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Reading is Funktamental: a show about great books written about music and music-makers
Reading is Funktamental show image. Image by Sal Cataldi. (Mar 22, 2024)
Reading is Funktamental: Bob Dylan's New York: A Historic Guide with Author Dick Weissman (December 10, 2025 10-11 am). Courtesy: Dick Weissman (Dec 10, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: The Beatles on Film with Author Steve Matteo (Nov 12, 2025 - 10 - 11 am). Courtesy of author, Steve Matteo (Nov 12, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: The Iconic Underrated Record Producer Tom Wilson with Richie Unterberger (October 08, 2025 10 - 11:00 am). Editions 1989 (Oct 08, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: Transfigured New York: Experimental Music in the 1980s with Author Brooke Wentz (September 10, 2025, 10 - 11 am). Brooke Wentz (Sep 10, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: The Triumpth & Tragedy of The Band's Richard Manuel with author Steven Lewis (August 13, 2025 at 10 am). Shiffer Publishing (Aug 13, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: The Triumpth & Tragedy of The Band's Richard Manuel with author Steven Lewis (August 13, 2025 at 10 am). Richard Gahr (Aug 13, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra with author Walter Kolosky. Walter Kolosky (Jul 09, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: The Art & Music of Yoko Ono with Author David Sheff (June 11, 2025 - 10 - 11 am). Title card, Sal Cataldi (Jun 11, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: The Rise, Fall & Rise of The Zombies with author Robin Platts (May 14, 2025 - 10 - 11 am). Hozac Books (May 14, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: Producer & Author Joe Boyd on Global Music and Making Music in the 1960s (April 9, 2025 10 - 11 am). Ze Books (Apr 09, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: Tragic Magic, the Star-Crossed Life of Traffic's Chris Wood with author Dan Ropek. Title card, Sal Cataldi (Mar 12, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: Talkin' Greenwich Village - The Rise and Fall of NYC's Bohemian Enclave with Author David Browne. Credit: Hachette Press (Feb 12, 2025)
Reading is Funktamental: The Complicated Life of Moby Grape's Skip Spence with Don Stevenson and Cam Cobb (January 8, 2025, 10 am). Title card, Sal Cataldi (Jan 08, 2025)
Sonny Rollins with author Aidan Levy - Reading Is Funktamental. Title card, Sal Cataldi (Dec 11, 2024)
Holy Ghost, a biography of Albert Ayler. Richard Koloda (Nov 13, 2024)
Reading is Funktamental: Moon Zappa, Daughter of Rock Legend Frank Zappa and Author of the Memoir, Earth to Moon. William Morrow Publishing (Oct 09, 2024)
Reading is Funktamental: Dave Mason, Co-Founder of Traffic on his new memoir. Title card, Sal Cataldi (Sep 11, 2024)
Reading is Funktamental: Dave Mason, Co-Founder of Traffic on his new memoir. Title card, Sal Cataldi (Sep 11, 2024)
"Reading is Funktamental" is a monthly one-hour show about great books written about music and music-makers. In each episode, host Sal Cataldi speaks to the authors of some of the best reads about rock, jazz, punk, world, experimental music, and much more. Occasionally, the host is joined by notable musicians who have written about their careers. Recent guests have included eccentric British singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock, Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera, Traffic co-founder Dave Mason, and Moon Zappa. Expect a great conversation and a playlist of great music to go with it.
Sal Cataldi is a musician and writer based in Saugerties. He is best known for his work with his genre-leaping solo project, Spaghetti Eastern Music, and is also a member of the ambient guitar duo, Guitars A Go Go, the poetry and music duo, Vapor Vespers, the jazz ensemble Hari Karaoke Trio of Doom and the quartet, Spaceheater. His writing on music, books and film has been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, PopMatters, Seattle Times, Huffington Post, Inside+Out Upstate NY, and NYSMusic.com, where he is the book reviewer.