Five O'Clock with Theral Timpson

About Five O'Clock with Theral Timpson

It's Five O'clock. The work day's behind. You're looking to unwind, but still have your mind. www.fivewiththeral.com (https://www.fivewiththeral.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Theral Timpson

Category

news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

22 Jun 2023

Latest episode

26 Oct 2024

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Oct 2024

   Why Have Your Genome Sequenced? with Kian Sadeghi, Nucleus Genomics

   Theral is joined today by the founder and CEO of Nucleus, a company which began offering whole genome sequencing to everyone for $400 earlier this year. Why should you have your genome sequenced? For that matter, what is your genome, and what is “sequenced?” Kian is a young founder who became passionate about genetics when his cousin suddenly died, and it was later revealed by her doctor that knowing about her genome could very well have saved her. Theral shares his own results from the Nucleus test today, exploring what he learned from his genome and how the service works. Theral tested above average risk for four conditions, two of which match with his medical history. What about your genome? How determinative are our genes? And how many other Americans have had their genome sequenced? “People are getting healthier as they become more cognizant and thinking more preventatively,” says Kian. “They want to measure their blood, their urine, all the way to their genetics. Genetics is part of this broader movement in America where people are quantifying themselves. Genetics is the foundation of your health.” This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

2. 

   13 Sept 2024

   "Didn't Feel Like a Creeker Boy." Courtney Tanner on Queer Life in Polygamous Border Town

   Some of us groove out on life in the country.  The city has its congestion and myriad problems: crime, high rent, noise.  There are so many things one has to think about in the city—for example, a parking space and, oh yeah, clean air.  Gone are the myriad stars at night. But country life has its challenges.  In Sinclair Lewis’ 1920 novel on this topic, Main Street, a girl from St. Paul, Minnesota marries a boy from the country who is now a doctor.  He wants to settle in his hometown.  When she first walks down its Main Street after unpacking in her new house, a certain Stephen King-like horror envelops her.  But it will only get worse at the first dinner party she throws.  Yes, she sees a life of boredom ahead.  She also feels suddenly dulled by the local prejudices. Main Street is one of the great American novels.  We have all felt what it is to be Carol Milford—a strong young personality who comes into conflict with the small town mentality of Gopher Prairie.  Still, if we live long enough, we might come around to the importance of towns like Gopher Prairie—having a small house with your own tomato patch out in the backyard of our broad expanse— in defining what it is to be a happy American. So what is to be done about that small town mentality and those prejudices which lend themselves so well to satire?  They are very real and must constantly be questioned and expanded. Rural towns ultimately benefit from characters like Carol Milford.  Which brings me to today’s podcast. Courtney Tanner is a journalist in Salt Lake City who has covered the polygamous towns of Colorado City and Hildale on the Utah/Arizona border for The Salt Lake Tribune.  Last month she attended the first drag queen show to take place in the town, staged at the town’s first bar.   She wrote up a marvelous article (https://www.sltrib.com/news/polygamy/2024/07/31/meet-drag-queen-raised-polygamist/) weaving the history of the town—my hometown—with one of the performers at the drag show, Violet Vox. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   6 Jun 2024

   Traditional Indigenous Foods with Chef Sean Sherman

   We’re on vacation this week, so we’re rerunning a podcast from early last summer with Native American chef, Sean Sherman.  For those of you who are into fine cuisine, Sean could inspire you in using local and natural ingredients. Sean made news with his restaurant in Minneapolis, Owamni which won the James Beard Award in 2022 for best new restaurant using only “pre-colonial” ingredients, food basics which existed in America before Columbus.  Berries, fowl, bison.  The restaurant is always sold out. Sean was honored with the Julia Child Award in 2023. “Control your food, and you control your destiny,” he says. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

4. 

   10 May 2024

   Do Polygamists Have Minority Status in America? with Shirlee Draper, Former FLDS Member

   How do you define minority in the political sense?  Is it merely a group with fewer than half the population?  Are polygamists minorities in America beyond the simple math with all that the political term confers?Shirlee Draper is a former member of the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints community.  When the group was taken over by Warren Jeffs, now jailed for life, she bailed.  It wasn’t easy.  She says that she wanted to leave the community for six years, but it was less friendly out “with the majority.”  Shirlee and Theral come from the same town on the Utah—Arizona border, which for a hundred years or so offered a romantic and religious reprieve from modernity. Both of them left the town and the religion. Shirlee is now the Director of Operations for Cherish Families, a nonprofit offering assistance to those in her hometown setting. Is it only for those who are leaving? No. It is for anyone and everyone.Much has been written about the polygamists in Colorado City.  The FLDS religion has been a magnet for sensationalist news stories from all of the major American channels.  Perhaps the most famous book on the town and culture was written in 2003 by former outdoor journalist John Krakauer, entitled Under the Banner of Heaven.  Neither Shirlee nor Theral are fans. Many books have been written by former members who often talk about “escape.”  This word holds no meaning for Shirlee or Theral.  Escape from what?  A vibrant strong community that served as their home “village?”In his book, Krakauer relies heavily on the term “cult.”  Shirlee says the word has little utility for framing her hometown and is harmful, pushing away the healing possibilities of integration and societal cohesion. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

5. 

   5 Apr 2024

   The Challenge of Expressive Performance in AI Music with Richard Timpson

   This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.fivewiththeral.com (https://www.fivewiththeral.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7) There is nothing more human than the creation and appreciation of music, says today’s guest,  Richard Timpson.  A few years ago, as part of his undergraduate degree, he wrote a thesis entitled Modeling Expressive Musical Performance with Transformers (https://www-old.cs.utah.edu/docs/techreports/2021/PDF/UUCS-21-008.pdf).  Today, Richard is a software engineer working at Salesforce with a passionate interest in AI music generation.  He also happens to be Theral's nephew.

6. 

   15 Feb 2024

   Chum Chats: Sean Tanamera

   Theral pushes “record” during another chat with friend Sean Tanamera. From current events to rapping ancient poetry, relax to the rhythm of amicable conversation. Special Offer from the Sponsor: Let’s face it, after a night with drinks, I don’t bounce back the next day like I used to. I have to make a choice: I can either have a great night OR a great next day. That is until I came across Zack and his genetically engineered probiotic. ZBiotics is offering the Mendelspod audience 15% off your first order. Click here and use discount code “THERAL.” This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

7. 

   21 Dec 2023

   "Closer To Truth" Host, Robert Lawrence Kuhn, on the Biggest Questions of All

   Are the brain and mind the same thing? Is the universe fine-tuned for consciousness?  What is consciousness?  These are some of the questions that Robert Lawrence Kuhn has asked leading scientists and philosophers for years on the PBS and YouTube series Closer to Truth. We’re excited to welcome Robert to Five O’Clock to preview a new series, Philosophy of Biology, which premiered this month on PBS. In his work, Robert asks some of the biggest questions more consistently than anyone I know. Show titles in the new series include Why Philosophy of Biology?, Reductionism and Emergence, and Philosophy of Sex and Gender. We spend some time on all three of these. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

8. 

   14 Dec 2023

   This Is Ukraine’s 1776: Rostyslav Semikov

   At a recent biotech conference, I met Ukrainian American Rostyslav Semikov.   He agreed to come to Five O’Clock to talk about the war going on in his country, what he says is their “War of Independence, their 1776.”Rostyslav’s parents live in Ukraine near the Zaphorisia nuclear power plant.  Not only are bombs dropping around them, but there could be a horrible nuclear accident. “Every time we talk, they say we may not see you.  And if something happens to us, we love you,” he says at the outset of today’s show.What is the history of the cultures between Ukraine and Russia?  Rostyslav says Russian President Vladimir Putin thought he would be welcome in Ukraine and overtake Kyiv within three days.  Twenty-one months later, the war drags on. This week, Senate Republicans blocked additional support for Ukraine.  Are Americans growing weary of support?  Rostyslav reminds us that the support of France turned the tide in the American War of Independence. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

9. 

   16 Nov 2023

   In the Vineyard with Winemaker John Delaney

   Chapters: 0:00 Malvasia Blanc, a winner in this year’s harvest. How do you choose varietals? 8:20 What is the diurnal shift? 13:35 Why single varietals? 17:20 Today’s trends 22:15 Wine for Thanksgiving? Southern Utah is home to some of the nation’s choice national and state parks, including Zion and Bryce Canyons. But there are more than park trails. The region now boasts one of America’s newest wine trails. For our pre-Thanksgiving show, we’re coming to you from the Bold and Delaney Vineyard in Dammeron Valley just outside St. George. John Delaney is an award-winning sommelier turned winemaker in one of America's newest wine regions. What is standing out this year? Is there a Southern Utah character emerging in grapes grown in the sand and volcanic lava? We finish by tasting John’s newest vintage, a stellar 2022 Petite Syrah that just went in the bottle. Join us for a relaxing stroll through the vineyard as we chat about today’s trends in wine and think about the right wine for Thanksgiving. Special Offer: Let’s face it, after a night with drinks, I don’t bounce back the next day like I used to. I have to make a choice: I can either have a great night OR a great next day. That is until I came across Zack and his genetically engineered probiotic. ZBiotics is offering the Mendelspod audience 15% off your first order. Click here and use discount code “THERAL.” Five O'Clock with Theral Timpson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

10. 

    9 Nov 2023

    Ben Laude on Interviewing Today's Great Pianists

    Chapters:0:00  Tonebase and celebrity pianists5:45 Seymour Bernstein21:10 Thoughts on Glenn Gould35:45 The classical music listenerWill we look back on the pandemic as the great age of YouTube?  Of all the online platforms, YouTube has delivered me the most value.  The promise of the internet was that it would connect us with our peeps, with those of like mind.  Whereas Facebook re-connected us with our high school crowd, YouTube puts us in touch with our current deep interests, and not just once or twice, but the algorithms deliver steady content that is tailored for us.For me, this has included a channel devoted to classical piano called Tonebase.  Ben Laude is the host of the channel, and after watching his great shows for three years now, I’m thrilled to engage with him in conversation on some of my favorite topics, the piano and pianists.  An accomplished concert pianist himself, Ben’s interviews with today’s greatest pianists are as entertaining as they are informative.“Music education is very private.  We practice by ourselves,” says Ben.   "Compare it to youth sports where we see everyone else doing it.  When you turn on the TV, everyone’s talking about the same game.  You see great athletes at the highest level.  A kid is going to want to play more piano if they see that others are playing.  They can now turn on YouTube and watch people who are really good at this, and they can enjoy it.  There is so much potential for cultivating a culture of participation in piano." This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

11. 

    27 Oct 2023

    The Art of Friendly Conversation with Sean Tanamara

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.fivewiththeral.com (https://www.fivewiththeral.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7) Chapters:0:00 Natural kinds15:30 Generative AI22:15 Our sponsors29:00 TiktokHost Theral Timpson and guest Sean Tanamara explore their friendship in a conversation about philosophy and current trends. Five O'Clock with Theral Timpson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid…

12. 

    4 Oct 2023

    Zack Abbott on GMOs and ZBiotics' Solution to Tough Mornings after Drinking

    Chapters: 0:00 Hangover biology8:12 Concern over GMOs: what is “natural?”26:36 The age of synthetic biology33:20 Who’s making the decision:  me or my microbes?Many of us enjoy a glass of wine over dinner. Sometimes two. Sometimes more. And we all have our own hangover cures. Lots of water. Some folks say salt helps if you have a headache. Zack Abbott is a scientist entrepreneur and CEO of ZBiotics, a company making a genetically engineered remedy for the common hangover.  Most of the toxic acetaldehyde that comes from alcohol is processed by the liver.  But some of it goes to the gut, and Zack says this is what gives us the morning-after symptoms from drinking.  ZBiotics is a probiotic that is genetically engineered to help the gut process this toxic byproduct, thereby relieving symptoms.Many in America and around the world are concerned about consuming genetically modified (GMO) products.  Zack says this concern is rooted in a good place, and he goes on to address the fears around GMO products.  For Zack, addressing this question is a great passion in life.  Part of the reason for founding ZBiotics was to engage with consumers on the GMO discussion, giving them a product that is helpful and optional. (Zack says we have been forced to accept many GMO products.)Zack and his company are part of a growing movement in synthetic biology focused on new consumer products that will enable better health and sustainable living. Five O'Clock with Theral Timpson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

13. 

    7 Sept 2023

    Genomicist Nathan Pearson on Ancestry, Racism, and Animal Minds

    Chapters:0:00 On DNA . . .10:45 The human mosaic: We’re all cousins20:25 Days of COVID - A scientist looks inward30:05 Lab leak?  The issue of biosecurity43:52 Why do we humans resist knowledge?52:15 Ancestry and racism1:02:45 Root is bringing genetic insights for free1:08:55 Umfeld: Animals and consciousness Today I’m pleased to welcome a friend to the show, someone who has been a podcast guest of mine many times.  For five years we did a monthly show together.  Nathan Pearson is the CEO of a genetic testing company, Root.  He’s also a brilliant scientist who I admire and respect.Nathan has been a leading genomicist at the time when next generation sequencers and high powered big data were bringing powerful new and cheap ways of looking at the human genome.What impact has genomics had on our understanding of who we are as humans?  We talk about the pandemic-was it was caused by a lab leak? Nathan is a specialist on ancestry. We talk about race and racism. We end with a disagreement about the minds of animals.Mostly, it is a fun conversation with one of my favorite people on the planet. Five O'Clock with Theral Timpson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

14. 

    23 Aug 2023

    Chemist Lee Cronin on Origins of Life, Death, and Aliens

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.fivewiththeral.com (https://www.fivewiththeral.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7) 0:00 Origin of life: Assembly theory provides the mechanism for selection before genes come along. 14:25 Criticism of assembly theory? 26:50 Cancer and death 40:49 Why would aliens have different mathematics? This interview with Glasgow-based professor of chemistry, Lee Cronin, was originally recorded on our sister biology podcast last summer. The show cov…

15. 

    8 Aug 2023

    Chef Sean Sherman on the Rebirth of Native American Cuisine

    Chapters:0:00 Why not more Native American restaurants?4:48 True wild rice, elk, bison, and Owamni’s menu9:27 "Control the food, control the people”—Henry Kissinger13:00 Not just food, but knowledge of food16:40 Engaging with modern capitalism to preserve ancient wisdom25:22 Is there support in the Native American community?27:35 "Be aware of the land."Why aren’t there more Native American restaurants around the country?  When you visit a big city, even a small city, you are treated to a wide variety of cuisines in America:  Italian, Chinese, French, German, Thai.  When was the last time you had Native American cuisine? Sean Sherman, called the Sioux Chef, is the owner of the Owamni restaurant (https://owamni.com) in Minneapolis.  On their menu, you will find food made only from ingredients available in America before Columbus. Instead of chicken, pork, and dairy, we see wild rice, rabbit, and bison. Starters (Wathotho) include Wild Mushroom Chowder and Sweet Potato Soup. For a main (Waksika Thanka), how about Seaweed Seabass or a Ribeye of Smoked Bison?  The Sioux Chef calls it “decolonialized food.” In 2022, Owamni won the James Beard Award for best new restaurant in the U.S., and recently Sean won the Julia Child Award for 2023.Sean joins us today to share the history of Native American cuisine, his path to creating Owamni, and his vision for an expanded Native food culture. We all know the sad story of why there aren’t more Native American restaurants.  But in asking this question anew, Sean is not only querying history but making a statement.  He is reimagining a future where Americans can connect and perhaps heal with our history while developing a new understanding of the land around us and its gifts all through the great joy of food. Five O'Clock with Theral Timpson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

16. 

    27 Jul 2023

    How Much Do Our Genes Determine Our Health? Howard McLeod on the Rising Impact of Genomic Research on Medicine

    Chapters:0:00 Why Southern Utah?5:00 How is genomics changing medicine?11:03 New genomics center at Utah Tech17:37 When should one get pharmacogenetics testing?25:10 Impact on cancer care33:32 Early cancer detection36:42 What about diabetes and cardiology?42:17 The future of genomics Most of us have family and friends who have died from cancer. We also know many who survive it. Whenever there is a cancer diagnosis, we are left asking why.  Is it lifestyle, is it family inheritance, or is it random mutations in the genes? In fact, the study of our DNA is revolutionizing cancer treatment. Since sequencing the human genome in 2003, four areas where biologists have traced connections between our genotype and our phenotype have become meaningful in mainstream medicine:  cancer, reproductive health, rare disease diagnosis and treatment, and pharmacogenetics, or matching the right drug to our genetic makeup.My producer, Ayanna, and I have talked much about genomics on our other podcast, Mendelspod (https://mendelspod.com).  That is its primary focus with an expert audience.    Over there we call it the “genomics revolution” or the “Century of Biology.”  Today we wanted to bring one of the superstars in the field of genomic medicine to Five O’Clock to discuss genomics and its impact on medicine and the average person.  Howard McLeod has been named as the top-ranked pharmacogeneticist in the U.S. and No. 2 globally.  He is a Professor of Biology and Medicine at the new Center for Precision Medicine and Functional Genomics at Utah Tech University in St. George, Utah.  Early in the program, Howard says, “Genomics is a bit of a crystal ball for an individual person, in terms of forecasting what is coming.  It’s not perfect.  There are all sorts of things that can happen that have nothing to do with your genome.  But it does allow you to find some things much earlier than they would declare themselves naturally.  Genomics now ranges from “I have cancer.  What is this cancer, and how should we treat it? All the way back to, “I’m a young person.   What things might I have in my future as I age?” According to Howard, these are early days in genomic medicine.    If this was a baseball game, Howard says, we’re in the third or fourth inning. “We’re still pretty early on.  We have the technology to know a lot more.  I expect that ten or fifteen years from now, we won’t spend a lot of time talking about genomics. And the reason why is it will just be normal.” 5 O'Clock with Theral Timpson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

17. 

    11 Jul 2023

    Republicans Call Democrats Marxists, But Who Really Was Marx? We Ask His Biographer, Jonathan Sperber

    Chapters: 0:00 Marx is not our contemporary, but from a past world that no longer exists 10:52 Two personal losses that shape the young Marx 17:35 The early journalist who writes against communism 21:45 In Paris, the communist is born 24:30 Finding "the proletariat" 31:00 Have Marx’s ideas had staying power? 34:15 Pushing back on historicism 37:13 Marx in today’s politics 43:50 What to read? Is Marx relevant today?  Our guest on today’s show says Marx was a product of the 19th century and not much more. But tune into the current presidential race in the U.S., and you’ll hear his name bandied about right and left—primarily by Republican candidates using Marx as a bogeyman.  Democrats can seem a bit nervous when Marx’s name comes up.   How much is their platform influenced by the New Marxists of the 60s and the application of Marx's core ideas to race, gender, and sexuality?  Indeed, how much do we still use Marxian economic categories to see history through the lens of class struggle? We talk with Jonathan Sperber, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Missouri and author of Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life (https://www.amazon.com/Karl-Marx-Nineteenth-Century-Jonathan-Sperber/dp/087140737X).  Jonathan’s aim in the book is to rethink the way we look at this famous thinker, activist, philosopher, journalist, economist, and author. “For a long time--and this reflects the impact of the Cold War and the massive political and military confrontations of the 20th century--people saw Marx as a contemporary.   He was either this brilliant thinker who understood perfectly the nature of today’s world and its future development, or he was this evil genius behind the most horrible mass murders and dictatorships of the 20th century.  If you liked Marx, he was Nelson Mandela.  If you didn’t like him, he was Sadam Hussein.  I think about him differently, someone more like Martin Luther,” says Jonathan at the outset of today’s program. Jonathan wants us to see Marx in context, as a person shaped by his time whose ideas were created for specific moments in the 19th century.   What events shaped the young Marx and turned him into one of Europe’s greatest agitators and activists and at one time, leader of the communist party?  What has been the staying power of Marx’s ideas, and how does he figure in today’s politics and political thought? 5 O'Clock with Theral Timpson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

18. 

    22 Jun 2023

    Robert Greenberg on the Story Behind Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto

    Chapters: 0:00 The story behind Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto: fearing his homosexuality 10:30 Do we let artists off the hook? 17:55 Are there Tchaikovskys around today? 27:45 Classical music was written by people like us - it’s for everyone 33:30 How does great music stop us in our tracks? Welcome to our first episode of the Five O’Clock Podcast.  I’m your host, Theral Timpson, and I'm delighted to share this journey with you.   Music has the ability to stop us in our tracks, whatever we might be doing.  A while ago, I was driving down the freeway in my car, and a song came over the radio that so moved me, I had to pull over.  It was Tchaikovsy’s violin concerto.  The piece filled me with such joy that I was overcome and found myself contemplating my entire life.  How does music do this?  Was Tchaikovsky just an expert composer sitting at his piano every morning moving notes around as he sipped his morning tea?  Well, it turns out, no.  There was a story behind the piece that was at the heart of Tchaikovsky’s personal life. When it comes to back stories on classical music, there is no one better to tell them than Robert Greenberg.  He’s a composer himself, a pianist, a professor, and a musicologist.  He can talk about music and musicians like no one I’ve ever heard.  I discovered Robert over twenty years ago in the audiobook section of the Los Angeles Public Library where I found one of his Great Courses series on Beethoven piano sonatas.  When I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, I had the chance to hear him live on numerous occasions giving the introduction to concerts such as complete Schubert string quartet cycles.  I am thrilled to have him on our first program. Back to Tchaikovsky.  What led to such an outpouring of joy and love in the violin concerto?  It was written after he fled his marriage of three weeks.  I give the popular story.  Robert has a seedier version. Tchaikovsky was always living on the edge—this gave him material.  But music also gave him an escape.  Are there Tchaikovskys around today?  Do we give artists a pass for all their drama because they create such beauty?  And, finally, how does music move us so profoundly? Robert says we are hard-wired for it.  It can change our heartbeat and intensify the biological patterns at our core.  Yes, all this, but after learning of Tchaikovsky’s personal story, is there more? A link (https://robertgreenbergmusic.com/blog/) to Robert’s fantastic blog 5 O'Clock with Theral Timpson is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe (https://www.fivewiththeral.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

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