8-22-12: To What Strange Place

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Nagoski-0822.mp3

This conversation was originally broadcast on December 20, 2011.

Former Frostburg resident Ian Nagoski collects 78 RPM records and resurrects the music–and stories–of subcultures from all over the world. He first appeared on Maryland Morning in June 2009, playing songs from India, Indonesia, Turkey, and South Africa recorded during the first half of the twentieth century. He came back half a year later to take us into the world of 1920s Greek hash dens.

Over the past few years, he’s released a string of very highly regarded compilations, most recently To What Strange Place: The Music of the Ottoman-American Diaspora, 1916-29 on Tompkins Square Records. Tom spoke with Ian about the stories behind the songs last December.

Ian toured Western Europe in February and says he will return there in October. Earlier this year, Ian released an LP, What Remains of Eden: Music from Anatolia and the Levant, 1928-55, on Mississippi/Canary, as well as Bed Of Pain: Rembetika, 1931-55.

Ian is also the host of Fonotopia, a series of five hour-long podcasts Ian produced with some folks here at WYPR. Some of the themes include early southern gospel music, vocal virtuosos, and…life. That’s right, life.