Live Wire with Luke Burbank: Episode Featuring J. Kenji López-Alt, Ann Powers, and Kutumu

Release Date: August 1, 2025

Podcast Information:

• Title: Live Wire with Luke Burbank
• Host: Luke Burbank (PRX)
• Description: Like late-night for radio, Live Wire is hosted by Luke Burbank (Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me) and artfully blends an eclectic mix of artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, comedians, and cultural observers.

Introduction and Episode Overview

Timestamp: [00:02]

Luke Burbank kicks off the episode by introducing the guest lineup: the renowned chef and food scientist J. Kenji López-Alt, music journalist Ann Powers, and alternative folk singer-songwriter Kutumu. The episode promises a blend of culinary exploration, music critique, and live performances, setting the stage for a vibrant discussion.

Segment 1: The Best News We've Heard This Week

Timestamp: [03:37]

Elena Passarello shares uplifting stories, starting with an inspiring tale from Punta Grassa, Brazil, where two nuns, Sister Marizel Cassiano and Sister Marissa De Paula, engage with the community through music and dance. Their appearance on the local TV show "Pie Attention" showcases their unique blend of faith and artistic expression, earning Sister Marzelle over 100,000 Instagram followers through endorsements from Viola Davis and Whoopi Goldberg.

Notable Quote:

Sister Marzelle Cassiano: "I see beatboxing as a tool that God uses to reach the hearts of the people we work with."
[04:38]

Next, Luke shares a heartwarming story from Georgia about Mikael Baker, a high school graduate who stayed behind to help at a crowded Burger King, inadvertently inspiring a GoFundMe campaign that has raised nearly $200,000 for his college education.

Notable Quote:

Luke Burbank: "Mikael Baker being rewarded for his service to his friends at Burger King. That's the best news that I saw all week."
[07:22]

Segment 2: Conversation with J. Kenji López-Alt

Timestamp: [08:49]

Guest: J. Kenji López-Alt, chef, food scientist, culinary innovator, and author of the New York Times bestseller The Food Lab.

Key Topics:

1. Teriyaki Exploration in Seattle:

   • Kenji discusses his ongoing quest to sample every teriyaki joint in Seattle, originally a daily pursuit that has since become a monthly exploration. With around 90 places in the city, he has visited over 30, emphasizing the unique Seattle-style teriyaki created by Japanese immigrant Toshiko in the 1970s.

   Notable Quote:

   Kenji López-Alt: "Teriyaki as we know it in the U.S. chicken teriyaki was invented in Seattle by a Japanese immigrant in the 70s."
   [09:38]

2. Cultural Significance and Immigrant Influence:

   • The teriyaki scene in Seattle is predominantly run by immigrants from various backgrounds, including Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese communities. This diversity enriches the traditional teriyaki offerings with additional menu items like bibimbap and pho.

   Notable Quote:

   Kenji López-Alt: "Teriyaki originally Japanese or Japanese American, although these days I think you'll find most of them are not actually Japanese run anymore."
   [11:54]

3. Impact of Sobriety on Culinary Life:

   • Kenji shares his journey to sobriety and how it has reshaped his relationship with food and the restaurant industry. He highlights the growing mindfulness around drinking within the culinary world and the rise of non-alcoholic beverage options in restaurants.

   Notable Quote:

   Kenji López-Alt: "I choose to go sober at the right time because... there's a lot of conversation. I don't think there's ever been a better time to be a non-drinker for salt."
   [17:09]

4. The Recipe Podcast Collaboration:

   • Kenji elaborates on his podcast with Deb Pearlman, The Recipe, where they exchange and discuss each other’s recipes, offering listeners a behind-the-scenes look at recipe development.

   Notable Quote:

   Kenji López-Alt: "The premise of the show is that we pick a recipe that we've both worked on, say, like, macaroni and cheese, and then I'll make her version of the recipe, she'll make my version..."
   [18:05]

5. Broccoli Cheese Soup Debate:

   • The discussion pivots to the controversial topic of broccoli cheese soup, where Kenji compares his hearty, nacho-cheese-infused version with Elena’s lighter take.

   Notable Quote:

   Kenji López-Alt: "Mine is basically just like you went to the stadium and, like, pumped the nacho cheese sauce into it and garnish it with a floret."
   [02:12]

6. Cutting Onions Techniques:

   • Kenji delves into the optimal methods for chopping onions, referencing culinary techniques and a mathematical approach to achieve the most efficient and uniform dice.

   Notable Quote:

   Kenji López-Alt: "If you take your half onion and you place it on the table... if you angle your knife down to there, it's not quite straight up and down, and it's not quite radially symmetric. It's somewhere in between."
   [23:02]

Segment 3: Conversation with Ann Powers

Timestamp: [30:43]

Guest: Ann Powers, esteemed music journalist and author of Traveling on the Path of Joni Mitchell.

Key Topics:

1. Inception of the Joni Mitchell Biography:

   • Ann recounts receiving the call from her New York book editor to write about Joni Mitchell, initially feeling daunted by the project due to Joni's legendary status.

   Notable Quote:

   Ann Powers: "I was afraid of being dominated by her. I want it to be a book that was about the world that Joni Mitchell made and the world that made Joni Mitchell."
   [33:04]

2. Joni Mitchell’s Artistic Legacy and Personal Struggles:

   • She explores how traumatic experiences, such as Joni's battle with polio and giving her daughter up for adoption, influenced her music and artistic expression. Ann emphasizes Joni's determination and the depth of emotion in her work.

   Notable Quote:

   Ann Powers: "She had Just the same anxieties and questions about herself that I have. And she wrote that right into her songs."
   [32:56]

3. Joni Mitchell’s Use of Blackface:

   • Ann addresses the controversial aspect of Joni's performances in blackface, analyzing the motivations and cultural implications behind it. She reflects on the collective acceptance of such actions within the music community and grapples with reconciling Joni's transgressions with her artistic contributions.

   Notable Quote:

   Ann Powers: "I have to confront my own complicated feelings about this part of her life... If no one is saying, ‘Hey, I'm calling you out,’ that doesn't invalidate the rest of the music that she created."
   [40:10]

4. Balancing Art and Personal Flaws:

   • Drawing from Claire Dieterer's concept of "the stain," Ann discusses how to appreciate Joni’s artistry while acknowledging and rejecting her problematic actions.

   Notable Quote:

   Ann Powers: "Do not necessarily reject the artwork, but it has a stain. And you have to acknowledge the stain."
   [42:13]

5. Joni Mitchell’s Impact on Feminism and Personal Identity:

   • Ann delves into how Joni’s personal experiences and traumas intertwined with second-wave feminism, reflecting the struggles of women seeking autonomy and artistic freedom.

   Notable Quote:

   Ann Powers: "Joni was trying to figure out, how can I love and be loved and still be that singular artist I want to be and go on the road."
   [38:21]

Segment 4: Musical Performance by Kutumu

Timestamp: [46:01]

Guest: Kutumu, a 23-year-old alternative folk singer-songwriter known for her viral hit "Hunting Days" on TikTok and her EP Free Therapy.

Discussion Highlights:

1. Kutumu’s Journey and Industry Perception:

   • Kutumu addresses rumors about being an "industry plant," expressing gratitude and humor over such high praise while clarifying her independent path.

   Notable Quote:

   Kutumu: "I wish you would make my life so, so much easier if there was a huge budget behind what I do. But there's unfortunately not."
   [46:44]

2. Collaboration with Yalewhiffen Poof:

   • She recounts her performances with Yalewhiffen Poof, the country's oldest a cappella group, discussing the skills and harmony they developed together.

3. Performance of “Allergy Season”:

   • Kutumu performs her original song "Allergy Season," a heartfelt track about heartbreak and personal growth during the COVID era.

   Notable Excerpt from Lyrics:

   Kutumu: "You had me over unannounced and my nose was bleeding. It was allergies season... I'm tired of thinking you still miss me and I hate the way that I sound when all these love bug things keep coming out of my mouth."
   [48:01]

Segment 5: Audience Interaction

Timestamp: [25:58]

Live Wire engages with its audience by asking about memorable concert experiences. Responses include humorous and touching anecdotes, such as:

• Listener Kutumu’s Grateful Dead Memory:

  Kutumu: "I was a teenager, and I went to a Grateful Dead concert... I slept through the whole Grateful Dead concert laid out."
  [26:28]

• Frank’s Sufjan Stevens Experience:

  Frank: "I saw Sufjan Stevens at the Aladdin theater on my 16th birthday, and I was sitting in the front row..."
  [27:55]

• Caroline’s James Taylor Concert:

  Caroline: "I saw James Taylor at Tanglewood... we snuck our way into the front row..."
  [28:01]

Closing Remarks

Timestamp: [53:00]

Luke and Elena wrap up the episode by thanking guests Kenji López-Alt, Ann Powers, and Kutumu. They acknowledge the show's production team and special supporters, including Joan Cirillo of Portland, Oregon. Luke previews next week’s episode featuring Dylan Marron and musician Brittany Davis.

Notable Quote:

Lee Passarello: "It would be really helpful if you wanted to leave us a review. Feel free to say really nice things about us..."
[55:06]

Credits:

• Executive Producer: Laura Haddon
• Executive Director: Heather D. Michelle
• Producer and Editor: Melanie Sevchenko
• Technical Director: Eben Hoffer
• Assistant Editor: Hazik Bin Ahmad Farid
• Production Team: Andrea Kash Estra Martinez, Ezra Veenstra, and others.

Support:

• Funded by the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
• Member support from Joan Cirillo.

Conclusion:

This episode of Live Wire with Luke Burbank offers a rich tapestry of discussions ranging from culinary adventures with J. Kenji López-Alt, an in-depth exploration of Joni Mitchell’s legacy with Ann Powers, to an engaging musical performance by Kutumu. The blend of personal stories, expert insights, and live music creates an immersive experience for listeners, making it both informative and entertaining.

Listen to the full episode at LivewireRadio.org.