Freak Out and Carry On WBUR

Listen to the trailer for "Anything For Selena," a new podcast from WBUR and Futuro Studios coming in January 2021. Subscribe now so you don't miss it!

About The Show:

On March 31, 1995, nine-year-old Maria Garcia came home to find her mother glued to the TV, tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. The phone kept ringing. Relatives in Mexico and the States wanted to know if Maria’s family was watching, too. American networks and Mexican programming aired the same top story. Selena Quintanilla, the Grammy-winning ascending Mexican American popstar had been killed — swiftly, violently — by the president of her fan club.

The story shook the country and changed Maria’s life.

In "Anything For Selena," host Maria Garcia goes on an intimate, revelatory quest to understand how Selena has become a potent symbol for tensions around race, class and body politics in the United States.

The series weaves Maria’s personal story as a queer, first-generation Mexican immigrant with cultural analysis, history and politics to explore how, 25 years after her death, Selena remains an unparalleled vessel for understanding Latino identity and American belonging.

Ron and Heather wrap up Freak Out and Carry On, reviewing the year that was. Thanks to all our listeners!

Benjamin Wittes, from Lawfare, and Jonathan Rauch, from The Atlantic discuss their article "Boycott the Republican Party", the repercussions of the Nunes memo, and their faith in the Mueller investigation.

How does Trump's speech compare to those of Nixon, Reagan, Clinton and Bush? When did presidents begin inviting guests whose story they include in their speech?

The passion of the woman's march, the origins of the new populism on the left, Teddy Roosevelt's political transformation in 1884.

This week on Freak Out And Carry On, Ron Suskind and Heather Cox Richardson talk with Tom Gjelten, of NPR. They discuss President Trump's ideas about immigration, and how they fit into the long debate over which people are allowed to come to America.