F2K Ep. 18 Journalist & Author Tara Murtha

Fun 2 Know Podcast

Tara Murtha award-winning journalist and author of a new volume in the 33 1/3 book series on Bobbie Gentry. Murtha began to make waves with her writing in the early 2000s, focusing both about issues of social justice and writing about pop culture for the Philadelphia Weekly. Her coverage of criminal abortion Dr. Kermit Gosnell garnered attention and more accolades beginning in 2011, and she has worked for The Gun Crisis Project, RH Reality Check and the Women's Law Project. We talk about her experiences in journalism later in the interview, the opening subject at hands is Murtha's first book, inspired by the 1967 Capitol Record LP by Bobbie Gentry, ODE TO BILLIE JOE. The record was the debut of the 23 year old singer-songwriter and its title track reveals the mystery of a young man's death cryptically discussed over the evening's meal. There has been decades of conjecture over what Billie Joe and the song's narrator threw off that bridge but over time another mystery has emerged as the popular entertainer Gentry has disappeared from the stage, with no public appearances in over 30 years now. Murtha examines Gentry mysteries and career throughout her sharp and concise book and we'll learn a little about what she's found out as well as talking about Zelda Fitzgerald, female identity, letting Bjork be Bjork and we'll also here a bit from Murtha's favorite Gentry tunes After we finish geeking out on the music end we lead into a conversation about Murtha's experiences in the world of modern journalism, of “The Journo-Bro” as well as Tara's role in bringing light to the crimes of Kermitt Gosnell.