Recode Decode: Ken Burns

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Technology, Business

4.3 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 October 2019

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Filmmaker Ken Burns talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his latest documentary series "Country Music," in which he explores the history of the genre, its place in the larger American musical landscape, and the powerful universality of "three chords and the truth." Burns says that unlike rock and jazz, country music is largely a story about powerful women, and also unpacks the ways in which it reflects the intermingling ethnic diversity of the US. He also discusses his online video destination Unum, which lets people curate "mixtapes" of history by drawing connections among Burns' 38 years of docuumentaries, and why he's glad he wasn't one of the first people to make the leap to digital filmmaking. Plus: Burns previews the next seven films he's working on, including the American Revolution, the Great Society, and the Buffalo. Featuring: Ken Burns, director and producer, Country Music, and founder of Unum Hosts: Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), Recode co-founder and editor-at-large More to explore: Subscribe for free to Reset, Recode's new podcast that explores why — and how — tech is changing everything. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Follow Us: Newsletter: Recode Daily Twitter: @Recode and @voxdotcom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for this show comes from Into the Mix, a Ben and Jerry's podcast about joy and justice produced with Fox Creative.
0:07.0	As state legislatures consider more than 500 anti-trans bills, the latest episode of Into the Mix asks,
0:13.0	how best to support and protect transgender youth.
0:16.0	Like Olioski, a young man who, despite growing up in a loving and supportive home,
0:20.0	felt the need for friendship with other trans and queer kids.
0:23.0	At just seven years old, he took initiative and built a lasting community.
0:27.0	That story, on Into the Mix, subscribe now.
0:36.0	When you drive a Chevy electric vehicle, you're getting more than a way to get from point A to point B.
0:40.0	You're saying goodbye to gas stations and how low to open roads.
0:44.0	With the growing network of public charging stations, you'll be able to charge your EV while you shop, work, or do whatever you want to be doing with your time.
0:51.0	Chevy is making EVs for everyone, everywhere.
0:55.0	Go to chevrolet.com slash electric to learn more.
1:03.0	Hi, I'm Karraswisher, Editor at Large of Recode.
1:05.0	You may know me as someone who wants to be the subject of a documentary,
1:08.0	but only if they play sad violin music while an actor reads my text messages.
1:12.0	But in my spare time, I'm a technology journalist and you're listening to Recode Decode,
1:16.0	a podcast about tech, politics, and media were part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
1:21.0	Today in the red chair, it's my great privilege to have Ken Burns, a filmmaker who's been making incredible documentaries for public television for almost 40 years.
1:28.0	His most recent documentary is a series called Country Music.
1:32.0	People don't know this, but I'm an enormous country music fan.
1:35.0	He also founded an online video website last year called UNIM,
1:39.0	which offers visitors a different way to explore the themes that have merged from his films and across American history.
	...

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