Photo Preview: Steppenwolf Presents NPRÂ's Joe Frank in IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG?

Joe Frank takes the Steppenwolf's stage for an evening of spoken word and music in one of his most provocative pieces yet. The depth of his work - essentially a philosophical inquiry - is what gives it its real significance. Beneath every surreal flourish is a search for something to believe in: a yearning for love, a quest for self-acceptance. While one critic has called Frank "the most brilliant comic in America," another has described Frank's stories as "inspired weirdness that feeds on pathos and irony." Others have used the words "hypnotic," "psychotic," "disturbing" and "terrifying." All agree that Frank unfailingly manages to confound his audience's expectations. Cited as a source of inspiration by artists as diverse as Ira Glass, Charlie Kaufman and Beck, Frank's shows are invariably laced with surreal comedy.

Joe Frank began his radio career in 1977 at WBAI, in New York City, and later served as co-anchor of National Public Radio's All Things Considered in 1978. Over the course of the next three decades he produced over 200 radio programs for KCRW and National Public Radio. A Guggenheim Fellow, Frank has been honored with many major industry awards, including the George Foster Peabody Award, two Major Armstrong Awards and two Corporation for Public Broadcasting Awards for radio drama. Over the years, Frank's distinctive approach to making radio has inspired producers around the world to experiment with and stretch the medium beyond traditional boundaries. Joe Frank's regular weekly one-hour radio show airs in Chicago on WBEZ Sunday nights at 11 p.m. For additional information, visit www.joefrank.com.

More Articles by This Author...