When you spend decades meeting and writing about trailblazing stars like Chuck Berry, Ray

Charles, and Tammy Weinett, you end up with a lot of great stories to tell.

Peter Grahamic is here to talk about his new book, Looking to Get Lost, Adventures in

Music and Writing.

The composer Richard Wagner was a Titanic influence on all of the arts, not just music.

He was also, decades after his death, Hitler's favorite composer.

Alex Ross is here to talk about his new book, Vognorism, Art and Politics in the Shadow

of Music.

Alexander Alter will have an update from the publishing world, and the Times' critics

will join us for the latest in literary criticism.

This is the Book Review Podcast from The New York Times.

It's October 30th.

Filling in this week for Pamela Paul, I'm John Williams.

Peter Grahamic is here.

He's the author of several books about the blues and soul music and country music, as well

as biographies of Sam Cook and son records founder Sam Phillips, as well as the brilliant

and I think it's safe to say definitive, too volume life of Elvis Presley, Last Train

to Memphis, and Carolis Love.

His new book, Looking to Get Lost, Adventures in Music and Writing, collects pieces new

and old about figures including Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, and Howlin Wolf, among about

two dozen others.

And he's here to talk about it.

...