RadioWest
471 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 711 ratingsKUER’s award-winning interview show explores the world through deep thinkers who host Doug Fabrizio asks to think even deeper. Join writers, filmmakers, scientists and others on RadioWest: A show for the wildly curious.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
'Wild New World' with Dan Flores
December 29, 2022 18:25 - 52 minutes - 23.8 MBWhen they arrived in North America 13,000 years ago, humans entered an environment teeming with animal life. But their success here had a devastating effect on other creatures.
A More Equitable Colorado Compact
December 23, 2022 21:53 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBWhen negotiators gathered a hundred years ago to hammer out the details of how water in the Colorado River would be divvied up, Indigenous tribes, whose relationship with the river dates back millennia, weren’t invited to the table.
The Story Behind Handel’s Messiah
December 23, 2022 00:47 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBHandel’s Messiah is likely the world’s most famous oratorio – it’s certainly the most performed. But what's the story behind it?
Planning Transportation for a Booming Population
December 16, 2022 19:52 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBHow bad are our freeways? According to land-use planner and municipal engineer Charles Marohn, if someone tried to design a transportation system to create the maximum amount of congestion possible, the result would be the United States’ current system.
Heather Radke on Our Obsession with Women’s Butts
December 16, 2022 00:23 - 53 minutes - 24.2 MBWe’ll forgive you for laughing at the headline of this episode. But the thing is, butts have a serious cultural history here.
Fasting: The Oldest Cure in the World
December 09, 2022 23:00 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBIf you’re online at all, you’ve probably heard the news: fasting dramatically improves your health, even cures diseases. Will it really?
A Global Journey to Understand Marriage
December 09, 2022 22:39 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBRachel Rueckert was a young writer and world traveler. And she was in love, too. So, she got married. On the first night of her honeymoon, she panicked.
RadioWest’s 2022 Holiday Book Show
December 02, 2022 17:56 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBWith the holidays fast approaching, it’s time again for our annual tradition: Gathering a few close friends and talking books with them.
Through the Lens: 'Grey Gardens'
December 02, 2022 00:21 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBWhen the Maysels brothers showed up in 1972 to shoot a documentary film at the dilapidated estate of Grey Gardens in the East Hamptons, they didn't quite know what they were getting into, or what kind of movie they would end up with.
A Conversation with Nigella Lawson
November 10, 2022 23:24 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBIf you’re into food writing or follow celebrity chefs, the chances are good that you've run across British food star Nigella Lawson. But how much do you actually know about her work?
Utah’s 2022 Midterm Elections
November 09, 2022 18:37 - 52 minutes - 23.9 MBUtah is in the national spotlight with the Lee v. McMullin Senate race. But other important races could also have an effect on Utah voters.
Pygmalion Productions presents ‘Mother, Mother: The Many Mothers of Maude’
November 04, 2022 23:11 - 50 minutes - 23.2 MBAt the peak of her career, in the early 1900’s, Utah native Maude Adams was America’s most famous stage actress, pulling in a million dollars a year. But fame was neither her goal nor ambition. Rather, fame was something her mother, the actress Annie Adams, wanted but never realized herself.
Through the Lens: ‘Godzilla’
November 03, 2022 23:00 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBGodzilla — the King of the Monsters — has starred in 37 feature films. But the very first one, released in 1954, stands above them all.
Reflections on the End of a Season
October 28, 2022 21:55 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBFarmers from across the state and around the country join RadioWest to share their reflections on the revolving course of the seasons and how the rest of us can take part in the spirit of the harvest.
Pleasurably Frightened: A Guide to the Movies that Scare the Crap out of Us
October 27, 2022 22:56 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB‘Tis the season for ghosts, faceless killers and jump scares. In other words, it’s the time of year when you might be watching horror flicks. So, let’s talk about them.
Understanding Creativity
October 21, 2022 17:49 - 51 minutes - 23.3 MBWhen was the last time you were so overtaken by inspiration that the idea seemed to have its own inertia and you were just running to keep up? And where does creativity like that come from?
The Worrying State of Utah's Housing and Rental Market
October 14, 2022 15:31 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBThe Utah housing market has had a wild past few years. But new research from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah reveals that it is (perhaps) worse than we thought: 76% of Utah households can’t afford a median-priced home.
Reza Aslan and 'An American Martyr in Persia'
October 14, 2022 00:09 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB22-year-old Iranian Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody sparked protests throughout the country. If this unrest leads to revolution, author Reza Aslan says it would be the fourth time in Iran’s recent history.
Richard Reeves on 'Of Boys and Men'
October 06, 2022 23:21 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBThe scholar Richard Reeves says boys and men are in crisis, and that it’s time for us to start taking the problem seriously.
Through the Lens: 'Fight Club'
September 30, 2022 16:12 - 44 minutes - 20.3 MBWhen it was released in 1999, "Fight Club", an anti-capitalist, borderline-nihilistic exploration of American male ennui, landed with a flop in U.S. theaters. The controversial film has since risen as a cult classic, and it might be even more relevant today.
A Conversation with Poet Rio Cortez
September 30, 2022 02:22 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBThe poet Rio Cortez lives in New York City, but her poetry points back to her childhood in Utah.
How to Read a Taco
September 23, 2022 20:01 - 51 minutes - 23.6 MBThey may not seem like much, but those humble and colorful open-air taco carts you see scattered on roadsides and in parking lots across the country, they have an important story to tell.
Animal Smarts and Human Dumbs
September 22, 2022 23:14 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBHuman intelligence has produced remarkable things — space travel, the Internet and fried chicken. But would we be better off if we were … more stupid?
When the Moon Turns to Blood
September 19, 2022 15:55 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBIn late 2019, a boy and a girl went missing in southeastern Idaho. The police investigation centered on the children’s mother, Lori Vallow, and her husband, Chad Daybell. It was a complex case piled with bodies, and to the journalist Leah Sottile, it was more than just a true-crime story.
The Oldest Cure in the World
September 15, 2022 23:14 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBIf you’re online at all, you’ve probably heard the news: fasting dramatically improves your health, even cures diseases. Will it really?
The State and Fate of the Great Salt Lake, Part IV
September 09, 2022 19:25 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBIt’s been more than a year since we first looked at the sobering details about the Great Salt Lake’s historic and dangerous lows. Today, the lake continues to shrink.
The History and Mystery of the Bicycle
September 08, 2022 23:32 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBThe bicycle is one of those inventions that hasn’t really changed much. Its status in society, though? That’s a battleground.
Acting, the 20th Century Way
September 01, 2022 22:13 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBThink of a performance in film or theater that enthralled you — a portrayal so engrossing that actor and character seemed to become one. How does that happen?
Rachel E. Gross on the mysteries of the female body
September 01, 2022 22:07 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBWhile suffering from a gynecological infection, the science journalist Rachel E. Gross did what she does best: she researched. She wanted to know how the vagina works. But she soon ran into the big problem of how little we actually know about the female body.
Reporter Michael Rezendes Shines 'Spotlight' On The LDS church
August 19, 2022 17:49 - 49 minutes - 22.5 MBInvestigative reporter Michael Rezendes, in a recent article for The Associated Press, detailed how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints diverted reports of sexual abuse by its members away from law enforcement, sweeping them under a legal rug and “leaving victims in harm’s way.” It’s the kind of story Rezendes has seen before.
The Complexity Of John Wayne
August 19, 2022 13:47 - 51 minutes - 23.4 MB43 years after his death, John Wayne is still among America’s most popular and revered movie stars. Today, we’re talking about his life, roles and legacy.
Long Live the Jackalope!
August 11, 2022 17:21 - 51 minutes - 23.6 MBYou’ve probably seen it on postcards, on bottles of gin or mounted on the wall in gas stations or quaint restaurants: The jackalope. Half jackrabbit, half antelope. A true icon of the American West. But why? And where does it come from?
Yes, Flat Earthers are Real
August 11, 2022 17:18 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBPeople have known the earth is a globe for thousands of years. So, why do some contemporary conspiracy theorists still insist that our planet is flat?
Web Extra: Remembering David McCullough
August 10, 2022 14:49 - 34 minutes - 15.7 MBAmerican historian David McCullough passed away on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022.
Facing the Future of a Shrinking Lake Powell
August 06, 2022 03:46 - 51 minutes - 23.6 MBAs the West grows increasingly arid, Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir, is dwindling. Its retreat has revealed glimpses of the storied red rock canyon submerged for decades under hundreds of feet of water. Environmental advocate Eric Balken says the facts of Lake Powell’s retreat and Glen Canyon’s return pose significant challenges, as well as exciting opportunities.
How Intergenerational Trauma Works
August 04, 2022 23:24 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBIn 2013, researchers trained mice to fear a certain odor. Over time, the study revealed that the next generation of mice had a sensitivity to that odor. Something similar happens to humans, too.
Finally, A Photo Of Joseph Smith, Jr.?
July 29, 2022 23:49 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBIn March 2020, a daguerreotype thought to be of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the LDS Church, was discovered in the effects of a direct descendant. If it is the genuine article it would be the first and only known photo of Smith in existence. Why does that matter?
Through the Lens: 'Harlan County, USA'
July 29, 2022 00:25 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBIn 1973, a group of Kentucky coal miners went on strike. Filmmaker Barbara Kopple witnessed their struggle, producing the landmark documentary “Harlan County, USA.”
Indigenous Ways Of Knowing Water
July 22, 2022 19:13 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBWhen he last joined us, water law expert Dan McCool argued that we’re going to need a new approach to managing water. But what if that new mindset isn't new at all? Michael Kotutwa Johnson, one of our guests, calls this mindset “indigenous ways of knowing,” and it has existed in the region for thousands of years.
The Truth Behind the World’s Most Notorious Diaries
July 22, 2022 05:54 - 50 minutes - 23 MBIt’s the 1970s. President Nixon has declared war on drugs and American society is still reeling from the social revolution of the ‘60s. Enter two published diaries, each written by a troubled teen — one an addict and the other a Satanist. The only problem? They weren’t diaries.
America's Zoning Problem
July 15, 2022 18:48 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBCity planner Nolan Gray is the first to admit it: Getting people excited about city zoning is tough. And yet, this seemingly dull topic shapes our lives by shaping the cities we live in.
The Essence of Creativity
July 15, 2022 00:42 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBWhen was the last time you were so overtaken by inspiration that the idea seemed to have its own inertia and you were just running to keep up? And where does creativity like that come from?
Summer Books of 2022
July 11, 2022 16:35 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBGet a pen and paper, open your note taking app or do your best to remember this show because it’s that time of year again: time for our summer books show!
The Incredible Survival Story Of The Bald Eagle
July 08, 2022 01:58 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBThe bald eagle is the quintessential symbol of America. But our relationship with this majestic bird has been fraught, pushing it to the brink of extinction — twice.
Abortion In Utah: What Now?
July 02, 2022 22:04 - 51 minutes - 23.4 MBNo matter what side of the abortion debate you are on, there's no doubt that the recent SCOTUS decision is a sea change. The question is: What does it mean for pregnant people in Utah?
Through The Lens: "Batman"
June 30, 2022 23:14 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBAs a young Batman fanatic, Michael Uslan hated the campy Adam West 'Batman' TV show of the 1960s.
Through The Lens: 'Batman'
June 30, 2022 23:14 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBAs a young Batman fanatic, Michael Uslan hated the campy Adam West 'Batman' TV show of the 1960s.
The Real Raiders Of The Lost Ark
June 24, 2022 17:15 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB“'The Lost City of Z' meets 'The Da Vinci Code'” meets cinematic history meets your summer adventure daydreams.
The Wisdom Of The Forest
June 23, 2022 22:38 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBImagine yourself in the middle of a forest. When you look at that forest, what do you see?
A Journey To The Edge Of Madness
June 17, 2022 17:53 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBThe poet and journalist Melissa Bond had terrible insomnia. Her doctor prescribed Ativan, a benzodiazepine. Then her life fell apart.