Derek John

Danny Sagan, a listener, grew up in New Jersey listening to arena rock. One night, he tagged along to a grimy club across the river in Manhattan for an ear-splitting punk rock concert -- and it set him on the path to being an architect. ...

Victoria de Puy and her daughter Geraldine read "Peanuts" in Panama City, and the comic strip taught them about the United States –- but were there really so many leaves to rake? Produced by Derek John.

On the evening of October 4th 1957, when David Hoffman was 13 years old, his family and all their neighbors walked outside to peer up at the night sky. Now a filmmaker, he has made a documentary called Sputnik Mania that reflects on his passion for space. ...

"This Spartan Life" is no ordinary talk show –- it's filmed inside the online video game "Halo 2." It combines good conversation and unexpected explosions, with the added thrill of trying to stay alive long enough to get your point across. Chris Burke ...

On America’s earliest highways, road signs were hand-painted on wood. When interstate highways became standardized, so did the typeface. But in all sorts of conditions it still looks fuzzy. Graphic designer Don Meeker helped bring highway signage back into focus. Produced by Derek John.

By day, Dori Hadar works as a criminal investigator. But he moonlights as a DJ and prowls for interesting LPs. Sifting through crates of old soul and funk, he found a box of records that mystified him. The sleeves were painted by hand – and the “records” ...

Kurt heads back to his hometown. No longer just beef and Warren Buffett, Kurt finds a vibrant indie rock, film, and visual arts scene there. Artists, politicians and philanthropists – including filmmaker Alexander Payne and Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst – tell us what makes Omaha so nice to come ...

This Spartan Life is no ordinary talk show – it's filmed inside the online video game Halo 2. It combines good conversation and unexpected explosions, with the added thrill of trying to stay alive long enough to get your point across. Chris Burke is the host and ...

When we asked graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister to pick his favorite album cover of all time, he chose a notorious design by Andy Warhol: The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers. Produced by Derek John.

There's a conspiracy at the heart of every political thriller—from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar to Oscar contenders Munich and Syriana. In the mid-1970s, the best filmmakers in America put the turmoil of that era into dark, paranoid movies about forces beyond our control. Studio 360's Derek John spoke ...

Stephan Sagmeister is a graphic designer who grew up in Austria and has designed album covers for the Rolling Stones and Talking Heads. This year he was awarded a National Design Award by the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum for excellence in graphic design. When we asked Sagmeister about his ...

There’s a conspiracy at the heart of every political thriller — from Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar to John Le Carre. In the mid-1970s, the best filmmakers in America put the turmoil of the times into dark, paranoid movies about forces beyond our control. Derek John spoke with Village Voice film critic ...

Ever wonder what Ann Coulter thinks about Aliens — the movie? Writers Tom Bissell and Jeff Alexander have. Bored with lame DVD commentaries they began writing their own, imagining what partisan pundits such as Noam Chomsky and Ann Coulter would have to say about hit movies. Produced by Derek John.

You may not recognize the lingo, but chances are you've heard their guttural rumbling before. Human beatboxers first appeared in the early eighties, when freestyle rappers often relied on them as mobile percussionists. They took their name from the drum machine — or beat box — that DJs used for ...

Revenge of the Sith opens this weekend and by Christmas the complete DVD box set of all six Star Wars movies will hit the store shelves. We imagine a commentary track about waging war for a righteous cause by the people who know — Donald Rumsfeld and Colin Powell. ...

Ever wonder what Ann Coulter thinks about Aliens the Movie? Writers Tom Bissell and Jeff Alexander have. Bored with uninteresting DVD commentaries they began writing their own, imagining what political pundits such as Noam Chomsky and Dinesh D'souza would have to say about hit movies. Produced by Derek John.