KFAI's MinneCulture Presents

.22 Rifle for Christmas   from Dragnet Ladies and gentlemen,  the story  you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect  the innocent .  Detective Sergeant Joseph "Joe" Friday and Officer Frank Smith search for a missing boy. The first sign that the case is serious is when  blood  is found. Further probing reveals the boy's parents had purchased him a .22-caliber rifle for Christmas -- and the weapon is missing, removed from its wrapped package. Starring  Jack Webb  and originally broadcast December 22nd, 1949.  Britt Ponset's Christmas Carol   from The Six Shooter The man in the saddle is angular and long-legged. His skin is sun-dyed brown. The gun in his holster is gray steel and rainbow mother-of-pearl, its handle unmarked. People call them both " the Six Shooter ." In this episode,  Britt Ponset meets a young boy who has run away from home and who seems to be lacking the holiday spiri...

Ep. 15: Faith and Dalmar from the MinneCulture Podcast Somalia is known as a nation of poets. In this episode, we explore Somali spoken word poetry with Nimo Farah, Ahmed Assad, Ayan Mahamud and Ladan Osman. We also listen to the music of Dalmar Yare , a popular Somali musician. The MinneCulture podcast is hosted by Jumondeh Tweh and produced by Xan Holston , Todd Melby , and Nancy Rosenbaum . Theme music by Javier Santiago. Support is made possible by a grant from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund . Ep. 16: Winter Special from the MinneCulture Podcast It wouldn’t be a Minnesota podcast if we didn’t take you outside -- and into the cold! We'll meet rabid Minnesota Wild fans and anglers who don’t let a little ice get in their way. The MinneCulture crew bundles up and hits the ice to tell the unfrozen stories of the cold, bold North. Find the MinneCulture Podcast on  iTunes ,  Stitcher , and  Soundcloud .

Live from Minnesota Mixtape: Side B from MinneCulture   This week, we're flipping the tape and hitting play on the boombox again. You'll hear eight great tracks recorded live by The Suburbs , Chastity Brown , Charlie Parr , Davina and the Vagabonds , PaviElle , Liminal Phase , The Honeydogs , and Dalmar Yare with Bob's Band . Each track drawn from the Live from Minnesota concerts which KFAI has been broadcasting for nearly a decade. And yes, this is a real, physical cassette-only release which you can snag for yourself with a mere 5 bucks. Find them for sale at Hymie's Vintage Records , Mill City Sound , Down in the Valley , Dead Media , Solid Sate , Cheapo , and the Electric Fetus . Also, good news if you're beyond the Minnesota border -- the Electric Fetus is taking on-line orders (score free shipping at $25. Hey, 5 tapes will get you there real easy!) All proceeds go to benefit KFAI. Lastly, be sure to come celebrate with us this Saturday  at St. Paul...

Live from Minnesota Mixtape: Side A from MinneCulture  We made you a mixtape. And you bet, this week on the show, we're going to be playing Side A of it in-full on the radio.  Hope you like it.   You'll hear ten tracks recorded live by  The Jayhawks , Bad Bad Hats , Mason Jennings , Barbara Jean , Gospel Machine , Pornonono , See More Perspective , Kitten Forever , and Caroline Smith . Not bad, eh? It's pretty great even. Then tomorrow night, Dec 6th, actually sees the release of this honest to goodness physical cassette, dontcha know .  Come join KFAI in the celebration with a performance by PaviElle at the Electric Fetus in Mpls at 7pm!

The Making of Male Dominance from The Center for Documentary Studies In this episode, we'll go deep beneath the #MeToo headlines to explore questions like: How, and when, did male dominance get started in the first place? We'll learn, perhaps surprisingly, that it was not at all the cave man who invented patriarchy. In fact, it's only been around for just a fraction of human history. During the Enlightenment, some thinkers argued that "all men are created equal" should have been "all people are created equal." Why is it they lost that argument? And how has this newly imposed patriarchy lasted even this long? The Making of Male Dominance is co-hosted by John Biewen with Celeste Headlee and was adapted from episodes of the Scene on Radio podcast series, MEN.

Transformations of a white supremacist and a jihadi extremist from Reckonings Frank Meeink was a white supremacist who became a top neo-Nazi leader and recruiter. Jesse Morton was one of the most prolific jihadi propagandists in the US. Both men have since recanted their beliefs, but what caused the pair to look beyond their ideologies? We'll explore that and why it is they joined these violent extremist movements at all. Producer Stephanie Lepp seeks to find what then moved them to abandon their lives of hate. Her podcast, Reckonings , continually explores how people come to change their hearts and minds.

Barbara Jean  Live from Minnesota Both the rugged and softer side of Minnesota’s North Shore are apparent in Barbara Jean's music . She is a fiddle and banjo player as well as a singer and  accomplished songwriter with accolades from the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Festival Troubadour Contest and Big Top Chautauqua. This show was recorded for MinneCulture live at  Icehouse in Minneapolis by Alex Proctor . Mixed and Produced by KFAI's Tom Garneau . The Last Revel Live from Minnesota Blending traditional folk harmonies with rocking' up-tempo bluegrass, The Last Revel is a three-piece band that began playing a weekly gig at a dive bar in southern Minnesota. Their wild performances spread by word of mouth until the bar was at maximum capacity -- and when the dance floor was full, folks danced on tables. This show was produced and recorded for MinneCulture by  Tom Garneau live at the historic Kato Ballroom in Mankato.

Bloody Hell from Hearing Voices We play host to a special hour of horror for All Hallows' Eve! In 1993, German artist Andreas Ammer,  F.M. Einheit , and the now late-great John Peel , conspired to create a radio play based on Dante's Divine Comedy ; it's called Radio Inferno. We'll hear an excerpt from that alongside the memories of Minnesotan author  Kevin Kling , plus Cherokee writer Craig Strete's titular tale from his book  The Bleeding Man and Other Science Fiction Stories .  David Greenberger has been collecting thought from elderly Americans for more than a quarter century. We'll hear a story from Greenberger based on a conversation with Edna Wofford about ESP, dreams, and intuition. Also, Patsy Montana sings " Yodeling Ghost ,"  Shel Silverstein reads his poem "Monsters I've Met," and prepare to get antiquated with Mexico's bogeyman,  La Llorona , the crying woman.

Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus from Quicksilver Radio Theater January 1st marked the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley 's famed novel. Shelley was only twenty years old when it was first published anonymously in 1818; it is often claimed to be the first example of true science fiction. To celebrate, we are airing a modern audio drama which stays true to Shelley's original story . If you've only seen the movies, then you do not actually know this harrowing tale of obsession and isolation. Our hour-long radioplay was directed by Jay Stern, faithfully adapted from the novel by producer Craig Wichman, and fully explores the tragedy's themes of responsibility, prejudice, humanity, and sympathy.

Unearthing Dracula from WFIU Vampires have captured our collective imagination for generations -- from early-18th century folklore , to  Count Yorga , to chocolaty cereal and beloved Sesame Street characters. The subject has been continually visited in literature since Heinrich Ossenfelde's 1748 poem "The Vampire" and John Polidor's novel "The Vampyre" in 1819. And they have long been a staple of the silver screen too, with the first appearance of "Nosferatu" in 1922. It is, however,  Bela Lugosi 's iconic and oft-mimicked portrayal in 1931 with his cape, tuxedo, widow's peak, and thick Hungarian accent that instantly comes to mind when we hear the name Dracula. But who is the real Dracula? Is it, in fact, Vlad Tepes? To learn more, producer Annie Corrigan interviews Jeff Holdeman , Senior Lecturer in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Indiana University. They examine the films, literature, music, and art all atte...

Spellbound  from The Screen Directors' Playhouse A psychiatrist plummets into a whirlwind  feverish terror  and tangled identities after discovering an accused murderer posing as a fellow doctor. Surprisingly, she chooses to protect the identity of this mysterious impostor and attempts to cure his amnesia and troubled conscience through psychoanalysis. What unfolds is a transcendent romance replete with taut excitement -- the makings of a classic  Alfred Hitchcock  story. We'll hear a dramatized radio adaptation of Hitchcock's film  Spellbound  (1945) broadcast January 25th,  1951 on Screen Directors' Playhouse. Adapted for radio by Jack Rubin. Starring Hitch ,  Mercedes McCambridge , and  Joseph Cotten  with  Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman  providing spooky theremin accompaniment. 

Stingray Green, The Beatifics, and Magnatone   Live from Minnesota First, a concert staged during March 2015 at the Eagles Club in Minneapolis as benefit for beloved musician Dan Boardman . We'll hear hits from local legends: Stingray Green, The Beatifics , and Magnatone. It was produced by Tom Garneau for MinneCulture. Dan was a member of the Spectors, Stingray Green , Turtlenex, the Floorshakers, and  Leafy Green Things . Dan died later that summer of pancreatic cancer at the age of 49.  Run Westy Run Live from Minnesota A reunion gig by beloved local band,  Run Westy Run , recorded at the Rex in Duluth by Keenan McIntrye. The show features brothers Kirk and Kraig Johnson , Terry Fisher, Al Shroeder, and Bobby Joslyn. Run Westy Run formed in the mid '80s, the group was part of the same Minnesota music scene that spawned the Replacements and Husker Du. This live performance was  produced by  Tom Garneau  with support from the Minnesota Art...

Pledge Drive with Minneculture Tonight, Todd and Micah will be playing a crop of great, recent stories from KFAI's Minneculture collective. While you're listing, please show your support for KFAI by pledging at   kfai.org/donate  or by calling  612-375-9030 and making a donation to keep this awesome stuff on the Twin Cities' airwaves. You can even get yerself this dope pop-pop ski cap!!  Each pledge, big or small, is  extremely important to us. We need you to help us keep this  truly public, community-powered, independent station on your radio dial!  

Ep. 12: Siama and Charanga by MinneCulture How has immigration, migration, and connection to the rest of the world shaped the sights and sounds of Minnesota? Meet Siama Matuzungidi , a Congolese soukous musician. He moved to Minnesota in the late 90s after having a prosperous career in Congo, Uganda, and Kenya. His life and music flow like his native Congo River, and today, the Mighty Mississippi. Doug Little and his band Charanga Tropical bring the traditional music of Cuba to Minnesota. Charanga orchestras are mainly popular in Florida, New York, and California -- but Minnesota is home to one of the only Charanga orchestras in country. Ep. 13: Breaking the Mold by MinneCulture A hard-boiled lesbian detective breaks through the lavender ceiling, a Sudanese model refuses to conform her complexion to fit in, and an Ojibwe rapper wants to be the spark that ignites the fire in his people. Nyakim Gatwech is the "queen of dark," a Sudanese model and Instagram star in Min...

Davina and the Vagabonds Live from Minnesota Singer Davina Sowers showcases her formidable growl and velvety purr to a delighted audience at Patrick's Cabaret in Minneapolis on May 10, 2014. Known on the national blues scene for their high-energy live shows, Davina and the Vagabonds ' success comes from a combination of their snappy original songwriting, sharp-dressed professionalism, and Davina's commanding stage presence. These sassy vocals and tight horn arrangements were recorded by Tom Garneau for KFAI's Minneculture . Gospel Machine Live from Minnesota Paying homage to the soul and rhythm and blues sounds of the 1960s, Gospel Machine calls their style "garage gospel." It is a sound that rocks, swings, and grooves. In addition, this brilliant performance at Icehouse in Minneapolis, also features guest appearances by members of the Brass Messengers . Gospel Machine  is Jayanthi Kyle on lead vocals, Wes Burdine on guitar, Jimmy Osterholt on bass, D...

The View from Room 205 by Linda Lutton This one-hour documentary takes an unflinching look at the intersection of poverty and education in our country. It tells the story of a fourth grade classroom at William Penn Elementary , a public school in one of the nation’s poorest neighborhoods, North Lawndale on Chicago’s West Side. The piece weaves together human stories in the school, from the children to their teacher to the principal, and pulls back to explain the big picture. It looks at poverty’s hold on school achievement and explores the unintended consequences of a core belief driving school reform today – that poverty is no excuse for low achievement. Peabody Award-winning reporter Linda Lutton of WBEZ Chicago spent months reporting from Penn and the neighborhood around the school. Her work tackles fundamental questions about how we educate poor children, and whether schools can actually overcome poverty. It documents - often painfully - how we struggle and fail to lift pover...

Radio Pocho at the Minnesota State Fair This week we are handing our time over to Miguel Vargas , Terrell LaMarr , y Brenda Azueta who will be busy "reclaiming roots thru musica" while BROADCASTING LIVE FROM THE FAIR! That's right, you'll be treated to an extra hour of KFAI's weekly installment featuring the best classic y contemporary Latinx artists. Be sure to drop on by and say hi! You can find the Radio Pocho crew at the Ampers booth at the north end of the Education Building.  Ampers is a network of 18 independent community radio stations in Minnesota. Each station is locally managed and programmed by and for the local communities they serve. We're talkin' cool local indies like KFAI, Jazz88 , KMOJ , and Radio K . But we are joined by many more great stations from greater Minnesota too. Several Ampers stations are broadcasting live at the booth during the Great Minnesota Get Together . So be sure to come back again. We all appreciate your supp...

Creation: The Early Years of Pink Floyd  from Joyride Media Pink Floyd  experienced a lot of growing pains in its early years. Founding member and drummer Nick Mason walks us through the formation of the group and its steady evolution from 1965 to 1972. From the contributions and eventual firing of frontman Syd Barrett, to being banned by the BBC on its first single, to creating avant garde theater - there's a lot of history behind the band before it broke out worldwide with the smash album " Dark Side of the Moon ." Craig Bailey of the radio series " Floydian Slip " hosts this one-hour  music-heavy special  documentary f illed  with funny stories and laden with rare recordings.

Vacation Getaway Special from The World Vision Report Summer tourism with a twist is the theme this week. Just some of the spots we'll be visiting are: Nigeria, Sana'a, Shanghai, Rwanda, and Jamaica. In Nepal, we follow a street vendor who sells an exotic musical instruments. During the hour you'll also experience buying a camel, chewing khat , and eating the dish ackee and saltfish . We'll also hear a conscious discussion on “poverty tourism” -- tours through slums to see and experience how people live in much of the developing world.

Episode Six: Albert Serra   from The Drunk Projectionist Albert Serra, the highly opinionated director of " The Death of Louis XIV " reveals how he really feels about actors . He says, "In general, professional actors are quite stupid people. They are not very kind. They believe they are really important, but not so." Also i n this conversation about filmmaking with  The Drunk Projectionist 's Todd Melby , he claims that he never looks through the lens of the camera -- Wait, WHAT?!? Serra explains, “My system is based on going against. When I shoot, I go against the script. When I do the post production, I go against the edit. It’s like purification."

Womenfolk Anniversary Concert Celebration from Minneculture In September of 2017, KFAI honored Womenfolk , one of the longest running women's music shows in the country, with a concert at Hook and Ladder Theater and Lounge in Minneapolis. Womenfolk host Ellen Stanley celebrates with performances from Ellis , Reina del Cid , Prairie Fire Lady Choir , Vicky Emerson , Mary Bue , Mother Banjo , and other friends. Recorded by Matthew Amundsen. Mixed and produced by Tom Garneau for the " Live from Minnesota " series.

Heiruspecs  Live from Minnesota We're going to hear two concerts from the hometown hip-hop heavies. Recorded years apart -- each amazing. First, we're going to the very back of the MinneCulture music vault to find them performing on August 21st, 2010 at the Red Stag Block Party. Produced by Brian Herb and Daniel Zamzow . For both shows Heiruspecs remains: Midway Felix, Muad'dib, dVRG, Twinkie Jiggles, Peter Leggett, and Josh Peterson.  Heiruspecs  Live from Minnesota Hard to believe but for over 20 years  Heiruspecs  have been delivering their own unique style of hip-hop raw and live with n o samples, no drum machines, no turntables . For this show we're going to revisit the St. Paul rap giants across the river and on stage at Icehouse .   Recorded by Ryan Mach  on October 4th, 2016. Produced and mixed by Tom Garneau .

Communist Daughter Live from Minnesota We're going to reach deep in to the vast and rich MinneCulture vault for tonight's program! First, husband and wife duo, Johnny Solomon and Molly Moore , bring their basement melodies to light with the help of their friends and bandmates. Here's your chance to hear how the gracefully dark indie rock group sounded in front of a live audience all the way back in 2010. Recorded for KFAI's MinneCulture by Daniel Zamzow. (Photo by @visual.michael) Malamanya Live from Minnesota Blending original songwriting with traditional rhythms and melodies of Cuba, Central and South America,  Malamanya  are able to create a classic sound all their own. Their acoustic-driven dance rhythms celebrate salsa and samba, while drawing on organic forms of the past. Produced for KFAI by  Daniel Zamzow  and recorded live at the Cedar Cultural Center in 2012.

Chris Bruhn and Kyle Fosburgh from Live from Minnesota Performing at the Warming House in Minneapolis, Christoph Bruhn and Kyle Fosburgh showcase their original blend of folk and Americana styles. You'll hear a variety of guitar picking techniques as these songwriting composers trading tunes throughout the performance. KFAI's Daniel Zamzow produced the show, which includes interviews with the performers as well as Brianna Lane , manager of the Warming House. Other Country Quartet from The World Live! How would you like to travel around the world and never leave Minnesota? The James J. Hill Center and KFAI teamed up to help you do just that. This recording of "The World Live!" concert series features Other Country Quartet , a group that offers an eclectic mix of styles on traditional Middle Eastern acoustic instruments. Other Country Quartet features David Stenshoel, Scott Nieman, Greg Herriges, and Stephen Spaise. KFAI's Tom Garneau produced and mixed th...

The Pines  are Live from Minnesota The Pines are deeply connected to their American  folk music roots . While their songs revolve around fictional stories and an acoustic guitar, this touring trio from Minneapolis includes more modern textures that lend a cinematic quality to their sound. Hear the band in their own words throughout this one-hour presentation of  The Pines  live at the  Cedar Cultural Center . Recorded for  Minneculture  by  Tom Garneau  and produced by  Daniel Zamzow .

Episode 9: Love Stories from The MinneCulture Podcast When is love an art form in and of itself? Like art, true love comes in many forms. A Congolese couple, separated by the ocean, sing to each other over the phone to stay connected. An all-grrrl punk band sing through a telephone (repurposed as a microphone) to the community that supports them. Corrie Harrigan, Laura Larson, and Liz Elton comprise  Kitten Forever . The three-piece punk band blazes minimalist dance punk in their underwear, swap instrument duties, and love each other. Episode 10: Dress Code s from The MinneCulture Podcast Why do people dress a certain way? What does dress say about who we are, and what connects us? People pick their uniforms for various reasons, but often it’s to fit in. For the Minnesota Dandies  - a group of sharply dressed black men - it means dressing for success and respect. For one Minnesotan woman during the Civil War, it meant disguising herself as men in order to serve her co...

Pride outLoud from Youth Radio The youth producers of outLoud Radio bring us an hour of stories about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and otherwise non-straight life. We'll hear stories on LGBT topics from awkward  Sex Education , exemplar  vampires , coming out, and what happens when you're transgender and want to play sports. The outLoud Radio Project gives voice to youth who are otherwise silenced because of who they love or their gender they claim. It's young people of diverse genders and sexualities using the media to explore the issues that affect their lives. It's getting the word out, because understanding is essential. It's young people taking control of how their lives are represented.

The View from Room 205 by Linda Lutton This one-hour documentary takes an unflinching look at the intersection of poverty and education in our country. It tells the story of a fourth grade classroom at William Penn Elementary , a public school in one of the nation’s poorest neighborhoods, North Lawndale on Chicago’s West Side. The piece weaves together human stories in the school, from the children to their teacher to the principal, and pulls back to explain the big picture. It looks at poverty’s hold on school achievement and explores the unintended consequences of a core belief driving school reform today – that poverty is no excuse for low achievement. Peabody Award-winning reporter Linda Lutton of WBEZ Chicago spent months reporting from Penn and the neighborhood around the school. Her work tackles fundamental questions about how we educate poor children, and whether schools can actually overcome poverty. It documents - often painfully - how we struggle and fail to lift pover...

Nooky Jones Live from Minnesota Looking for some funky, fresh sexy soul? Then you ought to hear  Nooky Jones ' recent set at  Icehouse in Minneapolis. Joining Cameron Kinghorn 's vocals are Adam Meckler on trumpet, Scott Agster plays trombone, Kevin Gastonguay on keys, Andrew Foreman on bass, and Reid Kennedy banging drums. Recorded by Jay Perlman and Ryan Mach. KFAI's Tom Garneau mixed and produced the concert. Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps Live from Minnesota Merging neo-soul with her indie-rock roots, Caroline Smith has got everything here that we could ever need. Joining the Detroit Lakes native in this performance are The Goodnight Sleeps featuring  Jesse Schuster , Arlen Peiffer , David Earl,  Garrett Neal ,  Mina Moore , Hannah von der Hoff , and  Lizzo . Recorded live in 2014 at the Masonic Temple in Winona during Midwest Music Fest  by Tom Garneau for Minneculture.

Buffalo Nation Pow Wow Hour Special from Radio Netherlands   Producer Martha Hawley takes a look at aspects of Native American culture . First, the revival of the buffalo and then an exploration of the Pow Wow in this hour long documentary intended for her Dutch audience. The term "pow wow" originally referred to a gathering of revered spiritual leaders. In modern times however, pow wows are fabulous celebratory events. Explosions of music and dance that go on throughout the year all over North America. Both local pow wows and large inter-tribal gatherings can be positively hallucinatory, with hundreds of feathered and painted dancers mingling and jingling near the traditional arena. Porcupine, South Dakota, is a small town on Pine Ridge Reservation . Martha takes us there to meet the Oglala Lakota people who display their heritage with vigor. The drums they play are the heartbeat of their people - while the pow wow is open to other seekers on the road. We'll also ...

The Acoustic World of Elizabethan England from Battery Radio Inspired by Bruce Smith's book , producers Chris Brookes, Paolo Pietropaolo, and Alan Hall set out to investigate an acoustic world of four centuries ago. They track down some ancient sounds that still exist and evoke others which have become extinct, to imagine the noises as once heard by Elizabethan ears . We'll also travel back to present time, where listeners are forced to consider our soundtrack of today and the noise pollution which now surrounds us at every moment.

All Mom Radio from Hearing Voices For Mother’s Day, we'll hear maternal tales from producers around the country hosted by Barrett Golding . First, "Travels with Mom" follows Larry Massett and his mother to the Tybee Island, Georgia of today and of the 1920′s, as recalled by Mrs. Massett. Writer Beverly Donofrio joins her mom for "Thursday Night Bingo," produced by Dave Isay of Sound Portraits . In Nancy Updike 's "Mubarak and Margy," a gay man chooses to care for his mother, and to confront the "cure" his family plans for his homosexuality. Also, comedian Amy Borkowsky shares her hilarious phone "Messages from Mom."

Aby Wolf Live from Minnesota Although sometimes called Dessa's "secret weapon of harmony," Aby Wolf is a powerhouse in her own right. In this performance at the historic Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing, Wolf explores her rich back catalog alongside more recent work to create a powerful and tightly packaged electro-pop mix. This show was part of the Minnesota Music Coalition's Caravan du Nord . Produced, recorded and mixed by KFAI's Tom Garneau for MinneCulture . Maria Isa and Los Nativos Live from Minnesota Born and raised in the Twin Cities to NuyoRican parents, singer-songwriter Maria Isa celebrates her cultural diversity through music alongside political activism. Los Nativos formed in 1996 and was one of the original groups in Rhymesayers Entertainment. The St. Paul duo produce music with a conscious message, integrating hip-hop, jazz, and funk with tejano, mariachi, and salsa to deliver a style all their own. Producer Daniel Zamzow caught the acts pe...

As I Have Gone Alone In There from Everything Is Stories For National Poetry Month we'll learn about a man who has hidden a treasure and only given clues to where it may be found in his self-penned poetry and prose .  Forrest Fenn is someone who makes his own  adventure . After surviving cancer, this dealer of antique luxuries hid a chest filled with gold coins, gold dust, gold nuggets, rubies, and other riches  said to be valued over one million dollars . Forrest is interviewed at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he shares memories of his childhood, experiences as fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, and what exactly made him want to create this strange  puzzle prize . Local friends and treasure hunters also describe their encounters with Fenn and ideas of where the fortune may be found.

A Wise Guy's Tale of   Crime and Redemption  from The Signal We'll trace one man's journey into an underworld of organized crime, and his subsequent attempt to escape it. At one time in his life, Baltimorean Charlie Wilhelm was a loan shark, a drug dealer, and a bookmaker. He raked in ten thousand dollars a week, cash. But when he was ordered to murder two friends, he took himself (and all of his information ) to the FBI. Wilhelm turned informant, wearing a wire and later testifying against his former partners in crime, putting them behind bars for years to come. Interviewed by Aaron Henkin , we'll meet Charlie and hear his reflections on crime, loyalty, and redemption . Wilhelm's book Wised Up: A Reformed Mobster's Confessional Memoir was just released as an updated Second Edition.  "If we'd have just taken one small fraction of our brain and used it legitimately, God knows where we would have been today. We wouldn't have to worry about ...