For our post-Thanksgiving episode, we talk about the science of sleep, Joseph Lister's transformation of Victorian medicine, the unlikely friendship between Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull, plus a rerun of our last FilmWeek critics' reviews and conversation with the Oscar-winning composer of "Coco." Happy holidays!
The secret to a better life? Sleep.
Catching some Z’s. Counting sheep. Sawing logs. Getting some shut-eye.
However you slice it, there’s no denying the importance of sleep. But, have you ever asked yourself why we sleep? Or why many of us feel so awful when we don’t get enough?
These are the questions neuroscientist and sleep researcher Matthew Walker explores in his new book "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams." And for a long time, those questions about the thing we do for a third of our lives remained largely unanswered. But recent years have yielded a handful of important advances in what we know about sleep.
In his book, Walker, who heads up U.C. Berkeley’s Center for Human Sleep Science, dives into his own research into sleep as well as the work of others with the aim of finding answers to questions like what really happens during REM sleep, and how substances like alcohol and caffeine affect our sleep patterns. Walker’s book aims to shed light not only on the mystery of sleep itself, but how you can harness your sleep to work best for you.
To find out more about cognitive behavioral therapy for sleep, visit here.
Guest:
Matthew Walker, author of the book, “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams” (Scribner, 2017); he is also a professor of neuroscience and psychology at U.C. Berkeley and the director of its Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab
How the age of bloody, brutal Victorian medicine was transformed by one man
In her new book, “The Butchering Art,” historian Lindsey Fitzharris looks at the world of nineteenth-century surgery and how one man’s invention and perseverance changed the world of medicine.
That man was British surgeon Joseph Lister, who pioneered the use of antiseptic in surgery. Fitzharris traces Lister’s medical discoveries in painstaking detail that led him to conclude that germs were the source of all infection―and could be countered by antiseptics.
Guest:
Lindsey Fizharris, author of the new book, “The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister’s Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine” (Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017); she is also host of the YouTube series, “Under The Knife,” which takes a humorous look at our medical past
What makes a ‘blood brother?’: Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill’s unlikely friendship
When imagining Buffalo Bill, people might picture a showman riding horseback, handling a lasso. In short--he represented the the Wild West.
But prior to his fame, William F. Cody was a young, midwestern man, serving in the army. During that time, the Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux defeated General Custer’s 7th Cavalry at the Battle of Little Big Horn.
While Sitting Bull, who led the Lakota for years in resistance against the U.S. government, wasn’t a part of the battle, he was blamed for Custer’s death.
Years later, in 1883, Buffalo Bill Cody was formulating a plan for his “equestrian extravaganza.” He had the idea to feature cowboys and Indians, portraying Western culture for the rest of America. The show even had a short stint in Europe.
Enter Sitting Bull, this time, as a performer. He and a group of Sioux men joined the cast for four months in 1885.
During their partnership, Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill Cody developed a friendship despite coming from different worlds. Annie Oakley, known for her sharpshooting skills, was also part of the team.
Mutual respect contributed to their friendship. The new book, “Blood Brothers: The Story of the Strange Friendship Between Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill,” recounts the relationship between the two men.
Larry spoke to the book’s author, Deanne Stillman, to learn more about what contributed to their unlikely friendship.
Here are some interview highlights:
What was Sitting Bull's role in Custer's Last Stand?
STILLMAN: Sitting Bull did not kill Custer as he was blamed for doing. Sitting Bull was nearby. He, in fact, probably saved General [Marcus] Reno the next day after Custer had been killed. Some of his warriors were talking about finishing off Reno, and [Sitting Bull] said no, he deserves to live. After Custer was killed and the cavalry suffered this embarrassing defeat, somebody had to be blamed...so Sitting Bull became enemy number one.
How did Bill Cody concoct the idea to do mini recreations of battles?
STILLMAN: [Buffalo Bill Cody] was the original 'ripped from the headlines' guy. Even before he and a partner cooked up this idea for the Wild West [show] in this bar in Brooklyn, he was recreating adventures he had on the plains in theaters back East. For instance, after Little Big Horn, he scalped an Indian to avenge Custer and he took the scalp back to use in performances. Some people were outraged, others loved everything he did. But he had a reputation already, before he started the show....
Horses were involved [in the show]. Cody insisted on calling it and 'equestrian extravaganza'. That was officially a part of the show's title, and made it this glorious pageant.
What was the slogan for the Wild West show when Sitting Bull was brought in?
STILLMAN: It was one of America's first ad slogans:'Foes in '76 and Friends in '85' and it went with a photo that they posed for in Montreal. It's on the cover of my book. And part of the reason why [Sitting Bull] teamed up with Cody was that Annie Oakley was already in the show. [Sitting Bull] admired Oakely's marksmanship skills and sent her a note...after a show. And they really struck up a friendship.
As events were portrayed, did Buffalo Bill try to be authentic to what physically occurred in the Wild West?
STILLMAN: Essentially, the Indians who were in the show were really prisoners of war, because there were only a couple of ways they could leave the reservation. One way was to participate in Cody's show. That being said, they were aloud to do things [in the show] that they weren't able to do in the reservations. They were having powwows, buffalo stampedes...They were living a life of a confined kind of freedom.
What did Sitting Bull say about why he was willing to do the show?
STILLMAN: He wanted to get to Washington D.C. and meet the grandfather A.K.A. the president and talk to him face-to-face and ask, why did you betray my people? And he did get there. And [Sitting Bull] and some members of his tribe did have a meeting with the state department officials and they were inside a room on Capital Hill with a lot of Western art and paintings of buffalo which caused a lot of laughter, but apparently, Sitting Bull remained silent. According to most reports, he never did get to meet the president....
Sitting Bull also wanted to see how the white man was living. And he was very impressed with our technology and knew we had superior gun power...He was amazed by electricity, but he was also distressed by the fact that there were a lot of homeless kids. And he thought, how could this culture with all this superior technology treat its kids this way?
What was Sitting Bull's role in the show?
STILLMAN: He was Sitting Bull for real. He wasn't pretending to be himself. He didn't participate in any of these recreated milestones in our history. He would come out in the beginning of the show and gallop once around the arena fully bedecked in warrior regalia and then that was it. Prior to joining Cody he was demeaned in a lot of presentations.
The Huntington Library will host a conversation with Deanne Stillman on her new book from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27. See details here.
Guest:
Deanne Stillman, writer and author of the new book, “Blood Brothers: The Story of the Strange Friendship Between Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill” (Simon & Schuster, 2017)
FilmWeek: ‘Coco,’ Darkest Hour,’ The Man Who Invented Christmas,’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Amy Nicholson, Peter Rainer and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
"Coco" in wide release
"The Man Who Invented Christmas" at AMC Burbank Town Center, ArcLight Sherman Oaks & The Landmark
"Call Me By Your Name" at ArcLight Hollywood & The Landmark
"Darkest Hour" at ArcLight Hollywood & The Landmark
"Thelma" at Laemmle's Playhouse, Laemmle's Monica Film Center & AMC Dine-In Sunset
"A Gray State" at Laemmle's Music Hall
"Porto" at Nuart Theatre
"The Crime of Monsieur Lange" (re-release of 1936 film) at Laemmle's Royal & Laemmle's Town Center
"1945" at Laemmle's Royal & Laemmle's Town Center
Critics' Hits
Amy: "Thelma"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgQMHG9SGlU
Charles: "Coco"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCz4mQzfEI
Peter: "1945"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWm0uu_zun8
Mixed
Amy: "Darkest Hour"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pNOCzV5jG0
Peter: "Call Me By Your Name"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9AYPxH5NTM
Misses
Amy: "Porto"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIVBl-v0TSk
Charles & Peter: "The Man Who Invented Christmas"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxcnYR3mcPU&t=10s
Guests:
Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC and host of The Canon podcast; she tweets
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Composer Michael Giacchino raises the dead with his original score for ‘Coco’
Though Pixar’s “Coco” takes viewers on a grand adventure through the afterlife, there’s plenty of heartbeat in the film, much of which comes from composer Michael Giacchino’s sincere, ranchera-driven score.
Songs like “Día de los Muertos Suite” and “A Blessing and a Fessing” parallel the expansiveness of the film’s storyline, and combine elements of acoustic guitars and traditional horns to create a Mexican folk atmosphere without being kitschy.
Larry speaks with Giacchino on how he got involved in the project and his process for creating the score, while also discussing the composer’s collaboration with director Adrian Molina and other musicians when creating the film’s distinct sound.
Guest:
Michael Giacchino, Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy-winning composer for many films and television series, including the new Pixar film, “Coco”