Laurie Anderson

Jarvis recalls a lecture he gave in which he investigated how we use language and lyrics to communicate — an idea which led to this very programme. On This Day, Supergun was seized, the last German 'witch' was executed and the Brixton riots erupted. Multimedia artist Laurie Anderson joins Jarvis and he asks why stories and narratives are so integral to her work. As NASA's one-time Artist in Residence, she remembers witnessing the Mars rover landings entirely via numbers. She considers what an artist can bring to a big government institution. They also discuss elections and how journalism and entertainment are merging. Then Laurie reads her short story about her dog. Birthdays: Richard Berry, Vincent Gallo, Anton LaVey and Bob Harris. We remember Joseph Merrick, Malcolm McLaren (Jarvis talks about him and Malcolm sings a Max Bygraves song), Harry Secombe and Jacques Prévert (we hear his poem Pater Noster).

John Morris - Theme from The Elephant Man
The Kingsmen - Louie Louie
Dory Previn - Lady with the Braid
Vincent Gallo - When
Serafina Steer - Margoton
The Rebel - In My Wallet
The Rattles - The Witch
Malcolm McLaren - You Need Hands
Alternative TV - Cold Rain
Bo Diddley - Elephant Man
Bob Dorough - Boy for Sale
Rufus Wainwright - Sonnet 20
Harper Simon - Ha Ha
Philip Glass - Forgetting
Laurie Anderson - Pictures and Things
Pram - Cinnabar
Glenn Gould - Goldberg Variations
Area Code 615 - Stone Fox Chase (Old Grey Whistle Test)
Nouvelle Vague - Guns of Brixton
Ennio Morricone - Theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly