In 'Dylan Goes Electric!', Elijah Wald delves into the cultural, political, and historical context of Bob Dylan's seminal performance at the Newport Folk Festival on July 25, 1965. The book provides new insights into Dylan’s artistic evolution, his affinity to blues, his complex relationship with the folk establishment and his mentor Pete Seeger, and how he reshaped popular music. Wald breaks down the myth surrounding this event, focusing on the social, cultural, and political changes of the 1960s and how Dylan's decision marked a significant shift from folk to rock music, making it a defining moment of the era.
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that chronicles the daring deeds of its titular hero, Beowulf. The story begins with Beowulf's journey to help King Hrothgar of the Danes, whose mead hall, Heorot, is terrorized by the monster Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel and later Grendel's mother, then returns to his homeland to become king of the Geats. After ruling for 50 years, he faces his final battle against a fire-breathing dragon, which ultimately leads to his death. The poem explores themes of heroism, fate, and the struggle between civilization and wilderness[1][3][5].
The book begins with the discovery of a young woman's body during the grand opening celebration of the Nakamoto Corporation's new headquarters in Los Angeles. Lieutenant Peter J. Smith and retired Captain John Connor, who is well-acquainted with Japanese culture, are tasked with solving the murder. The investigation delves into a complex web of industrial intrigue, corporate battles, and cultural differences between Japan and the United States. Crichton explores themes of Japanese economic dominance, cultural differences, and the implications of foreign direct investment in the U.S. high-technology sectors[1][4][5].
In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman chime in on the ongoing online debate over a federal visa program for high-skilled workers and look back at the legacy of former President Jimmy Carter.
04:04—H-1B visa debate
21:07—Biden blocks sale of U.S. Steel to Japan's Nippon Steel
30:49—Weekly listener question
41:13—Former President Jimmy Carter dead at 100
57:59—This week's cultural recommendations
Mentioned in this podcast:
"Can Nativists and Dynamists Coexist Within Trump's MAGA Coalition?" by Eric Boehm
"Bernie Sanders Is Still Wrong About Immigration," by Joe Lancaster
"Trump Promised More Legal High-Skilled Immigration. His Record Says Otherwise," by Kevin Garcia-Galindo
"Trump Suddenly Loves Immigration," by Liz Wolfe
"Democrats Learned that Voters Don't Like Border Chaos," by Alex Nowrasteh
"Don't Blame Melania Trump for Breaking Immigration Laws: CHANGE THE DAMN LAWS," by Nick Gillespie
"Miller outlines how Trump administration would prioritize mass deportations," by Rebecca Falconer and Russell Contreras
"The U.S. benefits from immigration but policy reforms needed to maximize gains," by Daniel Costa, Josh Bivens, Ben Zipperer, and Monique Morrissey
"Blocking the U.S. Steel Sale Is a Perfectly Disgraceful End to Biden's Political Career," by Eric Boehm
"Corpse President Says Companies Can't Do What They Want," by Liz Wolfe
"Bootleggers and Baptists in the U.S. Steel Deal," by Eric Boehm
"Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel Merger Poses No National Security Threat," by Jack Nicastro
"Trump's Vow To Block U.S. Steel's Sale Sends Stock Tumbling," by Eric Boehm
"Abolish Amtrak," by Jason Russell
"Privatize the Postal Service, Amtrak, Airports, and More," by Veronique de Rugy
"This Company Is Running a High-Speed Train in Florida—Without Subsidies," by Natalie Dowzicky
"How Are Your State's Roads Funded?" by Janelle Fritts
"Congressional Testimony: The Long-Term Solvency of the Highway Trust Fund," by Robert W. Poole
"How Do Long Distance Trains Perform Financially?" by Amtrak
"Why Can't We Build Anything?" by Katherine Mangu-Ward
"The $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill Spends a Lot More Money on the Same Old Highway Programs," by Christian Britschgi
"America's Highways Need That Trillion Dollars Congress Already Spent," by Matt Welch
"Road to Ruin," by Robert Poole
"RIP Jimmy Carter, the 'Passionless' President," by Gene Healy
"Jimmy Carter, 'The Great Deregulator,' 1924–2024," by Nick Gillespie
"Jimmy Carter Supported Federal Pot Decriminalization for Half a Century. It Still Has Not Happened," by Jacob Sullum
"Jimmy Carter's Gift to Hollywood Was No Gift to Georgia Taxpayers," by Joe Lancaster
"Jimmy Carter Sparked a Craft Beer Explosion by Getting Government Out of the Way," by Eric Boehm
"What Jimmy Carter and Jerry Brown Can Teach Us About Deregulation," by Matt Welch
"Energy and the National Goals—A Crisis of Confidence," by Jimmy Carter
"Why Do We Have a Department of Education? Jimmy Carter's Debt to a Teachers Union," by Anthony Fisher
"Tom Wolfe, RIP," by Matt Welch
"Tom Wolfe Is Dead but the 'Me Decade' Lives On (and That's a Good Thing)," by Nick Gillespie
"Tom Wolfe on 2012 Election: 'I Wrote in Ron Paul,'" by Brian Doherty
"Does Bob Dylan Have a Politics and if Yes, What the Hell Are They? by Nick Gillespie, Brian Doherty, and Andrew Kirell
"Jeffrey Edward Green: Why Bob Dylan's Prophecies Continue To Fascinate," by Nick Gillespie
"Positively Fourth Rate," by Nick Gillespie
Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.
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Audio production by Ian Keyser
Assistant production by Hunt Beaty
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve
- Video Editor: Ian Keyser
- Producer: Hunt Beaty
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The Reason Roundtable 
