Song of the Cerebellum | Radiolab Podcast
From Radiolab
The narrative follows reporter Rachel Gross as she experiences a troubling karaoke performance at a lively Brooklyn gay bar, where she unexpectedly loses her ability to sing during a well-known song. This moment leads to a deeper exploration of neurological phenomena and the intricate relationship between the brain and vocalization.
Key Takeaways
- Karaoke: a crash course in humility; sometimes life's best lessons come in off-key notes.
- Cerebellum: the 'backup singer' of the brain, proving redundancy can be a lifesaver in unexpected ways.
- Sore throats and shadowy notes, it turns out some voices echo louder after surviving a stroke.
- In the theater of medicine, even the 'redundant' parts have leading roles in recovery narratives.
- Rachel's journey: from singing to surgery, she teaches us that the body often has its own punchline.
Mentioned in This Episode
- Rachel Gross (person)
- Jeremy Schmin (person)
- Branded Saloon (location)
- David Eagleman (person)
- Vagina Obscura (book)
- Henrietta Liner (person)
- Mass General Hospital (company)
- Boston City Hospital (company)
- Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy (company)
- Simons Foundation (company)
- John Templeton Foundation (company)
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (company)