Kansas City has no shortage of civic leaders, authors, artists and activists. Many are frequent guests on KCUR's Up To Date, where we catch up on their work and expertise.
But sometimes, we just want to have a casual conversation, so we ask them five questions, or maybe a few more.
Mauli Agrawal, chancellor of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joined Up To Date to discuss what he's been reading, streaming and more.
How do you feel about the state of Kansas City right now?
Well Kansas City is just the coolest place to be in right now. I mean, I cannot stop talking about it... So there's just this energy all across, it's very exciting.
What are you reading?
My latest that I haven't started on is "James" by Percival Everett. But right before that, a couple of things that I've been reading. I was reading Malcolm Gladwell's "(The) Tipping Point," primarily because I wanted to get some pointers.
I think KC is climbing up to the tipping point for excellence. And so that was the latest one I did. I'm reading a very old essay by Stuart Mills ("On Liberty"), personal versus government. It's from the 1850s.
What music do you listen to?
Well "Karma" is my favorite, and that if you listen to the lyrics, they're very deep lyrics. So that's why I say that she's [Taylor Swift] a good songwriter. I'm eclectic because I grew up in India and I'm partial to Bollywood songs, they have to be the old ones from the 60s and 70s... but I also grew up in the era of classic rock.
So I'm a big fan of classic rock, like Pink Floyd and Dolls and Dire Straits. Those are constants, and then the other pop artists come and go.
Bonus: If you had to listen to one song on repeat forever, what would it be?
Pink Floyd "Another Brick in the Wall"
What are you streaming?
["Silo"] was referred to me by my son and so my wife and I started watching it. It's a post apocalyptic movie where everybody lives underground in silos, they cannot come out, they're afraid to go outside. Nobody knows why themselves live there, when did it all start. It's kind of a thriller, and a mystery, with sci-fi thrown in. It's very, very well done.
Where do you like to eat?
The thing about Kansas City is that so many new restaurants are coming up. And if it's a high end gourmet-ish type food, I go to Story...But a constant for me and my wife is La Bodega, tapas. And they really do have good tapas, similar to what you may find in Spain.
- Mauli Agrawal, chancellor, University of Missouri-Kansas City
