Fresh Air
Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. Subscribe to Fresh Air Plus! You'll enjoy bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening - all while you support NPR's mission. Learn more at plus.npr.org/freshair And subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Fresh Air Weekly, to get interview highlights, staff recommendations, gems from the archive, and the week's interviews and reviews all in one place. Sign up at www.whyy.org/freshair
Sat, March 29, 2025
Best Of: A Writer Grapples With A Life-Changing Accident / The Post WWII 'Red Scare'
Hanif Kureishi began his new memoir just days after a fall left him paralyzed. He describes being completely dependent on others — and the sense of purpose he's gained from writing. The memoir is called Shattered . David Bianculli reviews the British series Ludwig . Writer Clay Risen describes a political movement which destroyed the careers of thousands of teachers, civil servants and artists whose beliefs or associations were deemed un-American. His book, Red Scare , is about post-World War II America, but he says there's a throughline connecting that era to our current political moment. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, March 28, 2025
After A Friend's Suicide, A Writer Inherits His Grieving Dog
Sigrid Nunez's 2018 novel The Friend won the National Book Award. It's now a film, starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, about a woman who inherits a dog after her friend's suicide. She spoke with Terry Gross about the book in 2019. Also, Justin Chang reviews the new French film thriller Misericordia . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, March 27, 2025
The Former Jihadist Trying To Remake Syria
Atlantic writer Robert Worth talks about Syria's transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. He was the founder of the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, but is now advocating unity and inclusion. Syria borders Iraq, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, so what happens in Syria impacts the whole region. We'll also talk with Worth about the Houthis in Yemen, and the Trump administration group chat that accidentally included Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, March 26, 2025
Amanda Knox Is 'Free,' But Is That Enough?
Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in an Italian prison for a murder she didn't commit. After her exoneration, she reached out to the man who prosecuted her case. She talks about how she made herself useful while in prison, readjusting to being back home, and the survivor's guilt that follows her. Knox's new memoir is Free . TV critic David Bianculli reviews The Studio , starring Seth Rogen, on Apple TV+. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, March 25, 2025
Inside The 'Mad House' Of Congressional Disfunction
The MAGA-controlled 118th House passed only 27 bills that became law — the lowest number since the Great Depression. Journalists Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater examine the chaos in a new book, Mad House: How Donald Trump, MAGA Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby, and a Man with Rats in His Walls Broke Congress. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get special behind-the-scenes content, producer recommendations, and gems from the archive. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, March 24, 2025
A Legal Scholar On 10 Laws 'Ruining America'
Legal scholar Elie Mystal talks about his new book, Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America . From the Hyde Amendment's impact on reproductive rights to laws that shield gun manufacturers, Mystal argues flaws within these laws have made life harder for all of us. We'll talk about immigration law, voting rights, and why the deregulation of the airline industry has made most of us hate the experience of flying. Also, our TV critic David Bianculli reviews the delightful new mystery series Ludwig , from Britbox. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, March 22, 2025
Best Of: Seth Rogen / Can The Dems Win Back The Bros?
Seth Rogen created a new AppleTV+ series, The Studio , which is a satirical look at how executives in Hollywood make decisions on what movies get made. He stars as the head of a fictional Hollywood studio who is trying to save the struggling company. Also, New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz talks about how Right-wing podcasts and YouTube channels have become the platforms where men who feel disillusioned and alienated go to feel seen and heard—and the battle on the Left to win them back. Plus, rock critic Ken Tucker reviews new songs by Teddy Swims, Benjamin Booker, and Neil Young. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, March 21, 2025
50 Years Of 'Rocky Horror'
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is 50 years old, and still going strong in midnight theaters. We're listening back to Terry's 2005 interview with Tim Curry, who starred on stage and in the film as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the "sweet transvestite" from Transylvania. Also, we remember the prolific sportswriter, NPR commentator, and best-selling author John Feinstein. And film critic Justin Chang reviews The Alto Knights. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get special behind-the-scenes content, producer recommendations, and gems from the archive. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, March 20, 2025
The Political Battle For The Bros
Popular podcasts in the "manosphere" helped sway young men to go MAGA in the 2024 election. New Yorker writer Andrew Marantz explains how Democrats can win them back. Also, Ken Tucker shares songs by Neil Young, Benjamin Booker and Teddy Swims. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, March 19, 2025
The Promise & Peril Of AI
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Rivlin says regulation can help control how AI is used: "AI could be an amazing thing around health, medicine, scientific discoveries, education ... as long as we're deliberate about it." He spoke with Dave Davies about some of his fears about artificial intelligence. His book is AI Valley . Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Karen Russell's new Dust Bowl-era epic, The Antidote . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, March 18, 2025
Seth Rogen Lands The 'Tragic' Job Of Studio Head
In his new Apple TV+ series The Studio , Seth Rogen plays an anxious Hollywood executive desperate to not get fired. Studio heads are charged with deciding which projects get greenlit, and which get scrapped. They also give notes to creatives that are supposed to help their films become better — or, more specifically, be financially successful. Rogen reflects on this funny dynamic and the research he did for the series. The Studio drops on March 26. Also, John Powers reviews the series Long Bright River on Peacock. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, March 17, 2025
The Red Scare & America's Conspiratorial Politics
Writer Clay Risen describes a political movement which destroyed the careers of thousands of teachers, civil servants and artists whose beliefs or associations were deemed un-American. His book, Red Scare , is about post-World War II America, but he says there's a throughline connecting that era to our current political moment. Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews The Pitt and Adolescence . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, March 15, 2025
Best Of: Comic Bill Burr / Actor Simu Liu
Bill Burr knows exactly where his sense of humor comes from. He learned at an early age that if he could make people laugh, then they'd be less likely to hurt him. "I am a mess of a human being, still, this far into life. ... But it makes for good comedy," he says. His new Hulu stand-up special is called Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years . In 2012, three deep-sea divers were on a routine dive in the North Sea when one of the divers became trapped underwater. The harrowing story of that rescue is the plot of the movie Last Breath . Actor Simu Liu had to scuba dive in dark depths for his role, which was largely shot underwater. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, March 14, 2025
Texan-Palestinian Comic Mo Amer
Amer's Netflix comedy series about his life, Mo , is now in its second season. His family is Palestinian, and fled the first Gulf War, so Amer grew up in Houston from age nine. "Palestinian culture is a folksy farmer kind of mentality and life," Amer says. "And when I came to Texas, one of the things that was really attractive to me was the country music, the folksy music, the storytelling tradition of that." Amer spoke with Dave Davies in 2022 when his series debuted. Also, Justin Chang reviews Black Bag , a new thriller from Steven Soderbergh. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, March 13, 2025
Remembering The South African Playwright Who Defied Apartheid
Athol Fugard's plays, like Blood Knot and Master Harold and the Boys , were about the emotional and psychological consequences of Apartheid. He also formed an integrated theater company in the 1960s, in defiance of South African norms. The playwright, who died Saturday, spoke with Terry Gross in 1986. And we remember soul singer/songwriter Jerry Butler, who sang with Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions before going solo. Jazz historian Kevin Whitehead marks the centennial of the birth of Roy Haynes, one of the most in-demand drummers of the genre. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, March 13, 2025
Comic Bill Burr [Extended Version]
Burr talks with Terry Gross about processing his abusive childhood, a therapeutic mushroom trip, and why he's angry at liberals. "You can get canceled as a comedian for doing a friggin' Caitlyn Jenner joke, but this a**hole [Elon Musk] can 'Seig heil' and nothing. Where are all the liberals?" His new Hulu stand-up special is called Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years . This is the extended version of the interview, which we couldn't fit in our broadcast. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, March 12, 2025
The Gutting Of The Department Of Education
The Department of Education is reportedly eliminating 50% of its workforce. Washington Post writer Laura Meckler talks about the fallout, from the enforcement of civil rights laws in schools, to student loans and grants. TV critic David Bianculli reviews A Thousand Blows , the new historical drama series from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, March 11, 2025
The Campaign To Silence Journalists & Undermine Free Speech
In 2019, Justice Clarence Thomas raised the prospect of overturning one of the most consequential free speech decisions ever made. New York Times Co. v. Sullivan is a 1964 landmark case that strengthened First Amendment protections by enabling journalists and writers, from top national outlets to local newspapers and bloggers, to pursue the truth without being afraid of being sued. In his book Murder the Truth, author David Enrich explores how Justice Thomas' words coincide with a surge in legal threats and litigation against journalists and media outlets. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, March 10, 2025
Comic Bill Burr On Musk, Magic Mushrooms & Healing From His Childhood
Bill Burr knows exactly where his sense of humor comes from. He learned at an early age that if he could make people laugh, then they'd be less likely to hurt him. "I am a mess of a human being, still, this far into life. ... But it makes for good comedy," he says. The comic talks with Terry Gross about processing his abusive childhood, a therapeutic mushroom trip, and why he's angry at liberals. His new Hulu stand-up special is called Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years . Hear an extended version of this interview on YouTube . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, March 08, 2025
Best Of: Jazz Clarinetist Doreen Ketchens / 'White Lotus' Actor Natasha Rothwell
We're joined by a New Orleans institution — clarinetist and vocalist Doreen Ketchens. She's got several nicknames — "Lady Louie," "Queen Clarinet," and "Miss Satchmo," all of after her biggest idol, Louis Armstrong. Like the jazz great, Ketchens has the gift of hitting long, high notes. She and her band, Doreen's Jazz New Orleans, have performed on the corner of Royal and St. Peter's Street in the French Quarter for almost four decades We'll also talk with Natasha Rothwell. She returns to HBO's The White Lotus as Belinda, a spa manager who was duped in Season 1 by a wealthy visitor played by Jennifer Coolidge. Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Last Seen , a book about newly-freed Black Americans in the 1860s who took out ads to find lost family members. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, March 07, 2025
Remembering New York Dolls Frontman David Johansen
The 1970s band The New York Dolls made only two studio albums, but the group was hugely influential, setting the stage for punk rock. We listen back to Terry Gross' 2004 interview with the band's co-founder David Johansen, who died last week. The group was described as flashy, trashy and drag queens — but Johansen didn't care. He later went on to perform under the persona of the pompadoured lounge singer Buster Poindexter. Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews Mickey 17 , a futuristic action-comedy by Parasite director, Bong Joon Ho. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, March 06, 2025
Actor Simu Liu On Diving In The Dark
In 2012, three deep-sea divers were on a routine dive in the North Sea when one of the divers became trapped underwater. The harrowing story of that rescue is the plot of the movie Last Breath . Actor Simu Liu had to scuba dive in dark depths for his role, which was largely shot underwater. He spoke with producer and interview contributor Ann Marie Baldonado about playing a Ken in Barbie , his early childhood in China, and the perils of being a stock photo model. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get special behind-the-scenes content, producer recommendations, and gems from the archive. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, March 05, 2025
How Did DEI Become Part Of A Political Agenda — And A Slur?
Georgetown professor Ella Washington and Harvard professor Frank Dobbin discuss the beneficiaries and misperceptions of diversity, equity and inclusion, DEI, and who will be hurt as it's dismantled across public and private sectors. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, March 04, 2025
Mardi Gras With New Orleans Jazz Clarinetist Doreen Ketchens
Known as "Lady Louie," Doreen Ketchens has been a fixture of the French Quarter for nearly four decades. We talk about her classical training and her career as a street performer, and she'll play some music. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, March 03, 2025
How A Writer's Life Changed In A Second
Hanif Kureishi began his new memoir just days after a fall left him paralyzed. He describes being completely dependent on others — and the sense of purpose he's gained from writing. The memoir is called Shattered . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, March 01, 2025
Best Of: Growing Up Murdoch / DOGE's Cuts To The Federal Workforce
Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins describes the rivalry among the children of 93 year-old media titan Rupert Murdoch over who will control his business empire when he dies. It's a real life Succession drama. Also, we'll talk with Harvard Professor Elizabeth Linos about the extraordinary measures Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has taken to drastically shrink the size of the federal government, and the ripple effect. Also, John Powers reviews the Oscar-nominated animated film Flow . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, February 28, 2025
Jeremy Strong / Sebastian Stan / Adrien Brody
The Academy Awards are this Sunday. We hear from the two stars of the film The Apprentice , Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. It's about how a young Donald Trump was influenced by the infamous, unscrupulous lawyer Roy Cohn. Also, we hear from Adrien Brody, who is nominated for his starring role in the film The Brutalist , in which he plays a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor who seeks a fresh start in post-WWII America. John Powers reviews the animated film Flow , which has been nominated for both best animated feature and best international film. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, February 27, 2025
Natasha Rothwell Checks Back Into 'The White Lotus'
In the new season of The White Lotus, Natasha Rothwell reprises her role of spa manager Belinda , a woman "on the precipice of change" as she straddles the line between guest and staffer. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about filming in Thailand, the cancellation of her show How to Die Alone , and getting cast as the hilarious Kelli on Insecure . Also, we remember Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman who died this week at age 95. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, February 26, 2025
The Ripple Effect Of Musk's Government Purge
DOGE has eliminated thousands of federal jobs and canceled more than 1,000 contracts. Harvard professor Elizabeth Linos warns, "We're seeing harms that are not going to be easily undone." Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Last Seen: The Enduring Search by Formerly Enslaved People to Find Their Lost Families . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, February 25, 2025
The Murdoch Family's Real-Life 'Succession' Rivalry
Rupert Murdoch and his oldest kids are battling over who controls his media empire when the 93-year-old media titan dies. The Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins explains what's at stake, how it could change Fox News — and what the siblings think about the HBO show Succession. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, February 24, 2025
The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church
In Jesus Wept , investigative journalist Philip Shenon examines the last seven popes, and how efforts to reform the Church with the Second Vatican Council led to power struggles and doctrinal debates that lasted for decades. He spoke with Dave Davies about the theological clashes, scandal, and the accuracy of the movie Conclave . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, February 22, 2025
Best Of: Louis Armstrong's Early Years / Our Anti-Social Century
We talk with author Ricky Riccardi about how Louis Armstrong became the first Black pop star and provided the foundation of improvisation for other musicians. Riccardi's book is S tomp Off, Let's Go. Also, we hear from Atlantic writer Derek Thompson. He's done a deep dive into our nation's loneliness epidemic and how our phones have become a barrier to real human connection. Critic-at-large John Powers reviews the Brazilian film I'm Still Here. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, February 21, 2025
Andrew Scott Doesn't See Ripley As A Monster
In the series Ripley, Andrew Scott plays a con artist with no conscience. The actor says it was important to humanize his character. "For me, I think your first job is to sort of advocate for the character and try not to judge them." Scott's up for a SAG Award for his portrayal of Tom Ripley. David Bianculli reviews Netflix's new six-part drama series Zero Day , starring Robert De Niro. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, February 20, 2025
A Family Forged By Haiti's Coup
Rich Benjamin's grandfather, Daniel Fignolé, was a popular Haitian labor leader who became Haiti's president in 1957. After just 19 days in office, he was overthrown by a military coup, and was sent to the U.S. His 13 year-old daughter (Benjamin's mother) was taken by soldiers and sexually assaulted. She was eventually reunited with her parents in America, where they were refugees. Rich Benjamin talks with Terry Gross about his family's history and resilience. His memoir is Talk to Me . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, February 19, 2025
How Regime Change Happens In America
During President Trump's first term, journalist Anne Applebaum reported on how he was moving toward authoritarianism. Now she's describing Trump's actions as regime change. "Our imagination of a coup or regime change is that there are tanks and violence and somebody shoots up the chandelier in the presidential palace," she says. "Actually, nowadays, that's not how democracies fail. They fail through attacks on institutions coming from within." Applebaum also talks about the dismantling of America's civil service system and how the Trump administration is distancing itself from NATO, while getting closer with Putin. Applebaum is a staff writer at the Atlantic and author of Autocracy, Inc . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, February 18, 2025
What Measles Outbreaks Tell Us About Public Health In America
"Measles thrives on being underestimated," Dr. Adam Ratner says. The highly infectious disease was thought to be a "solved problem," until a 2018 outbreak in New York City. "When we start to see measles, it's evidence of the faltering of our public health systems and of fomenting of distrust of vaccines." Ratner talks about the implications of RFK's Health and Human Services Dept. appointment, National Institute of Health budget cuts, and spreading distrust and skepticism in science. His new book is called Booster Shots . Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Geraldine Brooks' memoir Memorial Days , about grieving her husband, Tony Horwitz. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, February 17, 2025
Are Trump's Executive Orders Legal?
Constitutional scholar, historian, and New York Times staff writer Charlie Savage joins us this President's Day to talk about the scope of executive power. Savage takes us through the legal challenges, the power of Congress and the Supreme Court, and how previous presidents have pushed the bounds. TV critic David Bianculli reviews Star Trek: Section 31 and Planet Earth: Asia . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, February 15, 2025
Best Of: Sebastian Stan / Questlove On The Genius Of Sly Stone
Musician and documentary filmmaker Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is back to talk about his new Hulu documentary about Sly Stone. It's called SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius). Also, actor Sebastian Stan talks about portraying Donald Trump in the film The Apprentice. Stan is originally from Romania, born during a communist dictatorship. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, February 14, 2025
'SNL' Turns 50: Aykroyd, Franken, Zweibel & Lovitz
For Saturday Night Live 's 50th anniversary, we're featuring interviews with some of the early cast members/writers. Dan Aykroyd talks about the moment he and John Belushi came up with the Blues Brothers. Writer Alan Zweibel talks about working with Gilda Radner on two of her most iconic characters. And Al Franken tells us about a sketch he wrote that didn't make it past the censors. Jon Lovitz tells Terry how his character Master Thespian came to be. Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews The Annihilation of Fish, a romantic comedy starring James Earl Jones, Lynn Redgrave and Margot Kidder, made in 1999 and released now for the first time. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, February 13, 2025
'Nickel Boys' Director RaMell Ross Makes The Camera 'An Organ'
RaMell Ross's Oscar-nominated film, Nickel Boys , centers on two young Black men attempting to survive a brutal Florida reformatory school in the 1960s. He says he's sees the rural South as a "meaning-making space." Ross spoke with Tonya Mosley about his photography and performance art, too. Also, John Powers reviews the new season of HBO's The White Lotus . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, February 12, 2025
How Did Elon Musk Become So Powerful In The Trump Administration?
New York Times journalist Eric Lipton explains how Musk's companies are benefiting as he cuts federal jobs and agencies, and reporter Teddy Schleifer explains how Musk's political views turned right, and why he thinks the billionaire's relationship with Trump might actually last. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, February 11, 2025
For Sebastian Stan, 'The Apprentice' Playing In Theaters Was The Win
Sebastian Stan is up for an Oscar for his portrayal of President Trump early in his career, when Roy Cohn was his lawyer and mentor. Stan says Cohn schooled Trump in "denying reality and reshaping the truth." He spoke with Terry Gross about his childhood in Romania, wearing prosthetics for A Different Man , and his breakthrough role on Law & Order . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, February 10, 2025
Questlove On Sly Stone & The Burden Of Black Genius
Questlove is back to talk about his new documentary about Sly Stone and his band the Family Stone. They created a new sound with their mix of pop, soul, funk, psychedelic music and irresistible beats. The film is called SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) and it streams on Hulu beginning Feb. 13. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, February 08, 2025
Best Of: Ariana Grande / Inside A Dominatrix's Dungeon
We talk about the cultural phenomenon of Wicked with star Ariana Grande. She's nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Grande talks about some of the underlying messages in the film about belonging and good versus evil, and how growing up as a theatre nerd prepared her for this role. Also, writer and professional dominatrix Brittany Newell joins us to talk about her new novel Soft Core , which explores the underworld of San Francisco's dive bars, strip clubs, and BDSM dungeons. Maureen Corrigan reviews two quintessential New York City books. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, February 07, 2025
Remembering British Singer Marianne Faithfull
Discovered at a Rolling Stones party at the age of 17, Marianne Faithfull broke out in the early '60s with the Jagger/Richards song " As Tears Go By ." Faithfull's liaison with Mick Jagger kept her in the public eye. In the '70s, she struggled with addiction, but she made a triumphant comeback in her 30s, and became a critically acclaimed rock cabaret singer. Also, critic-at-large John Powers reviews the Brazilian film I'm Still Here , which he describes as a "moving, inspiring, beautifully made story about learning to confront tyranny." Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, February 06, 2025
A Dominatrix/Writer Takes Readers Into A Dungeon
After publishing her first novel when she was 21, Brittany Newell started working as a dominatrix. The job gave her time to write — and plenty of material to draw from. "I always like to say that what makes a good writer is also what makes a good dominatrix, which is empathy and curiosity and bravery," she says. Newell's new novel is Soft Core . Also, David Bianculli reviews the comedy TV series Clean Slate starring Laverne Cox. And Maureen Corrigan reviews two quintessential New York books. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, February 05, 2025
Trump's Plan For Gaza / The U.S. Military's Recruiting Crisis
Last night, President Trump proposed a plan to displace all the Palestinians from Gaza, and get Jordan and Egypt to take them in, while the U.S. takes ownership of Gaza and rebuilds it into a Middle East Riviera. We'll talk with New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins about the impact of this proposal. We'll also talk with him about the recruitment crisis in the U.S. military, which has led military leaders to ask: can our country defend itself if not enough people are willing or able to fight? It's the subject of his latest article in the New Yorker . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, February 04, 2025
Ariana Grande Loves Being In A 'Beautiful Coven'
As a kid, Ariana Grande loved singing karaoke with her family. "I looked up to Whitney and Mariah and Celine endlessly," she says. "I think that's a large part of the reason why I learned to sing." She spoke with Tonya Mosley about auditioning for and landing the role of Glinda in Wicked , her signature whistle register, and how she quiets the voice of self-doubt. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, February 03, 2025
Parenting A Child With Terminal Cancer
Sarah Wildman's daughter Orli died from cancer when she was 14. "She would sometimes ask me, 'What do you think I did to deserve this?' And of course, that's not an answerable question," Wildman says. The NYT Opinion writer spoke with Terry Gross about her daughter's treatment and death and living with grief. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, February 01, 2025
Best Of: 50 Years Of SNL Musical Guests / Black History Through Blues
Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is the co-director of a new documentary about the music of Saturday Night Live over the last 50 years. It's called Ladies & Gentlemen and it's streaming on Peacock. We'll also hear from author and scholar Imani Perry. Her new book Black In Blues explores the significance of the color blue in Black life, from the indigo trade to the birth of blues music. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, January 31, 2025
For 'Severance' Star Adam Scott, Work & Life Can't Be Separated
The Apple TV+ drama series Severance is back for its second season. It's a dystopian take on work-life balance — where characters have their personal and professional lives surgically separated. He spoke with Ann Marie Baldonado in 2022 about the making of the series. Also, Justin Chang reviews one of this year's most talked-about Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature, No Other Land . It was directed by a collective of two Palestinian filmmakers and two Israeli filmmakers. Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, January 30, 2025
How Louis Armstrong Became The First Black Pop Star
Author Ricky Riccardi says Louis Armstrong's innovations as a trumpeter and vocalist helped set the entire soundtrack of the 20th century. His new book about Armstrong's early life is Stomp Off, Let's Go. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, January 29, 2025
This Anti-Social American Life
Research shows we're spending more time alone than ever before. Atlantic writer Derek Thompson says all this "me time" has a profound impact on our relationships and politics. Also, David Bianculli reviews the documentary Without Arrows . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, January 28, 2025
What The Color Blue Tells About Black History
Award-winning author and scholar Imani Perry traces the history and symbolism of the color blue, from the indigo of the slave trade, to Coretta Scott King's wedding dress, to present day cobalt mining. Her new book is Black in Blues. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, January 27, 2025
Questlove Digs Into 50 years Of 'SNL' Musical Hits (And Misses)
Questlove's documentary, Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music, airs tonight on NBC . It highlights some of the show's most iconic musical performances and comedy sketches — from break-out stars to lip-syncing controversy. Our TV critic David Bianculli reflects on the documentary, and then Questlove joins Terry Gross to talk about some of the highlights. Also, Ken Tucker reviews Ringo Starr's new country album, Look Up . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, January 25, 2025
Best Of: Jesse Eisenberg / Pamela Anderson
Jesse Eisenberg talks about writing, directing and starring in the film A Real Pain . Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play cousins who go to Poland on a Jewish Heritage Tour. One of the stops is the Majdanek death camp. He spoke with Terry Gross about questions the film raises. Also, we hear from Pamela Anderson. In the new film, The Last Showgirl , she stars as a veteran Vegas dancer who must face the end of her legendary show. She talked with Tonya Mosley about her big career comeback. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, January 24, 2025
Remembering David Lynch
Filmmaker and painter David Lynch died January 15 at age 78. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1994 about making his surrealist first movie, Eraserhead , leaving things up for interpretation, and where he finds inspiration. Also, we'll hear from Isabella Rossellini who starred in Lynch's Blue Velvet as a nightclub singer, and Nicolas Cage, who worked with him in Wild At Heart . And our TV critic David Bianculli shares an appreciation. Also, Justin Chang reviews the new film supernatural thriller Presence . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, January 23, 2025
Trump's Foray Into Cryptocurrency
Bloomberg investigative reporter Zeke Faux says the Trump family's new crypto businesses have earned them tens of millions, while raising questions about political influence and ethics. Also, we remember Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, playwright and screenwriter Jules Feiffer. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, January 22, 2025
Pamela Anderson Is Still Reinventing Herself
Pamela Anderson's role as a lifeguard on Baywatch made her a global sex symbol in the '90s. But she longed to be taken seriously as a performer and person. "I've always been carrying this secret. I feel like I've known I was capable of more, but I didn't know what," she says. She now stars in The Last Showgirl . She spoke with Tonya Mosley about her career comeback, crafting her persona, and ditching makeup. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, January 21, 2025
Jesse Eisenberg Hated Bar Mitzvahs As A Kid
Eisenberg's film, A Real Pain , follows two cousins on a Jewish heritage tour of Poland, which includes a stop at the Majdanek death camp. Eisenberg spoke with Terry Gross about tragedy tourism, and his own relationship to Judaism. The "Hebrew school dropout" says the suburban bar mitzvah scene made his 12-year-old stomach turn. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, January 20, 2025
MLK, The Organizer & Radical Thinker
NYT columnist and sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom and scholar Eddie Glaude Jr. reflect on the struggle for civil rights and what it means to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the same day that President Donald Trump is sworn into office. "Perhaps the juxtaposition of seeing Donald Trump preside over the official state memorialization of Martin Luther King will remind us of our responsibility to remembering King as he actually was ... as he was a philosopher, an organizer of the people," Cottom says. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, January 18, 2025
Best Of: Learning From Silence / Comic Roy Wood Jr.
Writer Pico Iyer lost everything in a 1990 California wildfire. After being rendered homeless and sleeping on a friend's floor, he was told about a Benedictine monastery. His time spent in silence on retreat there changed him both as a person and as a writer. He spoke with Terry Gross about his new memoir about the experience, Aflame . Also, comic and former Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. talks with Tonya Mosley about his new comedy special, Lonely Flowers. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, January 17, 2025
The True Story Of Abuse And Injustice Behind 'Nickel Boys'
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Colson Whitehead's The Nickel Boys has been adapted for the big screen. In 2019, Whitehead spoke with Dave Davies when the book was released. It's set in the early '60s, based on the true story of the Dozier reform school in Florida, where many boys were beaten and sexually abused. Dozens of unmarked graves have been discovered on the school grounds. "If there's one place like this, there are many," he says. Later, guest critic Martin Johnson reviews a new recording featuring two giants of jazz. And film critic Justin Chang reviews Mike Leigh's new film, Hard Truths . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, January 16, 2025
The Secret History Of The Rape Kit
Rape kits were widely known as "Vitullo Kits" after a Chicago police sergeant. But a new book tells the story of Marty Goddard, a community activist who worked with runaway teenagers in the 1970s. Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the Western miniseries American Primeval , now streaming on Netflix. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, January 15, 2025
How Losing Everything In A Wildfire Led Pico Iyer To Seek Silence
In 1990, writer Pico Iyer watched as a wildfire destroyed his mother's Santa Barbara home, where he also lived. In Aflame , he recounts the devastation of the fire — and the peace he found living in a Benedictine monastery. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, January 14, 2025
Can The U.S. Aquire Greenland? & Other Q's About Trump Foreign Policy
In the past, Donald Trump talked about keeping America out of foreign conflicts — but lately he's talked about potentially using force or economic pressure to acquire Greenland, the Panama Canal, even Canada. We'll speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning NYT national security correspondent David Sanger. He'll talk about how Trump might handle the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and Iran's growing nuclear threat. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, January 13, 2025
Roy Wood Jr. Thinks Of Comedy As Journalism
A good comedian has to "know what regular people are going through," Roy Wood Jr. says. In his new Hulu special, Lonely Flowers , Wood riffs on how isolation has sent society spiraling. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about leaving The Daily Show , learning from other comics, and how an arrest pushed him to pursue stand-up. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, January 11, 2025
Best Of: Tilda Swinton / Adrien Brody
Tilda Swinton stars as a woman with cancer who decides she wants to end her life in the new Pedro Almodóvar film The Room Next Door . She asks a friend to stay with her for her last weeks. She spoke with Terry Gross about the role and her own experience bearing witness to the deaths of loved ones. Also, we hear from award-winning actor Adrien Brody. He stars in the film The Brutalist as a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor who seeks a fresh start in post-WWII America. Brody tells Tonya Mosley how drew from his mother and grandfather's experience as Hungarian immigrants for the role. Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews the new Mike Leigh film Hard Truths . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, January 10, 2025
Joan Baez / Suze Rotolo / Al Kooper On Dylan
A Complete Unknown – the film about Bob Dylan is in theaters. We're featuring interviews with three people depicted in the film: Suze Rotolo was his girlfriend and was photographed on his arm for the cover of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. She told Terry about that photoshoot. Folk singer Joan Baez was already a star when she met Dylan. She took him on tour, but nobody knew who he was. She talks about some of those early shows. And Al Kooper was a session musician who played the organ on "Like a Rolling Stone." Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, January 09, 2025
Remembering Jimmy Carter (Part II)
The 39th president spoke with Terry Gross in 1995, 2001 and 2005 about poetry, Sept. 11 and his concerns about how intertwined politics and religion had become. Carter died on Dec. 29 at age 100. Today is his funeral. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, January 08, 2025
Tilda Swinton Thinks About Her Death
In Pedro Almodóvar's film The Room Next Door , Tilda Swinton plays a woman with late-stage cancer who wants to end her life. She asks a friend, played by Julianne Moore, to stay with her for her last month on Earth. Swinton's performance draws on her experiences supporting and bearing witness to loved ones at the end of their lives. "A life spent considering how we're going to spend our end is not wasted time," she tells Terry Gross. "We're all going that way, and the sooner we accept and embrace that, then the ice melts and we're kind of informed of a kind of living, I think, that we wouldn't otherwise be." Swinton also talks about growing up in a military family, her sense of fashion, and being a "queer fish." Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, January 07, 2025
Adrien Brody Was Made For 'The Brutalist'
Adrien Brody won a Golden Globe for his role in The Brutalist , as a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor who seeks a fresh start in post-WWII America. "I just was in awe when I read the script," he says. Brody spoke with Tonya Mosley about how his family's history helped him with the role, and about his collaboration with Wes Anderson. Also, John Powers reviews the new erotic drama Babygirl . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, January 06, 2025
Getting In Sync With Your Inner Clock
In an experiment, science journalist Lynne Peeples spent 10 days in an underground bunker, with no exposure to sunlight or clocks. She wanted to see what happened to her body and mind when it became out of sync with its natural circadian rhythm. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about what she learned, how we change with age, and the importance of sunlight. Her book is The Inner Clock . Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the series Laid and Going Dutch . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, January 04, 2025
Best Of: Comic Ronny Chieng / Writer Miranda July
After Trevor Noah started anchoring The Daily Show in 2015, he brought on Ronny Chieng as a field correspondent who could offer a global perspective. Now Chieng is one of the show's anchors. He's third generation Chinese Malaysian, and grew up in Malaysia, Singapore and the U.S. He has a new Netflix comedy special. Also, filmmaker and writer Miranda July talks about her novel, All Fours . It's about a 45-year-old married woman, her erotic affair with no actual sex, perimenopause, and the related fears of losing her libido and getting older. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, January 03, 2025
Comic Nikki Glaser On Roasts & Hurt Feelings
The comic is hosting the Golden Globes this Sunday. She spoke with Terry Gross back in July about roasts, hurt feelings, and just wanting to be liked. Her latest HBO comedy special is Someday You'll Die. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, January 02, 2025
Alex Van Halen / Selena Gomez
We continue our series featuring some of our favorite interviews from 2024, this time with Alex Van Halen and Selena Gomez. Alex Van Halen talks about his life and the career he built with his late brother Eddie, and the formation of their band Van Halen. From growing up as immigrant kids in California, to the wild antics of life on the road as rock stars and some of his stunts, like setting his drums on fire. Selena Gomez talks about her role in the Spanish-language musical film Emilia Pérez , where she stars as the wife of a brutal drug cartel boss. We talk about the evolution of her career, from a Disney kid to a pop star. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, January 01, 2025
Sterling K. Brown Was Told By Hollywood To Lose The "Smart-Guy Thing"
Brown won an Emmy for his portrayal of Christopher Darden in The People v. O.J. Simpson, and another for This Is Us . He now appears in the film American Fiction. He spoke with Terry Gross about losing his father, how his feelings about the O.J. Simpson case changed, and prejudice he faced in Hollywood. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, December 31, 2024
Mark Ruffalo Hates The Hulk Suit
Ruffalo played a debauched cad in Yorgos Lanthimos' bawdy, dark comedy Poor Things . It was a big departure from his previous work playing real people in dramas like Spotlight or Foxcatcher , or as the Incredible Hulk in the Marvel movies. The Oscar-nominated actor spoke with Sam Briger about these roles, how he got his start in acting, and how a brain tumor changed his life. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, December 30, 2024
Remembering President Jimmy Carter (Part I)
Jimmy Carter died Sunday at age 100. The 39th president spoke with Terry Gross a few times over the years about growing up on a Georgia farm, entering politics, and his career in human rights and conflict resolution. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, December 28, 2024
Maggie Rogers / Kathleen Hanna
In 2021, burnt out from the intensity of her early career, Maggie Rogers considered quitting music entirely. Instead, she took a detour — to Harvard Divinity School, where she earned a master's degree in religion and public life. Her 2024 album is Don't Forget Me . Kathleen Hanna's band Bikini Kill was the epicenter of the riot grrrl feminist punk movement of the '90s. Their song "Rebel Girl" was the anthem. Her memoir this year was about her time in the punk scene, her childhood, and finding joy in expressing anger in public. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, December 27, 2024
Connie Chung Regrets Being A Good Girl
This year TV news journalist Connie Chung wrote a new tell-all memoir. It's about breaking into the boys club of her industry, her marriage to Maury Povitch, and the big scoops of her career. The funny and off-the-cuff news icon spoke with Tonya Mosley. Also, jazz historian Kevin Whitehead remembers musicians who died this year. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, December 26, 2024
Jeremy Strong Sees Acting As An Escape From Self
Jeremy Strong is nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as lawyer and political hitman Roy Cohn in The Apprentice . The movie, he says, "explores essentially how Trump was made, and his philosophical moral framework." Strong talks with Terry Gross about playing Cohn and about playing Kendall Roy on HBO's Succession . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, December 25, 2024
Pete Seeger / Bruce Springsteen
The new biopic A Complete Unknown follows a young Bob Dylan as he arrives in New York and changes American folk music forever. Edward Norton plays folk icon Pete Seeger, who had a big impact on Dylan. Seeger was famous for his songs about working people, unions, and social justice. We're revisiting Terry's 1984 interview with Seeger, as well as her 2016 interview with Bruce Springsteen, who was compared to Dylan when he broke onto the scene. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, December 24, 2024
David Byrne's Christmas Playlist
The singer-songwriter and Talking Heads frontman presents some of his favorite holiday music — including songs by The Pogues, James Brown, LCD Soundsystem and Paul Simon. Find his playlist on Apple Music and Spotify . Also, our film critic Justin Chang shares his list of the best movies of 2024. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, December 23, 2024
Jon Batiste, Holiday Edition / Questlove Christmas
Jon Batiste joins us from the piano and plays some of his favorite Christmas songs. It's part two of our recent session with him. Batiste is the former band leader and music director for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He's won multiple Grammys and an Oscar. Inviting musicians to perform or play recordings of their favorite Christmas songs is a new Fresh Air tradition. It started two years ago, with DJ and co-founder of the Roots, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, who put together a playlist of Christmas songs and talked us through his picks. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, December 21, 2024
Best Of: Billie Eilish & Finneas / The Colbert Cookbook
Award-winning sister-brother duo Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell talk about their songwriting process, her changing voice, and their new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft . Later, Stephen Colbert and his wife Evie McGee Colbert talk about their cookbook of home recipes inspired by their South Carolina roots. It's called Does This Taste Funny? Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, December 20, 2024
Bonnie Raitt / Francis Ford Coppola
This month, musician Bonnie Raitt and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola were both honorees of the Kennedy Center for their contributions to American culture. We're revisiting interviews with both of them. First, blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Bonnie Raitt spoke with Terry Gross in 1996 about her early years, finding her blues sound. And Francis Ford Coppola told us in 2016 the story of casting Marlon Brando in The Godfather . And film critic Justin Chang reviews two new movies: The Brutalist and Nickel Boys . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, December 19, 2024
Miranda July Wants Women To Read Their Inner Lives In 'All Fours'
Filmmaker and writer Miranda July, whose novel All Fours is on many best books of the year lists, and was described in the New York Times as "the year's literary conversation piece." July spoke with Terry Gross about issues in the novel, like separating from a spouse you're growing distant from, perimenopause, and having an affair. And jazz historian Kevin Whitehead reviews a newly released recording of a concert he attended in 1978, by pianist Sun Ra and his Arkestra. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, December 18, 2024
The Looming TikTok Ban
A new law gives TikTok a January 19 deadline to sell to a non-Chinese company or face a nationwide ban. Law professor Alan Rozenshtein delves into what this means and whether President-Elect Trump could intervene. David Bianculli reflects on the year in TV. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, December 17, 2024
Billie Eilish & Finneas
The Grammy Award-winning singer says working with a vocal coach "honestly changed my life." Eilish and her brother/collaborator Finneas talk with Terry Gross about their new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft , voice lessons, and their favorite homework assignment. Also, critic-at-large John Powers shares his highlights of the year — from a documentary to an Olympic moment. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, December 16, 2024
Comedian Ronny Chieng Didn't Tell His Parents He Got A 'Daily Show' Job
When Ronny Chieng got a job as a correspondent and then anchor at The Daily Show , he kept the news to himself. "I didn't want to brag," the Malaysia-born comic says. "I just wanted to do the work." Chieng now costars in the series Interior Chinatown , and has a new Netflix comedy special, Love to Hate It. Also, Ken Tucker reflects on the best pop music of 2024. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sun, December 15, 2024
Someone Once Told Elton John He Would Never Be A Pop Star
Pop sensation Elton John wrapped up his farewell tour in 2023, only to pop up in a surprise concert at the October 2024 New York City premiere of the new documentary, "Elton John: Never Too Late." Still, as John reduces his public output — and as that documentary drops on the Disney+ streaming platform — we thought our listeners might like to hear again from the British music legend himself. Weekly bonus episodes like this, curated from our vast archive, are usually only available for our Fresh Air+ supporters. But today, in the spirit of giving, we're making this episode available to all. Not a Fresh Air+ supporter yet? Find out more, and join for yourself, at https://plus.npr.org/freshair . Listen to Elton John in 2013: https://n.pr/3BoEEYT | Listen to Elton John in 2019: https://n.pr/49ssSJG | Listen to 40+ years of Fresh Air's archives at https://FreshAirArchive.org . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, December 14, 2024
Best Of: Jon Batiste's 'Beethoven Blues' / Visual Artist Mickalene Thomas
Jon Batiste joins us at the piano to play his reimaginings of Beethoven, and more. His new album is called Beethoven Blues . Also, we hear from visual artist Mickalene Thomas. She puts Black women in the front and center of her work. Her latest exhibition, Mickalene Thomas: All About Love , celebrates the women in her life. Book critic Maureen Corrigan shares her picks for the best books of the year. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, December 13, 2024
Cynthia Erivo Sings With 'A Bit Of A Smile'
The British actor and singer played abolitionist Harriet Tubman in Harriet , and Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha. Now she's defying gravity as Elphaba in Wicked. She spoke with Terry Gross in 2021 about some of her roles and her vocal training. Also, Ken Tucker shares his picks for great Christmas music, and David Bianculli reviews the Amazon Prime series The Sticky . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, December 13, 2024
Cynthia Erivo Sings With 'A Bit Of A Smile'
The British actor and singer played abolitionist Harriet Tubman in Harriet , and Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha. Now she's defying gravity as Elphaba in Wicked. She spoke with Terry Gross in 2021 about some of her roles and her vocal training. Also, Ken Tucker shares his picks for great Christmas music, and David Bianculli reviews the Amazon Prime series The Sticky . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, December 12, 2024
Stephen & Evie Colbert Share The Taste Of Home
Late Night host Stephen Colbert and his wife Evie McGee Colbert join Terry Gross to talk about family recipes. They have a new cookbook of South Carolina-inspired dishes called Does This Taste Funny? They also talk about Stephen's harrowing experience with a burst appendix in 2023, meeting the pope, and Evie's role on the show during COVID. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, December 11, 2024
The Housing Shortage, Explained
The U.S. is short approximately 4 million homes. Wharton professor Ben Keys traces the beginning of the housing crisis to the 2008 financial meltdown — and says climate change is making things worse. Also, Justin Chang reviews the Iranian film The Seed of the Sacred Film . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, December 10, 2024
Actor Danielle Deadwyler 'Overprepared' For 'The Piano Lesson'
Danielle Deadwyler stars in the Netflix adaptation of the August Wilson play The Piano Lesson . She spoke with Tonya Mosley about her journey from the Atlanta theater scene to the big screen, her three masters degrees, and playing Mamie Till, mother of Emmett, in the 2022 movie Till . Also, our book critic Maureen Corrigan shares her top 10 books of 2024. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, December 09, 2024
Jon Batiste Almost Got Kicked Out Of Juilliard
The former band leader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert returns to talk with Terry Gross about his new album, Beethoven Blues . We also talk about his early years, like how he had a reputation at Juilliard for playing his melodica everywhere and breaking into song in class. It nearly resulted in him getting kicked out. Now he serves on the board. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, December 06, 2024
Werner Herzog Isn't The 'Wild Guy' You Think He Is
Herzog reflects on the curiosity that's fueled his career in the memoir, Every Man for Himself and God Against All, now out in paperback. The filmmaker and writer is drawn to extremes: extreme characters, extreme settings, extreme scenarios. But don't mistake him for a mad man like some of his film subjects: "You have to control what is wild in you. You have to be disciplined. And people think I'm the wild guy out there but I'm a disciplined professional," he tells Terry Gross. Film critic Justin Chang reviews Queer . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, December 06, 2024
Best Of: Folk Musician Jerron Paxton / Lyricist Ira Gershwin's Legacy
Musician Jerron Paxton is known for performing music from the 1920s and '30s. He just came out with an album of his own songs, called Things Done Changed . Paxton brought some of his instruments to his conversation with Sam Briger. Also, Terry Gross talks with author Michael Owen about Ira Gershwin, the lyricist behind many of the most enduring songs in The Great American Songbook . TV critic David Bianculli reviews the documentary Beatles '64 . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, December 05, 2024
A Cultural History Of Hypochondria
Are you hyper-vigilant about your health, constantly monitoring yourself and panicking when you feel the slightest symptom? You're not alone. Writer Caroline Crampton has a new book about illness anxiety disorder, a.k.a. hypochondria. We talk about our evolving understanding of the disorder, its connection to PTSD, and new treatments. Her book is A Body Made of Glass . John Powers reviews two new spy series, Black Doves and The Agency . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, December 04, 2024
Trump's 2nd Term & The Economy
Economist David Wessel talks about Trump's plans on tariffs and tax cuts, and the potential economic impact of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's Department of Government Efficiency. Maureen Corrigan reviews Niall Williams' novel, Time of the Child . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, December 03, 2024
Artist Mickalene Thomas Gives Black Women Their Flowers
In Mickalene Thomas' work, Black women are front and center. "We've been supportive characters for far too long," she says. "I would describe my art as radically shifting notions of beauty by claiming space." Her new exhibition of collages, paintings, and photographs is called All About Love . She spoke with Tonya Mosley about how she "draws with scissors," using her mother as a muse, and her reinterpretation of Manet. Also, David Bianculli reviews the new documentary Beatles '64 . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, December 02, 2024
Folk Musician Jerron Paxton Transports Us To the '20s
We're going to hear from a musician whose music is vibrant, exciting and new — even if it sounds like it could have been found on a scratchy record from the 1920s. His name is Jerron Paxton and he has a new album called Things Done Changed . He brought some of his instruments to the studio when he spoke with Fresh Air 's Sam Briger. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, November 30, 2024
Best Of: Making 'The Piano Lesson' / Selena Gomez
A new film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning August Wilson play The Piano Lesson is now on Netflix. It's about a brother and sister battling over what to do with a family heirloom piano. Denzel Washington and his daughter Katia served as producers, and his sons John David and Malcolm starred in and directed it. The brothers talk about bringing the play to the screen. Also, we hear from Selena Gomez about the Spanish-language musical Emilia Pérez . Gomez plays the wife of a brutal drug cartel leader who decides to undergo gender-affirmation surgery. Film critic Justin Chang reviews blockbusters Wicked and Gladiator II . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, November 29, 2024
Pharrell Thinks He Sounds Like Mickey Mouse
The animated film Piece By Piece traces Pharrell Williams' early life as a boy growing up in Virginia Beach and follows his trajectory to a Grammy-winning songwriter, performer and producer. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about his synesthesia, the song Prince rejected, and disliking his own voice. Subscribe to Fresh Air 's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, November 28, 2024
A Yo-Yo Ma Thanksgiving
About 25 years ago, the acclaimed cellist asked a high school student to help him name his instrument. Yo-Yo Ma brings his cello — aka "Petunia" — to his conversation with Terry Gross. He talks about being a child prodigy, his rebel years, and straddling three cultures: American, French, and Chinese. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, November 27, 2024
Canonical Lyricist Ira Gershwin Gets His Due
Ira Gershwin wrote the lyrics for some of the most enduring songs in the Great American Songbook, including "I Got Rhythm," "S'Wonderful," "Embraceable You," "Love is Here to Stay," and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." Biographer Michael Owen talks about Ira's collaboration with his brother George, his writing process, and the line he added to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Later, jazz historian Kevin Whitehead remembers drummer Roy Haynes. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, November 26, 2024
The Washington Family Brings 'The Piano Lesson' To Film
August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Piano Lesson is about a conflict in a Black family over whether to keep an exquisite heirloom piano — or to sell it to buy the land their family was enslaved on. Denzel Washington's son Malcolm directed the new film adaptation for Netflix, and his brother John David stars as Boy Willie. Tonya Mosley talks with the brothers about collaborating as a family on the project. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, November 25, 2024
A Marine's Portrait Of Her Body At Extremes
During her years as a military linguist, Bailey Williams pushed her body to extremes. She later learned that eating disorders are more prevalent in the Marine Corps than in any other military branch. Her memoir is Hollow . John Powers reviews the Paramount+ series Landman . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, November 23, 2024
Best Of: Comedy Writer Michael Schur / Actor Jimmy O. Yang
Michael Schur wrote for the The Office , and created The Good Place , and co-created Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. His new show for Netflix, A Man on the Inside , features Ted Danson as a widowed retiree who goes undercover in a retirement community. He spoke with Terry Gross about the series. Later, comic and Silicon Valley actor Jimmy O. Yang talks about his new Hulu series, Interior Chinatown. He plays a waiter who inadvertently becomes central to a crime story. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, November 22, 2024
The Exile Of Charlie Chaplin
Author Scott Eyman explains how silent film actor Charlie Chaplin was smeared in the press, scandalized for his affairs with young women, condemned for his alleged communist ties and banned from returning to the U.S. "At one time or another he was the target of the entire security apparatus of the United States of America," Eyman says. His book is Charlie Chaplin vs. America . Also, Justin Chang reviews two highly-anticipated blockbusters, Wicked and Gladiator II . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, November 21, 2024
'Parks And Rec'& 'Good Place' Creator Michael Schur On His New Show
Michael Schur wrote for the The Office , and created The Good Place , and co-created Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. His new show for Netflix, A Man on the Inside , features Ted Danson as a widowed retiree who goes undercover in a retirement community. He spoke with Terry Gross about the series, making fun of NPR (lovingly) on Parks , and being a life-long rule-follower. Also, our TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new series and says it's the sweetest show since Ted Lasso . Subscribe to Fresh Air 's weekly newsletter for staff recommendations, gems from the archive, and a peek at what's coming next week. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, November 20, 2024
Trump, Journalism & The Rough Road Ahead
Trump has called the press the "enemy of the people" and threatened retribution, including jailing reporters, investigating NBC for treason, and suggesting CBS's broadcast license be taken away. Terry Gross talks with David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker , and Marty Baron, former executive editor of The Washington Post, about the media landscape as we head into a second Trump administration. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, November 19, 2024
Selena Gomez Has Found Her Balance
The actor-singer-entrepreneur stars in Emilia Pérez, the new Spanish-language musical about a cartel boss who undergoes gender-affirming surgery. Gomez talks with Tonya Mosley about re-learning Spanish, her Disney years, and working alongside comedy legends Martin Short and Steve Martin in Only Murders in the Building . Also, Ken Tucker shares three great country songs: Maren Morris' "People Still Show Up," Dwight Yoakam's "A Dream That Never Ends," and Shawna Thompson's "Lean On Neon." Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, November 18, 2024
Actor/Comic Jimmy O. Yang Breaks Out Of The Background
In his new Hulu comedy series, Interior Chinatown , Jimmy O. Yang plays a waiter who inadvertently becomes central to a crime story. As an Asian American actor, he says he relates to the character's feeling of invisibility. Yang talks with Ann Marie Baldonado about auditioning for Silicon Valley , working alongside his dad, and feeling like an outsider among other Asians in California. Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews the Indian movie All We Can Imagine as Light . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, November 16, 2024
Best Of: Why Do We Itch? / Writer Richard Price
Atlantic staff writer Annie Lowery suffers from a rare liver condition that causes severe chronic itch. It led her to look into the stigma of itchiness, the itch-scratch cycle, and finding acceptance in her body. Also, we hear from screenwriter and author of one of the most anticipated novels of the season, Richard Price. His new novel, Lazarus Man , is about second chances. Price also wrote for the HBO shows The Wire , The Deuce and The Night Of . And Maureen Corrigan has two books to recommend if you're looking for inspiration, beauty, and humor. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, November 15, 2024
Kerri Russell On 'The Diplomat'/ Remembering Dorothy Allison
Kerri Russell stars in the Netflix political drama The Diplomat as a foreign service officer tapped to become the American ambassador to the UK. Russell also starred in the series Felicity and The Americans . She spoke with us last year about these characters and getting her start on The All New Mickey Mouse Club as a kid. Also, we remember author Dorothy Allison, who died this week at age 75. Her critically acclaimed 1992 novel Bastard out of Carolina was based on her own childhood experience of being physically and sexually abused. We listen back to Terry's interview with Allison about the book and her life. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, November 14, 2024
How Screenwriting Saved Novelist Richard Price
In Richard Price's new novel, Lazarus Man , a five-story building collapses, upending the lives of the building's residents. It's about second chances and finding the faith to carry on. Price has written for HBO's The Wire and The Deuce , and co-created HBO's The Night Of and The Outsider . Several of his novels, including Clockers , were adapted into films. He spoke with Terry Gross. Also, Maureen Corrigan shares two books that offer humor and beauty: Billy Collins' collection of poetry Water, Water , and The Dog Who Followed The Moon by James Norbury. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, November 13, 2024
What Trump's Foreign Policy Could Look Like
With wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Ukraine, and with high tariffs on the horizon, The Economist Editor-In-Chief Zanny Minton Beddoes says president-elect Trump's agenda may be chaotic. But she stays resolutely optimistic about possible good elements in his foreign policy. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, November 12, 2024
Why Do We Itch?
We've all had bug bites, or dry scalp, or a sunburn that causes itch. But what if you felt itchy all the time — and there was no relief? Atlantic journalist Annie Lowrey suffers from primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), a degenerative liver disease in which the body mistakenly attacks cells lining the bile ducts, causing them to inflame. The result is a severe itch that doesn't respond to antihistamines or steroids. She talks with Terry Gross about finding a diagnosis, treatment, and what scientists know about itch. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, November 11, 2024
Veteran Phil Klay On A 2nd Trump Administration & The Military
Author Phil Klay says Trump has been willing to politicize the military to push his partisan agenda before, and is likely to further erode norms around the military as he looks for those willing to "go with his whims." Klay is a Marine Corps veteran and National Book Award-winning writer. Also, John Powers on the Spanish language movie musical Emilia Pérez. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, November 09, 2024
Best Of: Al Pacino / Saoirse Ronan
Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino talks with Terry Gross about growing up in the South Bronx with a single mother and The Godfather , and why he almost passed on Part II . His new memoir is Sonny Boy . Also, we hear from Saoirse Ronan. She stars in two new films: The Outrun , about a young woman struggling to get sober, and the World War II drama, Blitz . She spoke with contributor Ann Marie Baldonado about the roles, as well as the most intense on set experience she's ever had — birthing lambs. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, November 08, 2024
Jenny Slate Finds Strength In Sensitivity
Comic Jenny Slate spoke with Terry Gross earlier this year about finding comedy in her feelings, motherhood, and growing up in a haunted house. Her latest stand-up special on Amazon Prime Video is Seasoned Professional and she has a new book of essays out now called Lifeform. Justin Chang reviews Clint Eastwood's new film, Juror #2. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, November 07, 2024
Freedman's Bank & Economic Disparities Today
In Savings and Trust , historian Justene Hill Edwards tells the story of the Freedman's Bank. Created for formerly enslaved people following the Civil War, its collapse cost depositors millions. She spoke with Tonya Molsey about how this part of history reverberates today. Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Vanishing Treasures . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, November 06, 2024
Saoirse Ronan Says Being A Child Actor Shaped Her — For The Better
Irish actor Saoirse Ronan returns to Fresh Air to talk with contributor Ann Marie Baldonado about her two new films ( The Outrun and Blitz ) as well as her experience as a child actor and her collaboration with Lady Bird and Little Women director Greta Gerwig. Also, Carolina Miranda reviews the Netflix film Pedro Páramo . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, November 05, 2024
Remembering Quincy Jones
We remember renowned composer, arranger and producer Quincy Jones and listen back to Terry Gross's 2001 interview with him. He died Sunday at the age of 91. He got his start playing with Ray Charles when they were both in their teens. Jones became famous as an arranger and producer for musicians including Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Jackson on his albums Bad , Off the Wall and Thriller . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, November 04, 2024
Al Pacino Looks Back On A Legendary Career
Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino talks with Terry Gross about growing up in the South Bronx with a single mother, getting his start in Greenwich Village performing in avant-garde theater, nearly dying of COVID, and his life today. We'll also talk about The Godfather , and why he almost passed on Part II . His new memoir is Sonny Boy . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, November 02, 2024
Best Of: Alex Van Halen / Painter Titus Kaphar
Alex Van Halen has written a new memoir about forming the rock band Van Halen with his brother Eddie. It takes readers from their childhood to the wild ride of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Eddie Van Halen died in 2020. Alex talks with Tonya Mosley about his grief and reflects on their relationship. Also, artist Titus Kaphar talks about his new movie, Exhibiting Forgiveness , based on his life. It's about a celebrated painter whose world unravels when his estranged father suddenly resurfaces. Carolina Miranda reviews the new Netflix film Pedro Paramo Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, November 01, 2024
Remembering 'Tootsie' Actor Teri Garr
We remember actor Teri Garr, who died last week at age 79. She charmed audiences in her film roles and appearances on late night TV. She's best known for her role as the dim witted seductive lab assistant to Gene Wilder's mad scientist in Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein . She was later nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Tootsie . After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Garr became a spokeswoman for MS research and support. She spoke with Terry Gross in 2005. Also, Justin Chang reviews the new World War II drama Blitz , directed by Steve McQueen and starring Saoirse Ronan. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, October 31, 2024
What About Foreign Interference In The 2024 Election?
New Yorker journalist David Kirkpatrick says a government command hub is tasked with tracking and protecting U.S. elections from foreign adversaries who try to disrupt them by sowing discord and foment violence. Guest jazz critic Martin Johnson remembers composer Benny Golson, who died last month at the age of 95. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, October 30, 2024
The Organization Ready To Help Trump Override The Federal Gov't
New York Times reporter Ken Bensinger says the America First Policy Institute, which has nearly 300 executive orders ready to be signed, would influence a Trump second term more than Project 2025. Also, John Powers reviews the movie A Real Pain . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, October 29, 2024
Alex Van Halen On Eddie, Fire & 'Feeling It'
Alex Van Halen has written a new memoir about forming the rock band Van Halen with his brother Eddie, who died of cancer in 2020. The book, titled Brothers , takes readers from their childhood to the wild ride of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about grief, lighting his drums on fire, and what he really thinks of This is Spinal Tap . Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the fall TV broadcast season. Subscribe to Fresh Air 's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, October 28, 2024
How The Culture Wars Split A Church
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eliza Griswold says complaints about homophobia, white privilege and diversity are splintering progressive organizations — including one particular church in Philadelphia. Her book is Circle of Hope. It's a finalist for the National Book Award. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, October 26, 2024
Best Of: Bridget Everett / Nick Harkaway, John le Carré's Son
The HBO series Somebody Somewhere is about a 40-something woman who returns home to Kansas to care for her dying sister, then stays, but feels like an outsider until she finds a place in the LGBTQ community. We talk Bridget Everett, star of the series, who is also an acclaimed (and bawdy) cabaret singer. Also, writer Nick Harkaway talks about his novel Karla's Choice . It's a new story about George Smiley, the British spymaster made famous in the books written by Harkaway's late father, John le Carré. Ken Tucker reviews a new biography of Randy Newman. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, October 25, 2024
Singer-Songwriter Randy Newman
The witty, cynical and often tongue-in-cheek songwriter Randy Newman is the subject of a new biography. He also wrote a bunch of film scores, including the music for Toy Story , Ragtime, A Bug's Life , and Monsters, Inc . We're revisiting Newman's interview with Terry Gross from 1998 and Ken Tucker reviews the book, A Few Words in Defense of Our Country. Justin Chang reviews the new Vatican thriller Conclave . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, October 24, 2024
Painter Titus Kaphar On 'Exhibiting Forgiveness'
When painter, sculptor, and installation artist Titus Kaphar's life was upended by his estranged father, he turned to film. First he decided to tell his story in a documentary, but scrapped the project when it felt unsatisfying. His new feature film, Exhibiting Forgiveness , tells his story and brings his paintings to life. Kaphar talked to Tonya Mosley about his journey to healing. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, October 23, 2024
John le Carré's Son Revives His Late Dad's Beloved Spy
Writer Nick Harkaway grew up hearing his dad read drafts of his George Smiley novels. He picks up le Carré's beloved spymaster character in the new novel, Karla's Choice. He spoke with Sam Briger about choosing his own pen name, channeling his dad's writing style, and his stint writing copy for a lingerie catalogue. Subscribe to Fresh Air 's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, October 22, 2024
What Do Billionaires Like Elon Musk Want From Trump?
New Yorker writer Susan Glasser says Musk has spent $75 million to support Trump. If elected, Trump promises to appoint Musk to head a commission to cut costs in every part of the federal government. Maureen Corrigan reviews the satirical novel Blood Test by Charles Baxter. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, October 21, 2024
Bridget Everett On Not Fitting In, Then Finding Her People
Growing up in Manhattan, Kansas, Bridget Everett and her "blue sense of humor" never quite fit in. After moving to New York City and developing a cabaret show, she returned home for her HBO show Somebody Somewhere. The series is semi-autobiographical, about a woman struggling with self-worth and grief as she finds her people and her voice. Subscribe to Fresh Air's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, October 19, 2024
Best Of: Pharrell Williams / Lisa Marie Presley's Memoir
Grammy-winning producer, singer, songwriter and rapper Pharrell Williams has a new animated biopic called Piece by Piece . He talks with Tonya Mosley about synesthesia and collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Kelis, and Gwen Stefani. We'll also hear from Riley Keough, Elvis's granddaughter and Lisa Marie Presley's daughter. She talks about the memoir she co-authored with her late mother. Before her unexpected death, Lisa Marie chronicled her childhood, her marriage to Michael Jackson, and growing up in Elvis's shadow. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, October 18, 2024
Tom Petty / 'Reservation Dogs' Co-Creator Sterlin Harjo
We're revisiting our interview with Tom Petty, whose hits include "American Girl," "Breakdown," and "I Won't Back Down." The soundtrack of the new Apple TV+ series Bad Monkey is all Tom Petty covers. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2006. Sterlin Harjo, co-creator of the Peabody award-winning FX/Hulu TV series Reservation Dogs , is a 2024 recipient of the MacAathur "genius" award. Reservation Dogs is about a group of teenagers living on reservation in rural Oklahoma. Harjo is a member of the Muscogee and Seminole Nations and spoke with Terry in 2022. Justin Chang reviews the new film Anora by Sean Baker, director of Tangerine and The Florida Project . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, October 17, 2024
The Battle For Honest And Accountable Government
Former Inspector General Glenn Fine oversaw investigations of the mishandling of documents in the Oklahoma bombing case, the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo and corruption in the Navy. He spoke with Dave Davies about his work to uncover abuse, waste, and fraud in the Departments of Justice and Defense. His book is Watchdogs . Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews the book Clean , about a housekeeper who is the primary suspect in the death of a child. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, October 16, 2024
An Unprecedented Moment For Abortion, IVF & Fetal Personhood
Legal scholar Mary Ziegler talks about the legal battles shaping reproductive rights across the U.S. — including the scope of abortion access and the fate of IVF. And we look ahead at two very different outcomes with the election. "I don't think in the past 50 years we've had an election where the stakes could be as high, simply because Roe v. Wade isn't there as a floor anymore," Ziegler says. Also, John Powers controversial French writer Michel Houellebecq's new novel, Annihilation . Subscribe to Fresh Air 's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, October 15, 2024
Palestinian Poet Reflects On A Life Of Loss
Mosab Abu Toha was able to escape Gaza, along with his wife and three young children. The award-winning poet talks about being detained at a check-point, parenting in war, and the devastation of leaving his family and friends behind. His new book of poetry is Forest of Noise . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, October 14, 2024
Riley Keough Helps Mom Lisa Marie Presley Emerge From Elvis' Shadow
Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley, was working on a memoir when she died in 2023. In From Here to the Great Unknown , actor Riley Keough details her mother's unusual life in Graceland. She also talks about grief and her own time at Neverland Ranch. Maureen Corrigan reviews the novel Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner. Subscribe to Fresh Air's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, October 12, 2024
Best Of: Jeremy Strong / Will & Harper's Roadtrip Across America
Jeremy Strong played Kendall Roy on HBO's Succession . He's now starring in The Apprentice , as Donald Trump's unscrupulous lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn. Strong says the film examines the playbook Cohn passed on to Trump: "Always attack, deny everything and never admit defeat." Also, Will Ferrrell and his friend and former SNL writing partner Harper Steele, talk about the road trip they took after Harper came out as a trans woman. Their trip is the subject of the new Netflix documentary, Will & Harper . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, October 11, 2024
Remembering Gospel Singer Cissy Houston / MLB Legend Pete Rose
We remember singer Cissy Houston, who died Oct. 7 at the age of 91. She got her start in gospel and sang backup vocals for Elvis, Dusty Springfield, Wilson Pickett, Van Morrison and Aretha Franklin, most notably on "A Natural Woman." She was also the mother of Whitney Houston. Houston spoke with Terry Gross in 1998. Also, we remember Major League Baseball's Pete Rose, a legend on the field who was banned from baseball because he bet on the game. He died Sept. 30 at the age of 83. Rose spoke with Dave Davies in 2004. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new film Saturday Night , a dramatization of the first episode of SNL. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, October 10, 2024
Israeli Writer Etgar Keret Reflects On A Year Of War
Internationally-acclaimed writer Etgar Keret, who lives in Tel Aviv, reflects on the protests in Israel and the U.S. over the hostages and Gaza. The son of Holocaust survivors, he has left- and right-wing political views in his own family. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, October 09, 2024
Jeremy Strong On Delusion, Dreams and Doing What It Takes [Extended Version]
Best-known for his role as Kendall Roy in HBO's Succession , Jeremy Strong now stars as lawyer and political hitman Roy Cohn in The Apprentice . The movie, he says, "explores essentially how Trump was made and his philosophical moral framework." Strong talks with Terry Gross about playing Cohn and about some of Kendall's most memorable scenes. Subscribe to Fresh Air 's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, October 08, 2024
Pharrell Williams Sees Colors When He Hears Music
The animated film Piece By Piece traces Pharrell's early life as a boy growing up in Virginia Beach and follows his trajectory to a Grammy-winning songwriter, performer and producer. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about his synesthesia, the song Prince rejected, and disliking his own voice. Subscribe to Fresh Air 's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, October 07, 2024
Will Ferrell & Harper Steele's Roadtrip Across America
Will Ferrell and his longtime friend and former SNL writing partner Harper Steele traveled from New York to California, talking along the way about Steele coming out as a trans woman. Their documentary, Will & Harpe r, is now streaming on Netflix. Also, classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reflects on "maverick" composer Charles Ives. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, October 05, 2024
Best Of: Ta-Nehisi Coates / John Leguizamo
Ta-Nehisi Coates talks about his trip to Senegal and reflects on his ancestors taken from that side of the ocean and sent to their enslavement in America. Coates is best known for his Atlantic magazine cover story "The Case for Reparations" and for his book Between the World and Me , which he wrote as a letter to his son about what he'll face as a Black man. We'll also hear from actor, comedian, and activist John Leguizamo. His latest project is a docuseries on PBS about the history of Latinos in the Americas, covering thousands of years, from pre-Columbian Inca, Maya, and Aztec civilizations to the fight for Latino civil rights. Plus, Ken Tucker reviews Bob Dylan's new collection, The 1974 Live Recordings . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, October 04, 2024
Remembering Maggie Smith and Kris Kristofferson
Beloved British actor of stage and screen Maggie Smith died last week at age 89. Though the Oscar-winner had a long and successful career, it wasn't until she was in her 70s that she got approached by scores of fans. "It only happened to me since Downton Abbey , so I blame the whole thing on television." We revisit Dave Davies' 2016 interview with Smith. Also, we remember singer, songwriter, and actor Kris Kristofferson. He was a Rhodes Scholar, and an Army Ranger before taking a chance at songwriting. "Me and Bobby McGee" is perhaps his most famous song, recorded by Janis Joplin. He told Terry Gross in 1999. Also, John Powers reviews the new film Wolfs, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt on Apple TV+. To keep up with what's on Fresh Air and get a peek behind the scenes, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, October 03, 2024
The Harris/Trump Economic Proposals, Explained
David Wessel, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, compares the candidates' records and campaign promises on taxes, spending, tariffs, housing and more. TV critic David Bianculli reviews Netflix's rom-com series Nobody Wants This . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, October 02, 2024
John Leguizamo Gives The Untold Story Of Latinos In America
More often than not, U.S. history classes fail to include the contributions of Latino people. Leguizamo's three-part PBS docuseries, VOCES American Historia, is an attempt to set the record straight. Also, David Bianculli reflects on SNL 's season 50 opener. Subscribe to Fresh Air's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, October 01, 2024
Ta-Nehisi Coates Explores Oppression in 'The Message'
In his new book, Coates reflects on his time in Senegal, as well as trips he took to South Carolina and to Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "It is about the nationalisms of people who are told that they are nothing, that they are not a nation, that they are not a people ... and the stories that we construct to fight back against that," he says. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, September 30, 2024
Ina Garten's Biggest Hosting Fail
The host of the Food Network's Barefoot Contessa tells Tonya Mosley about a disastrous party she threw when she was 21. Garten invited 20 guests, with the intention of making an individual omelet for each person — except she barely knew how to cook an omelet. Her new memoir is Be Ready When Fate Happens. Ken Tucker reviews The 1974 Live Recordings , a newly released recording of some of Bob Dylan's most raucous rock and roll. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, September 28, 2024
Best Of: 'Joker' Director Todd Phillips / Actor Uzo Aduba
Todd Phillips, the director and co-writer of the new musical sequel to Joker, shares what it was like to direct Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in a singing, dancing, very dark adaptation of the DC character. And actor Uzo Aduba, best-known for her role as "Crazy Eyes" on Orange is the New Black and HBO's In Treatment , has written a new memoir that pays homage to her mother, a Nigerian immigrant who raised her family in a nearly all-white Massachusetts suburb. Also, David Bianculli reviews the new Disney+/Marvel series Agatha All Along , a spinoff of the series WandaVision. Subscribe to Fresh Air 's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, September 27, 2024
Celebrating 25 Years Of 'The West Wing'
25 years ago, the TV series The West Wing premiered. It was a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional White House. We revisit our interviews with show creator/writer Aaron Sorkin, and actors Allison Janney, who played C.J., and John Spencer, who played Leo McGarry. They talk about the show's signature walk-and-talk and the quippy, rapid-fire style of dialogue. Also, Justin Chang reviews Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, September 26, 2024
Could 'Uncommitted' Voters Sway The Election?
New Yorker writer Andrew Marantz describes Michigan's uncommitted, thousands of pro-Palestinian, anti-war protest voters who say they won't support Kamala Harris unless she changes her policy on Israel. Also, Kevin Whitehead shares an appreciation of jazz pianist Bud Powell, for his centennial. And film critic Justin Chang reflects on two new movies that examine the extremes of self-improvement: The Substance and A Different Man . Subscribe to Fresh Air 's weekly newsletter and get highlights from the show, gems from the archive, and staff recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, September 25, 2024
Above All, Uzo Aduba Is Her Mother's Daughter
Orange Is the New Black actor Uzo Aduba grew up the daughter of Nigerian immigrants in a predominantly white Massachusetts suburb. She looks back on her late mother's influence in the memoir, The Road Is Good. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, September 24, 2024
The Inside Story of Trump, Russia, and the Mueller Investigation
Mueller deputy Aaron Zebley looks back on the investigation of Trump's ties to Russia and explains why his team didn't indict the president in 2017. Zebley is the co-author of Interference . David Bianculli reviews WandaVision spin-off, Agatha All Along on Disney+. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, September 23, 2024
Why 'Joker' Director Todd Phillips Came Back For A Sequel
After his 2019 hit Joker , Todd Phillips knew he wanted to do more with the character. Joker: Folie à Deux picks up two years after the original, and features singing by Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. The director spoke with Terry Gross about his collaboration with Phoenix, how he got into filmmaking, and casting Gaga. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, September 21, 2024
Best Of: Connie Chung / Demi Moore
Pioneering television journalist Connie Chung gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what it took for her to climb to the top in the male-dominated field of TV news. Her new memoir is Connie . Also, we talk with Demi Moore about her new horror film The Substance, in which she plays an aging actress who loses her job hosting a workout show because her boss thinks she's too old and not hot enough. John Powers reviews the new documentary ¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, September 20, 2024
A Satire Of the Sunshine State
Florida's population has quintupled since writer Carl Hiaasen grew up near Fort Lauderdale in the '50s. As a former Miami Herald columnist and novelist, Hiaasen railed against, and made fun of, politicians and developers who he said were covering the state with concrete, and the tourists and retirees who just kept coming. Hiaasen's 2013 novel, Bad Monkey , a wacky murder mystery set in Key West COMMA is now a television series streaming on Apple TV +, starring Vince Vaughn. Also, we remember revered jazz historian, archivist and critic Dan Morgenstern, who died earlier this month. Critic-at-Large John Powers reviews Kate Atkinson's latest mystery novel, and TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new HBO series, The Penguin . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, September 19, 2024
Maggie Haberman On Trump's Turbulent 2024 Campaign
NYT senior political correspondent Maggie Haberman, who has spent years covering former President Trump, discusses his behavior on the campaign trail, including his need to respond to every slight, even when it damages his appeal to voters. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, September 18, 2024
Connie Chung Regrets Being A Good Girl
TV news journalist Connie Chung has written a new tell-all memoir. It's about breaking into the boys club of her industry, her marriage to Maury Povitch, and the big scoops of her career. The funny and off-the-cuff news icon spoke with Tonya Mosley. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, September 17, 2024
How Trump Created The Illusion Of Success
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner spent years investigating the former president's finances and various businesses. They dispel Trump's myth of being a self-made billionaire, and trace the missteps he made, squandering his father's fortune. Their book is Lucky Loser . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, September 16, 2024
Demi Moore's New Beginning
In the horror movie The Substance , Demi Moore plays an aging actress who uses a black-market drug to create a younger version of herself. She says the film examines the pressures middle-aged women face to remain youthful. Moore spoke with Tonya Mosley about "compare and despair" in Hollywood, and why she's entered a new chapter of her life. Also, John Powers reviews the documentary ¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor! , about the South Park creators' ill-fated attempt to restore a beloved Colorado landmark. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, September 14, 2024
Best Of: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover / Comic Taylor Tomlinson
Journalists Ryan Mac and Kate Conger talk about the chaos Elon Musk created inside Twitter, how Musk moved further to the political right, and how Trump wants to appoint Musk to head a new efficiency commission. Their book is Character Limit . Also, we'll hear from comedian Taylor Tomlinson, host of CBS's late-night talk show After Midnight . Tomlinson started doing stand up when she was 16 and took a class with a Christian comedian. Then she started testing her material on the church circuit. And, Maureen Corrigan reviews Rachel Kushner's new novel, Creation Lake . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, September 13, 2024
Remembering Actor James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones was the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mafusa in The Lion King , and once the voice of CNN. But there was a time when he didn't want to be heard. We revisit his 1993 interview with Terry Gross about how he overcame his stutter. Jones died this week at 93. Also we remember late guitarist Russell Malone. He played with Diana Krall and Harry Connick Jr . Film critic Justin Chang reviews His Three Daughters . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, September 12, 2024
Gearing Up For A Post-Election Legal Fight
Democrats and Republicans learned from the legal fight over the 2020 elections, New York Times reporter Nick Corasaniti explains how both sides are prepping for 2024 ballot box fight. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, September 11, 2024
How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter
After buying Twitter in 2022, Elon Musk instituted sweeping changes. He laid off or fired about 75% of the staff –including about half the data scientists. He also ended rules banning hate speech and misinformation. Authors Kate Conger and Ryan Mac recount the takeover in Character Limit. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, September 10, 2024
The Unchecked Power Of Sheriffs
Investigative journalist Jessica Pishko says that a growing group of "constitutional sheriffs" have become a flashpoint in the current politics of toxic masculinity, guns, white supremacy, and rural resentment. "Constitutional sheriffs would argue that there is no one who can tell them what to do," Pishko says. "Not the president, not the Supreme Court, not the governor, not the legislature. Sometimes constitutional sheriffs will call themselves something like a king." Her book is The Highest Law in the Land . Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Creation Lake, by Rachel Kushner. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, September 09, 2024
Taylor Tomlinson Is Ready To Joke About Her Bipolar II. Mostly.
The After Midnight host was initially unsure about sharing her bipolar II diagnosis on-stage. But, she tells co-host Tonya Mosley, "I got such amazing feedback from people who had been struggling with their mental health." Her new Netflix comedy special is Have It All . Also, David Bianculli reviews the new season of Only Murders in the Building . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, September 07, 2024
Best Of: SCOTUS Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson / Novelist Danzy Senna
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's new memoir, Lovely One , gives us a rare glimpse into her legal mind. And she gets personal about her childhood, marriage and her time as a public defender. Also, we hear from writer Danzy Senna, who writes about the experiences of being biracial in America and the meaning of race itself. Her new novel Colored Television. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, September 06, 2024
Inside The Making Of 'The Sopranos'
25 years ago, The Sopranos premiered on HBO and changed expectations of what TV could be. There's a new two-part documentary, called Wise Guy , about the making of the show, centering on the series creator and executive producer, David Chase. We're using that as an excuse to revisit our interviews with Chase, as well as Lorraine Bracco, who played Tony's psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, and Michael Imperioli, who played Tony's impetuous nephew. Film critic Justin Chang reviews Beetlejuice Beetlejuice . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, September 05, 2024
The Anti-Fascist Vigilantes Infiltrating White Nationalist Groups
New Yorker writer David Kirkpatrick says anti-fascists are using extra judicial methods to do what the FBI can't, by infiltrating white nationalist groups to expose them and their planned attacks. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, September 04, 2024
SCOTUS Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Gets Personal
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson talks with Tonya Mosley about her teen years, her time as a public defender, and the poem she keeps in her office. Her new memoir is called Lovely One . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, September 03, 2024
Danzy Senna Writes Herself (And Other Mixed-Race People) Into Existence
Novelist Danzy Senna spoke with Terry Gross about racial identity, growing up with a Black father and white mother in an era when "mixed-race" wasn't a thing. "Just merely existing as a family was a radical statement at that time," she says. Her new book is Colored Television . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, September 02, 2024
Film Icons: Spike Lee / Samuel L. Jackson
To wrap up our series, we're closing with director Spike Lee and actor Samuel L. Jackson. Lee spoke with Terry Gross in 2017 about growing up in Brooklyn and his acting and directorial debut, the 1986 movie She's Gotta Have It . In 2000, Jackson talked about playing tough guys, watching movies in segregated theaters, and nearly dying on the New York subway. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, August 31, 2024
Film Icons: Steven Spielberg / Carrie Fisher
In 2022, E.T. and Jaws director Steven Spielberg talked about how he fell in love with film, and how he was afraid of everything as a kid. We'll also revisit our 2016 interview with actor Carrie Fisher about what it was really like to become a sex symbol as Princess Leia. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, August 30, 2024
Film Icons: Clint Eastwood / Eli Wallach & More
The 1964 spaghetti Western A Fistful of Dollars turned Clint Eastwood into a star. He had a famous squint in his closeups, but he told Terry Gross in 1997, it wasn't necessarily character driven. "They bombed me with a bunch a lights, and you're outside and it's 90 degrees, and it's hard not to squint." We'll also hear from Eastwood's co-star in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Eli Wallach, who went on to play a bandit in several Westerns. Cultural historian Christopher Frayling tells us how the Italian director Sergio Leone broke the conventions of the Hollywood Western, and stuntman Hal Needham describes his most daring feats. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, August 29, 2024
Film Icons: Dennis Hopper / Isabella Rossellini
We continue our Classic Films and Movie Icons series and feature archival interviews with Dennis Hopper and Isabella Rossellini. They co-starred in the movie Blue Velvet , and after it became a hit, both of their careers were redefined. Later, on the centennial of singer Dinah Washington's birth, jazz historian Kevin Whitehead has appreciation. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, August 28, 2024
Film Icons: Meryl Streep / Sidney Poitier
Our special series of archival interviews continues with two of the GOATs: Meryl Streep, the actor with the most Oscar nominations in history, spoke with Terry Gross in 2012 about playing Margaret Thatcher. And Sidney Poitier, the first Black man to win best actor, in 2000 talked about how the radio helped him learn an accent for auditions. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, August 27, 2024
Film Icons: Molly Ringwald / Jodie Foster / Anthony Hopkins
We continue our Classic Films and Movie Icons series with two performers who gained fame as kids: Breakfast Club actor Molly Ringwald and Freaky Friday actor Jodie Foster. We'll also discuss Foster's Oscar-winning role as an FBI agent in The Silence of the Lambs and hear from her co-star who played serial killer Hannibal Lector, Anthony Hopkins. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, August 26, 2024
Film Icons: Michael Caine / Robert Duvall
From now through Labor Day we're featuring interviews from our archive with great actors and directors. Robert Duvall talks about his role in the Godfather films as Tom Hagen, the Corleone family lawyer — and about speaking the most famous line in Apocalypse Now . And we'll get some insights into acting from Michael Caine, including why you don't need to raise your voice to be intimidating, and why he hates doing love scenes. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, August 24, 2024
Film Icons: Elia Kazan / Eva Marie Saint
We begin our series celebrating classic movies with Terry Gross' 1988 interview with On the Waterfront director Elia Kazan, as well as a 2020 interview with his granddaughter, actor Zoe Kazan. Plus, we'll hear from the film's romantic lead, actor Eva Marie Saint, who told Fresh Air in 2000 that she got the part after improvising with Marlon Brando. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, August 23, 2024
Remembering 'King Of Daytime TV' Phil Donahue
We remember Phil Donahue, the daytime talk show host who pioneered thoughtful discussions on controversial issues, and paved the way for Oprah and others. And we remember actress Gena Rowlands, who best known for her often improvised independent film collaborations with her husband John Cassavetes. Also, Justin Chang reviews the film Close Your Eyes . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, August 22, 2024
Reflecting On 2 Critical Conflict Zones: Ukraine And Gaza
Georgetown professor and foreign policy analyst Daniel Byman discusses Ukraine's daring offensive into Russian territory. And he reflects on the future of Gaza, after Israel's military operation ends. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, August 21, 2024
How Donald Trump Changed Federal Law Enforcement
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter David Rohde argues that since 2016, Trump has used conspiracy theories, co-option and threats to bend Justice Department and FBI officials to his will. Rohde's new book is Where Tyranny Begins . Maureen Corrigan reviews Paradise Bronx by Ian Frazier. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, August 20, 2024
How Stadiums Became The American Public Square
As 50,000 people attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, we look at the history of politics, protest and play in American stadiums. "We fight our political battles in stadiums," Columbia historian Frank Andre Guridy says. "They become ideal places to stake your claims on what you want the United States to be." His new book is The Stadium. Also, as part of his series celebrating albums turning 50 this year, Ken Tucker revisits Neil Young's On the Beach . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, August 19, 2024
Actor Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor On The Complexity & Heartbreak Of Female Friendships
In The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat , Ellis-Taylor plays the outspoken ringleader among three women whose friendship spans several decades. Her previous films include Origin and King Richard . She talks with Tonya Mosley about growing up in rural Mississippi, buying two billboards, and getting into acting to stave off adulthood. Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews A Wilder Shore, by Camille Peri. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, August 17, 2024
Best Of: Black Doctors Consortium Founder / The Life Of A Brain Surgeon
Pediatric surgeon and founder of the Black Doctors Consortium Dr. Ala Standford talks with Terry Gross about how, at the height of the pandemic, she dedicated herself to addressing health inequities in Black and Brown communities. She set up shop in parking lots and churches providing tests and vaccines to tens of thousands of people. Also, we'll talk with brain surgeon Dr. Theodore H. Schwartz, author of the new book Gray Matters . He'll talk about how brain surgery has been transformed by new technologies, new instruments, and more powerful computers. And Ken Tucker takes us back 50 years to Neil Young's On the Beach. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, August 16, 2024
Police Procedural 'Homicide' (Finally) Comes To Streaming
Homicide: Life on the Streets, the critically acclaimed police procedural set in Baltimore, is coming to streaming (Peacock) for the first time. The show, which ran for seven seasons, is based on a book by David Simon, from before he created The Wire . In an appreciation of the show, we're listening back to interviews with some of the people behind it: Executive producer and writer Tom Fontana, actor Andre Braugher, and actor Clark Johnson. And film critic Justin Chang reviews Alien: Romulus . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, August 15, 2024
On The Road With Harris/Walz
As democrats prepare for their national convention in Chicago next week, we take stock of a presidential race transformed. New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos tells us about the enthusiasm and energy he's seen on the campaign trail with Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Later TV critic David Bianculli reviews Bad Monkey , the new mystery series starring Vince Vaughan. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, August 14, 2024
How American Lobbyists Threaten Democracy
Casey Michel shines a light on Americans lobbying for foreign governments in Washington, in many cases representing brutally repressive regimes and countries that oppose U.S. interests. Laws requiring registration of lobbyists and disclosure of their efforts have been little-enforced, and thus ignored by countless agents who've reaped huge profits from their work. Michel's new book is Foreign Agents. Also, Carolina Miranda reviews a YouTube documentary about the spectacular failure of a Star Wars -themed hotel in Orlando. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, August 13, 2024
Safiya Sinclair On Cutting Herself Free From Rastafari Roots
Poet and writer Safiya Sinclair grew up in a devout Rastafari family in Jamaica where women were subservient. When she cut her dreadlocks at age 19, she became "a ghost" to her father. Her memoir, How to Say Babylon , is out in paperback. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, August 12, 2024
An Informant Exposes The Inner Workings Of The Ku Klux Klan
Joe Moore, a former Army sniper turned FBI informant, shares how he infiltrated the KKK and helped foil a plot to assassinate then Sen. Barack Obama. Moore explains how hate groups are growing. His new book is 'White Robes and Broken Badges.' Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, August 10, 2024
Best Of: How 1982 Sci-Fi Changed The Game / Singer Brittany Howard
In 1982, eight science fiction films were released within eight weeks of each other. Chris Nashawaty, author of The Future Was Now , tells Tonya Mosley how those movies shaped the genre and the movie industry. Plus, Brittany Howard, the former Alabama Shakes singer/guitarist, tells Terry Gross that growing up, she was told repeatedly she didn't look like a lead singer. "It made me sing ... louder and perform just as hard as I could," Howard says. Her new album is What Now. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, August 10, 2024
Revisiting The Final Months Of WWII
We commemorate the 79th anniversary of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, by revisiting a haunting question: Was the U.S. decision to destroy two Japanese cities with atomic weapons really necessary to end World War II? Author Evan Thomas discusses the motivations of key U.S. leaders, and of Japanese commanders and diplomats. His book is The Road to Surrender . Plus, John Powers reviews The Instigators , a new action comedy starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, August 08, 2024
'Sing Sing' Offers a Glimpse of Life Behind Bars
Filmmaker Greg Kwedar and formerly incarcerated actor Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin discuss their new film, which centers on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts program founded at Sing Sing prison. Plus, Justin Chang reviews the film Good One. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, August 07, 2024
Black Doctors Consortium Founder Serves Vulnerable Communities
When the pandemic hit, Dr. Ala Stanford set up shop in parking lots, churches and mosques where she provided tests and vaccines to underserved Philadelphia communities like the one she grew up in. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, August 06, 2024
Migrants Risk It All On The Treacherous Darién Gap
Each year, nearly half a million migrants cross the perilous stretch of jungle between South and Central America. Many face snakes, flash floods, sweltering heat, sexual violence, and death. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Caitlin Dickerson talks to Tonya Mosley about what she saw and the migrants she followed for the September Atlantic cover story. John Powers reviews the Apple TV+ series Women in Blue , about women cops in '70s Mexico City. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, August 05, 2024
A Brain Surgeon Opens Up About Life In The O.R.
Dr. Theodore Schwartz has been treating neurological illnesses for nearly 30 years. He says being a brain surgeon requires steady hands — and a strong bladder. His new book is Gray Matters. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, August 03, 2024
Best Of: Comic Nikki Glaser / 'Hacks' Co-Creator Paul W. Downs
Comic Nikki Glaser talks with Terry Gross about finding the line between offensive and funny, hurt feelings, and why she started making jokes about sex. Her new Emmy-nominated stand-up special on HBO is Someday You'll Die . Ken Tucker reflects on the New York Dolls' album Too Much Too Soon for its 50th anniversary. Paul W. Downs co-created the acclaimed HBO Max show Hacks with his wife, Lucia Aniello and their friend and collaborator, Jen Statsky. Downs talks with Ann Marie Baldonado about how they came up with the idea for Hacks, and how his wife continued directing the show while she was in labor. Hacks is nominated for 16 Emmy Awards this year. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, August 02, 2024
Remembering Freedom Singer Bernice Johnson Reagon
We go into the Fresh Air archive to remember two remarkable women: Bernice Johnson Reagon was one of the powerful singers who helped galvanize the civil rights movement in the 1960s, as a member of the Freedom Singers quartet. She died July 16 at the age of 81. Also, we remember writer Gail Lumet Buckley, the daughter of singer Lena Horne, who chronicled her family's history from enslavement to becoming a part of the Black bourgeoisie. She died this week at age 86. August 2nd is the 100th anniversary of the birth of James Baldwin, so we listen back to Terry Gross's 1986 interview with him. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, August 01, 2024
Brittany Howard On Prince, Break-Up Songs, And Her Haunted House
Grammy-winning singer, guitarist and producer Brittany Howard fronted the band Alabama Shakes before going solo. She talks with Terry Gross about growing up biracial in a small Alabama town, living in a haunted house, and writing break-up songs for her new album, What Now . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, July 31, 2024
The 8 Sci-Fi Movies Of 1982 That Changed Everything
In 1982, eight science fiction films were released within eight weeks of each other: E.T. , Tron , Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan , Conan the Barbarian , Blade Runner , Poltergeist , The Thing , and Mad Max: The Road Warrior . Entertainment writer Chris Nashawaty talks to Tonya Mosley about how those movies shaped the genre and the movie industry. His book is The Future Was Now. Also, Ken Tucker reflects on the New York Dolls' album Too Much Too Soon for its 50th anniversary. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, July 30, 2024
How 'Hacks' Comes Together — Over Email
Paul W. Downs co-created the HBO Max show with his wife, Lucia Aniello and their friend and collaborator, Jen Statsky. The three met at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Downs talks with Ann Marie Baldonado about how they came up with the idea for Hacks , tackling cancel culture, and how his wife continued directing the show while she was in labor. Hacks is nominated for 16 Emmy awards this year, including for Downs for his role as Jimmy. Also, David Bianculli reflects on the Turner Classic Movies series Two for One . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, July 29, 2024
Comic Nikki Glaser Doesn't Know Why Anyone Would Want To Be Roasted
The comic made headlines after the roast of Tom Brady. She spoke with Terry Gross about finding the line between offensive and funny, hurt feelings, and why she started making jokes about sex. Her new Emmy-nominated stand-up special on HBO is Someday You'll Die . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, July 27, 2024
Best Of: 'Wicked' Director Jon M. Chu / Stunt Performer-Turned-Filmmaker David Leitch
Jon M. Chu, the director of Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights is now directing the film adaptation of the broadway musical Wicked . We'll talk about making movies, and being raised by immigrant parents who owned a Chinese restaurant in Silicon Valley. Also, we hear from stunt performer-turned-director David Leitch. He directed the film The Fall Guy , starring Ryan Gosling as a stuntman. Ken Tucker continues his series of great albums turning 50 this year with an album by Roxy Music. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, July 26, 2024
Remembering Comic Bob Newhart
We remember comic and actor Bob Newhart, who died last week at the age of 94. In his stand-up comedy and hit TV series, some of the laughs came from his an awkward, stammering way of speaking. "It isn't an affectation. It's the way I speak," he told Terry Gross in 1998. Also, Justin Chang reviews Deadpool & Wolverine . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, July 25, 2024
Will Hezbollah And Israel Go To War?
Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon, shares Hamas' goal of destroying the state of Israel. We'll talk with New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins, about his reporting trip to both sides of the Lebanese/Israeli border. Israel and Hezbollah have escalated their shelling and bombing attacks on each other. Filkins says that's leading to fears of an all-out war that would devastate both sides, and could draw in Iran and the U.S. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, July 24, 2024
'Wicked' Director Jon M. Chu On The Hard Work Of Creativity
Chu takes his inspiration from his dad, a Chinese immigrant who worked both the front room and the kitchen of their family-run restaurant: "The guy that in the back of the kitchen, that was my hero." The director of Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights talks with Terry Gross about growing up in Silicon Valley, seeing Wicked for the first time, and learning to be adaptable. Maureen Corrigan reviews Dinaw Mengestu's new novel, Someone Like Us. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, July 23, 2024
The Dictator Playbook
Autocracy, Inc. author Anne Applebaum says today's dictators — including Putin and Xi — are working together in a global fight to dismantle democracy, and Trump is borrowing from their playbook: "We're going to have to defend and protect our political system if we want to keep it." Also, David Bianculli reviews the Apple TV series Time Bandits . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, July 22, 2024
A Former Stunt Performer Shares Tricks Of The Trade
Filmmaker and stunt coordinator David Leitch says it's easier to do stunts himself than direct his stunt performer friends. "You are responsible for their safety," he explains. "Your heart goes through your chest." His film The Fall Guy is about the unknown performers who put their lives on the line. He talks with Terry Gross about barrel rolling cars, being lit on fire, and doing another take when everything hurts. Also, Ken Tucker marks the 50th anniversary of Roxy Music's Country Life . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, July 20, 2024
Best Of: A Life Of Self-Contempt / Character Actor Julianne Nicholson
Humorist/writer Shalom Auslander's new memoir is a satirical look at all the ways a sense of "feh," which is Yiddish for "yuck," has made its way into his psyche and every aspect of his life. Auslander has written extensively over the years about growing up in a dysfunctional ultra-Orthodox Jewish family. His new memoir, aptly titled Feh , is about a journey to write a different story for himself. We'll also hear from Julianne Nicholson. Proud to call herself a character actor, she's appeared in dozens of films and TV series, from Ally McBeal and Boardwalk Empire to August: Osage County and Mare of Easttown , where she earned an Emmy. Nicholson is starring in the new film Janet Planet. And, Ken Tucker takes us back 50 years to Stevie Wonder's album Fulfillingness' First Finale, which he says is an underrated treasure. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, July 19, 2024
Remembering Shelley Duvall / Sex Guru Dr. Ruth
We remember actress Shelley Duvall, who died at the age of 75. Best-known for her role in The Shining , Robert Altman films and her own series about fairytales. She spoke with Terry Gross in 1992 about working with the two directors. Also, we remember the famous sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer. And TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new Apple TV+ docuseries Omnivore , and John Powers reviews the new summer blockbuster Twisters . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, July 18, 2024
Waking Up And Feeling 'Yuck'
Humorist Shalom Auslander has written for decades about growing up in a dysfunctional household within an ultra-orthodox Jewish community. Feh , title of his latest memoir, comes from the Yiddish word for "yuck." He talks about self-hatred, changing the narrative and his friendship with late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Also, Justin Chang reviews the new horror movie Longlegs . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, July 17, 2024
The Impossible American Dream
PBS FRONTLINE documentarians Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes spent 34 years following two working-class families in Milwaukee who lost well-paying manufacturing jobs and then struggled to regain their way of life. The film, hosted by Bill Moyers, is called Two American Families. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, July 16, 2024
Julianne Nicholson Likes Being A Character Actor
Julianne Nicholson says when strangers recognize her on the street, they're never quite sure how they know her: "They might think I sold them kittens, or I work in the ice cream shop." She stars in the new film Janet Planet . She earned an Emmy for her role in HBO's Mare of Easttown as Mare's (Kate Winslet) best friend. Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews the novel Practice, by Rosalind Brown. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, July 15, 2024
Why The Weapon Choice In The Attempted Assassination Matters
We talk about the weapon the shooter used in the attempted assassination of former President Trump. Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporter Todd Frankel explains how the AR-15 became an icon of gun culture and a favored weapon for mass shooters. Also, Ken Tucker revisits Stevie Wonder's album Fulfillingness' First Finale for its 50th anniversary. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, July 13, 2024
Best Of: A Novel Of Kidnapping & Family Trauma / Rethinking An Age-Gap Relationship
Taffy Brodesser-Akner's new novel, Long Island Compromise , centers on the kidnapping of a rich businessman, and the impact, decades later, on his grown children. Her previous book, Fleishman Is in Trouble , was adapted into an acclaimed FX/Hulu series. Jill Ciment met her husband in the 1970s when she was a teenager and he was almost 50. At the time of their first kiss, he was a married father of two; she was his art student. In her memoir Consent she reconsiders the origin story of their marriage. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, July 12, 2024
Remembering Actor Martin Mull And Screenwriter Robert Towne
Martin Mull, who died June 27, appeared in the 1970s series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and later starred in Fernwood 2 Night . David Bianculli offers an appreciation, then we revisit Terry Gross' 1995 interview with Mull. Robert Towne, who died July 1, was nominated for an Oscar in 1974 for his screenplay for The Last Detail , and won the Academy Award in 1975 for his screenplay for Chinatown . He spoke to Terry Gross in 1988. Justin Chang reviews A Quiet Place: Day One. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, July 11, 2024
Understanding The Resurgence of Jobs In America's 'Left Behind' Counties
David Madland of the Center for American Progress says new, "good" jobs are on the rise, but many of the workers don't realize it's a result of Biden's new industrial policies. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, July 10, 2024
Inside The Biggest Ponzi Scheme In American History
Disgraced financier Bernie Madoff scammed investors out of approximately $68 billion. Investigative journalist Richard Behar spoke to Madoff in prison more than 50 times in researching his new book. Behar also conducted interviews with Wall Street insiders, prosecutors, FBI agents, and people who lost most or all of their money investing through Madoff's company. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, July 09, 2024
She Was 17, He Was 47: How #MeToo Changed A Marriage
Jill Ciment met her husband in the 1970s when she was a teenager and he was almost 50. At the time of their first kiss, he was a married father of two; she was his art student. In her memoir Consent she reconsiders the origin story of their marriage. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, July 08, 2024
Taffy Brodesser-Akner Writes Real People — Not Likable Ones
Brodesser-Akner's new novel, Long Island Compromise , centers on the kidnapping of a rich businessman, and the impact, decades later, on his grown children. She channeled what she learned as a journalist writing celebrity profiles for the book: "I think that the goal of all writing is to humanize those that we can only see from far away." Her previous book, Fleishman Is in Trouble , was adapted into an acclaimed FX/Hulu series. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, July 06, 2024
Best Of: Comic Michelle Buteau / Emily Nussbaum On Reality TV
Comedian Michelle Buteau stars in the new comedy Babes, which follows best friends as they take different paths toward motherhood. It was a role Buteau had to be talked into doing by her real life friend and co-star Ilana Glazer because, at the time, she was already in the thick of living out her character's life as the mother of twin babies. Also, we'll talk with New Yorker staff writer Emily Nussbaum about working conditions for cast members on the popular reality TV show Love is Blind . And Ken Tucker Rock critic Ken Tucker revisits Steely Dan's 1974 album Pretzel Logic , on its 50th anniversary. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, July 05, 2024
David Byrne on 40 Years of 'Stop Making Sense'
For the 40th anniversary of Talking Heads' masterpiece concert film, Stop Making Sense, A24 remastered and rereleased the movie, bringing it to new audiences and longtime fans. Talking Heads frontman David Byrne returns to Fresh Air to speak with Terry Gross about songwriting, dancing, and constructing the big suit. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, July 04, 2024
How Bon Jovi Lost His Voice — And Got It Back
A few years ago, Bon Jovi stopped performing because of a vocal cord injury. The Hulu docuseries Thank You, Goodnight offers a career retrospective, plus a view of his surgery and return to the stage. He spoke with Terry Gross about his voice, writing "Livin' on a Prayer," and his new album, Forever . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, July 03, 2024
A Former Federal Judge Fears For Democracy
David Tatel is a former civil rights lawyer who spent 30 years as a judge on the D.C. Circuit, the nation's second highest court. He retired earlier this year. As an appellate judge, he was required to follow Supreme Court precedents, but what about precedents that resulted from what he considers flawed judicial reasoning? We talk with Tatel about being a judge during a time he thought the Supreme Court veered off course — and being a judge who is blind. His new book is called Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, July 02, 2024
Reflections on Being Fat in a Thin World
As a comedy writer for shows like The Late Late Show with James Corden , Ian Karmel spent most of his life making fun of his weight, starting at a very young age. His new memoir is called T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories of Being Fat in a World of Thin People. It chronicles how he used comedy to cope growing up, and now that he's lost hundreds of pounds, what he's discovered about himself and society. Also, David Bianculli reviews season three of The Bear . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, July 02, 2024
What Do The 'Love is Blind' Lawsuits Mean For Reality TV?
New Yorker writer Emily Nussbaum discusses the lawsuits brought forth by the Love is Blind cast members, and reflects on how reality TV has impacted our culture. Her new book about the history of reality TV is Cue the Sun! Also, classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a recording by Finnish condutor Klaus Mäkelä. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, June 29, 2024
Best Of: Dr. Fauci's Talks With Trump / 'Hacks' Star Hannah Einbinder
If you've ever wondered what conversations were like between Donald Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci during the Covid pandemic, wonder no more. Fauci talks about his new memoir, in which he relates several profanity-laced scoldings he got from the President. Also, we hear from Hannah Einbinder, who stars with Jean Smart in the comedy series Hacks . And Maureen Corrigan shares some summer book recommendations. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, June 28, 2024
Fairport Convention Founding Member Richard Thompson
British singer/guitarist Richard Thompson spoke to Fresh Air in 1994 and 2022 about about his formative years and about pioneering a new musical genre that blended rock with traditional music of the British isles. He has a new album called Ship to Shore . Justin Chang reviews the new film Janet Planet , the first feature from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, June 27, 2024
Election 2024: Where Does The Money Come From?
New York Times political correspondent Shane Goldmacher has been following the flood of campaign finance money for both presidential candidates. Trump is now ahead of President Biden, backed by wealthy independent donors, many of whom gave millions after he was convicted of felony charges. Also, we discuss how Trump and Biden have prepared for their first debate Thursday night, and how this debate will be different. Also, Ken Tucker revisits Steely Dan's 1974 album Pretzel Logic , on its 50th anniversary. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, June 26, 2024
Michelle Buteau Finds A Lifeline In Humor
Buteau says covering the news of the 2001 terrorist attacks crystalized her desire to go into comedy. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about her journey to the stage, needing humor in dark times, and proving her college professor wrong. She stars in the film Babes and in the Netflix series Survival of the Thickest. Also, Ken Tucker shares three summer songs he's had on repeat. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, June 25, 2024
Ghanaian Artist Blitz Bazawule Is Breaking Down Doors
Bazawule is best-known for directing 2023 adaptation of The Color Purple: The Musical. He also co-directed Black Is King with Beyoncé . He has a new exhibit of paintings about his formative years growing up in Ghana. Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan shares her picks for summer crime/suspense novels. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, June 24, 2024
Inside The Breakdown Of The Global Supply Chain
New York Times correspondent Peter Goodman illuminates the breakdown of the global supply chain during the pandemic. He says it was rooted in risky management practices, government deregulation, and a quest for greater profits. His new book is How the World Ran Out of Everything . TV critic David Bianculli reviews the sequel to the science fiction series Orphan Black , titled Orphan Black: Echoes. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, June 22, 2024
Best Of: Questlove's Hip-Hop History / 'Always Sunny' Actor Rob McElhenney
Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson still remembers the first time he heard The Sugarhill Gang's 1980 hit "Rapper's Delight." It felt like a paradigm shift: "Suddenly they start talking in rhythmic poetry and we didn't know what to make of it," The Roots bandleader says. Questlove's new book is Hip-Hop is History. The Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-creator and co-star Rob McElhenney bought a Welsh football club during the pandemic. McElhenney says he and actor Ryan Reynolds bought the team to "bring hope to a town that had fallen on hard times." The FX series Welcome to Wrexham, now in its third season on Hulu, chronicles the team, its owners and fans. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, June 21, 2024
'Slave Play' Playwright Jeremy O. Harris Works To Diversity Theater
The award-winning playwright talks about his provocative Slave Play, which earned 12 Tony nominations. A new HBO documentary chronicles the making of the production. Plus, Justin Chang reviews Kinds of Kindness. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, June 20, 2024
The Story Behind Diane Von Furstenberg's Iconic Wrap Dress
Von Furstenberg and filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy discuss Woman in Charge , a Hulu documentary about the fashion designer's meteoric rise in the '70s. Plus, Maureen Corrigan recommends two perfect summer reads. And David Bianculli reviews the Netflix miniseries Kafka . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, June 19, 2024
Actor David Oyelowo On 'Lawmen: Bass Reeves'
Oyelowo produced and stars in the Paramount+ series about Bass, a formerly enslaved man who went on to become one of the nation's first Black Deputy U.S. Marshals. "We see many stories centering Black people, from a historical context, about how we've been brutalized, how we've been marginalized," Oyelowo says. "But very rarely, in my opinion, do you see those triumphant stories where we overcome." Plus, John Powers reviews Green Border. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, June 18, 2024
Dr. Anthony Fauci Looks Back On The COVID-19 Pandemic
During his decades-long career, Dr. Fauci worked with seven different presidents to manage various public health crises, including AIDS, Ebola, SARS and COVID-19. For Fauci, speaking what he calls the "inconvenient truth" is part of the job. His new memoir is On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, June 17, 2024
'Hacks' Star Hannah Einbinder
Einbinder co-stars with Jean Smart in the HBO Max series Hacks . Her new Max special is Everything Must Go. Einbinder grew up in a comedic household — her mom, Laraine Newman, is an original SNL cast member. Being funny was "the main currency in our home," she says. "It was a love language for sure." Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, June 15, 2024
Best Of: Yo-Yo Ma; Actor Griffin Dunne
About 25 years ago, acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma asked a high school student to help him name his instrument. He brings his 18th century cello — aka "Petunia" — to the Fresh Air studio for music and conversation. Actor Griffin Dunne grew up in Beverly Hills, where his family would entertain Hollywood celebrities. That made for entertaining stories, but at the heart of his new memoir, Griffin writes about how the Dunne family overcame significant traumas, including the murder of his sister, Dominique. It's called The Friday Afternoon Club. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, June 14, 2024
How Satchel Paige Helped Integrate MLB
Hall of Famer Satchel Paige started his career pitching in the Negro leagues and later became a major league star. Author Larry Tye tells his story in Satchel. Plus, Justin Chang reviews Inside Out 2. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, June 13, 2024
How Formerly Enslaved People Were Stripped Of Land
Journalist Alexia Fernández Campbell says that some freed men and women were given titles to land following the Civil War — but after President Lincoln's death, the land was taken back. Campbell is a contributor to 40 Acres And A Lie , a three-part series featured in Mother Jones and the public radio show and podcast Reveal , which explores how the land loss deprived Black people of building intergenerational wealth. David Bianculli reviews the new Apple TV+ series, Presumed Innocent. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, June 12, 2024
Rob McElhenney On 'Welcome To Wrexham'
'The Always Sunny in Philadelphia' co-creator and co-star bought a Welsh football club during the pandemic. McElhenney says he and actor Ryan Reynolds bought the team to "bring hope to a town that had fallen on hard times." The FX series 'Welcome to Wrexham,' now in its third season on Hulu, chronicles the team, its owners and fans. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, June 11, 2024
Questlove On Hip-Hop And History
Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson still remembers the first time he heard The Sugarhill Gang's 1980 hit "Rapper's Delight." It felt like a paradigm shift: "Suddenly they start talking in rhythmic poetry and we didn't know what to make of it," The Roots bandleader says. Questlove's new book is Hip-Hop is History. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, June 10, 2024
Actor Griffin Dunne Revisits His Hollywood Childhood
Dunne grew up in Beverly Hills, in a family of storytellers — including his father, author Dominic. He talks about his complicated relationship with fame and the trauma the family experienced after the 1982 murder of his sister, Dominique. Dunne's new memoir is 'The Friday Afternoon Club.' Maureen Corrigan reviews 'Consent,' by Jill Ciment. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, June 08, 2024
Best Of: 'Merrily We Roll Along'; MSNBC Host Ali Velshi
Stephen Sondheim's musical Merrily We Roll Along flopped when it debuted in 1981. But its Broadway revival has been a hit, garnering seven Tony nominations. We talk with director Maria Friedman, who was a friend of Sondheim's, and actor Jonathan Groff. MSNBC host Ali Velshi traces his family's migration across three continents, from a village in India to South Africa — where his grandfather crossed paths with Mahatma Gandhi — to Kenya, Canada and the U.S. Velshi's new memoir is Small Acts of Courage. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, June 07, 2024
Julio Torres Spins Immigration Stress into Satire
Comic, actor and filmmaker Julio Torres came to the U.S. from El Salvador in his early 20s — and he says he is personally familiar with "all the Catch-22s of the immigration system." Torres addressed immigration in Problemista ; his new HBO comedy series is Fantasmas . Plus, John Powers reviews Becoming Karl Lagerfeld. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, June 06, 2024
Ronan Farrow on the link between #MeToo, Weinstein and Trump
While reporting on Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement, Farrow unearthed details of the National Enquirer 's plan to pay for damaging stories about Trump and then bury those stories — a practice known as "catch and kill." The connection between that practice and the 2016 election gave prosecutors a felony case against the former president. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, June 05, 2024
Colson Whitehead returns to 1970s NYC in 'Crook Manifesto'
Whitehead's sequel to Harlem Shuffle centers on crime at every level, from small-time crooks to Harlem's elite. "My early '70s New York is dingy and grimy," the Pulitzer Prize-winning author says. Plus, Ken Tucker reviews Swamp Dogg's new album, Blackgrass . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, June 04, 2024
MSNBC Host Ali Velshi Traces His Ancestors' Migration
In his memoir, Small Acts of Courage , Velshi chronicles his family's journey, from a village in India to South Africa — where his grandfather crossed paths with Mahatma Gandhi — to Kenya, Canada and the U.S. Plus, David Bianculli reviews Hit Man. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, June 03, 2024
'Merrily We Roll Along' Revival Is A Love Letter To Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim's 1981 flop is now a Broadway hit. This revival of Merrily We Roll Along is nominated for seven Tony Awards. Two of those nominees, actor Jonathan Groff and director Maria Friedman, talk with Terry Gross about the show. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, June 01, 2024
Best Of: Maggie Rogers / Kristen Wiig
In 2021, burnt out from the intensity of her early career, Maggie Rogers considered quitting music entirely. Instead, she took a detour — to Harvard Divinity School, where she earned a master's degree in religion and public life. Her new album is Don't Forget Me. SNL alum Kristen Wiig co-stars with Carol Burnett in Palm Royale , an Apple TV+ series about a former pageant queen who wants to break into high society. Wiig talks about working with Burnett and the rush of SNL. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, May 31, 2024
Carrying On After A Life-Changing Accident
How do you get on with life after an accident that leads to disability and chronic pain? That's the central question in Andre Dubus III's novel, Such Kindness . He talks about the injuries he faced when he was a carpenter, and how his relationship changed with his father after the senior Dubus was struck by a car and never walked again. His previous books include Townie and House of Sand and Fog . Justin Chang reviews the Western film The Dead Don't hurt . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, May 30, 2024
Revisiting A Chicago Hate Crime And Its Aftermath
Yohance Lacour's Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast, You Didn't See Nothin' , tells the story of Lenard Clark, a 13-year-old Black boy who was beaten into a coma by white teenagers, after riding his bike into a predominantly white neighborhood. Lacour talks about the importance of the case today, and how it shaped his life and the city of Chicago. Also, John Powers reviews the film Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, May 29, 2024
Yo-Yo Ma Says He's Living His Best Childhood Now
About 25 years ago, the acclaimed cellist asked a high school student to help him name his instrument. Yo-Yo Ma brings his cello — aka "Petunia" — to his conversation with Terry Gross. He talks about being a child prodigy, his rebel years, and straddling three cultures: American, French, and Chinese. For sponsor-free episodes of Fresh Air — and exclusive weekly bonus episodes, too — subscribe to Fresh Air+ via Apple Podcasts or at here. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, May 28, 2024
The Untold Story Of The C-Section
When journalist Rachel Somerstein had an emergency C-section with her first child, the anesthesia didn't work. She recounts her own experience and the history of C-sections in her book, Invisible Labor. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the last season of Evil. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, May 27, 2024
The Stax Records Soul Sound
The small Memphis label Stax Records created soul hits by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Rufus and Carla Thomas, and others. It's the subject of a new documentary on MAX. We're featuring interviews with musicians who were a big part of the Stax sound: Guitarist, songwriter, and producer Steve Cropper tells us about becoming part of the house rhythm section, and going on to help write hits for Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Keyboardist Booker T. Jones remembers being pulled out of class in high school to go play music at Stax. And Issac Hayes tells us about writing the classic hit "Soul Man." Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, May 25, 2024
Best Of: Michael McDonald / The American 'Food Cartel'
Grammy-winning musician Michael McDonald looks back on his childhood and his career in a new memoir. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about imposter syndrome and his first band as a tween. Also, investigative journalist and author Eric Schlosser talks about how mergers and acquisitions and very little regulation have all but decimated competition within food systems and supply chains. And Justin Chang reviews Furiosa , the latest film in the Mad Max franchise. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, May 24, 2024
'Mad Max' Director George Miller
The fifth installment of the Mad Max series of post-apocalyptic action films is roaring into theaters. It's called Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga , and it's a prequel to the 2015 film, Mad Max: Fury Road , which earned 10 Oscar nominations. First, Justin Chang reviews the new movie, and then we revisit our 2016 interview with director George Miller. Also, we remember alto saxophonist David Sanborn, who toured or recorded with David Bowie, James Brown, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and others. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, May 23, 2024
The Corruption Scandal That Rocked The Navy
In Fat Leonard , journalist Craig Whitlock tells the story of a defense contractor who plied Navy commanders with lavish meals, trips, cash and sex workers. In return they let him overcharge taxpayers. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, May 22, 2024
Maggie Rogers (Extended Version)
In 2021, burnt out from the intensity of her early career, Maggie Rogers considered quitting music entirely. Instead, she took a detour — to Harvard Divinity School, where she earned a master's degree in religion and public life. Rogers spoke with Fresh Air 's Sam Briger about her songwriting process, becoming a star overnight, and being a nostalgic person. Her new album is Don't Forget Me. This episode is a special extended version of the interview that aired on NPR. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, May 21, 2024
Kristen Wiig
The SNL alum co-stars with Carol Burnett in Palm Royale , an Apple TV+ series about a former pageant queen who wants to break into high society. Wiig talked with Ann Marie Baldonado about working with Burnett, the rush of SNL , and co-writing the mega hit movie Bridesmaids . Ken Tucker shares three songs of the summer. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, May 20, 2024
Michael McDonald
McDonald says that earlier in his career, he tended to avoid writing about himself directly in songs. He opens up about his life and career in the memoir, What a Fool Believes. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about his first band as a tween, his songwriting process, and being big in the Black community. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, May 18, 2024
Best Of: Kathleen Hanna / Tyler James Williams
Musician, activist, and punk pioneer Kathleen Hanna talks about being at the epicenter of the '90s riot grrrl movement. She talks about the early days of Bikini Kill and writing the anthem "Rebel Girl." Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Claire Messud's new novel. Also, actor Tyler James Williams shares the motivation behind his role as a no-nonsense teacher on the hit series Abbott Elementary . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, May 17, 2024
Remembering Filmmaker Roger Corman
Filmmaker Roger Corman, the "King of the B" movies, died last week at the age of 98. He made hundreds of films, such cult classics as Little Shop of Horrors , A Bucket of Blood , House of Usher , The Last Woman on Earth , and The Cry Baby Killer . We feature our 1990 interview with him, and with those whose careers he helped launch – including actors Peter Fonda and Bruce Dern, as well as directors James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, and Jonathan Demme. And our critic at large, John Powers, has an appreciation. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, May 16, 2024
Writer Carvell Wallace On Pain, Processing & Letting Go
Wallace is known for his celebrity profiles, but his new memoir, Another Word For Love , is about his own life, growing up unhoused, Black and queer, and getting his start as a writer at the age of 40. David Bianculli shares an appreciation of John Mulaney's six-part live Netflix talk show, Everybody's in L.A . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, May 15, 2024
Regional Complexities Of The Israel/Hamas War
The Economist Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom explains why some Arab leaders hate Hamas, fear Iran and have some sympathy for Israel — although not for how Israel is waging the war. For sponsor-free episodes of Fresh Air — and exclusive weekly bonus episodes, too — subscribe to Fresh Air+ via Apple Podcasts or here . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, May 14, 2024
'Abbott Elementary' Actor Tyler James Williams
Williams was thrust into the public eye as a kid, when he starred in Everybody Hates Chris . Now, playing a teacher on Abbott Elementary , he strives to make the child actors on set feel comfortable. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about the trauma of fame as a kid, his Crohn's diagnosis, and tuning out online chatter. Justin Chang reviews the Japanese film Evil Does Not Exist, by Drive My Car director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, May 13, 2024
Kathleen Hanna's 'Rebel Girl' Life
Kathleen Hanna's band Bikini Kill was the epicenter of the riot grrrl feminist punk movement of the '90s. Their song "Rebel Girl" was the anthem. Now Hanna has a memoir (also called Rebel Girl ) about her time in the punk scene, her childhood, and finding joy in expressing anger in public. Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Claire Messud's new novel, This Strange Eventful History . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, May 11, 2024
Best Of: Brittney Griner / Discovering Plant Intelligence
WNBA star Brittney Griner talks about the physical and emotional hell of her nearly 300 days in Russian prisons. Russian authorities apprehended Griner at the Moscow Airport when she was found carrying a tiny amount of medically prescribed cannabis — then charged her with drug smuggling. Her memoir is Coming Home . Jazz historian Kevin Whitehead reviews a 1959 Sonny Rollins reissue. And we'll talk about plant intelligence with climate journalist Zoë Schlanger. Her book is The Light Eaters . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, May 10, 2024
'The Sympathizer' Author Viet Thanh Nguyen
Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer has been adapted into a series on HBO/MAX. It's set in Vietnam during the last days of the war, and in LA, just after. The narrator becomes a consultant to a Hollywood film about the war. The novel is written from a Vietnamese perspective. "It's my revenge on Francis Ford Coppola, my revenge on Hollywood, to try to get Americans to understand that Vietnam is a country and not a war," he told Terry Gross in 2016. Nguyen's family fled their village in South Vietnam in 1975, when it was taken over by the North. Also, David Bianculli reviews Let It Be , the Beatles film restored and rereleased after being shelved for more than 50 years. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, May 09, 2024
Remembering Minimalist Painter Frank Stella
We remember painter and sculptor Frank Stella, whose early work was considered revolutionary. He died last week at age 87. Stella became famous and controversial in the 1950s for his "black paintings," which were a stark contrast to the abstract expressionism of the time, and made him one of the fathers of minimalism. Later, we'll feature an interview with one of the most influential early rock and roll guitarists, Duane Eddy. He also died last week. Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Long Island , Colm Tóibín's new sequel to his bestselling novel Brooklyn. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, May 08, 2024
A People's History Of Black Twitter
#BlackLivesMatter. #OscarsSoWhite. #ICantBreathe. Filmmaker Prentice Penny's docuseries about Black Twitter celebrates the voices and movements that impacted politics and culture. Penny was also the showrunner of the HBO series Insecure . Also, John Powers reviews the four-part series Shardlake , based on C.J. Sansom's first novel in a series about a crime-solving lawyer in 16th-century England. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, May 07, 2024
WNBA Star Brittney Griner Imprisonment & Release
Griner spent nearly 300 days incarcerated in Russia after authorities at the Moscow airport found two nearly empty cartridges of cannabis in her luggage. The WNBA star spoke with Terry Gross about the dehumanizing prison conditions, her release, and return to the court. Griner, who is 6'9", says she felt like a zoo animal in prison. "The guards would literally come open up the little peep hole, look in, and then I would hear them laughing." Her new memoir is Coming Home . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, May 06, 2024
The Hidden World Of Plant Intelligence
Climate journalist Zoë Schlanger explains the fascinating science behind how plants learn, communicate, and adapt to survive. She says plants can store memories, trick animals into not eating them, and even send alarm calls to other plants. Her new book is called The Light Eaters. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new Netflix series A Man in Full , starring Jeff Daniels and Diane Lane. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, May 04, 2024
Best Of: Jon Bon Jovi / Fantasy Writer Leigh Bardugo
In a new Hulu docuseries, Jon Bon Jovi looks back on his career and his recovery after vocal surgery. He spoke with Terry Gross about his breakthrough hit "Runaway" and how he's evolved as a musician. Also, we'll hear from fantasy author Leigh Bardugo. She's best known for her YA series Shadow and Bone . Her new adult novel, The Familiar , set in 16th century Spain, is about a young woman who can perform miracles. Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews a new collection of letters by Emily Dickinson. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, May 03, 2024
Remembering Writer Paul Auster
The New York Times described Paul Auster as the "Patron Saint of Literary Brooklyn." He died Tuesday of complications of lung cancer. He was 77. We'll listen back to some of our interviews with him, including one about his early career when he was desperately trying to make a living as writer, and even tried writing porn. Justin Chang reviews the new film The Fall Guy , starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, May 02, 2024
What Will Happen With The TikTok Ban?
Congress and President Biden say TikTok must shed its financial ties to China or face a ban in the U.S. But Washington Post tech reporter Drew Harwell says selling the company is complicated. For sponsor-free episodes of Fresh Air — and exclusive weekly bonus episodes, too — subscribe to Fresh Air+ via Apple Podcasts or here . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, May 02, 2024
Erik Larson On The Dawn Of The Civil War
In The Demon of Unrest, author Erik Larson chronicles the five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the start of the Civil War, drawing parallels to today's political climate. Also, David Bianculli reviews the FX/Hulu spy thriller series The Veil , starring Elisabeth Moss. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, April 30, 2024
Fantasy Writer Leigh Bardugo On Magic & Miracles
Leigh Bardugo is best known for her YA Shadow and Bone series. Her adult novel, The Familiar, centers on a young woman in 16th century Spain who must hide her identity as a Jew who converted to Catholicism. She spoke with producer Sam Briger. Also, jazz historian Kevin Whitehead looks at a reissue of Sonny Rollins. For sponsor-free episodes of Fresh Air — and exclusive weekly bonus episodes, too — subscribe to Fresh Air+ via Apple Podcasts or here. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, April 29, 2024
Jon Bon Jovi
A few years ago, Bon Jovi stopped performing because of a vocal cord injury. The Hulu docuseries Thank You, Goodnight offers a career retrospective, plus a view of his surgery and return to the stage. He spoke with Terry Gross about his voice, writing "Livin' on a Prayer," and his forthcoming album, Forever . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, April 27, 2024
Best Of: St. Vincent / Kids In An Age Of Anxiety
Songwriter, guitarist and singer St. Vincent talks about her new album, All Born Screaming . Also, we talk with child psychiatrist Harold Koplewicz. His latest book is called Scaffold Parenting: Raising Resilient, Self-Reliant and Secure Kids in an Age of Anxiety . To get staff recommendations, highlights from our archive, and intel on what's coming up on the show, subscribe to our newsletter . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, April 26, 2024
Novelist John Green On The 'Invasive Weed' Of OCD
Green's YA novel, Turtles All the Way Down, has been recently adapted to film (on MAX May 2). Green described living with OCD, and how "one little thought" could take over his mind, in this 2017 interview with Terry Gross. Also, Justin Chang reviews Challengers , starring Zendaya and directed by Luca Guadagnino. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, April 25, 2024
Why Writers Are Losing Out In Hollywood
Nearly a year after the Hollywood writers' strike started, the entertainment industry remains in flux. Harpers journalist Daniel Bessner says TV and film writers are feeling the brunt of the changes. Maureen Corrigan reviews a collection of Emily Dickinson letters. For sponsor-free episodes of Fresh Air — and exclusive weekly bonus episodes, too — subscribe to Fresh Air+ via Apple Podcasts or at here. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, April 24, 2024
The Life & Legacy Of 'Rulebreaker' Barbara Walters
Journalist Susan Page talks about Barbara Walters's groundbreaking career as a newswoman and her signature interview specials, which blended news and entertainment. Page was interested in understanding Walters' inner life – the source of her drive, how she navigated hostile work environments, and being teased for her speech impediment. Page's book is The Rulebreaker . Also, rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Taylor Swift's 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, April 23, 2024
St. Vincent
The songwriter, guitarist and singer known as St. Vincent took her stage name from St. Vincent's Hospital in New York, where the poet Dylan Thomas died. Her seventh album, All Born Screaming , is out April 26. She spoke with Terry Gross about visiting her dad in prison, touring with her aunt and uncle as a teen, and the inspiration for her hit song "New York." For sponsor-free episodes of Fresh Air — and exclusive weekly bonus episodes, too — subscribe to Fresh Air+ via Apple Podcasts or at here . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Mon, April 22, 2024
How Minority Rule Threatens Democracy
Journalist Ari Berman says the founding fathers created a system that concentrated power in the hands of an elite minority — and that their decisions continue to impact American democracy today. Berman's book is Minority Rule . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sat, April 20, 2024
Best Of: Salman Rushdie's Survival / A New Kind Of Whodunit
Writer Salman Rushdie talks about the knife attack that nearly killed him — and his life since then. In 2022, he was onstage at a literary event when the assailant ran up from the audience, and stabbed him 14 times. His new book is called Knife . Also, Diarra Kilpatrick talks about writing and starring in the new series, Diarra From Detroit, a dark comedy about a public school teacher who is ghosted by a Tinder date and, in her quest to find out why, investigates a decades-old mystery that takes her into the underbelly of Detroit. Ken Tucker reviews Tierra Whack's new album World Wide Whack . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Fri, April 19, 2024
Remembering PBS Anchor Robert MacNeil
Longtime PBS news anchor Robert MacNeil died last week at 93. He spoke with Terry Gross a few times over the course of his journalism career. We revisit those conversations. Also, we listen back to Eleanor Coppola's 1992 interview about her documentary, Hearts of Darkness. It chronicles the chaotic filming of Francis Ford Coppola's movie Apocalypse Now. She also died last week, at age 87. David Bianculli reviews HBO's The Jinx — Part Two, which picks up where The Jinx left off: With Robert Durst admitting to murder. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Thu, April 18, 2024
Our Fragile Food System
Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser says mergers and acquisitions have created food oligopolies that are inefficient, barely regulated and sometimes dangerous. His new documentary with Michael Pollan is Food, Inc. 2. Also, Justin Chang reviews the film The Beast . Keep up with Fresh Air, learn what's coming next week, and get staff recommendations by subscribing to our weekly newsletter. For sponsor-free episodes of Fresh Air — and exclusive weekly bonus episodes, too — subscribe to Fresh Air+ via Apple Podcasts or at https://plus.npr.org/freshair Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Wed, April 17, 2024
A Death Doula Says 'Get Real' About The End
Alua Arthur works with families, caretakers, and people close to death who want to be intentional about the end of life. She's learned through her work and her own experiences with loss that facing the inevitable can help lessen the anxiety and fear so many of us have around death. Her new book is called, Briefly Perfectly Human . Also, we remember painter Faith Ringgold, who died Saturday at the age of 93. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Tue, April 16, 2024
Salman Rushdie On Surviving Attempted Murder
Rushdie was onstage at a literary event in 2022 when he was attacked by a man in the audience: "Dying in the company of strangers — that was what was going through my mind." His new book is Knife . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
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