USModernist Radio - Architecture You Love – Details, episodes & analysis

It’s a sad day in the studio, because this is the last Modernism Week show of 2024.  We’ve brought you 11 wonderful episodes from our annual pilgrimage, and today wraps up the series with returning guests mid-century historian Charles Phoenix; Natascha Drabbe of iconichouses.org; traveling all the way from Canberra, Australia, Phillip Jones the Martini Whisperer; and Lautner homeowner Andrew Vottero.

Today we’re talking about an architecture TV series spanning the globe and a new design documentary.  Joining us is ByDesign’s Mike Chapman and IBM archivist Jamie Martin, who is featured in the new documentary Modernism Inc.  Later, musical guest Paget Moren.

Today, we’ll talk to three people who live in Palm Springs: the folks who work to document, share, and safeguard Palm Springs’ heritage – and gladly share their stories. First, expert tour guides John Stark and Trevor O’Donnell. Later on, the President of the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation, JR Roberts, working to bring back the theatre to its full glory.  

In the Modernist kitchen today, we’ve got a full course meal, starting with architect and author Scott Specht, architecture photographer Ste Murray, and wrapping up for dessert, the always delightful hosts of the podcast Bad Architecture, Sara Tietje-Mietz and Erin Kennealy.

Let’s talk art, maybe one of the paintings you could buy from today’s guests. The height of Modernist architecture was around 1962 but those butterfly roofs, dressing up for martini parties, sculpted tailfins, and even tiki décor have never been more popular.  Artists Danny Heller and Josh Agle, aka Shag, each brilliantly capture that midcentury vibe that keeps us all inspired. Later on, returning musical guest the great Stacey Kent with music from her new album.

In 1966 the first episode of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek launched a franchise still going strong nearly 60 years later.  Star Trek adapted midcentury Modern furniture for set design, from the Bridge to the Conference Room to buildings on the planets they landed on. In a follow up to Where No Furniture Has Gone Before, where we interviewed Dan Chavkin and Brian McGuire on their book Star Trek: Designing the Final Frontier, George travelled to Kingsland GA to see, and sit on, that special Star Trek furniture.  You’ll hear from Ray Tesi, owner of Neutral Zone Studios, and Vic Mignogna, Executive Producer of the true-to-canon web series Star Trek Continues.  Later on, quality time with musical guest Amanda Carr.

Ah, Aspen.  The land of clean air, brisk skiing, pensive thinktanks, and enormous wealth.  Nestled in the gorgeous mountains of Colorado, you might not know that Aspen was influenced by Modernism and has special connections to the Bauhaus in Germany.  Today you’ll hear from Lissa Ballinger, acting director of the Aspen Institute, about the Bauhaus-Aspen connection, and then it’s photographer Isaac Jeffreys one Modernist resorts of the Catskills in New York, famous for more than just comedians and Mrs. Maisel. Later, music with jazz trumpeter David Weiss and the Cookers.

Welcome to USModernist Radio, where we talk and laugh with people who enjoy, own, create, dream about, preserve, love, and hate Modernist architecture, the most exciting and controversial buildings in the world. It’s especially exciting in New York City, which punches way above its weight in architecture and architects, and today we’ll talk with three from that city, Peter Eisenman, Esther Sperber, and Richard Olcott. 

Palm Springs and Los Angeles have thousands of Modernist houses, but there are many towns with their own midcentury architectural heritage. From Modernism Week 2024, we talk with David Coffey about Bakersfield CA; Palm Desert CA native and architectural researcher Luke Leuschner, then Peter McMahon with Cape Cod Modern House Trust, for an update on saving Marcel Breuer’s Cape Cod house.

There are lots of famous people named Gordon, people like chef Gordon Ramsay, actress Ruth Gordon, musician Gordon Lightfoot, and even Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner.  Joining us are today are two Modernist Gordons, author Alistair Gordon and Chicago preservationist Barbara Gordon. Later, jazz with North Carolina’s own Kate McGarry.