Bob Dylan Audio

Randy Cohen , author of "The Ethicist" column for the New York Times Magazine, joins us to add some color to the "gray areas" in issues like downloading, ripping CDs and pitch correction. Plus, we take your calls and comments.

The poet and philosopher George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." To ensure that future generations don't forget the triumphs and tragedies of pop music's past, we host another Soundcheck Smackdown over the musical legacies of baby boomers and Generation X. Joining us in studio are Jeff Gordinier , editor at large at Details magazine and author of "X Saves the World," and music critic Anthony DeCurtis , contributing editor at Rolling Stone and author of "In Other Words: Artists Talk About Life and Work." Tell us : Who has the better musical legacy -- baby boomers or generation X? Why?

Country music goes back much further than Hank Williams or Johnny Cash - all the way to the 19th century. It's an early history of colorful characters and surprising musical innovations. We'll talk to Tony Russell , a country music historian, and author of the new book, "Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost." Our Blog : John Schaefer's thoughts on country music.

Kurt looks into the tricky relationship between money and the big-time art world. And we’ll hear how folk music keeps on ticking. A folk music collector explains his scramble to save America’s traditional sounds one field recording at a time. A 92-year-old blues legend, Honeyboy Edwards, remembers his lean days as a boxcar hobo. And outspoken English folk rocker Billy Bragg, who has a new record out, stops by to perform.

Last week, the tenor Matthew Polenzani was named the winner of the $50,000 Beverly Sills Artist Award for young American singers at the Metropolitan Opera. Known as a "slow burner" in the opera world, the 39-year-old's career is taking off this season with appearances in several major opera houses around the globe.

Kurt looks into the tricky relationship between money and the big-time art world. And we’ll hear how folk music keeps on ticking. A folk music collector explains his scramble to save America’s traditional sounds one field recording at a time. A 92-year-old blues legend, Honeyboy Edwards, remembers his lean days as a boxcar hobo. And outspoken English folk rocker Billy Bragg, who has a new record out, stops by to perform.

In the early 1960s, Bernard Stollman started the iconoclastic music label ESP-Disk . Over the next decade he put out records by Albert Ayler, Charles Manson, Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders, Ornette Coleman, Timothy Leary, and The Fugs, to name just a few. Now, after a 30-year hiatus, Mr. Stollman has brought ESP-Disk back into business.

With today's Democratic showdown in the Pennsylvania primary, we stage a battle of our own: Which of the two Democrats has the best music on their side? Obama has inspired musical tributes, and his Facebook page says that he listens to Bob Dylan , The Fugees and J.S. Bach. Clinton recently appeared at Radio City Music Hall with Elton John; her campaign rallies feature songs from Dolly Parton to K.T. Tunstall. In another Soundcheck Smackdown, we welcome Democratic political analayst and former Rock the Vote president Jehmu Greene and Danny Goldberg , president of Gold Village Entertainment and author of several books about music and politics. Tell us : Which Democratic candidate has the best music on their side? Our blog : John Schaefer offers up a campaign song for each candidate .

Get out your tissues - Please Explain is all about crying. What are tears made of? How did crying evolve? Is it a uniquely human phenomenon? Does it have health benefits? Vassar psychology professor Randy Cornelius has been developing an evolutionary theory of weeping that focuses on tears. Tom Lutz , director of the MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for Performance program at UC-Riverside Palm Desert, is the author of Crying: The Natural and Cultural History of Tears .

If the Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There” and the Beatles-fest “Across the Universe” left you craving more rock movies, join us for a look at must-see rock movies -- that you probably haven't seen. Film critic and professor David N. Meyer shares a list of great rock flicks that are available on Netflix. (And he’ll name one film you might never find.) Plus, we take your calls on the rock movies you love best. Tell us : What's your favorite rock movie? David N. Meyer's list of "Must-See Rock Movies That You Probably Haven't Seen" 1) The Girl Can't Help It (1956) . Jayne Mansfield sex farce with amazing rock performances by The Platters, Gene Vincent & the Blue Caps, and Fats Domino. 2) Head (1968) . The Monkees bid for hippie cred and musical authenticity, written by Jack Nicholson & Bob Rafaelson and featuring appearances by Frank Zappa, boxer Sonny Liston, and dancing by Toni Basil of "Oh Mickey" fame. See a clip of the Monkees performing "Circle Sky" from the film here. 3) Performance (1970) . The marriage of rock and film, starring Mick Jagger at his most andrognyous, and co-starring Anita Pallenberg, who had recently left Brian Jones for Keith Richards. See a clip of Mick Jagger performing in the film here . 4) Payday (1973) . Speed, grass, downers, country music - the most accurate portrait of life on the road, starring Rip Torn as a modern Hank Williams, and with songs composed by Shel Silverstein. 5) Rockers (1978) . Hilarious reggae comedy/social commentary, starring every key reggae star of the day: Winston Rodney, Sly & Robbie Shakespeare, Gregory Issacs, Jacob Miller, and Leroy Smart. 6) Radio On (1980) . The only true rock and roll film noir and Sting's film debut, with a great Stiff Records soundtrack: Wreckless Eric, Ian Drury, The Rumor plus Robert Fripp, David Bowie, and Karftwerk 7) Linda! Linda! Linda! (2007) . New Japanese film just released in the US, it's the truest movie of high school ever made. Four girls have to learn a classic Japanese punk song to play at high school talent show, the title song by seminal Japanese punks The Blue Hearts. See a clip from the film here . The Pick You Might Never Find: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1981). Still unreleased in the US, a classic about a punk band with Sex Pistols Steve Cook and Paul Jones, The Clash's Paul Simonon and actor Ray Winstone. See them perform in the film here .