The Daily - Sunday Special: Springsteen, Dylan and the Art of the Biopic

On Friday, “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” will be released in theaters. Rather than chronicling Bruce’s entire life, the film focuses on the making of his stripped-down 1982 album “Nebraska” and on his concurrent mental health struggles.

This movie is the latest in a long history of musician biopics featuring stars like Bob Dylan, Loretta Lynn, Eminem and Elvis Presley. Hollywood clearly loves telling the stories of influential artists.

In this episode, Gilbert Cruz chats with Lindsay Zoladz, a pop music critic for The Times, and Joe Coscarelli, a Times culture reporter, about the tropes of the genre and their favorite films that break the mold.

On Today’s Episode:

Lindsay Zoladz, a pop music critic at The Times and the writer of The Amplifier newsletter.

Joe Coscarelli, a culture reporter at The Times and co-host of “Popcast.

Additional Reading:

The Boss Finally Gets a Biopic, Just Not the One We Expected

He’s Ringo. And Nobody Else Is.

Why Music Movies Stink: ‘Back to Black’ + ‘The Idea of You’ Reactions

Joe Coscarelli’s “Bobby + Joanie” playlist

Photo: 20th Century Studios

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

The Daily - ‘The Interview’: Jimmy Wales Thinks the World Should Be More Like Wikipedia

Attacks on the site are piling up. Its co-founder says trust the process.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

The Book Review - Stephen King Isn’t Always Scary (with Sean Fennessey)

It's October, which means it's time for scary books and scary movies. There's one person who is well known for both: Stephen King. Since his first novel, "Carrie," was published in 1974 and adapted into a hit film two years later, his novels and short stories have been a reliable source of material for film and TV adaptations. And while he's known as a master of horror, some of the more popular films based on his work are drawn from non-horror material. On this week's episode, Sean Fennessey, co-host of the Ringer podcast "The Big Picture," joins Gilbert Cruz to talk about "Stand By Me," "The Shawshank Redemption" and more.

Books and movies discussed in this episode:

  • "Stand by Me," based on the novella "The Body" from 1982's "Different Seasons"
  • "The Running Man," based on the 1982 novel of the same name published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman
  • "The Shawshank Redemption," based on the novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" from "Different Seasons"
  • "Dolores Claiborne," based on the 1992 novel of the same name
  • "The Green Mile," based on the 1996 serial novel of the same name
  • "The Life of Chuck," based on the novella from 2020's "If It Bleeds"
  • "The Long Walk," based on the 1979 novel of the same name published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

The Daily - A Shutdown Where None of the Normal Rules Apply

Under normal circumstances, the profound pain of a government shutdown compels both parties to negotiate a quick resolution on behalf of the American people. But, so far, nothing about this shutdown is normal.

Times journalists Michael Barbaro, Tyler Pager, Catie Edmondson and Tony Romm sit down to discuss why this shutdown feels so different.

Guest:

  • Tyler Pager, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
  • Catie Edmondson, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.
  • Tony Romm, a reporter covering economic policy and the Trump administration for The New York Times, based in Washington.

Background reading: 

Photo: Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

The Daily - Zohran Mamdani Explains His Rise

Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s come-from-behind victory in this summer’s Democratic primary for New York City mayor is already the stuff of political legend. But in many ways, the most intriguing phase of his campaign has been the period since then, as he has labored, painstakingly, to win over his skeptics. How, exactly, would a 33-year-old member of the Democratic Socialists of America, with little management experience and a record of polarizing pronouncements, win over enough voters to prevail in the general election?

So far, the polls suggest he’s doing just that.

And so, a few days ago, “The Daily” sat down Mr. Mamdani for an extended conversation about his campaign, the forces and ideas that have animated it and his plans, if elected on Nov. 4, to deliver on his campaign promises and contend with a Republican president who has promised to treat him as an enemy from his first day in office.

Guest: Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City.

Background reading: 

Photo: Vincent Alban/The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

The Daily - The Border Czar and a Bag of $50,000

For the past few weeks, Trump officials have repeatedly dodged questions about an undercover F.B.I. investigation of the border czar, Tom Homan, and what became of $50,000 in cash that was delivered to him.

Devlin Barret, who covers the F.B.I. for The New York Times, discusses the inquiry, which was closed after President Trump came to office.

Guest: Devlin Barrett, a New York Times reporter covering the Justice Department and the F.B.I.

Background reading: 

Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

The Daily - The Peace Summit in Egypt, and Shutdown Lessons From U.S.A.I.D.

After the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, President Trump took a victory lap to Jerusalem before going on to a peace summit in Egypt. David E. Sanger, who is covering Mr. Trump’s trip, discusses some takeaways.

We also hear from the Times reporter Christopher Flavelle about how the U.S. government shutdown has given the Trump administration an extraordinary amount of power over dozens of agencies.

Guests:

  • David E. Sanger, the White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, reporting on President Trump and his administration.
  • Christopher Flavelle, a reporter for The New York Times, covering how President Trump is transforming the federal government.

Background reading: 

Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

The Daily - Two Years Later, Israel’s Last Hostages Return

The Israeli military said on Monday that it had received the 20 remaining living hostages released by Hamas under the terms of the cease-fire deal.

Rachel Abrams speaks to families of those hostages, and to other Israelis, about the long-anticipated moment, and Isabel Kershner, a Times reporter who covers Israel and Palestine, discusses why the hostages have been such a crucial factor in efforts to end the war.

Guest: Isabel Kershner, a reporter for The New York Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.

Background reading: 

  • Read live coverage of the hostages’ return and prisoner swap.
  • Why now? The lost chances to reach a hostage deal, and a cease-fire, months ago.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

The Daily - Sunday Special: Bringing Broadway Home

Broadway represents some of the best and most exciting of what American theater has to offer. But for many people, it’s inaccessible. Whether because of geography, cost or other considerations, most people will never sit in a Broadway theater and experience a play or a musical in person.

For years, cast recordings have offered a way to experience Broadway shows at a remove. And now, in the streaming era, some Broadway shows are making themselves available to be watched remotely, in movie theaters and on television. Distance and expense aren’t the impediments they once were to culture lovers looking to experience world-class theater.

In this episode, Gilbert Cruz talks with Jesse Green and Elisabeth Vincentelli, two of The New York Times’s culture writers, about new ways to experience some of the joys of theater from the comfort of your own home.

 

On Today’s Episode:

Jesse Green is a Culture correspondent, focusing primarily on the fine arts, including theater, classical music and art.

Elisabeth Vincentelli writes about culture for The Times.

 

Background Reading:

Want to Listen to Musical Cast Albums? Our Top 10 Desert Island Picks

Theater to Stream: Mark Rylance in ‘Twelfth Night,’ and More

Times Theater Fans on Their Favorite Musical Cast Albums

 

Photo Illustration by The New York Times; Inset: Disney+

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

The Book Review - Brandon Taylor On His New Novel, ‘Minor Black Figures’

The novelist Brandon Taylor has been a force to reckon with right from the start: His debut, “Real Life,” was a finalist for the Booker Prize in 2020, and he quickly followed that up with two other books, the story collection “Filthy Animals” in 2021 and another novel, “The Late Americans,” in 2023, along with a steady stream of reviews, essays and literary hot takes he publishes on his popular Substack account, Sweater Weather.

Now Taylor returns with a new novel, “Minor Black Figures,” about a 31-year-old painter on the Upper East Side of Manhattan who falls unexpectedly in love with a former Catholic priest. On this week's episode, MJ Franklin speaks with Taylor about how he came to write “Minor Black Figures” and what drew him to the world of fine art as a setting. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.