Art Ensemble

April 7, 2019Chicago, History, Music, podcastsPaul Mason Fotsch

This episode is the first in a trilogy about the 1988 Chicago Jazz Festival. I discuss the Art Ensemble of Chicago, drawing upon fellow U Chicago alum Paul Steinbeck’s book, Message to our Folks, as well as George Lewis’s monumental work on the AACM, A Power Stronger Than Itself.

Court Appearance

March 31, 2019Chicago, History, podcastsPaul Mason Fotsch

In this week’s episode, I discuss an incident that took place near the University Apartments in Hyde Park leading to my appearance in a Chicago courtroom.

Librarian

March 24, 2019History, Minnesota, podcasts, PoliticsPaul Mason Fotsch

This week I reflect on going to St. Paul’s Longfellow Elementary School in the 1970s. Continue reading Librarian →

Tosca at the Met

March 19, 2019Music, NYCPaul Mason Fotsch

Tosca Curtain Met Opera 3-18-19 — Tosca Curtain at the Metropolitan Opera 3-18-19

Last evening I had the joy of seeing Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera. Continue reading Tosca at the Met →

Injured

March 17, 2019History, podcastsunknown callerPaul Mason Fotsch

(Unknown caller 1): In this episode I examine the history of telemarketing and robocalls–from a 1942 Popular Mechanics article describing an auto-dialer to efforts by the FCC to address the recent resurgence of robocalls.