Sedge Thomson's West Coast Live, San Francisco's Radio Show to the World!

Follow Us    

What writers really think

Author

RICHARD PRICE

whose novels explore late 20th century urban America in a gritty, realistic manner, talks about Lush Life.

Author

TOBIAS WOLFF

known for his memoirs, including This Boys Life, shares insights about his latest book, Our Story Begins.

Author

EDWARD DOCX

the British writer stops by to talk with us about his award winning novel Pravda.

Musicians

EDMUND WELLES

the world's only bass clarinet quartet, inventing and performing heavy chamber music.

Musicians

THE VERY HOT CLUB

this San Francisco-based Quintette will bring you right back to Paris in the '30s.

The Omnivorous

MIKE GREENSILL

on Piano.

Join us at the Ferry Building in San Francisco to make beautiful radio together!

February 26, 2011 Show Guests

Sedge welcomes (from Feb 26, 2011 -- when 1'-2' of snow was forecast in San Francisco:

WESLEY STACE (AKA singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding) with his new novel, Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer

MAXINE HONG KINGSTON: In her singular voice—humble, elegiac, practical—Maxine Hong Kingston sets out to reflect on aging as she turns sixty-five, in her new book I Love a Broad Margin to My Life

Naturalist CLAIRE PEASLEE on Central Valley waterbirds

DAN HICKS and his Kollege of Musical Knowledge  A special visit with the late, great Maestro of Musical Drollery
 

THE EVENTFUL MIKE GREENSILL

and so much more!

Today -  Sedge feature conversations from 1994 to today about mothers and motherhood (and fathers, as necessary to this...) with

MAYA ANGELOU, with her son GUY JOHNSON on motherhood, poetry, and becoming herself through red beans and rice,

 

Image result for maya angelou

TILLIE OLSEN, on political demonstrations and writing and being a mother, and being in the SAT test.

 

Image result for Tell Me A Riddle Tillie

ANNE LAMOTT, with observations on her self as mother,

Image result for anne lamott operating instructions

 

Image result for Ruth Reichl Not Mother

RUTH REICHL, about NOT becoming her mother and,

MARILYN YALOM on the history of the breast.  

Image result for Marilyn Yalom breast

Please sign up to the mailing list for the most current information, including live show schedule.  And availalbe via the Listen button to the left in the center column.

From May 24, 2008 - FILM, POETRY, MYSTERIES  never before re-broadcast!

Image result for Eleanor CoppolaImage result for John StraleyImage result for august kleinzahlerImage result for Rick di DiaImage result for Scoop Nisker

  • ELEANOR COPPOLA, author of Notes on a Life including her work as a filmmaker.
  • JOHN STRALEY, author and private eye in Sitka, Alaska, has a new thriller set in 1935, The Big Both Ways.
  • AUGUST KLEINZAHLER, poet who doesn't like to call himself a poet whose marvelous books include The Strange Hours Travelers Keep and Sleeping It Off in Rapid City.
  • RICK DI DIA and AIREENE ESPIRITU,Guitar meets ukulele. Guitar loses ukulele. Guitar wins ukulele .
  • WES SCOOP NISKER, author of Crazy Wisdom Saves The World Again .
  • Music from piano player MIKE GREENSILL, who knows his Sitka from his Skagway

November 4, 2006 at The Booksmith on Haight Street, helping celebrate their 30 years as San Francisco's leading independent bookstore. 

Musicians

THE WHYS

Surf Band from Fukuoka, Japan stop through on their West Coast Tour.
 

Innovator

CRAIG NEWMARK

founder of Craigslist.org... Need we say more?

The Prolific

TOMIE DE PAOLA

award-winning author and illustrator of hundreds of children's books, including Strega Nona, The Art Lesson, and Christmas Remembered.

Author

CHRIS BATY

author of No Plot, No Problem and the man who turned November into National Novel Writing Month, will inspire you to get out your pen and paper.

Musician

JIM BRUNBERG

with legendary banjo slide player TONY FURTADO and local singer-songwriter MEGAN SLANKARD.

From November 2011, when SEDGE welcomed:

Author

GREGORY MAGUIRE

The world of Oz comes full circle in Gregory Maguire's fourth and final novel in the New York Timesbestselling series The Wicked Years.

Author

CHRIS VAN ALLSBURG  AKA HARRIS BURDICK

author and illustrator of the best-selling children's classics Polar ExpressJumanjiThe Mysteries of Harris Burdick and many more.

Artist

    JUSTIN BUA

whose well known "Distorted Urban Realism" style combines elements of graffiti with classical art training, here with his new book The Legends of Hip Hop.

Musicians

GREENSKY BLUEGRASS

the fine five piece string band from Kalamazoo, Michigan, who Rolling Stone assures is "representing the genre for a whole new generation."

The first of Sedge's renowned kitchen table shows!  From January 1999:

ANNE LAMOTT, the hilarious and insightful writer, live at the kitchen table.

TERRY JONES, British Comedian best known as a member of Monty Python.

DICK DALE, King of the Surf Guitar.

HUGH MASEKELA AND BAND, South African Jazz and Afrobeat musician.

MARE WINNINGHAMactress and singer-songwriter.

And More!

This week, Sedge presents some brand new and archival material, including:

HELEN MACDONALD, whose memoir H is for Hawk recounts the year she spent training a goshawk in the wake of her father's death. (2016)

JIM HARRISON, (1937-2016) author of Legends of the Fall and other works about the outdoors and food; Sedge's interview with him on Fresh Air. (1990)

WES JACKSONfarmer, philosopher and author of several landmark books on sustainable agriculture, Wes is founder and current president of The Land Institute and a member of the World Future Council. (2014)

GREENHORNS, Severine von Tscharner Fleming, farmer, activist, organizer and director of The Greenhorns, a documentary film and grassroots organization working to recruit, promote and support the growing tribe of new agrarians. ('14)

MARIAH PARKER'S INDO LATIN JAZZ ENSEMBLE get us grooving on a world of musical influences, from Havana to Kolkata. ('14)

Live from the Hearing Room upstairs at the SF Ferry Building, Sedge welcomes:

GREIL MARCUS, music journalist and cultural critic with his newest titles Three Songs, Three Singers, Three Nations, and Real Life Rock: The Complete Top 10 Columns 1986-2014.

SCOOP NISKER, author, radio commentator, comedian, and Buddhist meditation instructor with the new collection of his wit and wisdom You Are Not Your Fault and Other Revelations.

MURIEL MURCH shares some of the wisdom that comes with age and illness in The Bell Lap: Stories for Compassionate Nursing Care.

KARL & CARLthe globe-trotting comedians stop by with thiier latest edition of Tips on Travel.

ENSEMBLE MIK NAWOOJ, a hip hop orchestra led by composer JooWan Kim, featuring a 7-piece chamber orchestra, 2 MCsand an opera singer.

And More!

From October 19, 2013, when SEDGE welcomed:

Author

T.C. BOYLE

the beloved California writer joins us to release the second volume of his collected short stories Collected Stories Vol II.

Author

ERIC PUCHNER

the critically acclaimed author of Music Through the Floor brings us his achingly tender and funny portrait of an unraveling family in Model Home.

Singers

CONSPIRACY OF BEARDS

the 30 member male a capella choir performing the songs of the legendary poet, novelist and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen.

Singers

THE BOBS

vocalists who fall outside a cappella traditions, landing in a hot tub of humor and vocal prowess.

Musician

SARAH LOU RICHARDS

Nashville singer-songwriter on tour with her album Ruby Red Shoes -- inspired by Sedge?!

Piano Man

MIKE GREENSILL

the Bay Area's favorite jazz and cabaret piano maestro.
 

Join us! Sedge welcomes:

RAMBLIN JACK ELLIOTT, legendary troubadour and cowboy poet with over 40 albums under his belt, he is a direct link to the foundations of American folk music.

BOX SET, the outstanding Americana band serves up their extraordinary guitar playing and rich vocal harmonies.

CAROLINE PAUL, author of The Gutsy Girl, tales of her greatest escapades -- as well as those of other women throughout history -- inspiring girls to pursue a life of adventure.

LEONARD PITT, the Berkeley author reminisces about a youthful trip to Paris that sparked a life in the arts in his new memoir My Brain is on Fire.

And More!

Live from Studio 55 Marin at 1455 Francisco Blvd E, San Rafael, Sedge welcomes:

GORDON EDGAR, author of Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge brings us the fascinating history of one of the world's most beloved cheeses in Cheddar: A Journey to the Heart of America's Most Iconic Cheese.

JOHN MUIR LAWS, artist, naturalist, author and educator renowned for his field guides, here with his latest, The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling.

FERGUS BORDEWICH, the political historian offers some perspective in his new account The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government.

RITA HOSKING TRIO, the soulful Americana and bluegrass artist and friends bring us captivating songwriting and storytelling.

MIKE GREENSILL, our talented, wise and witty house pianist ties it all together. And More!

From Studio 55 Marin at 1455 East Francisco Blvd in San Rafael, Sedge welcomes:

PAUL LISICKY, the poet and memoirist brings us his latest, The Narrow Door, a deeply moving and bravely honest memoir about friendship among writers.

PAMELA TURNER, author of Samauri Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune, the captivating true story of a 12th-century Japanese warrior.

RAY BONNEVILLE, the roaming Canadian blues musician and poet has a library's worth of songs to sing and stories to tell.

JEFF CAMPBELL, the Philadelphia native brings us a taste of his new album The Kitchen Sink, melding his love of raucous rock with a lyricist's poetic power.

THE BLACK BROTHERS warm us up with their old Dublin street songs and historical ballads from the Irish, English and Scottish folk traditions.

A mixture of freshly recorded and well-preserved segments. Sedge welcomes:

DAN HICKS, we pay tribute to the great Bay Area singer-songwriter who passed away earlier this month at age 74. He was on our show many times over the years, with groups such as The Hot Licks, Christmas Jug Band, The Acoustic Warriors. 

IAN RANKIN, the Scottish crime writer sits down at Sedge's kitchen table to talk about his latest Inspector Rebus novel, Even Dogs in The Wild.

MAYA ANGELOU, the late literary voice revered globally for her poetic command and her commitment to civil rights, best known for her series of seven autobiographies, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 

GUY JOHNSON, Maya's son and an acclaimed author and poet in his own right, having published such works as Standing at the Scratch Line and Echoes of a Distant Summer. 

THE BROTHERS COMATOSE, a the Bay Area's southwestern-tinged, rowdy stringband bring us a track from their new album City Painted Gold.

Live from Studio 55 Marin at 1455 Francisco Blvd ESan Rafael! Sedge welcomes:

SARKknown for her personal, journal-like writings and art, inspiring others with her vulnerable and honest journeys toward self-acceptance. Her latest: Succulent Wild Love.

THE BROTHERS COMATOSE, the Bay Area's southwestern-tinged, rowdy stringband bring us a taste of their new album City Painted Gold.

CONSPIRACY OF VENUS, the women's a'capella choir that sings original arrangements of contemporary music, here with a taste of their debut album Muse Ecology, out February 27th.

ARANN HARRIS, Sonoma County farmer, teacher and musician brings us story and song -- a soulful mix of old time blues, mountain music, funk and angry Grampa!

JENNIFER KING stars in the one-woman play Bad Dates, a hilarious journey of self-discovery involving a Buddhist rainstorm, a teenage daughter and a few very bad dates. Now at Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma. 

MIKE GREENSILL, house pianist who adds his British-turned-American humour to the show.

Live from Studio 55 Marin at 1455 Francisco Blvd ESan Rafael! Sedge welcomes:

JOYCE CAROL OATES, the literary icon's new novel The Man Without a Shadow examines the mysteries of memory, personality, and identity and pierces the enigmatic force that drives human lives -- love.

SUNIL YAPA has exploded onto the scene with his debut novel Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fistset amid the heated conflict of Seattle's 1999 WTO protests.

PRARTHO SERENO, writer, artist, teacher, Poet Laureate of Marin County.

HOWELL DEVINE bring us the kind of blues you just don't hear anymore; the textured rhythms that would be shaking the floors of a Southern juke joint some 70 years ago.

MIKE GREENSILL, house pianist and witty sidekick. And more!

Live from Studio 55 Marin at 1455 Francisco Blvd ESan Rafael! Featuring:

JASON MARK seeks to find out if true wilderness still exists on Earth today in his new book Satellites in the High Country: Searching for the Wild in the Age of Man.

MARGARET WINSLOW, geologist and author of the travel memoir Over My Head: Journeys in Leaky Boats from the Straight of Magellan to Cape Horn and Beyond and forthcoming The Cusp of Dreadfulness: Fifteen Seasons in Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia.

ETHAN RAFAL, photographer and writer behind Shock and Awe, a twelve-year, autobiographical project examining the relationship between protracted war and homeland decay.

LIA ROSE, whose captivating guitar and poetic voice represent a new era of folk songwriting in the San Francisco Bay.

DANIEL CHAMPAGNE, renowned Austrailian singer-songwriter with a reputation of making crowds buzz and jaws drop wherever he goes.

MIKE GREENSILL, our beloved and talented house pianist. 

From The Chapel in the Mission dirstict of San Francisco from May 18, 2013, SEDGE welcomed:

Author

PAUL THEROUX

the travel writer and novelist known for such bestsellers as The Great Railway Bazaar and The Mosquito Coast, here with his latest, The Last Train to Zona Verde: My Ultimate African Safari.

Author

CLAIRE MESSUD

the bestselling author of The Emperor's Children brings us her next novel, The Woman Upstairs, about an elementary schoolteacher in need of a fantasy. She finds one.

Author

JONATHAN EVISON

author of the emotional and humorous works All about Lulu and West of Here, on tour with his latest big-hearted novel, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving.

Musician

KELLY McFARLING

the lovely Georgian-turned-Californian singer-songwriter and her band bring us some songs from their new album Ridgeline.

Composer

MIKE GREENSILL

house pianist extraordinaire.  And More!
 

From October 2011 at the WIX.com lounge in San Francisco, Sedge welcomed:

MYTHBUSTERS

ADAM SAVAGE & JAMIE HYNEMAN

from MythBusters, the beloved science entertainment TV program that tests the validity of rumors, myths, movie scenes, adages, Internet videos and news stories.

Writer

MARY ROACH

author of Packing for Mars, San Francisco's One City One Book selection for 2011, and editor of The Best American Science and Nature Writing.

Humanitarian

JOHN DAU

human rights activist for the people of South Sudan.

Musician

RAY MANZAREK & ROY ROGERS

The legendary co-founder of The Doors and the critically acclaimed slide/blues guitarist have put their artistic minds together, creating a truly captivating new sound!

Musician

STEPHANIE  SCHNEIDERMAN

Dirty Martini singer with a solo CD.

The Spacey

MIKE GREENSILL

Master Pianist and Entertaining Sidekick.

 

Join us for our 22nd Anniversary Special, live from Studio 55 Marin at 1455 Francisco Blvd E, San Rafael! Sedge welcomes:

WES "SCOOP" NISKERthe famed author, radio commentator, comedian, and Buddhist meditation instructor asks life's big existential questions and has some good laughs along the way.

CLAIRE PEASLEE, West Marin's coastal naturalist brings us some earthly winter wisdom.

MURIEL ANDERSON, world-renowned guitar and harp guitar player brings us a taste of her new show Wonderlusta virtual tour around the world in music and imagery, set to a backdrop of stunning visuals by celebrated photo-artist Bryan Allen.

THE POTRERO HILLBILLIES, J Raoul Brody and friends bring us their recreation of the Kinks' overlooked masterpiece Muswell Hillbillies.

MIKE GREENSILL, our beloved and talented house pianist. And More!

From July 8, 1995 at the Cowell Theater in San Francisco, Sedge welcomed:

ALLEN TOUSSAINT (October 1925 – August 2013) musician, songwriter and record producer who was influential in New Orleans R&B.

ELMORE LEONARD (October 1925 – August 2013) crime fiction writer, author of Get Shorty, Freaky Deaky, and Riding the Rap.

LADY BIANCA, Blues pianist and singer.

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CHORUS, featuring Cynthia Hobgood.

BILL CRAWFORD, author of Cerealizing America: The Unsweetened Story of American Breakfast Cereal

AUSTIN LOUNGE LIZARDS, the pranksters of acoustic music.

BONNIE LOYD, the Urban Geographer

CARRIE FISHER, Star Wars actress who was in town appearing in Wishful Drinking at Berkeley Rep. (from March 2008)