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Explore every episode of the podcast Light On Light Through

Dive into the complete episode list for Light On Light Through. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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1–50 of 423

TitlePub. DateDuration
Paul Levinson interviews Paul Kaplan about The Thingy That's Stringy15 Sep 202600:51:55

Welcome to Light On Light Through episode 422, in which I interview Paul Kaplan about his book of poetry for people of all ages, The Thingy That's Stringy. 

Relevant links:

  • get The Thingy That's Stringy here
  • my review of The Thingy That's Stringy here or here
Paul Levinson interviews Matt Witten about His Cyberpunk Novel 51%10 Aug 202601:00:30

Welcome to Light On Light Through episode 421, in which I interview Mitt Witten about his new novel 51%.  In all seriousness, I consider this cyberpunk novel in the same league as Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and George Orwell's 1984.

Relevant links:

 

Paul Levinson interviews Deana Weibel about The Ultraview Effect17 Jun 202600:59:25

Welcome to Light On Light Through episode 420, in which I interview Deana Weibel about her new book, The Ultraview Effect.  I consider Deana the Margaret Mead of outerspace -- find out why in this interview.

Relevant links:

 

Review of On the Calculation of Volume (Vols 1-4)22 May 202600:24:08

Welcome to Light On Light Through episode 419, in which I review Solvej Balle's On the Calculation of Volume (Vols 1-4).

Relevant links:

Paul Levinson interviews Dan Abella about Philip K. Dick Film Festival 202607 Mar 202600:48:22

Welcome to Light On Light Through episode 418, in which I interview Dan Abella about The Philip K. Dick Film Festival to take place in New York City, March 13-14, 2026.

Relevant links:

 

A Conversation with Sarah Clarke Stuart about Song of the Unsung Mushroom08 Feb 202601:12:12

Welcome to Light On Light Through episode 417, in which Sarah Clarke Stuart and her husband Jonathan Oakes join me and my wife Tina Vozick in a conversation about Sarah's debut novel, Song of the Unsung Mushroom, published January 15, 2026 by Connected Editions (a boutique publisher that I and Tina created and operate). 

At times joining our conversation are Alexis Stuart (who created the cover for Sarah's novel), Susan Clarke, Molly Vozick-Levinson, Elizabeth Clarke, Chryssi Steven, Meghan Vickers, Bud Gundy, and Edwin Stepp (thanks to the last three for providing blurbs for the novel).

Relevant links:

  • Kindle, paperback, hardcover, audiobook (read by Sarah for Listen and Live Audio) of the novel here
  • trailer for Song of the Unsung Mushroom here
  • More about Connected Editions here
  • YouTube video of this conversation  here

 

Review of (Beatles) Anthology 2025: The Highs and the Highs (and the One Low)30 Nov 202500:20:31

Welcome to Light On Light Through episode 416, in which I review the The Beatles Anthology 2025 documentary.

Relevant links:

Paul Levinson interviews Brooklyn Demme about One Battle After Another31 Oct 202500:37:52

Welcome to Light On Light Through episode 415, in which I interview Brooklyn Demme about Paul Thomas Anderson's movie One Battle After Another, in which Brooklyn played a minor role.  But in a movie this great, every role is important.

Relevant links:

Life & Death of a 20th Century Troubadour: Paul Levinson and Josh Meyrowitz about Phil Ochs04 Aug 202502:36:35

Welcome to Light On Light Though episode 414, the complete "radio documentary" on WFDU-FM from 1977 -- "Life & Death of a 20th Century Troubadour" -- in which Josh Meyrowitz and I discuss the life, death, and timeless impact of Phil Ochs and his music.

 

Paul Levinson interviews Mike Grynbaum about Empire of the Elite15 Jul 202500:56:41

Welcome to Light On Light Through episode 413, in which I interview Mike Grynbaum about his book Empire of the Elite: Inside Condé Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America, which was just published today. Condé Nast is the publisher of The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, Wired, and other iconic magazines, so we had a lot to talk about.

Paul Levinson interviews Tom Cooper 1 May 2025 about Wisdom Weavers30 May 202501:38:36

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 412, in which I interview Tom Cooper about his new book Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan published on May 1, 2025 by Connected Editions.

A group of 51 scholars from the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and Poland gathered on May 1 via Zoom -- a mini global village -- to see this interview with Tom Cooper. The interview and subsequent Q&A is presented here in audio its entirety. We started off with some casual conversation ...

  • Transcript of the complete Zoom Chat that took place after the interview
  • Get the book in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover here
  • Other audio interviews about Wisdom Weavers:  Captain Phil interviews Paul Levinson about Wisdom Weavers on WUSB Radio ... Frank LoBuono interviews Paul Levinson and Tom Cooper about Wisdom Weavers on the Being Frank podcast
  • Watch the entire interview on video

 

Captain Phil interviews Paul Levinson about Tom Cooper's Wisdom Weavers19 Apr 202500:45:56

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 411: I returned to Captain Phil's Planet on WUSB (Stony Brook University) Radio the other day to talk to  Captain Phil about Tom Cooper's new book, Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan, to be pubished by Connected Editions (my publishing company) on May 1.  

As we discussed in the interview, I'll be interviewing Tom about his book via Zoom on the evening of Wisdom Weavers' publication -- 8pm (New York time), May 1.  If you'd like to attend, email me at Levinson at Fordham dot edu and I'll be happy to send the Zoom URL to you.

In the meantime, check out my Marshall McLuhan playlist on YouTube for 50 of my lectures, interviews, etc about McLuhan over the past 20 years.  Here are my two books about McLuhan: Digital McLuhan and McLuhan in an Age of Social Media.  You'll also find numerous essays about McLuhan on my Academia.edu page.  And, if you're a fan of audio podcasts, just search on "McLuhan" on my Light On Light Through podcast page.

Paul Levinson interviews The Polar editors12 Apr 202500:45:48

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 410, in which I interview Kingsley Marin and Massimo Seriale, two freshmen at Fordham University, who have created and edit a new publication (independent of the University), The Polar.

More about The Polar here.

 

Paul Levinson interviews Simon Vozick-Levinson about Rolling Stone's Top 100 Protest Songs08 Mar 202500:50:33

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 409, in which I interview Simon Vozick-Levinson, Deputy Editor of Rolling Stone, about the magazine's list of the 100 Best Protest Songs of All Time.  We talk in particular about Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Sam Cooke, and also discuss the importance of publications like Rolling Stone standing up for democracy in these politically troubling times.

As a special treat, at the end of this interview, I play a song, "Dance with Destiny," from James Harris's new LP, The Moons of Jupiter.  This is consistent with Phil Ochs' view that we needs works of beauty especially in troubled times.

Relevant links:

Paul Levinson interviews Lance Strate about 'Not A, Not Be &C'18 Feb 202501:11:43

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 408, and my in-depth interview with Lance Strare about his new book, Not A, Not Be &C.

Relevant links:

Paul Levinson interviews Sarah Seltzer about The Singer Sisters06 Feb 202500:32:56

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 407, and my in-depth interview with Sarah Seltzer about her novel, The Singer Sisters.

Relevant links:

 

Paul Levinson interviews David Browne about Talkin' Greenwich Village03 Feb 202501:01:50

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 406, and my in-depth interview with Rolling Stone writer David Browne about his masterful book, Talkin' Greenwich Village. We talk at length about Dave Van Ronk, Joni Mitchell, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, The Blues Project, Bob Lind, and a little less about many others, including Hegel and his spirit of an age.

Relevant links:

Dramatic Reading from 2nd Chapter of It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles09 Jan 202500:24:25

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 405: Howard Margolin invited me to join him on his Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction show (on WUSB Radio) in a dramatic reading from the second chapter of my 2024 novel, It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles.  Here's the reading, with some commentary before and after by me.

Relevant links:

  • Get the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover of the novel
  • Read the award-winning first chapter of the novel, FREE
  • Listen to the award-winning radioplay adapted from the 1st chapter, FREE
  • Anne Reburn's recording of "Real Love" for the radioplay
  • Watch my reading the 1st chapter of the novel at its book launch at The Players in NYC, March 27, 2024
  • Interview about the novel on Bloggerythms
  • February 23, 2025 up-coming in-person dramatic reading from parts of the novel -- at Big Red Books in Nyack, NY -- featuring Anthony Marinelli (playwright, director) and Amanda Greer (actor), who are real-life characters in the novel
  • My reviews of Max & Domino (play), and Why I Had to Kill You While You Slept (movie), both written and directed by Anthony Marinelli and starring Amanda Greer
  • Listen to the full episode of Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction, with both the reading in this podcast, and Howard Margolin's interview with me, before and after our reading, December 27, 2024, FREE
Review of A Complete Unknown: Nearly Completely Superb, Slightly Alternate History28 Dec 202400:14:29

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 404, in which I review A Complete Unknown, the new Bob Dylan biopic, which my wife and I went to see on its opening day, Christmas, in New York.

Relevant links:

Paul Levinson interviews Jared Moshe about Aporia23 Dec 202400:27:07

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 403, in which I interview Jared Moshe about his movie Aporia, a time-travel movie on Hulu that explores, in a way I've never seen before, the wrenching ethical dilemmas that arise when you try to change the past.

Relevant links:

Review of Dexter: Original Sin 1.1-1.321 Dec 202400:11:34

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 402, in which I review Dexter: Original Sin on Paramount+Showtime.

Relevant links:

 

Paul Levinson interviews Dan Abella about The Psychedelic Film and Music Festival, NYC, 14 Dec 202407 Dec 202400:39:16

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 401, in which I interview Dan Abella about The Psychedelic Film and Music Festival, NYC, 14 Dec 2024. (Kendall Brown, Operations Manager for the Festival, joins us in the interview.)

Relevant links:

Review of Beatles '6430 Nov 202400:16:28

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 400, in which I review the Beatles '64 documentary that just went up yesterday on Disney+.

Here are links to some of the many people and things I discuss in the podcast:

 

Review of Dune: Prophecy 1.1-1.2: The Hart of the Matter28 Nov 202400:12:00

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 399, in which I review Dune: Prophecy 1.1-1.2 on HBO Max.

Paul Levinson interviews Andrew Hoskins about AI and the End of the Human Past02 Nov 202401:06:46

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 398, in which I interview Andrew Hoskins about the new book he is writing, The Deadbot Society: AI and the End of the Human Past.

Relevant links:

Paul Levinson interviews Gerrit Van Woudenberg about his new movie Quantum Suicide16 Oct 202400:52:34

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 397, in which I interview Gerrit Van Houtenberg about his new multiple universe feature film, Quantum Suicide, debuting on Amazon Prime Video on October 18.

Relevant links:

Paul Levinson interviews Bob Hutchins: An Optimistic Discussion of AI06 Oct 202401:11:20

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 396, in which I interview Bob Hutchins about AI.  My guess is you'll find this discussion much more optimistic about AI than what you'll usually hear.

Discussed or mentioned in this interview:

 

 

Patrick Rands interviews Paul Levinson about It's Real Life on WZBC Radio03 Oct 202400:58:53

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 395, in which Patrick Rands interviews me about It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles on his WZBC Radio program Abstract Terrain.

 

Paul Levinson interviews Dan Abella about The New York Science Fiction Film Festival10 Sep 202400:54:34

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 394, in which I interview Dan Abella about The New York Science Fiction Film Festival, to take place Saturday, September 14, 2024 at the Stuart Cinema and Cafe, 79 West Street in Brooklyn, NY.

  • more details here
  • my review of Gerrit Van Woudenberg's Quantum Suicide
  • my in-depth interview with Rufus Sewell about The Man in the High Castle

Among the science fiction filmmakers we discuss: Gerrit Van Woudenberg, Jay Kensinger, Frank Spotnitz, M. Night Shyamalan, Francis Ford Coppola

Among the science fiction authors we discuss: Philip K. Dick, Sam Delany, Robert Harris, Walter Mosley

 

It's the Debate that Failed, Not Biden30 Jun 202400:12:49

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 393, in which I argue that debate performance has nothing to do with how a candidate actually performs as President.

See also:

Review of Dark Matter 1.926 Jun 202400:07:56

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 392, in which I review Dark Matter 1.9 on Apple TV+.

Further places:

See also Deadline's interview with Blake Crouch

Review of Dark Matter 1.820 Jun 202400:06:12

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 391, in which I review Dark Matter 1.8 on Apple TV+.

Further places:

Review of Dark Matter 1.712 Jun 202400:09:08

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 390, in which I review Dark Matter 1.7 on Apple TV+.

Further places:

Review of Dark Matter 1.606 Jun 202400:06:51

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 389, in which I review Dark Matter 1.6 on AppleTV+.

Further places:

Review of Dark Matter 1.529 May 202400:09:16

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 388, in which I review Dark Matter 1.5 on AppleTV+.

Further places:

 

 

Review of Dark Matter 1.3-1.422 May 202400:08:35

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 387, in which I review Dark Matter 1.3-1.4 on AppleTV+.

Further places:

 

Paul Levinson interviews Mark Dawidziak about Edgar Allan Poe15 May 202401:11:40

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 386, in which I talk to Mark Dawidziak about his latest book A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe, and another iconic author Mark has written about, Mark Twain.

Review of Dark Matter 1.1-1.208 May 202400:08:44

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 385, in which I review Dark Matter 1.1-1.2 on AppleTV+.

Further places:

 

Review of Rebel Moon, Parts 1 and 230 Apr 202400:10:44

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 384, in which I review Rebel Moon, Parts 1 and 2.

Written blog post reviews of Rebel Moon, Part 1 and Part 2.

Review of Constellation23 Apr 202400:10:36

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 383, in which I review the first season of Constellation.

Written blog post review of Constellation.

Mentioned in the podcast:

 

 

Review of American Rust 216 Apr 202400:07:48

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 382, in which I review the second season of American Rust.

  • written blog post review of the second season of American Rust
'It's Real Life' at the Philip K. Dick Film Festival06 Apr 202400:43:02

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 381, a special Saturday episode of this podcast, in which Captain Phil and I talk about the Philip K. Dick Film Festival going on today at the Musuem of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens; a panel I'll be moderating there at 2:40 this afternoon on the Anatomy of a Feature Winning Script; my novel It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles which has just been published and for which no movie or TV script has yet been written (but a radio play has been adapted from the first chapter, see the links below); Philip K. Dick; and much more.

 

 

Review of 3 Body Problem season one02 Apr 202400:08:58

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 380, in which I review the first season of 3 Body Problem.

Book Launch and Reading of It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles novel at The Players30 Mar 202401:11:44

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 379, in which I take you into the Book Launch and reading I did of It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles, my new novel, based on the award-winning short story of the same name, in the historic Players Club in New York City on March 27, 2024.

  • "Paul Levinson's It's Real Life is a page-turning exploration into that multiverse known as rock and roll. But it is much more than a marvelous adventure narrated by a master storyteller...it is also an exquisite meditation on the very nature of alternate history." -- Jack Dann, The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History
  • Watch the video of the Book Launch here.
  • Get the book here.
  • Listen to the radio play adapted from the short story here.
  • Listen to "If I Traveled to the Past" here.
  • Interview about the novel here.
  • More about The Players.
  • More about the New York Society for General Semantics (sponsor of the Book Launch.)

 

Why Banning TikTok in the US Is a Bad Idea19 Mar 202400:14:34

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 378, in which I present the many reasons that banning TikTok in the United States -- or even threatening to ban TikTok in the U.S. -- is a bad idea.

Review of Hightown season 312 Mar 202400:08:56

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 377, in which I review the third season of Hightown.

  • written blog post review of the third season of Hightown, with links to my written reviews of most of the episodes of the first two seasons.
Paul Levinson interviews Dan Abella about The Mind Revolution Experience05 Mar 202400:49:30

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 376, in which I interview Dan Abella in George's Cafe in Manhattan about The Mind Revolution Experience (March 14, 7-9pm at The Producer's Club, 358 W. 44th Street, NYC) and the upcoming Philip K. Dick Film Festival (April 4-7, Musuem of the Moving Image, and other places in NYC).

Paul Levinson interviews Richard Sparks about New Rock, New Role28 Feb 202400:54:34

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 375, in which I interview Richard Sparks about his new novel, New Rock, New Role, as well as the joys and woes, the trials and tribulations and triumphs of the writerly life.

More about New Rock, New Role

 

Review of True Detective 420 Feb 202400:11:58

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 374, in which I review the fourth season of True Detective on HBO Max.

Review of Reacher 213 Feb 202400:07:25

Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 373, in which I review the second season of Reacher on Amazon Prime Video.

 

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