Elijah Wald

Dana Stevens, Slate's film critic and co-host of Slate's Culture Gabfest (now airing on WNYC) and Elijah Wald, writer, musician and co-author of The Mayor of MacDougal Street (Da Capo Press, 2006), discuss the Coen brothers’ new movie "Inside Llewyn Davis" and take your calls on Greenwich Village back in the day.

Elijah Wald talks about folk icon Dave Van Ronk, whose memoir served as source material for the new Coen brothers film.

Long before rap, there was “the dozens” – the African-American street rhyming tradition that author Elijah Wald defines as “halfway between ‘yo mama’ jokes and rap freestyle battling.” He joins us to share the surprising musical history of the R-rated comedic insults.

Late last month, Mexican singer Sergio Vega was found shot to death on a highway in Sinaloa. No official motive has been determined, but many are speculating he was killed because of his music. Vega was a singer of “narcocorridos” – Mexican ranchera songs with lyrics about the drug trade – and he’s only the latest of a dozen such singers to be murdered in recent years.

Last week, Soundcheck discussed the theory that Robert Johnson’s iconic recordings are actually at the wrong speed. After receiving a flood of thoughtful comments from listeners, we revisit the topic today.