Topic
6 facts from 1 episode, in date order. These are what speakers said on the shows, each linked to the moment it was said. They aren't independently verified.
2020
During the pandemic, Ben Ratliff ran for much longer times, including in the middle of Bronx streets, which led to his discovery about listening.
“So then the pandemic came, and time got all weird. I could run in the middle of the street in the Bronx”
2025
Ben Ratliff's book Run the Song: Writing About Running, About Listening was long-listed for the 2025 National Book Award for nonfiction.
“Ben Ratliff's book is called Run the Song, Writing About Running, About Listening. It was long-listed for the 2025 National Book Award for nonfiction.”
Undated
Ben Ratliff wrote his first piece of criticism, about a Miles Davis concert he saw as a teenager, for his high school newspaper.
“So I wrote an article for, uh, the high school newspaper.”
Undated
Ben Ratliff took a college writing class with the jazz critic of the Village Voice, named in the transcript as Gary Gittens.
“I took one writing class in college with a writer I really admired, um, the jazz critic for the Village Voice at that time, Gary Gittens.”
Undated
Bob Ludwig is a mastering engineer credited on thousands of well-known records, whom Ben Ratliff visited at his studio in Maine.
“Yes, that was Bob Ludwig, who people who have spent time looking at the back of record covers will recognize his name because he's been the mastering engineer for thousands of well-known records.”
Undated
Ben Ratliff says running with music makes every recording feel like a live performance to him.
“I realize now that one thing about what running with music does for me is it essentially makes all music live music.”
Episodes