Live Wire with Luke Burbank

In his latest book Rock*, writer and culture critic Chuck Klosterman takes us through an alternate reality of music history, where The Velvet Underground were the biggest band in the world while The Beatles faded into obscurity; musicians Alicia J. Rose and Gilly Ann Hanner chat about Menopunks, a movement and documentary project they've launched to de-stigmatize menopause and get women the healthcare they deserve; and indie rock group Ages and Ages perform "Wild Ride" from their latest album Fine Thanks and You.

Actor and writer Jeff Hiller dives into his memoir Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success, which highlights his awkward youth as a bullied kid in Texas to his Emmy win for HBO's hit series Somebody Somewhere; stand-up comedian Mohanad Elshieky recounts some recent challenges... like getting stuck in his apartment elevator and being tricked into hiking by his wife; and singer-songwriter Edna Vázquez gives us a brief history of mariachi, before performing with Forest Grove High School's ensemble Mariachi Tradición.

New York Times obituary writer Sam Roberts (Are The Dead Yet?: the Art of the Obit) discusses the notion of famous last words, the etiquette of the "advanced obituary," and how he once wrote an obit for Jesus Christ himself; plus singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno reveals how she manifested her childhood dreams — which took her from Guatemala to the Grammys and onto Broadway — before performing "New Dawn" from her latest album DUSK.

Acclaimed writer Susan Orlean (The New Yorker) reflects on her storied career through the lens of her new memoir Joyride, which touches on her unique approach to research and celebrity profiles... and how Meryl Streep came to portray her in the "adaptation" of her hit book The Orchid Thief; plus, Austin's beloved singer-songwriter David Ramirez performs "Put in the Work" from his album Rules & Regulations.

Comedian and writer Eliot Glazer unpacks his often awkward journey through modern queer life in his collection of essays The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay; celebrated poet Paisley Rekdal evokes the beauty and complexities of family legacy in her newest collection Heritance; and indie rock band Jonny's Day Out perform "Cough" from their debut album JDO.