Playlist: Anything But Coronavirus
Compiled By: PRX Editors

Fun new specials and short classic pieces.
2020 Re:sound Specials from Third Coast (Series)
Produced by Third Coast International Audio Festival
Re:sound is a remix of documentaries handpicked by the Third Coast International Audio Festival.
Most recent piece in this series:
Re:sound - The Chicago Show
From Third Coast International Audio Festival | Part of the 2020 Re:sound Specials from Third Coast series | 59:00
This hour: Chicago. Hogbutcher to the world, jewel of the Midwest, and everything in-between. Couple Two Tree by Sean Cole
Chicago, as all Chicagoans know, means wild onion. Wild, as in feral, unpredictable, fierce, blustery, lunatic. Onion, as in layered, spicy, sometimes stinky, sometimes sweet, and always tear-inducing.
Featuring:
Studs and Jimmy by Alan Hall
Riding Through the Summer by Katie Mingle
Elevated (Grand Chicago) by Aaron Ximm
Chicago's Gangster by Heather Radke
Beat Street by Chris Sewell
The Big City by Sean Hurley
I've Never Lived in Chicago by Jonathan Mitchell
Tripping the Light Fantastic with Abraham Levitan by Delaney Hall and Jacob Anderson
The Retro Cocktail Hour (Series)
Produced by Kansas Public Radio
Swinging bachelor pad music, exotica, bossa nova and groovy movie soundtracks.
Most recent piece in this series:
The Retro Cocktail Hour #991
From Kansas Public Radio | Part of the The Retro Cocktail Hour series | 01:58:29
- Playing
- The Retro Cocktail Hour #991
- From
- Kansas Public Radio
LBJ and the Great Society
From LBJ and the Great Society | 52:00
Before Vietnam sunk his presidency, LBJ compiled record accomplishments domestically: medicare, civil and voting rights, immigration reform, and public broadcasting. Hosted by Melody Barnes, chief domestic policy advisor to Barack Obama.
- Playing
- LBJ and the Great Society
- From
- LBJ and the Great Society
President Lyndon B. Johnson is today remembered largely for his failure in Vietnam. But before the war sunk his presidency, LBJ compiled a record of accomplishment on the domestic front unmatched since FDR. Medicare, civil and voting rights, clean air and water, Head Start, immigration reform, public broadcasting — fifty years later, these programs are so deeply woven into the fabric of American life that it is difficult to imagine the country without them.
So how did Lyndon Johnson, who made so ruinous a mess in Vietnam, pull off so extraordinary a feat at home? That’s the question we’ll be exploring through the recorded recollections of those who were there when this history was being made, and who had a hand in its making. Hosted by Melody Barnes, chief domestic policy advisor to Barack Obama and now co-head of the Democracy Initiative at the University of Virginia.
Imaginary Worlds (Series)
Produced by Eric Molinsky
Imaginary Worlds makes us think more deeply about the real world. It's a bi-weekly podcast about sci-fi, comic books, fairy tales and other fantasy genres -- how we create them and why we suspend our disbelief. These are the backstories of our stories.
Most recent piece in this series:
Haunted By Pepper's Ghost
From Eric Molinsky | Part of the Imaginary Worlds series | 27:14
- Playing
- Haunted By Pepper's Ghost
- From
- Eric Molinsky
A play by Charles Dickens. The Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. A hologram of a famous dead pop singer. They’re all connected by a simple magic trick called Pepper’s Ghost. What’s most remarkable about this illusion is that it hasn’t changed much in over 160 years. I talk with Jim Steinmeyer and Ben Schrader, both designers of theatrical special effects, about why a Victorian magic trick is more popular than ever at modern theme parks and other live entertainment venues.
Peace.
From Jenna Hammerich | 12:26
When you're raised by hippies, anything goes.
- Playing
- Peace.
- From
- Jenna Hammerich
A child of 70s flower children, I grew up with no rules, no discipline. What awful kind of adult would I be?
Buck, Naked
From Andrew Norton | 04:45
Buck Dietz is a figure model. That means he has to stand naked and completely still for long sessions while artists sketch him. But for Buck, it's more than just standing there. He shares his surprising techniques that make his artform... sing.
- Playing
- Buck, Naked
- From
- Andrew Norton
Buck Dietz is a figure model. That means he has to stand naked and completely still for long sessions while artists sketch him. But for Buck, it's more than just standing there. He shares his surprising techniques that make his artform... sing.
Hope (A Three Part Series from To the Best of Our Knowledge) (Series)
Produced by Wisconsin Public Radio
You know what it feels like. But where does it come from? How do we make it? And are we really doomed? Join PRX's To the Best of Our Knowledge for a three episode journey in search of hope.
Most recent piece in this series:
Hope, Part Three: Are We Really Doomed?
From Wisconsin Public Radio | Part of the Hope (A Three Part Series from To the Best of Our Knowledge) series | 58:59
Can hope co-exist with cataclysmic realities like climate change? We conclude our "Hope" series with a look at the future.