Pop culture is all-consuming. It dictates tastes in fashion. It molds the national lexicon and rules summertime music playlists. People who study and write about pop culture possess an ability to hold the mirror up to offer a reflection that sends back the truth about who we are and, at times, where we are going.
For over 40 years, Ann Powers has been writing about music and pop culture for outlets such as The Village Voice, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. She’s probably interviewed all of the relevant music artists of the past four decades — from Prince to Madonna — and she’s authored many books.
They include: “Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America, a memoir”; “Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black & White, Body and Soul in American Music, on eroticism in American pop music”; and “Piece by Piece,” which she co-authored with Tori Amos. Her latest is the highly anticipated “Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell.”
Since 2011, Powers has been writing for NPR as a music critic. She also spearheaded their multi-platform project, called Turning the Tables, that explored the 150 greatest albums by women.
After living all over the country, Ann Powers now calls Nashville her home. So, what stories does she have about her storied career? And after living in San Francisco and New York, what does she think of our city?
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM