Notes from the Front Office, March 28, 2007

Last night’s show with Zimbardo was a winner all around. Great guest; thoughtful, provocative conversation. Never knew they called talk show hosts “communicasters” in California. Chris said he wanted to add at the end that he was a communicaster working at being a human being.

I had my 13 year-old listen to it, not just for the incredible story about the Stanford experiment, but also for the last bit when Chris and Zimbardo talked about the pressure we all feel to conform, and how especially intense that is for middle school-aged kids.

Chelsea has gamely volunteered to pick up the Meaning and Morality thread and make a show out of it using the Hannah Arendt show and last night’s to recast it. She’s got a line on a neuroscientist, an atheist philosopher and a theologian — all probably in a bar right now — ready to go.

Sam the intern is working on producing Englishness and is trying hard to bag the hyper-cool singer Billy Bragg. Nother told us that Sonny Rollins is coming through town, that’s possible for Tuesday. Camille Paglia scheduled for an early taping on Wednesday — we’ll get a post up a.s.a.p.