Pop Vultures, which ran on public radio stations nationwide in the early 2000s, was like nothing that ever appeared on public radio before or since. It was the brainchild of radio genius Garrison Keillor, who had a vision for an unscripted show that would educate “old folks” about contemporary pop. It was really a love letter to pop music written by musicians and music fans.

The show’s guests were obsessive music lovers, including (mostly) musicians and some writers. We said some outrageous things, we sang, beat-boxed, and said “like” too much. But mostly we shared our love of music, and talked about how music shapes our hearts and brains every day. Because music does exist in people’s lives in dynamic, real ways—ways that are far beyond the grasp of traditional criticism.

And pop music deserves serious consideration as a cultural force. As Ira Glass said of the show, “There’s no reason that public radio shouldn’t do pop music better than anyone else, in the way that we do the Mideast better than anyone else. That should be ours. We should own that.”

We had amazing people on the show, and a lot of women and non–critics. That was intentional.

Pop Vultures aired for 23 episodes on stations across the country.

For in-depth discussion of the show, check out my “Pop Vultures Manifesto” at Transom.org.

To hear a little of how the show sounded, check out this page.