Most radio shows play music, deliver the latest news or serve as platforms for political debate. Radiolab, on the other hand, is keen on answering some of life’s biggest questions.
“It’s a show about asking about how the world works, and asking big religious-sized questions,” said Radiolab host Jad Abumrad.
On March 23 and 24 at 8 p.m., hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich will perform live recordings of Radiolab with cellist Zoe Keating at Royce Hall.
Radiolab originated in New York as a free-form set with Abumrad performing for three hours, late at night, at a time when no one was listening.
“I remember just being lost, confused, excited and experimenting ““ and more than anything, just feeling like this will never work,” Abumrad said.
In 2004, Abumrad met radio host Robert Krulwich and had him guest-host one of his radio shows, which were loosely science-based and officially dubbed “Radiolab.” The two eventually became very good friends.
Abumrad said both he and Krulwich never expected anyone to like the show.
Now, Radiolab is co-hosted by Abumrad and Krulwich. It is produced by WNYC, a public radio station in New York City, and broadcast around the country on more than 300 stations. There are currently 101 podcasted episodes on iTunes.
Abumrad said the performances at Royce contrast with the idea of a radio show. In addition to the auditory presence that characterizes Radiolab, the audience will be able to see hosts Abumrad and Krulwich. It will be a live recording complete with video, images and music.
“It should be something like a more anarchic version of the actual radio broadcast. We try really hard to create the feelings, the moods, the textures and the movements of the actual radio show,” Abumrad said.
The shows will also be accented with music from cellist Zoe Keating.
“I am a combination of musical glue and musical spotlight, with positive emphasis on what Jad and Robert are doing,” Keating said.
Abumrad said he sees Zoe as a sort of security blanket for the show.
“It will be two guys talking like they’re at a deli, but there’s this surrealistic landscape growing around them. And there will be weird digressions and all the kinds of stuff that you expect to hear from the show. It will just be … on stage,” Abumrad said.
Radiolab fan Adam King, a UCLA graduate student, expressed his anticipation for the show.
“I’m not sure what it’s going to be like to see it live,” King said. “They always tackle a science-based question, and as an engineer it’s something I really enjoy.”
Though Radiolab is a radio show at its core, Abumrad said he sees it as something else.
“For me, Radiolab is just a way of moving. It’s just an attitude. Whether we are talking to a scientist, an artist, an athlete, a priest or just some person, it doesn’t really matter to me as long as we are somehow illuminating the world in some way,” Abumrad said.
While the show presents itself as an exploration of science in an artistic manner, Abumrad said he disagrees with placing the show into the category of either science or art.
“I don’t believe we are doing a science show, I’ve never thought that. I don’t believe we are doing a show about art. Our only allegiance is to big questions,” Abumrad said.