This Saturday Morning: Kim begins the morning by talking to journalist and author Jonathan Freedland about writing in the post-truth age, including writing novels under the pseudonym Sam Bourne; historical biographer Artemis Cooper describes how she chooses her fascinating subjects from yesteryear; the new Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt explains why he was the right man for a very prescient job; Dr Lisa Sanders, who writes the hugely popular Diagnosis column for the New York Times and was the inspiration for the hit television series House M.D., talks about her own cancer struggle; 'new age traveller' Roy Gurvitz on the challenges of running Lost Vagueness, a hyper-charged bacchanalian party at the Glastonbury music festival, and finally, Te Papa's Dr Dean Peterson - scientist, rocker, and the man overseeing the roll-out of the museum's first major development, Te Taiao Nature exhibition space.     

 

 

 

8.09  Jonathan Freedland aka Sam Bourne - America on a knife-edge 

Jonathan Freedland

Jonathan Freedland Photo: The Guardian

Sam Bourne is the pseudonym of Jonathan Freedland, an award-winning journalist and broadcaster. He has written a weekly column for the Guardian since 1997, having previously served as the paper's Washington correspondent. He has won awards for his columns and his first novel, The Righteous Men, was a Number 1 bestseller. His next two novels, The Last Testament and The Final Reckoning were both top ten bestsellers. His latest book written as Sam Borne is To Kill The Truth, which examines a world 'without truth' - and who stands to gain.
 

 

 

9.04   Artemis Cooper - Doyenne of the historical biography 

Artemis Cooper

Artemis Cooper Photo: Supplied / Nella Beevor

Artemis Cooper is the author and co-editor of a wide of non-fiction titles including three major biographies: on the author, scholar and adventurer Patrick Leigh Fermor, novelist and wife of Sir Kingsley Amis, Elizabeth Jane Howard, and Elizabeth David, the woman credited with bringing Mediterranean cooking to Britain. The granddaughter of Lady Diana Cooper, she has also written Cairo in the War 1939-45, and co-written Paris After The Liberation with husband Antony Beevor. Artemis Cooper will shortly be appearing at the Auckland Writers Festival, details here.
 

 

 

 

9.35 Paul Hunt - NZ's new Human Rights Commissioner 

Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt

Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt Photo: Supplied

Paul Hunt became New Zealand's Chief Human Rights Commissioner in January. He is a human rights advocate, lawyer and academic who has lived and worked in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the South Pacific, including time as a UN Special Rapporteur to the UN Human Rights Council. A current focus for his work is opening up discussion around the line between free speech and hate speech and how racially or religiously motivated crime is recorded.

 

 

 

10.09 -  Dr Lisa Sanders - Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis  

Dr Lisa Sanders

Dr Lisa Sanders Photo: Supplied / Robert A Lisak

Dr Lisa Sanders is an internist on the faculty of the Yale School of Medicine where she teaches topics related to clinical reasoning and diagnosis to both medical students and residents. Sanders graduated from Yale Medical School and did her residency with their Internal Medicine Primary Care Residency Program. In 2002 Sanders created the popular Diagnosis column for the New York Times Magazine which she continues to write twice a month. Her column was the inspiration for the hit television series House MD and she was an advisor for the show. These days she is working on a documentary series based on her column to be aired on Netflix in 2019. Lisa is also the author of the New York Times best seller, Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis. She has been in Wellington to give a public lecture at Victoria University this week.

 


11.04  Roy Gurvitz - anarchic punk traveller who founded Glastonbury's Lost in Vagueness 

Lost Vagueness Ballroom / Roy Gurvitz

Lost Vagueness Ballroom / Roy Gurvitz Photo: Supplied

Roy Gurvitz came from a comfortable Jewish family, with a glamorous mother and a violent father, and by the 1980s had escaped his family by running away and joining the growing New Age Traveller community.  Returning to Glastonbury each year, to work as one of the regular site crew, Gurvitz and friend Michael Eavis decided to build a sub-section of the festival as an 'ironic faux casino' in the middle of a muddy field. From there, the Lost Vagueness event grew in opulence, decadence and influence before imploding spectacularly. The story is told in the documentary Lost in Vagueness, which will air on Sky Arts (Sky Channel 20) Saturday 27 April, at 10.15pm.

 

Lost in Vagueness: The Ultimate Untold Glastonbury Festival Story 

 

 


11.35 Dr Dean Peterson - Te Taiao Nature exhibition to open 

Dr Dean Peterson

Dr Dean Peterson Photo: supplied / Te Papa

Illinois-born Dr Dean Peterson joined Te Papa in 2016 and has spent three years developing the museum's largest redevelopment since it opened - Te Taiao Nature exhibition space, which will be open to the public for the first time on May 11th. Covering 1,400 square-metres, and including 1,200 items from Aotearoa's natural world, Te Taiao features four distinct zones in which visitors will get the chance to create their own tsunami, experience an earthquake, weigh in against a giant moa, or pledge to do their bit to help combat climate change. Dr Peterson's background includes working at both NASA and Antarctica NZ. He was managing Scott Base when Sir Edmund Hillary died and gave the first eulogy at the service held at McMurdo Station Chapel. He is currently Te Papa's Director of Strategy and Performance.

Te Taiao Nature exhibition space - Artist impression of Te Kohunga Nest

Te Taiao Nature exhibition space - Artist impression of Te Kohunga Nest Photo: Supplied / Te Papa

 

Books mentioned in this episode: 

 

Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis

By Lisa Sanders M.D.

ISBN: 9780767922470

Harmony 

 

Patrick Leigh Fermor: An Adventure

by Artemis Cooper

ISBN: 9780719554490

Hachette 

 

Cairo in the War 1939 - 45

by Artemis Cooper

ISBN: 9780140247817

Penguin UK 

 

To Kill The Truth

by Sam Bourne 

ISBN: 9781787474901

Quercus

Music played in this show


Song: Throw Me Now Your Arms
Artist: Damien Jurado
Album: In the Shape of a Storm
Played at: 08:58


Song: Weight of the Planets
Artist: Aldous Harding
Album: Designer
Played at: 10:08


Song: In Your Head
Artist: Nilüfer Yanya
Album: Miss Universe
Played at: 10:57


Song: So Good At Being In Trouble
Artist: Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Album:II
Played at: 11:35