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THE SECRET HISTORY OF DISCO: Peter Shapiro talks about how disco brought a polysexual, polyracial, polymorphous celebration — to a space beyond the reach of church, state and family; how it became a worldwide phenomenon; and how it ended in a homophobic, racist backlash. His book is Turn the Beat Around. PLAYLIST: Bee Gees, “Stayin’ Alive” 1977 #1; Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive” 1979 #1; Sister Sledge, “We Are Family” 1979 #2; Chic, “Good Times” 1979 #1.
also: JOHN NICHOLS on the presidential race, and on Massachusetts, where Democrat Elizabeth Warren is ahead, and Wisconsin, where Democrat Tammy Baldwin is ahead. John is Washington correspondent for The Nation and a frequent guest on The Ed Show on MSNBC.
Plus: TOM FRANK says there is one grand political issue that defines our time – in the words of Elizabeth Warren, “the system is rigged.” Tom writes a column for Harper’s–this month he writes about Paul Ryan as a fan of Rage Against the Machine. Tom’s new book Pity the Billionaire is out now in paperback.
