Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The Year of Police Shootings, Pop Sonnets, and the End of Death Metal
A look at a year of police shootings. Nearly 1,000 people were killed by police in 2015. What have we learned?
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenFirst up, we hear from the lawyer of the Aguilar family. Twenty three-year-old Noel Aguilar was shot and killed by police in May 2014. What new evidence is brought to light by bystander videos? We also look at police shootings nationwide as the year comes to an end. Then, how do scientific advances really happen? A new study from an MIT professor explains how we move forward when elite scientists die. After that, a modern reworking on Shakespeare sonnets.And last but certainly not least, before we leave you for the holidays, a look at the last days of hair metal band Motley Crue. They play their last shows at STAPLES Center next week.
In this episode
5 storiesLA Shooting
Twenty-three-year-old Long Beach resident Noel Aguilar was shot and killed by police in May 2014. The entire incident, from the moment one of the policeman accidentally shot his own partner to the three shots fired at Noel Aguilar, killing him, was caught on the cellphone of a bystander. The video was released just last week by Aguilar’s family.
Read the story8 minA Year of Police Shootings
Nearly 1,000 people were killed by police in 2015. These incidents made headlines nationwide. But there isn’t any official counting of police killings in the U.S. The Washington Post has been closely following this and has collected data of their own on police shootings.
Read the story11 minDead Scientists Birth New Ideas
So how do scientific advances actually happen? A new report from M.I.T. finds that when old scientists pass on, a new generation can come up and elaborate on old findings. These new scientists are no longer in the shadow of the old scientists so they are more likely to publish new work.
Read the story7 minPop Sonnets
Love the song “Call Me Maybe?” Adele’s “Hello?” Well, imagine if those tunes were reworked as Shakespearean sonnets. There are rules: the sonnets have to be 14 lines long and have ten syllables per line. Find out how “this sick beat” from Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” is translated into Shakespearean glory.
Read the story15 minLast Days of Motley Crue
Next week the band Motley Crue will end its decades-long run with final shows at the Staples Center in Downtown L.A. We go behind-the-scenes on the iconic hair metal band. How did it become one of the biggest Los Angeles bands of the ‘80s, and is it really the end of an era at last? Our guests talk about their experiences with the band.
Read the story9 min
