Paul LevinsonTom Cooper's Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan was published yesterday by Paul Levinson's Connected Editions. Levinson interviewed Cooper last night about the book, in front of a group of 51 scholars from the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and Poland gathered via Zoom -- a mini global village. The interview and subsequent Q&A is presented here in its entirety. We start off with some casual conversation ...
Levinson interviews Cooper re Wisdom Weavers: The Lives & Thought of Harold Innis & Marshall McLuhanPaul Levinson2025-05-02 | Tom Cooper's Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan was published yesterday by Paul Levinson's Connected Editions. Levinson interviewed Cooper last night about the book, in front of a group of 51 scholars from the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and Poland gathered via Zoom -- a mini global village. The interview and subsequent Q&A is presented here in its entirety. We start off with some casual conversation ...
Get the book in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover here amazon.com/dp/B0DM4GZ99J/ref=nosim/?tag=dexter2a-20Season 3 of Foundation: Paul Levinson, Joel McKinnon, and Cora Buhlert DiscussPaul Levinson2025-09-16 | Cora Buhlert and Joel McKinnon and I reconvene to discuss the third season of The Foundation series on Apple TV+ -- we discussed the first season in November 2021, and the second season in November 2023.
Cora joins Joel and me about 17 minutes into our discussion.
More from Cora http://corabuhlert.com More from Joel https://seldoncrisis.transistor.fm/
talk to us on Twitter/X: @CoraBuhlert @JoelGMcKinnon @PaulLevPaul Levinson interviews Jaqueline McLeod Rogers about Crises Then As NowPaul Levinson2025-09-10 | I had a wide-ranging conversation this afternoon with Jaqueline McLeod Rogers about her book Crises Then As Now: Marshall McLuhan, with Urbanist Jaqueline Tyrwhitt and Artist Gyorgy Kepes. In addition to McLuhan (and Tyrwhitt and Kepes), we also discussed Karl Popper (10min 28sec), Andrey Mir (16min 10sec), Joichi Ito (30min 22sec), Phil Ochs (40min, 52sec), the YES Network (45min 30sec), Neil Postman (48min, 40sec), and cancel culture.
More about Crises Then As Now here amazon.com/dp/1433197812/ref=nosim/?tag=dexter2a-20Song of the Unsung Mushroom #booktokPaul Levinson2025-09-09 | ...Life & Death of a 20th Century Troubadour: Paul Levinson and Josh Meyrowitz about Phil OchsPaul Levinson2025-08-04 | Welcome to Light On Light Though episode 414, the complete "radio documentary" on WFDU-FM from 1977 -- "Life & Death of a 20th Century Troubadour" -- in which Josh Meyrowitz and I discuss the life, death, and timeless impact of Phil Ochs and his music.
Note added 6 August 2025: The first song we played in our documentary was "Here's to the State of Richard Nixon," Phil's update (of course) of "Here's to the State of Mississippi". I was therefore very glad to come upon Daniel Kelly's (@DanielKellyFolkMusic ) "Here's to the State of California" which calls out the current despoilers of democracy youtu.be/uIwYDsTPbbo?si=MOS2mdwBUYaxPVfnPaul Levinson interviews Dan Abella about The Diary of Yoko MoriwakiPaul Levinson2025-07-31 | Yoko Moriwaki, a 13-year-old living in Hiroshima, began writing a diary on April 6, 1945. The diary ended on August 6, 1945, when Yoko was killed by the atom bomb that the United States dropped on her city. Dan Abella has written and directed a play based on Yoko's diary. The play will have two performances at The Producers Club, 358 West 44th Street, in Manhattan on August 6, 2025. I interviewed Dan about the play this afternoon ....
And the diary's available in print here amazon.com/dp/B00AXS50T0/ref=nosim/?tag=dexter2a-20Announcing: Song of the Unsung Mushroom by Sarah Clarke StuartPaul Levinson2025-07-17 | Coming January 2026 -- a new novel from Connected Editions! Song of the Unsung Mushroom by Sarah Clarke Stuart!
After a hurricane strikes a small Florida town, young Claire is never the same. Years later, her brother, Gunther, is still haunted by the suspicion that she was taken and replaced by something not quite human. Set in the wild landscapes of northern Florida and Western Appalachia, this eco-fiction (cli-fi) story is a lyrical, genre-blurring novel about loss, identity, and the hidden intelligence that pulses beneath our feet. Nature and technology dissolve into one, reshaping what it means to be human.
About Sarah: Sarah Clarke Stuart is a Professor of Communication at Florida State College at Jacksonville where she teaches literature, film, composition, and emerging technologies. Author of Literary Lost: Viewing Television Through the Lens of Literature (Bloomsbury) and Into the Looking Glass: Exploring the Worlds of Fringe (ECW Press), her nonfiction work explores the intersection of narrative, culture, and media. Song of the Unsung Mushroom is her debut novel; her previous fiction includes short stories such as “Immaculate,” which received Editor's Choice Award in the literary journal Fiction Fix. She contributed for many years to First Coast Magazine and Flamingo Magazine with articles grounded in a curious appreciation for the natural landscapes and stories of the region. Both Sarah’s fiction and current research are rooted in ecological interests and a deep sense of place and physical embodiment. Sarah is the creator and host of two podcasts: Lifeyness @thelifeynesspodcast which examines embodied mental health through storytelling, and AI Goes to College @AIGoestoCollegeFSCJ a series about artificial intelligence and the evolving nature of education.
"I See Trees Differently" by @DahliaDumontTheBlueDahlia from La tradition americaine, 2018.
Pre-sale on Amazon of Song of the Unsung Mushroom by Sarah Clarke Stuart coming soon!Paul Levinson interviews Michael M. Grynbaum about Empire of the ElitePaul Levinson2025-07-10 | I interviewed Mike Grynbaum this past Monday about his book Empire of the Elite: Inside Condé Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America, to be published July 15. Condé Nast is the publisher of The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, Wired, and other iconic magazines, so we had a lot to talk about.
Mike Grynbaum's "Mangia Mafia! Food, Punishment, and Cultural Identity in The Sopranos" in The Essential Sopranos Reader, eds. David Lavery, Douglas Howard, and Paul Levinson; University Press of Kentucky, 2011 amazon.com/dp/0813130123/ref=nosim/?tag=dexter2a-20
Mike Grynbaum interviewed by Morning Joe about Empire of the Elite msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/-empire-of-the-elite-tracks-the-glory-years-of-conde-nast-243252805852from Welcome Up: Songs of Space and Time by Paul Levinson on Old Bear RecordsPaul Levinson2025-06-16 | Words and music and vocal by Paul Levinson, produced by Chris Hoisington; recorded at Old Bear Studio 2018, released on Old Bear Records, 2020; full song and album open.spotify.com/album/37wvCBhRehNTULSRDkgVhi?si=7ePUjgPzSyK0BahQ26Ye6gPaul Levinson interviews Tom Cooper 1 May 2025 about Wisdom WeaversPaul Levinson2025-05-30 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 412, in which I interview Tom Cooper about his new book Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan published on May 1, 2025 by Connected Editions.
A group of 51 scholars from the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and Poland gathered on May 1 via Zoom -- a mini global village -- to see this interview with Tom Cooper. The interview and subsequent Q&A is presented here in audio its entirety. We started off with some casual conversation ...
Watch the entire interview on video youtu.be/3MHJFh_X-f0Captain Phil interviews Paul Levinson about Tom Coopers Wisdom WeaversPaul Levinson2025-04-19 | I returned to Captain Phil's Planet on WUSB (Stony Brook University) Radio the other day to talk to Captain Phil about Tom Cooper's new book, Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan, to be pubished by Connected Editions (my publishing company) on May 1.
As we discussed in the interview, I'll be interviewing Tom about his book via Zoom on the evening of Wisdom Weavers' publication -- 8pm (New York time), May 1. If you'd like to attend, email me at Levinson@Fordham.edu and I'll be happy to send the Zoom URL to you.
You'll also find numerous essays about McLuhan on my Academia.edu page https://fordham.academia.edu/PaulLevinson
And, if you're a fan of audio podcasts, just search on "McLuhan" on my Light On Light Through podcast page paullev.libsyn.comPaul Levinson Interviews The Polar EditorsPaul Levinson2025-04-12 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 410, in which I interview Kingsley Marin and Massimo Seriale, two freshmen at Fordham University, who have created and edit a new publication (independent of the University), The Polar.
More about The Polar here yourpolarnews.comPaul Levinson interviews Kingsley Marin & Massimo Seriale about The PolarPaul Levinson2025-04-01 | I interview two Fordham University freshman about their new, unique publication The Polar, a totally independent online publication created and run by Kingsley Marin (aka King) and Massimo Seriale (aka Mass). They're Fordham University students but this important online journal is not an official university student activity.
More about The Polar -- including a subscription button (FREE) -- over here www.yourpolarnews.comConversation 2: Sergio Pistoi & Paul Levinson Discuss The Last Of US in March 2023Paul Levinson2025-03-10 | Biologist Sergio Pistoi invited me to talk with him about the first season of The Last of Us shortly after it concluded on 12 March 2023. We had this discussion 28 March 2023, and it expanded into an analysis of the post-apocalyptic genre in general, with at look at some other post--apocalyptic narratives. With the second season of The Last of Us set to debut on 13 April 2025, this seemed like a good time to finally put up our discussion of 2023, which seems now like more than a century ago.
Review of The Last of Us, Season 2, first two episodes paullevinson.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-last-of-us-21-22-killing-cold.htmlI talk to Simon Vozick-Levinson talk about why Sam Cookes A Change Is Gonna Come Is At the TopPaul Levinson2025-03-09 | I talk to Simon Vozick-Levinson about why Sam Cooke was put at the top of Rolling Stone list of The 100 Best Protest Songs of All Time. Spoiler alert: we also sing a bar or two from a few of Sam's songs. Listen to the whole discussion here youtu.be/YgR0F-IL3A8Paul Levinson interviews Simon Vozick-Levinson re: Rolling Stone 100 Best Protest Songs of All TimePaul Levinson2025-02-28 | I interviewed Simon Vozick-Levinson, Deputy Editor of Rolling Stone, a few hours ago about Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Protest Songs of All Time. We discussed, in particular, Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Sam Cooke. We also discussed, given what's going on in the news today, Trump's mistreatment of Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, the inapt trashing of Francis Ford Coppola 's Megalopolis by the Razzies, and the band Trupa Trupa's appearance tomorrow night (1 May at 9pm) at Bowery Electric in New York City.
My interview with Sarah Seltzer about her novel The Singer Sisters youtu.be/E4iMSE--R4YUnique, Dramatic Reading of Its Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles, at Big Red BooksPaul Levinson2025-02-24 | At Big Red Books in Nyack, NY, on 23 February 2025, I was joined by Anthony Marinelli, Amanda Greer, Denise Reed, and Frank LoBuono in a unique, pop-up dramatic reading from my novel, It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles. What was unique about this dramatic reading is that Anthony Marinelli (a playwright) and Amanda Greer (an actress) are not only real people but important characters in the novel. Denise Reed is also an actress (who played the part of the nanny in a 2024 episode of CBS's hit series FBI), and Frank LoBuono is the host of the Being Frank Podcast, where I've been interviewed many times. (Richie Fulco, owner of Big Red Books, had a cameo in the reading.) The reading is followed by a Q & A with the perceptive audience. (Thanks Frank for getting this video recorded.)
Frank LoBuono's interview of Anthony Marinelli, Amanda Greer, Denise Reed, and me on the Being Frank Podcast, open.spotify.com/episode/02Akvr9SVjA3XgdGmYip5u?si=977eeafd26754e11Richie tells you about a big event in his bookstorePaul Levinson2025-02-21 | ...Portals to an alternate universe …Paul Levinson2025-02-15 | ...Join us in another universe ...Paul Levinson2025-02-12 | 23 February at Big Red Books in Nyack, NYPaul Levinson interviews Lance Strate about His New Book: Not A, Not Be, &CPaul Levinson2025-02-12 | I interviewed Lance Strate this afternoon about his latest book, "Not A, Not Be, &C". Among the topics we discussed: general semantics, media ecology, Marshall McLuhan, Alfred Korzybski, Neil Postman, Elon Musk, politics, space travel, poetry, and humor.
Pre-order Tom Cooper's Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan amazon.com/dp/B0DM4GZ99J/ref=nosim/?tag=dexter2a-20Its Real Love dramatic reading at Big Red BooksPaul Levinson2025-02-05 | In this video: YT, Anthony Marinelli, Amanda Greer, Frank LoBuono, Denise Reed; vocal by youtube.com/@AnneReburn (from the It's Real Life radio play on KLW the Killerwatt , produced by Vin Ciclone). Dramatic reading -- FREE -- at Big Red Books in Nyack, NY, 23 February 4:30pmDramatic reading from It’s Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles at Big Red Books in NyackPaul Levinson2025-02-05 | ...Paul Levinson interviews David Browne about Talkin Greenwich VillagePaul Levinson2025-02-03 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 406, and my in-depth interview with Rolling Stone writer David Browne about his masterful book, Talkin' Greenwich Village. We talk at length about Dave Van Ronk, Joni Mitchell, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, The Blues Project, Bob Lind, and a little less about many others, including Hegel and his spirit of an age.
Catch me at Big Red Books, Nyack, NY, February 23, doing a dramatic reading from It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles, with Anthony Marinelli and Amanda Greer, real people who appear as characters in the novel, and Frank LoBuono and Denise Reed. eventbrite.com/e/dramatic-reading-from-its-real-life-an-alternate-history-of-the-beatles-tickets-1222908625619Paul Levinson interviews David Browne about Talkin Greenwich VillagePaul Levinson2025-02-01 | My in-depth interview with Rolling Stone writer David Browne about his masterful book, Talkin' Greenwich Village. We talk at length about Dave Van Ronk, Joni Mitchell, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, The Blues Project, Bob Lind, and a little less about many others, including Hegel and his spirit of an age.
Note: Slight glitch in the video recording at 50 min 41 secs, but you can still get the gist of what I was saying.
My review of Talkin' Greenwich Village: paullevinson.blogspot.com/2025/01/david-brownes-talkin-greenwich-village.htmlDramatic Reading from 2nd Chapter of Its Real Life: An Alternate History of The BeatlesPaul Levinson2025-01-09 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 405: Howard Margolin invited me to join him on his Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction show (on WUSB Radio) in a dramatic reading from the second chapter of my 2024 novel, It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles. Here's the reading, with some commentary before and after by me.
February 23, 2025 up-coming in-person dramatic reading from parts of the novel -- at Big Red Books in Nyack, NY -- featuring Anthony Marinelli (playwright, director) and Amanda Greer (actor), who are real-life characters in the novel bigredbooks.net/events/1648320250223
Listen to the full episode of Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction, with both the reading in this podcast, and Howard Margolin's interview with me, before and after our reading, December 27, 2024, FREE http://captphilonline.com/Destinies/Destinies_12_27_24.mp3Review of A Complete Unknown: Nearly Completely Superb, Slightly Alternate HistoryPaul Levinson2024-12-29 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 404, in which I review A Complete Unknown, the new Bob Dylan biopic, which my wife and I went to see on its opening day, Christmas, in New York.
my video interview of Sarah Seltzer, author The Singer Sisters, a novel about a folk-singing family youtu.be/E4iMSE--R4Y
It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles (my novel) amazon.com/dp/B0CVD38ZLQ/ref=nosim/?tag=dexter2a-20Paul Levinson interviews Sarah Seltzer about The Singer SistersPaul Levinson2024-12-25 | My interview of Sarah Seltzer about her debut, much talked-about novel, The Singer Sisters. We discuss what she wrote about in the novel, the song lyrics she created for the book, the role of critics in the creative world, and more.
My review of A Complete Unknown paullevinson.blogspot.com/2024/12/a-complete-unknown-completely-superb.htmlPaul Levinson interviews Jared Moshe about AporiaPaul Levinson2024-12-23 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 403, in which I interview Jared Moshe about his movie Aporia, a time-travel movie on Hulu that explores, in a way I've never seen before, the wrenching ethical dilemmas that arise when you try to change the past.
Relevant links:
my written review of Aporia Aporia on Hulu more about Jared Moshe here my best-known time travel novel my best-known alternate history novelReview of Dexter: Original Sin 1.1-1.3Paul Levinson2024-12-21 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 402, in which I review Dexter: Original Sin on Paramount+Showtime.
my best-known alternate history novel amazon.com/dp/B0CVD38ZLQ/ref=nosim/?tag=dexter2a-20Paul Levinson interviews Dan Abella about The Psychedelic Film and Music Festival, NYC, 14 Dec 2024Paul Levinson2024-12-07 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 401, in which I interview Dan Abella about The Psychedelic Film and Music Festival, NYC, 14 Dec 2024. (Kendall Brown, Operations Manager for the Festival, joins us in the interview.)
Relevant links:
The Psychedelic Film and Music Festival written interview with me by Evan Levine, in which I discuss Hegel's "spirit of an age" (see 10th question in the interview) Dan Abella's play, "Timothy X’s Journey from PTSD to Wholeness," to be performed live at the Festival [scroll down] McLuhan in an Age of Social Media Lioness (streaming on Paramount+)Paul Levinson interviews Dan Abella about The Psychedelic Film and Music Festival, NYC, 14 Dec 2024Paul Levinson2024-12-07 | I interview Dan Abella about The Psychedelic Film and Music Festival which will take place in Manhattan, at the Producer's Club, 358 West 45th Street, on Saturday, December 14, 2024. (Kendall Brown, Operations Manager for the Festival, joins us in the interview.)
Links to some of what we discuss in the interview:
Dan Abella's play, "Timothy X’s Journey from PTSD to Wholeness," to be performed live at the Festival: psychedelicfilmandmusicfestival.com [scroll down]
Lioness (streaming on Paramount+): paramountplus.com/shows/lionessReview of Beatles 64Paul Levinson2024-11-30 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 400, in which I review the Beatles '64 documentary that just went up yesterday on Disney+.
Here are links to some of the many people and things I discuss in the podcast: my written review of Beatles '64: https://vocal.media/stories/review-of-beatles-64
my 1972 article about Murray the K in The Village Voice: https://www.academia.edu/30244407/Murray_the_K_in_Nostalgias_Noose
my 1971 article about Paul McCartney in The Village Voice: https://www.academia.edu/30244297/A_Vote_for_McCartney
Evan Levine's 25 November 2024 written interview with me swanfungus.substack.com/p/interesting-people-paul-levinsonReview of Dune: Prophecy 1.1-1.2: The Hart of the MatterPaul Levinson2024-11-28 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 399, in which I review Dune: Prophecy 1.1-1.2 on HBO Max.
written review of Dune Prophecy 1.1-1.2 https://vocal.media/stories/review-of-dune-prophecy-1-1-1-2Paul Levinson talks to Andrew Hoskins about AI & the End of the Human PastPaul Levinson2024-10-30 | I talked to Andrew Hoskins a few hours ago about his article "AI and Memory" -- published last month in Memory, Mind, and Media -- and the book he is developing on this topic, "The Deadbot Society: AI and the End of the Human Past"
And you find out more about McLuhan in an Age of Social Media here amazon.com/dp/B01711U3GG/ref=nosim/?tag=dexter2a-20Paul Levinson interviews Gerrit Van Woudenberg about Quantum SuicidePaul Levinson2024-10-18 | Released today (October 18, 2024) on Tubi, Plex, and Amazon Prime Video: Gerrit Van Woudenberg's feature multiverse movie, Quantum Suicide. We talked about it for almost an hour the other day ...
Some relevant links:
my review of Quantum Suicide https://vocal.media/futurism/review-of-quantum-suicide
The Chronology Protection Case novelette amazon.com/dp/B00YSZIRTO/ref=nosim/?tag=dexter2a-20Paul Levinson interviews Gerrit Van Woudenberg about his new movie Quantum SuicidePaul Levinson2024-10-16 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 397, in which I interview Gerrit Van Houtenberg about his new multiple universe feature film, Quantum Suicide, debuting on Amazon Prime Video on October 18.
Relevant links:
my review of Quantum Suicide https://vocal.media/futurism/review-of-quantum-suicide
The Chronology Protection Case novelette amazon.com/dp/B00YSZIRTO/ref=nosim/?tag=dexter2a-20Patrick Rands interviews Paul Levinson on WZBC Radio about his alternate history Beatles novelPaul Levinson2024-10-09 | Patrick Rands interviewed me at the end of September about my novel, It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles. We did the interview via Zoom, and here's the video.
check out Big Red Books, 120 Main Street, Nyack, NY, if you'd like to get a paperback copy of It's Real Life in person bigredbooks.net/events/463320241006
Yoko Ono's Cambridge 1969 drive.google.com/file/d/1lHdr17T-SkgWZnkvDeoFxhlJS8UuDcIF/view?usp=sharingPaul Levinson interviews Bob Hutchings: An Optimistic Discussion of AIPaul Levinson2024-10-07 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 396, in which I interview Bob Hutchins about AI. My guess is you'll find this discussion much more optimistic about AI than what you'll usually hear.
Discussed or mentioned in this interview:
"On Behalf of Humanity: The Technological Edge" my 1996 article https://www.academia.edu/35996849/On_Behalf_of_Humanity_The_Technological_Edge
my review of Confronting the Presidents https://vocal.media/theSwamp/confronting-the-presidentsPatrick Rands interviews Paul Levinson about Its Real Life on WZBC RadioPaul Levinson2024-10-03 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 395, in which Patrick Rands interviews me about It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles on his WZBC Radio program Abstract Terrain.
Yoko Ono's Cambridge 1969 drive.google.com/file/d/1lHdr17T-SkgWZnkvDeoFxhlJS8UuDcIF/view?usp=sharingPaul Levinson interviews Dan Abella about The New York Science Fiction Film FestivalPaul Levinson2024-09-07 | I interviewed Dan Abella today about The New York Science Fiction Film Festival, to take place Saturday, September 14, 2024 at the Stuart Cinema and Cafe, 79 West Street in Brooklyn, NY. More details here newyorksci-fifest.com
Among the science fiction filmmakers we discuss: Gerrit Van Woudenberg, Jay Kensinger, Frank Spotnitz, M. Night Shyamalan, Francis Ford Coppola
Among the science fiction authors we discuss: Philip K. Dick, Sam Delany, Robert Harris, Walter MosleyIts the Debate that Failed, Not BidenPaul Levinson2024-06-30 | Welcome to Light On Light Through, Episode 393, in which I argue that debate performance has nothing to do with how a candidate actually performs as President.
and 1.4 paullevinson.blogspot.com/2024/05/dark-matter-14-multiverse-unveiled.htmlPaul Levinson interviews Mark Dawidziak about Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, and morePaul Levinson2024-05-14 | I interview Mark Dawidziak about his newest book A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe. We also talk about Mark Twain, the joys of writing and fame, and lots of other like things.