Guest details for Saturday Morning 24 July 2010

8:15 Andy Dennis

Andy Dennis wrote his Ph.D on The Laws of Early Iceland, and has been guiding hiking trips in north-east Iceland since 2001.

8:35 Anthony Gottlieb

British writer Anthony Gottlieb is a historian of ideas, a visiting scholar at New York University and a fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities. A former executive editor of The Economist, he has written many articles for the New York Times, The New Yorker, Intelligent Life and other publications.

9:05 David Healy

David Healy is a professor in the Department of Psychological Medicine & Neurology at Cardiff University School of Medicine. For most of his career he has held the view that the use of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can lead to suicide, and has been critical of the influence of pharmaceutical companies and the amount of ghost writing in scientific literature. His work was inspirational for a new New Zealand documentary, Asylum Pieces, which will screen at this year's New Zealand International Film Festivals in Auckland (21 & 22 July), Wellington (26 & 27 July) and other centres.

9:45 Language with Jen Hay

Jen Hay is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Canterbury, and is the director of the New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behaviour. She will talk about intensifiers.

10:05 Playing Favourites with Mark Simos

American songwriter and composer, fiddler, and guitar and piano accompanist Mark Simos has written songs for many artists, including Alison Krauss, and recently helped co-write a new album with Jimmy Barnes. He has also released a solo album of songs, Crazy Faith, and four albums of original and traditional fiddle music. Mark is a professor in the Songwriting Department at the world renowned Berklee College of Music, and is visiting Auckland to present a weekend seminar on songwriting at MAINZ (31 July & 1 August), to give an APRA talk for songwriters (29 July, free and open to the public), and to work with MAINZ students.

11:05 Erica Miller

Dunedin grandmother Erica Miller will release her first record, Reconsidered, on 16 August through Universal Records. The collection of songs first performed by Elvis Presley was a family affair recorded with her son Shayne Carter and other musicians; the Erica Miller Experience will be touring later this year in support of the album to Dunedin (1 October), Christchurch (2 October), Wellington (15 October), and Auckland (16 October).

11:40 Elizabeth Frood

Dr Elizabeth Frood is Professor of Egyptology at Oxford University, and a graduate of Auckland University. She is about to depart to Egypt for a new project at the Karnak temple complex in Luxor.

Music played during the programme

Ry Cooder: One Cat, One Vote, One Beer
From the 2007 album: My Name is Buddy
(Nonesuch)
Played at around 8:30

Erica Miller: Love Me
From the forthcoming (13 August) album: Reconsider
(Universal)
Played at around 11:20

Playing Favourites with Mark Simos

Richard and Linda Thompson: Dimming of the Day
From the 1975 album: Pour Down Like Silver
(Island)
Played at around 10:15

Laurie Lewis: I'm Gonna Be the Wind
From the 1986 album: Restless Rambling Heart
(Flying Fish)
Played at around 10:30

Peter Gabriel: Solsbury Hill
From the 1977 album: Peter Gabriel
(Virgin)
Played at around 10:50

Jim Lauderdale with Donna the Buffalo: That's Not the Way It Works
From the 2003 album: Wait 'til Spring
(Sky Crunch records/Dualtone)
Played at around 11:05

Studio operators

Wellington engineer: Carol Jones
Auckland engineer: Jeremy Ansell
Christchurch engineer: Andrew Collins
Dunedin engineer: Rod Morgan