Oliver Sacks is one of those rare scientists who make the leap into popular culture, like Carl Sagan or Brian Greene, bridging the gap between regular knowledge and hard-core brain stuff — in this case, neuroscience. His pioneering research, unorthodox methods, and poetic literary style have produced a body of books and essays creating a broader understanding of how the brain works and what that has meant in cultural expression. His emphasis on art and music as paths to understanding brain function (and dysfunction) and his willingness to take drug culture seriously — famously going so far as to experiment on himself with mind-altering substances — have endeared him to a hipster set that otherwise might not beat down the door to science class. Tonight, Live Talks LA presents Oliver Sacks in Conversation With David Milch, NYPD Blue and Deadwood creator, and a man who knows a little something about human psychology himself. Milch is currently working with HBO to bring a selection of William Faulkner stories to the screen — a fitting topic for a writer interested in the vagaries of the afflicted mind. Together Sacks and Milch address the prevalence, perceptions, and misperceptions of rogue imagination and bedeviled senses in religion, folklore, art, and literature. The Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; Wed., Nov. 14, 8 p.m.; $20-$95. (323) 466-3456; livetalksla.org.

Wed., Nov. 14, 8 p.m., 2012

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