't only write songs about the old country. In fact, he's 92 years old and still writing! A full episode is coming next month, but as a special Christmas and Channukah treat, here's a little preview of host Julian Fleisher's conversation with Naked American Songbook guest Sheldon Harnick. Sheldon will let you in on which is correct: 12 days TO Christmas or 12 days OF Christmas. Also: his secret to being a youthful nonagenarian, and an look at what he’s doing now Subscribe on iTunes to make sure you don't miss the full episode. Want to give us a holiday gift? Tell your friends to leave a comment on iTunes. It really helps us spread the word on the Naked American Songbook! Then join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.

Before she played Celine Dion, Martha Stewart, and one of the NPR girls on Saturday Night Live, Ana Gasteyer was grooving to the Songbook in her dorm room in Evanston, IL. Yes, this classically-trained singer, violinist, and late night comedian is also a smart and sassy jazz performer.  This was no surprise to intelligence at Naked American Songbook headquarters: Ana's 2014 record, I'm Hip was produced by host Julian Fleisher. And can you believe this whole Naked American mess got started when the celebrity invited Julian to co-host a special program on The Jonathan Channel back in 2014. Ana Gasteyer and Julian Fleisher in the WNYC studio in 2014 (Kim Nowacki/WNYC) After starring as Elpheba in the Broadway hit Wicked, Ana has gone on to perform at the Cafe Carlyle and strut her stuff back on national television, while Julian has remained at The Jonathan Channel to guard the treasures of the Naked American Songbook. But don't worry ladies and gents, Ana is back to help Julian defend this fortune on this week's episode! Listen Tuesday at 7pm ET and Thursday at 10pm ET on The Jonathan Channel Stream for the full episode!

Neil deGrasse Tyson knows a thing or two about science. But this astrophysicist is a true polymath, with knowledge reaching as far as My Fair Lady and Rocky Horror Picture Show. His passion for musical theater started when he was a young boy, attending Broadway shows with his family, and has continued into an infatuation with what Neil calls "perfect phrases." This journey has allowed him to discover profound cultural benefactors like Cole Porter, Gilbert and Sullivan, and most importantly, The Naked American Songbook. Join Neil deGrasse Tyson as he goes where no scientist has boldly gone before - on an intergalactic exploration of the Great American Songbook! Listen Tuesday at 7pm ET and Thursday at 10pm ET to The Jonathan Channel to hear the full episode! Need more songbook knowledge? Check out the Naked American Songbook archives and subscribe on iTunes to make sure you don't miss an episode! Leave a comment and be sure to join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook!