The Last Full Length Episode

The Last Full Length Episode

Today marked our final full-length episode of Songs That Saved Your Life. I've joined Radio Kingston in a full time on-air role so the show will continue on as a shorter weekly segment in the future. We end this version of the show with a retrospective on many of the artists we've celebrated here over the past two years. 

Protest Songs (w/ special guest Celeste Lecesne)

Protest Songs (w/ special guest Celeste Lecesne)

We're celebrating songs that rose out of labor movements, civil rights struggles, queer liberation, and today’s ongoing fight for justice. We're joined by a very special guest - Celeste Lecesne — co-founder of The Trevor Project and The Future Perfect Project — to talk about storytelling as protest and the urgent need to protect queer youth.

Wendy Carlos (w/ Special Guest Lucas Grindley)

Wendy Carlos (w/ Special Guest Lucas Grindley)

Wendy Carlos helped create electronic music as we know it today. Before synthesizers became shorthand for the future, Carlos was there, shaping the sound itself. I've invited my closest friend Lucas Grindley, who is a  composer of electronic orchestral music. He is also the former Editor-in-Chief of The Advocate, the nation's oldest LGBTQ+ publication. We'll hear Lucas' original music and discuss the impact of Wendy Carlos, a towering figure in the world of music and also within the LGBTQ+ community.

Bob Weir w/ host Lisa B Kelley

Bob Weir w/ host Lisa B Kelley

Happy Birthday Bowie

Happy Birthday Bowie

We're taking a break from our regular format to bring you two hours of Bowie remixes, deep cuts, and danceable tracks to celebrate the born day of one of music's most important ancestors. 

Max's Kansas City - An Interview with Yvonne Sewall-Ruskin

Max's Kansas City - An Interview with Yvonne Sewall-Ruskin

This week, we’re stepping inside Max’s Kansas City, the New York City bar that became a crossroads for queer culture, underground art, glam rock, and the birth of punk. I’m joined by Yvonne Sewall—who worked at Max’s, married owner Mickey Ruskin, and wrote the book High on Rebellion: Inside the Underground at Max's Kansas City.

History of House Music

History of House Music

This week on Songs That Saved Your Life, we’re diving into the history of House: the clubs, the creators, the politics, and the joy that shaped a global sound. From Frankie Knuckles to ballroom legends and all the way to Beyoncé’s Renaissance, we’re tracing how a genre born in Chicago basements grew into one of the most powerful expressions of queer liberation in music.

Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper

This week, we celebrate a pop icon who’s always been more than just a hitmaker. Cyndi Lauper has been called eccentric, loud, unpredictable — but maybe that’s just another way of saying she refused to fit in. 

Siouxsie & the Banshees

Siouxsie & the Banshees

We’re shining a light on Siouxsie Sioux, one of punk’s first voices and a driving force behind what later became post-punk and goth. We’ll hear music from the bands who shaped her early years like the Sex Pistols and the Clash, and from the many artists she went on to influence, including The Cure, Joy Division, Radiohead, and TV on the Radio.