Robert Newman, the preeminent New York design director, sent us a fabulous endorsement of Norman B, the creator and host of Life Elsewhere. We could not resist sharing:

“I’ve been a fan of Norman B for over 25 years. He is a master radio host, voice talent, interviewer, media critic, and a creator of important culture and cultural events. As the host and producer of Life Elsewhere, Norman B has created one of the most intelligent, engaging, diverse, and entertaining radio programs in recent memory. It’s a pure delight from beginning to end. Norman’s ability to combine a diverse array of interviews, news, reviews, music, and much more showcases his talents as a producer and cultural mixmaster. And of course it’s his personality and voice that is the masterful centerpiece of it all, as he weaves an audio mosaic that is in turns playful, serious, engaging, colorful, authoritative, and always entertaining. Norman B reminds me of CNN news host Anderson Cooper with his ability to range through topics with a tone that conveys authority, but still keep a sense of friendly engagement. Norman B is one of the most exciting and brilliant talents and is deserving of a wide audience in any field.”

Coming up on the next edition of Life Elsewhere, don’t miss Norman B’s in-depth conversation with Allen Salkin, author of From Scratch: The Uncensored History of the Food Network. You’ll hear the juicy stories about the network’s most polarizing figures, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Anthony Bourdain, Robert Irvine and of course, Paula Deen. Allen Salkin promises to reveal the behind-the-scenes history and dish the dirt on the egos and feuds of the people who made a fledgling upstart into a Cable TV empire.

Also in the program, the Hit That Never Was features a very rare Northern Soul favorite with an unusual history. Deep Shadows  by Little Ann is from 1969, but was never heard at the time it was recorded. For over 30 years it was stored in the archive of record producer and musician Dave Hamilton, one of the unsung heroes of the Detroit soul scene. The box of reels was marked simply ”The Possible Little Ann Album”,  was discovered by two British soul enthusiasts at Hamilton’s home in 1988. Little Ann sadly passed away in 2003, but she did get to hear her efforts gain some fame via the intrepid British Northern Soul scene.

Life Elsewhere airs every Monday at 9.00am ET (1400 GMT)

WMNF 88.5fm

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