Strange Fruit #174: Race & Racism In The Gorilla Pit Conversation

$Strange Fruit #60: Keith McGill Directs Comedy on Sex in Middle Age; Trans Leaders on Katie Couric: Louisville comedian Keith McGill has been one of our favorite people since he was first on the show last year to talk about his work in a local production of TopDog/Underdog. That play explored themes of black masculinity through the fractured relationship of two brothers struggling with instability and poverty. Now McGill is working on another local production, this time as the director, vastly different in tone.[Sex Again](http://wfpl.org/post/louisville-writers-new-play-debunks-myths-about-womens-sexuality) is a comedy by Louisville playwright Heidi Saunders that looks at sexuality during middle age. We spoke to Keith this week, in part, because we wondered how a gay black man approaches work about the waning marriages of straight white folks, and what made him want to direct the piece. "I really think it has a lot to say to _everyone_," he explains. "There's a lot of truth in the pla$

Strange Fruit #73: Violinist Tona Brown Will Be First Trans Woman of Color at Carnegie Hall: This Summer during New York's Pride celebration, [violinist and opera singer Tona Brown](http://youtu.be/JF96xrEEDa4) will become the first trans woman of color ever to perform at Carnegie Hall - headlining the first LGBTQ-themed production ever to be staged there. We were lucky enough to speak with Tona this week about the music she will play there, and the importance of transgender people in LGTBTQ history. [NYC Pride 2014](https://www.nycpride.org/) will focus on commemorating the [Stonewall Riots](http://www.thestonewallinnnyc.com/StonewallInnNYC/HISTORY.html), which were lead by trans women of color. Tona says she's been able to reach the level she has in her career because she took a non-traditional path. "Everything that I do is as an independent, freelance artist," she explains, which means she produces her own events and released her album, [This Is Who I Am](https://itunes.apple.com/u by Strange Fruit

36 min listen

Strange Fruit #56: 'Furious Cool' Co-Author David Henry on the Life of Richard Pryor: This week we spoke with David Henry, co-author of [Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him](http://www.amazon.com/Furious-Cool-Richard-Pryor-World-ebook/dp/B00CL08LNK), about Pryor's work, and why it was so groundbreaking. "He had this sort of vulnerability about himself that just made him irresistible," David says. "He didn't pull any punches." Throughout their research for the book, David and his co-author (and brother) Joe Henry, learned about how Richard honed his craft, sometimes working the same comedy club every night for a week, each night with an improved version of the previous night's material. We talked about Pryor's surprising comments on his sexual experiences with other men, his openness about his drug use, and why audiences of all races found him so relatable. "When he was on stage by himself with just a microphone, he seemed to understand everything about being a human by Strange Fruit

38 min listen

Strange Fruit #62: Trans* Students in Louisville; Historical Context for the "Black Woman Chair": This week, we're joined by WFPL's [Devin Katayama](http://wfpl.org/people/devin-katayama). Devin covers the education beat for the station, and he sat down with us to talk about his newest project, learning about trans\* high school students in Louisville. He also filled us in on his recent trip to Kenya over the holidays, and sat in on our Juicy Fruit segment, where we laid out some historical context for the horrific "[black woman chair](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/20/dasha-zhukova-black-woman-chair-buro-247-editorial_n_4633544.html)" photo that's been making the rounds online this week. We also talked about the Arizona fraternity who held an MLK Day party where attendees [dressed up as black stereotypes](http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/01/asu_expels_fraternity_over_mlk_day_black_party.html), and we pondered how to call out friends and acquaintances when they say s by Strange Fruit

43 min listen

$Strange Fruit #62: Trans* Students in Louisville; Historical Context for the "Black Woman Chair": This week, we're joined by WFPL's [Devin Katayama](http://wfpl.org/people/devin-katayama). Devin covers the education beat for the station, and he sat down with us to talk about his newest project, learning about trans\* high school students in Louisville. He also filled us in on his recent trip to Kenya over the holidays, and sat in on our Juicy Fruit segment, where we laid out some historical context for the horrific "[black woman chair](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/20/dasha-zhukova-black-woman-chair-buro-247-editorial_n_4633544.html)" photo that's been making the rounds online this week. We also talked about the Arizona fraternity who held an MLK Day party where attendees [dressed up as black stereotypes](http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/01/asu_expels_fraternity_over_mlk_day_black_party.html), and we pondered how to call out friends and acquaintances when they say s$

Strange Fruit #53: Remaking 'Roots,' UofL's LGBTQ Center, and What's in a 'Black' Name?: Around this time last year, we spoke with Dr. Stephanie Budge about the challenges faced by [LGTBQ folks during the holidays](http://wfpl.org/post/strange-fruit-going-home-gay-holidays) - specifically college students. Some students who have come out while at school are no longer welcome at home, and for some, going back home means going back in the closet. This week we spoke with Brian Buford about how [the LGBTQ Center at UofL](http://louisville.edu/lgbt) tries to make the holidays a better time for the students under its care. Each year, they host a Thanksgiving potluck where all are welcome. To fund this and their other efforts, they have an annual event called [Feast on Equality](http://feastonequality.com/), which is coming up on November 22. In this week's Juicy Fruit, we talked about Kylie Austin, a biracial teenager who [changed her name](http://thegrio.com/2013/11/06/biracial-girl-changes by Strange Fruit

35 min listen

Strange Fruit #55: Legendary Ballroom Photographer Gerard H. Gaskin: _"My images try to show a more personal and intimate beauty, pride, dignity, courage, and grace that have been painfully challenged by mainstream society."_Photographer [Gerard H. Gaskin](http://gerardhgaskin.com/) has been documenting house ball life for twenty years. His latest book, "[Legendary: Inside the House Ball Scene](https://www.dukeupress.edu/Legendary/)" is a vivid and beautiful look at a subculture we usually only get to see when a mainstream entertainer co-opts it. We spoke with Gerard this week about the book, and about what the house ball scene means to him. In our Juicy Fruit segment, we talked about [George Zimmerman's latest arrest](http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-11-18/news/os-george-zimmerman-arrested-20131118_1_george-zimmerman-murdering-17-year-old-trayvon-martin-deputies), this time for domestic violence. We also talked about the Colorado father who [shot his toddler daughter and himse by Strange Fruit

29 min listen

Vintage Fruit: Does Your Mama Know? #TBT: On our very first episode EVER (September, 2012), we talked about how, when someone comes out of the closet in the black community, the first thing people ask is, "Does your mama know?" Until a person is out to their mama, they're not really 100% out. We had no idea what the show would become, so we were very experimental. That first week, Dr. Story took a recorder to campus and we made a montage of folks asking the question! by Strange Fruit

1 min listen

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Strange Fruit #174: Race & Racism In The Gorilla Pit Conversation

Strange Fruit #174: Race & Racism In The Gorilla Pit Conversation

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