Tom Hanks dons a beard for The Bard

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Episode 18488

Listen • 27:08

Tom Hanks dons a beard for The Bard

On today's show: Hanks is spending a good chuck of his summer playing Falstaff in "Henry IV" under the stars on the grounds of the V.A. campus in Brentwood; Spotify's curated playlists are hugely influential, but are they also sexist?

Tom Hanks is Falstaff in the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles production of "Henry IV."

Here's the lineup for today:

Tom Hanks does Shakespeare in the park

(Starts at 1:13)

The actor makes his L.A. stage debut as Sir John Falstaff in “Henry IV,” presented by The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles at The Japanese Garden on the VA Campus. John Horn went on location to chat with Hanks, along with Ben Donenberg, who heads the Shakespeare Center. The conversation included how veterans were incorporated into the production crew.

Spotify has a gender problem

(Starts at 20:12)

Spotify’s playlists are hugely popular and influential. But its most visible playlists are staggeringly male-dominated. And when a user listens to mostly male-dominated playlists, what is produced are yet more male-dominated playlists. What does this mean for artists, the music industry and fans?

Guest: Liz Pelly, writer, "Sexism on Spotify"