The Cobalt Room
Charlie Finch at his East village home with a cassette tape cover insert for the Rolling Stones album"Aftermath." Charlie interviews Stones photographer Gered Mankowitz and author Andrew Solomon in the first set of Art Breaking shows. Photo © 2015 Sylvie Ball
| Andrew Solomon discusses his first book, "The Irony Tower: Soviet Artists in the Time of Glasnost" aired on April 2, 1992 | ABCF4-2-1992 |
| Gered Mankowitz talks about photographing The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix aired on April 8, 1993 | ABCF4-8-1993 |
| WCBS cultural critic, author and actor, Leonard Harris discusses World War II, New York theater, swing music and a novel he is writing, "War Songs." In December 2014, 23 years after this broadcast, "War Songs" was released. Leonard Harris passed away in 2011. Featured music for this show are selections from Francis Thorne's "Porter on My Mind" aired winter 91 | ABCFwinter-1991 |
| El Museo Del Barrio reopens with their 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Artists Talk Back: Visual Conversations with El Museo, 1994 Part I – Reclaiming History, curated by Susana Leval with guest artists Charles Biasiny-Rivera, Sophie Rivera and Robert Coane. Charlie's son Charles guest DJ's with cuts from the Violent Femmes, The Meat Puppets and Smashing Pumpkins aired on June 16, 1994 | ABCF6-16-1994 |
| The Profane and the Sacred: performance artist Colette and Connoisseur magazine editor Daniel Pinchbeck are guests for the first part of the show and Allen Ginsberg and the Gyuto Tantric Choir are guests for the second with musical breaks by Leisure Class, Bruce Springsteen and the Gyuto Tantric Choir aired October 24, 1991. This show is an extra 30 minutes long. | ABCF10-24-1991 |
| Author and first cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, John H. Davis discusses all theories regarding the Kennedy assassination in his books "The Kennedys: Dynasty and Disaster" and "Mafia Kingfish: Carlos Marcello and the Assassination of John F. Kennedy." John Davis, last of the Bouvier men passed away in 2012. Musical breaks by Marvin Gaye, The Faces, and The Rolling Stones aired on July 30, 1992 | ABCF7-30-1992 |
| Actress, art collector and two time academy award nominee Sylvia Miles talks about her acting rolls and growing up in Little Italy. Artist Lisa Hoke and her dealer Stuart Horodner talk about her upcoming show at Horodner Romley Gallery at 107 Sullivan Street, New York, NY (1992–1996) Musical breaks are cuts from blues album "Two Heads are Better" by Harmonica Fats and Bernie Pearl. aired on November 7th, 1994. | ABCF11-7-1994 |
| Authors Jack Hoffman and Daniel Simon discuss their book "Run, Run, Run: The Lives of Abbie Hoffman" (Tarcher/Putnam Books) 5 years after Abbie Hoffman's suicide on April 12, 1989 his brother Jack has published a book about his famous brother's life and death. Daniel Simon recounts Abbie's optimisim and cultural hijinx. Musical breaks by Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers and Bob Dylan. aired on November 17th, 1994. | ABCF11-17-1994 |
| A full hour with Richard Johnson, featured columnist for the NY Daily News, The NY Post and Connoisseur. Topics include the 1992 political landscape that shapes the race for the upcoming Fall elections and the "Golden Age of Gossip" that becomes a hallmark of the glossy magazines and newspapers in the 1990's. Donald Trump emerges from his 2nd bankruptcy unscathed. Musical breaks by Leo Kottke and Laura Nyro performs "Save the Country." aired on July 16th, 1992. | ABCF7-16-1992 |
| American art historian, curator and author, John T. Spike discusses his new book, "Fairfield Porter: An American Classic" published by Abrams in 1992. Topics include the influences of Vuillard and Bonnard on Porter's art, his struggle as a figurative artist in the era of abstract expressionsim, his love of literature and his close friends and supporters such as Willem de Kooning, Larry Rivers and Jane Freilicher. Musical breaks by John Mayall and Mark Johnson. aired October 15, 1992 | ABCF10-15-1992 |
| A reedited version of the interview with John T. Spike without music at his request. aired October 15, 1992 | ABCF10-15-1992nm |
| A special 2 hour edition of Artbreaking featuring Susan Freedman and Jim Clark of The Public Art Fund and Stanley Moss of Bomb Magazine. Charlie interviews sculptor Fernando Botero at the Marlborough Gallery at the time of his show "Botero in New York," an installation of 14 bronze sculptures installed on the grassy medians of Park Avenue organized by the Public Art Fund. Matthew Finch does a live report from 56th street and Park Avenue with on-air reactions from savvy New Yorkers and a fashion photographer wrapping a shoot. Musical breaks by Phil Collins, James Dapogny's Chicago Jazz Band and live music with the Honus Wagner band in the WBAI studios on the verge of breaking up. aired on October 14, 1993. | ABCF10-14-1993 |
| A full hour with author and art critic Alan Jones who discusses his 1984 classic, "The Art Dealers" that spans the post war era from Betty Parsons to Tony Shafrazi. Topics include the rise of the East Village art scene during the 1980's, his rejection of the term "Postmodernism," the work of geotheoritician Peter Fend, the art district of Soho and it's expansion into Tribeca, and what the art of the 1990's might look like. A world traveler, Alan Jones describes a visit to Japan as the closest thing to travelling to outer space. His column "Carte Blanche" appeared in Arts magazine for many years. aired on October 10th, 1991. | ABCF10-10-1991 |
| Author and Professor of English at Baruch College in New York, Myron Schwartzman discusses his new book, Romare Bearden: His Life and Art, published by Harry Abrams on September 1st, 1990. Bearden's art, family, friendships, influences and pursuits are discussed starting with his childhood in Charlotte NC and continuing to Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Harlem New York. An interview with Romare and Myron Schwartzman is included at the 25 minute mark. Bearden was a student at NYU where he studied mathematics and philosophy and began to persue his art career there while he was the art director for the "The Medley." Bearden went on to study with George Grosz at The Art Students League. Bearden was represented by the influential Samuel Kootz Gallery whose stable included Byron Brown, Carl Holte, William Baziotes, Adolf Gottlieb, Robert Motherwell, and Stuart Davis. By 1960 Bearden began to make his signature collages. Aired on December 27th, 1990. | ABCF12-27-1990 |
| The art of illustration and it's influence in art is the topic for this show. Charlie interviews Jennifer Gillman, Art Director of the Village Voice, Eric Drooker, painter, graphic novelist and New Yorker cover artist and Peter Kuper, an alternative cartoonist, illustrator and contributor to the political anthology World War III illustrated. Hallmarks of the medium such as accessibility, portability and disposibilty have led artists to triumph in both high and low art. Aired on February 3, 1999. | |
| A full hour with Beth Ames Swartz who discusses her survey show titled "A Story for the Eleventh Hour" at E.M. Donahue Gallery. (1999) Her art integrates healing, a multicultural approach to religion and a quest for spirituality. A victim herself of sexual and verbal abuse at a very young age, she found art as a vehicle to heal and find peace in her life. Aired on February 10, 1994. | ABCF2-10-1994 |
| Peter Adam, writer and BBC producer for 27 years discusses his recently published book "Art of the Third Reich" published by Harry Abrams in April 1992 after his 1989 documentary film "Art in the Third Reich - The Orchestration of Power" won the British Academy Award for Best Arts Documentary. Peter Adam cogently presents the development of Nazi ideology and the climate of the period in German culture. Musical breaks by The Velvet Underground. Aired on May 7th, 1992. | ABCF5-7-1992 |
| L.A. electronic musical group Supercollider perform live in the studio and talk about their music with host Charlie Finch. Supercollider is a post-rock duo featuring Michael Horton on guitars and vocals and Philip Haut on acoustic drums who performed together against a digital sampler sequenced with simple sounds. Between 1991-1994 the band produced two albums on the Emigre label, Supercollider in 1991 and Dual in 1993. In 1994, a track called "Tripped, Fell" was recorded for Emigre Records' third sampler Dreaming Out Loud. Also present in the studio are friends Shelly Horton, Scott Banning, Max Estenger and Joe Negro. Aired September 3rd, 1992 | ABCF9-3-1992 |
| A full hour with journalist William Zinsser who discusses his new book, "American Places" published by Harper Collins (1992.) Zinsser makes a pilgrimage to 15 iconic places in the U.S. such as Kitty Hawk, Mount Rushmore, Hannibal (MO), Niagara Falls, Appomattox, Montgomery AL and more. William Zinsser also wrote "On Writing Well" a classic on how to write non fiction. William Zinsser passed away in May 2015. Musical breaks with Francis Thorne, Supercollider and Leisure Class. Aired June 4th, 1992. | ABCF6-4-1992 |
| A lively dialogue with contributing editor to New York Magazine, Michael Gross who discusses his column, The Cutting Edge. Topics include the fashion industry in a post 1980's climate, the rise of the supermodel, America's obsession with actors, celebrities and wealth, Donald Trump and radical lawyer Michael Kennedy. Musical breaks with Leisure Class and Francis Thorne performing Cole Porter. Aired August 15th, 1991. | ABCF8-15-1991 |
| Recorded live at the Colony Club on February 10th of 1992, Charlie Finch interviews columnist Richard Johnson, writer for The New York Daily News, Connoisseur and the New York Post's Page Six. Topics include the death of publishing magnate Robert Maxwell in the Canary Islands, art and the provenance of platform shoes, the failure of Connoisseur Magazine and speculation about who will be the Kennedy's family's last gasp. 42 minutes | ABCF2-10-1991 |