SOAP LAKE — The crazy in politics will be the subject of a lecture in Soap Lake, and a building block of popular music – the good and bad of it – will be the subject of a lecture in Ephrata. Both are sponsored by the North Central Regional Library.

“Crazy Politics: Populism, Conspiracy Theories and Paranoia in America” is the title of a lecture at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Soap Lake Public Library, 32 East Main St. Washington State University professor Cornell Clayton is the speaker.

Longtime radio deejay Amanda Wilde will talk about mid-19th century minstrel shows and what they say, good and bad, about pop music in a lecture at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Ephrata Public Library, 45 NW Alder St.

Admission to either lecture (or both) is free.

In an earlier interview, Clayton said populism and political paranoia are two separate strands of thought, but “they are related in some ways.” Both have deep historical roots in U.S. politics.

People involved in politics in America frequently have presented it as a struggle between good guys and bad guys. Often it’s depicted as the struggle of the American people (the good guys) against an elite, local or global (the bad guys). “Who we define as the elite varies,” he said, based each individual’s partisan and ideological identification.

Wilde’s lecture will cover the popularity of the minstrel show; minstrel shows drew huge crowds all over the country in the years before the Civil War. The music borrowed from the various groups that had come to the United States – especially those slaves who had come here involuntarily. Minstrel shows usually were performed by white actors in black makeup.

American popular music always has owed a debt to African rhythms, Wilde said, a process which began with the minstrel show. But while music has sometimes reinforced stereotypes, it’s also been a force for change, she said.

Wilde is a deejay with KUOW in Seattle, and has worked for the station since 2003. Prior to that she was a host and producer at KXEP in Seattle.

Clayton is the director of WSU’s Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service, and the Thomas S. Foley Distinguished Professor of Government. He has a PhD from Oxford University.

The NCRL is partnering with Washington Humanities to present a lecture series at libraries throughout the system during the fall and winter. Lectures cover music, art, literature – even the lessons fruitcake teaches about ancient food.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].