Cautionary Tales

Bowie, Jazz and the Unplayable Piano

Bowie, Jazz and the Unplayable Piano

Cautionary Tales - December 20, 2019 - 30:23

It was the biggest concert of Keith Jarrett's career - but the pianist was in for a shock when he entered Koln's opera house. The only piano at the venue was a broken-down wreck. Should he risk humiliation and play anyway or simply walk out? The collaboration between pop superstar David Bowie and arch disruptor Brian Eno offers a lesson that staying in your comfort zone isn't always the best option.Read more about Tim's work at http://timharford.com/

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How Britain Invented, Then Ignored, Blitzkrieg

December 13, 2019 - 36:09
In 1917, a brilliant British officer developed a way to use an emerging military technology: the tank. The British army promptly...

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Bowie, Jazz and the Unplayable Piano

December 20, 2019 - 30:23
It was the biggest concert of Keith Jarrett's career - but the pianist was in for a shock when he entered Koln's opera house. The only...

About The Show

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “Messy” and “The Undercover Economist”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser.