Terry Gross appears in the following:
A journalist's plea to the West: 'Pay attention to Ukraine and its fate'
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Invasion author Luke Harding began reporting from Ukraine in December 2021 and was in Kyiv the night before the Russian invasion began. "There is no mood inside Ukrainian society to yield," he says.
'Armageddon Time' director explores how the world is ruined by 'well-meaning people'
Monday, November 28, 2022
James Gray's new film was inspired by his childhood in Queens in the 1980s. Though his grandparents had fled antisemitism in Ukraine, his family didn't recognize their own biases against Black people.
Singer Brandi Carlile talks ambition, avoidance and finally finding her place
Friday, November 25, 2022
The Grammy winner got her start as a kid, singing backup for an Elvis impersonator. Her memoir, Broken Horses, is about her early life and the family she's built. Originally broadcast in April 2021.
'Fresh Air' marks the centennial of Charles Schulz, creator of Charlie Brown
Thursday, November 24, 2022
Schulz, who died in 2000, spoke in 1990 about his iconic Peanuts comic strip. Plus, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead talks about pianist Vince Guaraldi, who created the music for A Charlie Brown Christmas.
The 'Fresh Air' interview with 'Looney Tunes' animator Chuck Jones
Thursday, November 24, 2022
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck have recently been revived in the podcast, "Bugs and Daffy's Thanksgiving Adventure." We mark the occasion by listening to our 1989 interview with Jones, who died in 2022.
Mel Brooks says his only regret as a comedian is the jokes he didn't tell
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Brooks wrote countless edgy jokes over the years, but he doesn't regret any of them. He calls comedy his "delicious refuge" from the world. His memoir is All About Me! Originally broadcast in 2021.
A cell biologist shares the wonder of researching life's most fundamental form
Monday, November 21, 2022
Physician Siddhartha Mukherjee explains how cellular science could lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of cancer, HIV, Type 1 diabetes and sickle cell anemia. His new book is The Song of the Cell.
Yiddish 'Fiddler On The Roof' is a dream come true for its lead actor
Friday, November 18, 2022
The Yiddish language production of the musical is back. Steven Skybell, who plays Tevye, and Joel Grey, who directed the original, explain the musical's resonance. Originally broadcast July 10, 2019.
'Weird Al' Yankovic wants to 'bring sexy back' to the accordion
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
It's "a very sensual instrument," the parody artists insists. A new over-the-top "biopic" tells the story of Yankovic's life — sort of.
'It chips away at you': Misty Copeland on the whiteness of ballet
Monday, November 14, 2022
For years Copeland was told that her skin color, her body and her hair didn't conform to what ballerinas were supposed to look like. Her memoir is The Wind at My Back.
'Fresh Air' honors veterans with interviews with 2 men who served in WWII
Friday, November 11, 2022
Infantryman Robert Kotlowitz was one of only three in his platoon to survive an ill-advised attack on the Germans. Robert Williams served with the Tuskegee Airmen. Originally broadcast in '99 and '95.
Steven Spielberg was a fearful kid who found solace in storytelling
Wednesday, November 09, 2022
Spielberg's latest project, The Fabelmans, is semi-autobiographical — focused on his childhood and teen years and his parents' divorce. He jokingly refers to the film as "$40 million of therapy."
'Fresh Air' remembers rock 'n' roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis
Tuesday, November 08, 2022
We mark the life of Lewis, who died Oct. 28, by listening to archival interviews with his sister, pianist/singer Linda Gail Lewis, and with Myra Lewis Williams, who married Jerry Lee when she was 13.
Billy Porter makes peace with himself: 'I set myself free, honey. No more secrets'
Friday, November 04, 2022
Porter won an Emmy for Pose, and a Tony for the Broadway musical Kinky Boots. In addition to performing, he's also a star on the red carpet. His memoir is Unprotected. Originally broadcast in 2021.
Venture into the 'Fresh Air' crypt for a Halloween horror fest
Thursday, November 03, 2022
Ever wonder what keeps Stephen King up at night, or which movie scenes make Jordan Peele jump? For Halloween this year, Fresh Air rebroadcasting archival interviews with masters of the horror genre.
Fresh Air's Halloween special, with horror masters Stephen King and Jordan Peele
Friday, October 28, 2022
King talks about what terrified him as a child — and what frightens him as an adult. Peele talks about the fears that inspire his filmmaking. Originally broadcast in 1992, 2013 and 2017.
Remembering Angela Lansbury, a legend of the stage and screen
Friday, October 21, 2022
The Tony Award-winning actor starred in the Broadway musicals Mame, Gypsy and Sweeney Todd, as well as the TV series Murder, She Wrote. Lansbury died Oct. 11. Originally broadcast in 1980 and 2000.
'New Yorker' culture critic says music and mixtapes helped make sense of himself
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Hua Hsu defined himself as a teen by the music he loved. The murder of a close friend when he was in college changed the course of his life. His memoir is Stay True.
Linda Ronstadt: The 'Fresh Air' interview
Friday, October 14, 2022
Ronstadt's new memoir, Feels Like Home, is an exploration of the food and culture of her Mexican roots. In 2013, she spoke about the health concerns that caused her to end her musical career early.
The human sensory experience is limited. Journey into the world that animals know
Thursday, October 13, 2022
In An Immense World, science writer Ed Yong explores the diversity of perception in the animal world — including echolocation, magnetic fields and ultraviolet vision. Originally broadcast June 2022.