Angela Carone is the arts and culture producer for KPBS Radio's daily talk show These Days . It's a perfect platform for her culture lust, where she produces shows on books, music, film, theater, and pop culture. She's been covering the arts for over 15 years, both in print and broadcast media. Her lusting has been long and ardent.
She has degrees in political science from Penn State University and in English literature from Georgia State University. The former pursuit fit into her college-aged political activism. In her words, "I took a lot of women's studies courses and tried to be angry about everything." The latter pursuit was very different. She explains, "I spent all of my time immersed in books and poetry as a way to finally try and understand the world."
She was born in 1968. And in her words, "Even though it's sheer foolishness to reveal my age, I'm too proud of my birth year to keep it quiet. It's one of the years our country struggled to shape its identity and find a moral center. We are still trying. It's also the year Johnny Cash recorded Live at Folsom Prison. Enough said."
Angela is also the human companion to a chocolate lab named Chewbacca, who she claims is of the genus "canis perfectis."
Angela says Chewy tolerates her culture lust. "She's forced to watch many HBO series instead of her preferred Animal Planet. It's one of the many crosses she bears."
Here are some examples of her culture lust, in all of their obvious contradictions:
I think the filmmaker Wong Kar Wai is an absolute genius. I think the movie Clueless is a cinematic treasure.
I think the opening credits for To Kill a Mocking Bird AND Seven share the award for best opening credit sequence in the history of film.
I am a consistent fan of Joan Didion, Marilyn Robinson, Dave Eggers, Dom DeLillo, and Michael Chabon. I also enjoyed The DaVinci Code .
I think every musical library should include Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Chronic and Dean Martin's The Capitol Years .
I am most reverent when talking about the HBO series The Wire . There is no contradiction here. It doesn't have an equivalent anywhere. It is full of tragedy and pathos and small victories. It is our American city come to life.
Angela also is an avid photographer. You can see her photos on Flickr .
If there's an event you want Angela to know about, send her an email .
