A NEW TALK SHOW FOR AN OLD KIND OF TALK ★
I was raised by television. Coming of age in the early aughts, TV was my refuge as the world underwent rapid change. When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, as Obama was inaugurated, when I felt the first inkling of teenage love, TV was ever-present. Every day after school, I would find myself in front of the TV promptly at 4 p.m., as Oprah counseled my adolescent confusion and sitcoms transported me (literally and figuratively) to A Different World.
My name is Bianca Vivion, and I am the creator, writer and host of “Generational Anxiety,” a new talk show where we bring together legendary artists and their Gen-Z and Millennial counterparts to discuss the state of art and culture. Prior to entering the world of television, I was an opinion writer for The New York Times and cultural commentator for NPR whose work centered on coming-of-age and youth culture in America.
I created “Generational Anxiety” because the world is changing, perhaps faster and more confusingly than ever before. We live in a world that is made increasingly complicated by personalities and platforms that would like us to believe there is no such thing as truth — and that there is no singular fact or characteristic that binds a nation, a race or world together. To believe there is such a truth is considered a cliché at best and betrayal at worst.
But I believe television, particularly the medium of the talk show, can offer the kind of simple sagacity that is needed now more than ever. And while “Generational Anxiety” dives into many complex ideas — such as, “Has popular music failed us?” “To whom does America belong?” and “Is the world ending?” — it also offers some profoundly simple truths: Lies are destructive, there is strength in asking for help, reading is a valuable weapon against bigotry, and family is important even when they fall short of all you hoped they’d be.
To create this show, I’ve enlisted the help of some iconic artists who have shaped my artistic voice, as well as my brilliant peer-artists who are just beginning to make their strides in the world. For the premiere episode “Love in the Digital Age,” I am joined by iconic American poet Nikki Giovanni and The New Yorker culture critic Doreen St. Félix to discuss how technology has shaped the way we talk, think and write about love.
I am particularly excited about this episode, because it was a young Nikki Giovanni’s 1971 conversation with writer and activist James Baldwin that inspired me to create this show, as their passionate, intergenerational dialogue not only transformed my own ideas about love, but reaffirmed to me the power of good television.
I am so excited to partner with ALL ARTS and the visionary folks at WNET to bring you “Generational Anxiety,” a love letter to my generation and a thank you letter to the generations of artists that have come before me. This is a show that invites you into a kind of social living room and says, “Come as you are — confused, scared, broke or even broken-hearted — come as you are.”
“Generational Anxiety” with Bianca Vivion will be available to stream on the PBS site and app, and will premiere on the ALL ARTS broadcast channel Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. Eastern..
I hope to see you there.