Into It: Nic Harcourt

... watching?

I really liked Crash. I thought it told the American story in many ways, or a big part of what is the American story today. I really dug The Great Raid, a story about a rescue of 500 American prisoners of war in the Philippines that happened toward the end of World War II. The rescue didn't have to be done - there was no strategic value to it. But these rangers decided they were going to go get these guys. It was fascinating. Really good acting.

One of the things I'm always looking for is something I haven't heard before. The demos that come in [to the station] or the independent records that come in are the things that excite me. I'm playing a band right now called Sky Parade, who have an EP out that's called "Stolen Hymns." It kind of reminds me of a cross between the Australian band The Church and the Dandy Warhols, so it has lots of shimmery guitars. I love the new record by the Super Furry Animals called "Love Kraft."

I read Uncut magazine every month. I like it because it covers such a wide range of music and goes in depth. I like the fact that they give you a CD every month - sometimes they're good, not always, but there are some interesting discoveries. They pretty much always do a cover story that's intriguing to me, whether it's about Pink Floyd's making of "Dark Side of the Moon" or whether it's something about [Bob] Dylan.

• Nic Harcourt is the author of "Music Lust: Recommended Listening for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason." His radio show on KCRW in Los Angeles can be accessed at www.kcrw.com.