Fresh Air : About
Airs Monday through Thursday at 2pm on 93.9 FM and weekdays at 9pm on AM 820
"If you want to understand a political conflict, it helps to understand the culture in which that conflict is taking place," says host Terry Gross. Fresh Air is one of the most popular programs on public radio, breaking the "talk show" mold, and Gross is known for her fearless and insightful interviews with prominent figures in American arts, politics, and popular culture. "When there is a crisis in a foreign country, we sometimes call up that country's leading novelist or filmmaker to get the cultural perspective." Fresh Air features daily reports and reviews from critics and commentators on music, books, movies, and other cultural phenomena that invade the national psyche.
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Show Staff
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Terry Gross
Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air's interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by host and executive producer Terry Gross' unique approach.
Latest Stories from Fresh Air
Last updated: Sunday, May 19 2013 11:50 AM
Fresh Air Weekend: Gerwig, Baumbach, Dawes And Polley
Sunday, May 19 2013 01:33 AM
In Frances Ha, a 27-year-old (Greta Gerwig) navigates New York City — and the transition from prolonged adolescence to proper adulthood. Gerwig and director Noah Baumbach co-wrote the script. Dawes has a new album, Stories Don't End. In a documentary, Sarah Polley turns the camera on her own family.
Jerry Lee Lewis: Live, Singing As If Life Depended On It
Saturday, May 18 2013 01:33 AM
In 1958, Lewis suffered a precipitous decline in popularity when people learned that his new wife was not only 13, but also his cousin. Nobody would touch his records. Then, in 1963, he signed a deal with Smash and it looked like things were getting better.
Bill Hader On Sketch Comedy, Classic Hollywood
Saturday, May 18 2013 01:33 AM
This weekend will be Hader's final romp on Saturday Night Live. He joined the cast in 2005 and has been nominated for an Emmy for his character Stefon, an obsessive clubgoer. Hader talks about not understanding how people do standup and about watching old films, which sparked his interest in Hollywood.
'Into Darkness,' Boldly And With A Few Twists
Friday, May 17 2013 01:33 AM
The 12th film based on Gene Roddenberry's '60s sci-fi TV show is the second to star a new group of actors as Kirk, Spock and their crew. J.J. Abrams returns as director, and Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch plays the memorable villain.
100 Years Of Woody Herman: The Early Bloomer Who Kept Blooming
Friday, May 17 2013 01:33 AM
In a career that ran from the 1930s into the 1980s, and included work in big bands and rock 'n' roll, the clarinetist, saxophonist and bandleader changed to reflect the times. Herman would have turned 100 on May 16.
The Tricky Business Of Retirement: Hidden 401(K) Fees
Friday, May 17 2013 01:33 AM
You could end up with a lot less savings at 65 than you ever anticipated because of fees charged by the financial institutions managing your retirement accounts. Robert Hiltonsmith, who researches retirement security, says those fees were disclosed to 401(k) plan participants until only recently.
Coming To 'Americanah': Two Tales Of Immigrant Experience
Thursday, May 16 2013 01:33 AM
The new book from Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a knockout of a novel about immigration that transcends genre. It's everything from a coming-of-age novel to a romance to a comic novel of social manners to an up-to-the-minute meditation on race.
A Polley Family Secret, Deftly Pieced Together
Thursday, May 16 2013 01:33 AM
In a striking documentary, Sarah Polley turns the camera on her own family. The director and actor, known for films such as Away from Her and The Sweet Hereafter, was teased growing up about not looking like her actor father. At 27, she discovered that it wasn't a joke.
Dawes Knows Where It's Been And Where It's Headed
Wednesday, May 15 2013 01:33 AM
Dawes has just released its third album, Stories Don't End. The band has cited Neil Young and Crosby, Stills & Nash among its influences, but channels them with good humor and confidence that its own distinctiveness will shine through.
Gerwig, Baumbach Poke At Post-College Pangs
Wednesday, May 15 2013 01:33 AM
In Frances Ha, a 27-year-old (Greta Gerwig) navigates New York City — and the transition from prolonged adolescence to proper adulthood. Gerwig and director Noah Baumbach co-wrote the script; they join Fresh Air's Terry Gross to talk about the project.
Bing Crosby: From The Vaults, Surprising Breadth
Tuesday, May 14 2013 01:33 AM
Four albums of reissues and archival recordings from Crosby's own vaults are getting a high-profile release; they demonstrate that his influence on modern singing is so huge, we barely notice it anymore. He could sing anything from Latin to Hawaiian to The Great American Songbook.
In 'Passage,' Caro Mines LBJ's Changing Political Roles
Tuesday, May 14 2013 01:33 AM
The fourth volume in Robert Caro's monumental biography of Lyndon Johnson is The Passage of Power; it explores the period between 1958 and 1964 during which Johnson went from powerful Senate majority leader to powerless vice president to — suddenly — president of the United States.
Fresh Air Weekend: Messud, Volk And Scorsese
Sunday, May 12 2013 01:33 AM
In her new novel, Claire Messud explores the complicated relationship between two women. After reading the memoir of Elsa Schiaparelli, Patricia Volk found a new understanding of beauty. In a talk called "Persistence of Vision: Reading the Language of Cinema," the director spoke about film history.
Luhrmann's 'Gatsby': Bracingly Novel
Saturday, May 11 2013 01:33 AM
The movie is loud and obvious, but it's not a desecration of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 masterpiece. Baz Luhrmann's interpretation of The Great Gatsby is more like a cartoony Broadway musical version of Gatsby in which no one, alas, sings.
Rainn Wilson: 'The Office' Drone Outside Of Work
Saturday, May 11 2013 01:33 AM
Since the very beginning of the hit NBC television series, Wilson has played beet-farming, archery-loving middle-management kook Dwight Schrute. The series concludes its nine-year run on May 16.
Jenna Fischer: Keeping It Real At 'The Office'
Saturday, May 11 2013 01:33 AM
Jenna Fischer's character on The Office Pam began the show in 2005 with the last name Beesly. Nine years later, having married her coworker Jim Halpert (played by John Krasinsk) Pam Beesly is Pam Halpert. The love affair between Pam and Jim has been one of the show's defining plot-lines.
Ricky Gervais On The Original 'Office'
Saturday, May 11 2013 01:33 AM
Actor Ricky Gervais starred in, wrote and directed the hit BBC sitcom, The Office, on which the hit NBC series was based. The BBC series premiered in 2001 and ran for two seasons. The NBC Office premiered in 2005 and its series finale will air on May 16.
Kaling And Daniels: Writing 'The Office'
Saturday, May 11 2013 01:33 AM
Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling, wrote a number of classic episodes for NBC's The Office, including "Take Your Daughter to Work Day." Kaling, who played Kelly on the show, now stars in her own comedy series, The Mindy Project. Daniels has worked on Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons.
The 'Real Life' Of Actor Steve Carell
Saturday, May 11 2013 01:33 AM
The comedian, also known for his work on The Daily Show and in films such as The 40-Year-Old-Virgin and Little Miss Sunshine, played paper company Dunder Mifflin boss Michael Scott on the hit NBC comedy series The Office for five years. He left the show in 2011.
In A Cluster Of New Sitcoms, 'Family Tree' Stands Tall
Friday, May 10 2013 01:33 AM
Christopher Guest's new HBO comedy series follows a down-on-his-luck guy looking into his family genealogy. Guest, who pioneered the mockumentary style in cult classics like This Is Spinal Tap, co-created the show with Jim Piddock and star Chris O'Dowd.
Remembering Monster-Maker Ray Harryhausen
Friday, May 10 2013 01:33 AM
The legendary Hollywood FX man died Tuesday at age 92. Known for creating the monsters in such films as Mighty Joe Young and Jason and the Argonauts, Harryhausen spoke with Fresh Air in 2003 about studying animals in nature to create the monsters of our imaginations.
'The Woman Upstairs': A Saga Of Anger And Thwarted Ambition
Friday, May 10 2013 01:33 AM
In her new novel, Emperor's Children author Claire Messud explores the complicated relationship between two women: Nora, who longed to be an artist and have a family but failed, and the woman Nora befriends, who puts her art first and built a family as well.
Natalie Maines: A Country-Music Rebel Rocks On Her Own
Thursday, May 09 2013 01:39 AM
On Mother, Maines' first solo record, the singer moves beyond the music that propelled her to fame as a member of the Dixie Chicks. It features an assortment of pop and rock covers, including a reworking of the Pink Floyd song that lends the album its title.
Nearly Three Years After Dodd-Frank, Reforms Happen Slowly
Thursday, May 09 2013 01:39 AM
The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was a sweeping legislative package designed to prevent another financial collapse. Journalist Gary Rivlin says passing the bill was just a first step in a long road to real reform, and the financial system is as vulnerable to disaster it was in 2008.
Scorsese Talks 'The Language Of Cinema'
Wednesday, May 08 2013 01:33 AM
In a talk he titled "Persistence of Vision: Reading the Language of Cinema," the famed director spoke passionately about the history of cinema and the films that stoked his love for the medium.
'Shocked': Patricia Volk's Memoir About Beauty And Its Beholders
Wednesday, May 08 2013 01:33 AM
Even as a child, Patricia Volk knew she would never measure up to her strikingly beautiful mother. But after reading the memoir of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, Volk found a new understanding of beauty that had more to do with personality than a pretty face.
Caitlin Rose: A Singer Grounded In The Details Of Yearning
Tuesday, May 07 2013 01:34 AM
Dubbed a country singer by virtue of her Nashville base, Rose sounds more like a pop vocalist on The Stand-In. Drawing inspiration from Roy Orbison, Carlene Carter and countless others, Rose knows it takes an assured performer to sell the notion of vulnerability over the long haul.
Godwin's 'Flora': A Tale Of Remorse That Creeps Under Your Skin
Tuesday, May 07 2013 01:34 AM
The latest novel from three-time National Book Award finalist Gail Godwin takes inspiration from Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Both stories take place in isolated old houses, and both revolve around mental contests between a governess character and her young charge.
Linney Mines 'The Big C' For Serious Laughs
Tuesday, May 07 2013 01:34 AM
On Showtime's dark comedy series, Laura Linney plays a terminally ill cancer patient. The actress's own father died from lung cancer while the series was being made; her mother was a cancer nurse when Linney was young. These experiences, she says, inform her performance.
Fresh Air Weekend: Maron, Violent Minds And A Classic Documentary
Sunday, May 05 2013 01:33 AM
The comedian turned his life around when he started "WTF with Marc Maron" out of his garage in 2009. In The Anatomy of Violence, Adrian Raine argues that violent behavior has a biological basis just like depression. In her classic '60s documentary, Shirley Clarke profiles a 33-year-old gay hustler.
'Iron Man 3': Tony Stark As Home-Brew Hero
Saturday, May 04 2013 01:33 AM
Director and co-writer Shane Black kicks Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., out of his comfort zone — a choice that has Stark functioning as a lone gumshoe, thinking like a garage mechanic and, when necessary, straight-up MacGyvering a fix.
Bradley Cooper Finds 'Silver Linings' Everywhere
Saturday, May 04 2013 01:33 AM
The actor, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in David O. Russell's film which is out now on DVD, talks about watching movies with his father as a kid in Philadelphia. He currently stars in The Place Beyond The Pines with Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes.
Peeling Away The Layers In A 'Portrait Of Jason'
Friday, May 03 2013 01:33 AM
In her classic '60s documentary, Shirley Clarke profiles a loquacious 33-year-old gay hustler who dreams of having a nightclub act. Her subject could hardly be more complex — and in examining him, she raises important questions about the relationship between fact and fiction.
Ethical Fashion: Is The Tragedy In Bangladesh A Final Straw?
Friday, May 03 2013 01:33 AM
Since a garment factory collapsed last month in Dhaka, killing more than 400 people, ethical fashion has been in the spotlight. Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Price of Cheap Fashion, explains the economy that created this tragedy and what we can do to fix it.
Two Indie Directors Go Confidently Mainstream
Thursday, May 02 2013 01:33 AM
Jeff Nichols and Ramin Bahrani made names with small, low-budget movies: Nichols with Take Shelter and Bahrani with Man Push Cart. Both have now directed big-budget films with big stars: Nichols' Mud features Matthew McConaughey, and Bahrani's At Any Price stars Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron.
Criminologist Believes Violent Behavior Is Biological
Thursday, May 02 2013 01:33 AM
In a new book, The Anatomy of Violence, Adrian Raine argues that violent behavior has a biological basis just like depression or schizophrenia. This raises questions about treatment, accountability and punishment, including the death penalty.
C.J. Chivers: On The Ground In Syria
Wednesday, May 01 2013 01:33 AM
The New York Times reporter talks about spending much of the past year with rebels in Syria. Chivers is also the author of The Gun, about how the AK-47 has defined modern warfare.
Marc Maron: A Life Fueled By 'Panic And Dread'
Tuesday, April 30 2013 01:33 AM
The comedian turned his life around when he started "WTF with Marc Maron" out of his garage in 2009. He has parlayed the popularity of the podcast into a new television show called Maron, based on his life, as well as a new memoir.
Fresh Air Weekend: David Sedaris And Matthew Weiner
Sunday, April 28 2013 01:33 AM
The best-selling author's diaries have been his jumping-off point for the personal essays in his collections, including his latest, Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls. The creator of the acclaimed AMC series talks about Don Draper as an aging existentialist looking for meaning in a chaotic world.
'Horrific' And 'Surreal': The Words We Use To Bear Witness
Saturday, April 27 2013 01:33 AM
After more than a week of gruesome media coverage, linguist Geoff Nunberg takes a close look at the words we use to describe events that mesmerize and horrify, that sensitize and desensitize, that transfix and repel us at the same time.
A Conversation With Country Superstar George Jones
Saturday, April 27 2013 01:33 AM
The country singer, known for "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and many other hits, died Friday at age 81. Fresh Air remembers Jones with excerpts from a 1996 conversation with Terry Gross about his autobiography, his addictions and his perspective on his celebrated but troubled marriage to Tammy Wynette.
'Guilt Trip': Streisand On Songs, Film And Family
Saturday, April 27 2013 01:33 AM
Singer, actor, writer, director and producer Barbra Streisand plays a well-meaning if overbearing Jewish mom in The Guilt Trip. The star says her own mother both encouraged her talents and was jealous of them.
Matthew Weiner On 'Mad Men' And Meaning
Friday, April 26 2013 01:33 AM
The creator of the acclaimed AMC series talks about his protagonist — Don Draper — as an aging existentialist looking for meaning in a chaotic world. He says the show's sixth season, set in 1968, is situated in that historical moment for a reason: to reflect a traumatic passage in Don's life.
'Equilaterial': Martians, Oil And A Hole In The Desert
Thursday, April 25 2013 01:34 AM
Ken Kalfus' new novel about an astronomer obsessed with attracting the attention of Martians appears at first to be an homage to the scientific romances of H.G. Wells and the lost-world sagas of H. Rider Haggard. As the novel develops, however, its unique social commentaries emerge.
'Let's Explore': David Sedaris On His Public Private Life
Thursday, April 25 2013 01:34 AM
The best-selling author and humorist has kept journals for 36 years. Those diaries have been the jumping-off point for the personal essays that appear in his collections, including Me Talk Pretty One Day and now Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls.
Tom Cruise's Latest Headed For 'Oblivion'
Wednesday, April 24 2013 08:21 PM
Joseph Kosinski's sci-fi adventure, starring Tom Cruise, is the most incoherent piece of storytelling since John Travolta's Battlefield Earth. It had critic David Edelstein crying, "What? What?" over the din of the explosions.
'Rectify': An Ex-Con Navigates The World Outside
Wednesday, April 24 2013 08:21 PM
A new six-episode drama for the Sundance Channel follows a man who, after 19 years in prison, is exonerated by DNA evidence and returns to his family. Critic David Bianculli says it's a unique show, and a memorable one.
'Zoobiquity': What Humans Can Learn From Animal Illness
Wednesday, April 24 2013 08:21 PM
Animals and humans have a lot in common, including some of the health problems that plague them. In her book Zoobiquity, Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz explores how studying animal illness — from cancer to sexual dysfunction — can help us better understand human health.
Matthew McConaughey, Getting Serious Again
Wednesday, April 24 2013 01:30 AM
The leading man known for his good looks and lighthearted charm has made a comfortable career for himself in romantic comedies. Lately, however, he has been taking on more serious roles in films such as Bernie, Magic Mike and most recently Jeff Nichols' Mud.
Fresh Air Weekend: Junger, Paisley And A Serial-Killing Nurse
Sunday, April 21 2013 01:33 AM
Junger explores the life of his friend, photographer Tim Hetherington. "Accidental Racist" launched an Internet firestorm but shouldn't overshadow everything else on Wheelhouse. In 2003, a nurse named Charlie Cullen was arrested under suspicion of injecting patients with lethal doses of medications.
Dennis Lehane On 'Messing With The Wrong City'
Saturday, April 20 2013 01:34 AM
Author Dennis Lehane talks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about his New York Times op-ed, "Messing with the Wrong City," which expressed his love for his hometown.
Journalists Charles Sennott And Seth Mnookin Discuss Boston Manhunt
Saturday, April 20 2013 01:33 AM
Charles Sennott, vice president, executive editor and co-founder of GlobalPost, talks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the ongoing manhunt in Boston. Seth Mnookin, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, describes live-tweeting the events at MIT.
Sebastian Junger: 'Which Way' To Turn After Hetherington's Death
Friday, April 19 2013 01:33 AM
In a new documentary premiering on HBO, the journalist explores the life of his friend, the war photographer Tim Hetherington. The two collaborated on the 2010 documentary Restrepo, and Junger was profoundly changed after Hetherington was killed by shrapnel in Libya in 2011.
Marathoner Amby Burfoot: 'Every Mile Out There Is A Gift'
Thursday, April 18 2013 01:38 AM
Marathoner and Runner's World contributor Amby Burfoot talks about the vulnerability of running 26.2 miles of public space, the Boston Marathon as a holy grail and the importance of being cheered on. Burfoot won the Boston Marathon in 1968 and has run every five years since. He was there Monday.
Brad Paisley's 'Wheelhouse' Of Good Songs — And Intentions
Thursday, April 18 2013 01:38 AM
"Accidental Racist" launched an Internet firestorm and threatened to overshadow everything else on the country singer's fine new album, Wheelhouse. Even in that polarizing song, Paisley's biggest sin is that he's well-meaning in a way that topples too easily into sentimentality.
'The Hell Of American Day Care': Expensive And 'Mediocre'
Thursday, April 18 2013 01:38 AM
In a cover story for The New Republic, journalist Jonathan Cohn examines the conundrum of day care in the United States. "On the one hand," he says, "improving the quality of child care ... is going to take more money. On the other hand, it already costs more than many families can pay."
'Central Park Five': Rape, Race And Blame Explored
Wednesday, April 17 2013 01:34 AM
A documentary airing tonight on PBS tells the story of the five young black and Latino men wrongly convicted of the 1989 assault and rape of a white female jogger in Manhattan's Central Park. Ken Burns made the film with his eldest daughter, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon.
How Evangelical Christians Are Preaching The New Gospel Of Adoption
Wednesday, April 17 2013 01:34 AM
In The Child Catchers, Kathryn Joyce explores the outsized influence of evangelical Christian groups on the overseas adoption industry. The adoption movement has orchestrated a boom-and-bust market that can exploit poor families in countries where regulations are weak and "orphans" may not actually be orphans.
Boston Globe Columnist: 'A Little Bit Of Freedom Taken Away'
Wednesday, April 17 2013 01:34 AM
Sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy talks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about Monday's events at the Boston Marathon, the place the marathon holds in the life of the city, its importance in the international world of running, and the history of attacks at sporting events.
The Doctor Trying To Solve The Mystery Of Food Allergies
Tuesday, April 16 2013 08:27 PM
Nearly 15 million Americans have a moderate to severe food allergy. In kids, the rate is one in 13. Kari Nadeau, who studies food allergies at Stanford, is currently testing a technique to desensitize children who have multiple severe allergies to foods like nuts, soy, milk, wheat and shellfish.
Pretending To Be A 'Good Nurse,' Serial Killer Targeted Patients
Tuesday, April 16 2013 08:27 PM
In 2003, a hospital nurse named Charlie Cullen was arrested under suspicion of injecting patients with lethal doses of a variety of medications. He is now considered one of the nation's most prolific serial killers. Journalist Charles Graeber explains how the hospital system failed to stop Cullen.
The Doctor Trying To Solve The Mystery Of Food Allergies
Tuesday, April 16 2013 01:34 AM
Nearly 15 million Americans have a moderate to severe food allergy. In kids, the rate is one in 13. Kari Nadeau, who studies food allergies at Stanford, is currently testing a technique to desensitize children who have multiple severe allergies to foods like nuts, soy, milk, wheat and shellfish.
Fresh Air Weekend: Mormon 'Elders', Johnny Cash And Jherek Bischoff
Sunday, April 14 2013 01:33 AM
Ryan McIlvain's debut novel, Elders, tells the story of two young Mormons carrying out their missions. For his latest album, Bischoff departs from an indie rock sound and focuses on orchestral arrangements. Cash recorded more than 50 singles and 60 albums for Columbia Records over 28 years.
Terrence Malick And Every Man's Journey 'To The Wonder'
Saturday, April 13 2013 01:33 AM
The director's latest cinematic meditation on the meaning of life stars Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Olga Kurylenko and Javier Bardem and revolves around the question of how we might locate the presence of God in the everyday and how we can accommodate ourselves to our expulsion from the Garden.
Lemony Snicket Dons A Trenchcoat
Saturday, April 13 2013 01:33 AM
In Who Could That Be at This Hour?, a prequel to A Series of Unfortunate Events, Daniel Handler satirizes pulp mysteries and uncovers the parallels between detective fiction and childhood. In both, he says, an outsider is trying to make his way in a mysteriously corrupt world.
Beauty Marks: Patricia Volk's Lessons In Womanhood
Friday, April 12 2013 01:33 AM
In her new memoir, Shocked, Volk examines the two women who had a lasting impact on her as she began to parse who she was as a woman: her beautiful, critical mother, Audrey Morgen Volk; and the famous — and unconventional — haute couture designer Elsa Schiaparelli.
Earl Hines: Big Bands And Beyond On A New Box Set
Friday, April 12 2013 01:33 AM
Mosaic Records has released Classic Earl Hines Sessions 1928-1945, a seven-disc showcase for the jazz pianist and bandleader. Hines' right hand played lines in bright, clear octaves — and his left hand had a mind of its own.
Living With Chronic Pain 'In The Kingdom Of The Sick'
Friday, April 12 2013 01:33 AM
In the United States, an orphan disease is one that affects fewer than 200,000 patients. These conditions often involve chronic pain or fatigue, and can be controversial and difficult to diagnose. Yet they affect around 30 million Americans. Author Laurie Edwards is one such patient.
Johnny Cash's Columbia Catalog Out Now — As A 63-Disc Box Set
Thursday, April 11 2013 01:34 AM
Cash spent half a century in the limelight as a country singer turned American icon. Between 1958, when he first recorded for Columbia, until 1986, when it didn't renew his contract, he recorded more than 50 singles and 60 albums for the label.
'The Way Of The Knife': Soldiers, Spies And Shadow Wars
Thursday, April 11 2013 01:33 AM
The CIA has morphed from a traditional espionage service concerned with stealing the secrets of foreign governments into an organization consumed with hunting down its enemies. New York Times journalist Mark Mazzetti chronicles this transformation in a new book, The Way of the Knife.
Going 'Mental' And Enjoying The Ride
Wednesday, April 10 2013 01:33 AM
P.J. Hogan's new movie is madder than madcap, a zany, nonconformist boundary-pusher whose offbeat manner makes for a rich and grounded film. Toni Collette plays the part of a modern-day Maria von Trapp as if she has nothing to lose — and Anthony LaPaglia shows his true Aussie accent.
Remembering Annette Funicello, America's Mouseketeer
Wednesday, April 10 2013 01:33 AM
Handpicked by Walt Disney to be one of the original Mouseketeers, Annette Funicello was America's girl next door. She spoke to Fresh Air in 1994 about Mickey Mouse ears and why she went public with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. She died Monday at age 70 from complications of the disease.
Jherek Bischoff Crafts A Symphonic Sound On 'Composed'
Wednesday, April 10 2013 01:33 AM
The musician, songwriter, composer and producer has made a name for himself by playing with the likes of Amanda Palmer. For his latest album, however, he found himself departing from a rock sound as he began writing his own orchestral arrangements.
Remembering David Kuo: Refocusing Religious Groups On Faith
Tuesday, April 09 2013 01:33 AM
As Deputy Director of President George W. Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, Kuo hoped to be a force inside the White House advocating for the poor. He left after two years, disillusioned and believing he had been used solely to recruit evangelical voters. Kuo, who died Friday at 44, talked to Fresh Air in 2006.
The 'Alchemists' Who Control The Purse Strings Of The Economy
Tuesday, April 09 2013 01:33 AM
In a new book, Washington Post economics writer Neil Irwin looks at an elite group of policymakers from around the world who manage the money supply, and explains how money can come from — and disappear into — thin air based on the decisions of these influential men and women.
Fresh Air Weekend: Mary Roach, 'Mad Men,' Ty Burr And Marriage
Sunday, April 07 2013 01:33 AM
Roach's new book explores the human digestive system. Critic David Bianculli praises the season premiere of AMC's hit show. Linguist Geoff Nunberg describes why and how dictionaries are "redefining" marriage. Burr, Boston Globe film critic, looks at the relationship between stars and their fans.
Roger Ebert In Review: A 'Fresh Air' Survey
Saturday, April 06 2013 01:33 AM
Fresh Air remembers film critic Roger Ebert, who died Thursday, with a roundup of interviews from our archive — one with Ebert alone, one with him and his late partner Gene Siskel, and two in which Ebert interviews iconic directors. Plus, critic-at-large John Powers discusses Ebert's 2011 memoir Life Itself.
Even Dictionaries Grapple With Getting 'Marriage' Right
Friday, April 05 2013 01:33 AM
Lexicographers know they're in the hot seat as they confront the changing use of the word "marriage." Linguist Geoff Nunberg says the key to getting the new definition right is to crisply describe everything that's in the category and nothing that isn't.
Former Mormon Missionary Describes The Experience Of 'Elders'
Friday, April 05 2013 01:33 AM
As a Mormon missionary, Ryan McIlvain spent two years ringing strangers' doorbells, even as he experienced doubts about his own faith. He left the church in his mid-20s. McIlvain's debut novel, Elders, tells the story of two young Mormons carrying out their missions.
This Spring, Rejoice At Rebirth Of 'Mad Men'
Thursday, April 04 2013 01:40 AM
It used to be that TV's biggest annual event was the arrival of the fall season, but these days excellent shows premiere year-round. This spring, the return of AMC's stylish drama is the best reason to celebrate the season: The two-hour premiere delivers on the show's highest ambitions.
'Burgess Boys' Family Saga Explores The Authenticity Of Imperfection
Thursday, April 04 2013 01:40 AM
Elizabeth Strout is best known for her short story collection Olive Kitteridge, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2009. Her new book is a novel, and critic Maureen Corrigan says it's a different type of winner.
A Father Tells The Story Of His Son's Struggle To Stay 'Clean'
Thursday, April 04 2013 01:40 AM
"The view that drug use is a moral choice is pervasive, pernicious and wrong," writes David Sheff in Clean, a critical look at the nation's approach to drug treatment. Sheff argues that we should not wait for "rock bottom" — that addiction should be treated promptly, just like any other disease.
Kacey Musgraves: Country's Blunt And Poetic New Voice
Wednesday, April 03 2013 01:33 AM
The talented young singer-songwriter has as much in common with John Prine as she does with Kenny Chesney. With any luck, Same Trailer, Different Park is the start of a long career that will make both Musgraves' core audience and other open-minded listeners sit up and take notice.
Hisham Matar: A 'Return' To Libya In Search Of His Father
Wednesday, April 03 2013 01:33 AM
The writer's family was living in Egypt, in exile from Libya, when Matar's father, a prominent opponent of the Qaddafi regime, was kidnapped, taken back to Libya, and imprisoned. That was in March 1990, and it was the last time Matar saw his father. After the revolution in March 2012, Matar returned to look for his father or at least try to find out what became of him.
Listening Back To An Interview With Phil Ramone
Tuesday, April 02 2013 01:33 AM
Ramone started out as a sound engineer for Lesley Gore, and went on to work with Simon and Garfunkel, Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra. He died Saturday at the age of 79. Fresh Air remembers him by listening back to a 1995 interview. He talks about losing old demos and being mistaken for a member of The Ramones.
In Digestion: Mary Roach Explains What Happens To The Food We Eat
Tuesday, April 02 2013 01:33 AM
With books like Stiff and Spook, Roach has built a reputation for making unpalatable subjects entertaining. In her new book, Gulp, she tackles the human digestive system, from the mouth on down. Along the way, she gets a sedation-free colonoscopy and goes on location for a fecal transplant.
Fresh Air Weekend: Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Chris Hayes And 'Room 237'
Sunday, March 31 2013 01:33 AM
Harris and Crowell always wanted to make an album together, but they never got around to it until now. After hosting a Sunday morning show on MSNBC, Hayes is making the move to weeknights. Obsessive fans of Kubrick's The Shining search for clues as to what the film is really about.
Hunting For Secrets In 'The Shining's' Room 237
Saturday, March 30 2013 01:33 AM
A new documentary looks at obsessive fans of Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. These fanatics look for hidden meanings in the movie, and while some of their theories sound outrageous, it's too simple to call such thinking deranged.
Frank Langella: A Career 'Like A Chekhov Play'
Saturday, March 30 2013 01:33 AM
In the movie Robot & Frank, the actor plays an aging ex-burglar who learns to take advantage of his robot caretaker. Langella, 74, tells Fresh Air why he was drawn to the role, and discusses the ups and downs of his long career.
Emmylou Harris And Rodney Crowell: Harmonizing To That 'Old Yellow Moon'
Friday, March 29 2013 01:33 AM
Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell have been friends and collaborators since they first met in 1974. While they always wanted to make an album together, they never got around to it until now. Old Yellow Moon includes songs by Crowell, Patti Scialfa, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson among others.
The Apathy In 'A Thousand Pardons' Is Hard To Forgive
Thursday, March 28 2013 01:36 AM
The rich and good-looking get a taste of life among the 99 percent in Jonathan Dee's novels. In A Thousand Pardons, his protagonist, Helen Armstead, finds a secret talent for getting powerful men to apologize after her marriage falls apart and she is forced to enter the working world.
Chris Hayes: From 'Up' In The Morning To 'All In' At Night
Thursday, March 28 2013 01:36 AM
After hosting his Sunday morning show on MSNBC for the past year and a half, Hayes is making the move to a weeknight news show that premieres April 1. At 34, Hayes will be the youngest prime-time anchor on any of the major cable news channels.
Fresh Air Remembers Journalist Anthony Lewis
Wednesday, March 27 2013 01:34 AM
Anthony Lewis, the New York Times columnist and reporter who covered the Supreme Court in the late 1950s and early 1960s, died Monday. Fresh Air remembers him by listening back to a 1991 interview in which Lewis talks about the responsibilities of a columnist and the importance of a correctly-spelled name.
'Angry Days' Shows An America Torn Over Entering World War II
Wednesday, March 27 2013 01:33 AM
World War II is often thought of as a good and just war — a war the U.S. had to fight. But it wasn't that simple. Public debate was heated between interventionism, which President Roosevelt supported, and isolationism, which aviator Charles Lindbergh became an unofficial spokesman for.
Remembering Chinua Achebe And The Importance Of Struggle
Tuesday, March 26 2013 01:33 AM
To remember Chinua Achebe who died last Thursday, Fresh Air listens back to an interview with the great African writer that originally aired on May 10, 1988. In it, Achebe talks about the literary trope of the white explorer or missionary living amongst the savages, and the importance of struggle.
How And Why The Hollywood Star Machine Made 'Gods Like Us'
Tuesday, March 26 2013 01:33 AM
In a new book about movie stardom and fame, Boston Globe film critic Ty Burr looks at the evolving history of the relationship between movie stars and the people who love them, and at how changing technology influences the kinds of stars the public wants.
Fresh Air Weekend: Emily Rapp, Phil Spector, Philip Roth And Sea Chanteys
Sunday, March 24 2013 01:33 AM
In The Still Point of the Turning World Rapp writes about caring for a terminally ill child. Phil Spector is based on the music producer, but it's fiction. Philip Roth is the subject of a PBS documentary. Tom Waits, Patti Smith and others appear on a new compilation of sea songs from Hal Willner.
With Vengeance And Violence, 'Olympus Has Fallen' Flat
Saturday, March 23 2013 01:35 AM
This macho action film starring Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman is a vigilante fantasy about terrorists and turncoats invading the United States. It's a popular genre, but critic David Edelstein says he's tired of the American addiction to these tropes.
Nathan Englander: Stories Of Faith, Family And The Holocaust
Saturday, March 23 2013 01:35 AM
In What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, Nathan Englander writes about his own faith — and what it means to be Jewish — in stories that explore religious tension, Israeli-American relations and the Holocaust.
Timberlake On 'N Sync, Acting And Bringing Sexy Back
Saturday, March 23 2013 01:35 AM
Justin Timberlake rocketed to stardom as a teen heartthrob in the band 'N Sync. He has gone on to be a successful solo artist — and expanded his career into both comedic and dramatic roles on-screen. He discusses his long career in showbiz, his SNL digital shorts and his transition to film.
You Can't Trust HBO's 'Phil Spector,' But You Can Enjoy It
Friday, March 22 2013 01:33 AM
David Mamet, the writer and director of the new HBO movie Phil Spector starring Al Pacino and Helen Mirren, includes a disclaimer at the beginning of the film: While the movie might be based on the controversial music producer, "This is a work of fiction. It's not 'based on a true story.' "
Rock Icons Sing Pirate Songs On 'Son Of Rogues Gallery'
Friday, March 22 2013 01:33 AM
Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Marc Almond, Marianne Faithfull, Shane MacGowan and others appear on a new two-disc compilation of pirate ballads and sea songs called Son of Rogues Gallery. Here, Terry Gross talks with Hal Willner, the project's producer, about some of the stories behind the project.
'Temperature Rising': Will Climate Change Bring More Extreme Weather?
Friday, March 22 2013 01:33 AM
In a series for The New York Times, environmental reporter Justin Gillis has been exploring whether harsh weather events are connected to global warming or if they are simply the random violence nature visits upon us.
Barry Altschul: The Jazz Drummer Makes A Comeback
Thursday, March 21 2013 01:32 AM
On his new album, The 3dom Factor, Altschul is great at mixing opposites: abstract melodic concepts with parade beats, open improvising and percolating swing. The album is the sort of comeback that reminds you how much good music the artist made the first time around.
'Sex And The Citadel' Peeks Inside Private Lives In The Arab World
Thursday, March 21 2013 01:32 AM
Shereen El Feki spent five years traveling across the Arab region asking people about sex: what they do, what they don't, what they think and why. Her ambition was to learn about the intimate lives of people in the Middle East, and how the sexual aspects of their lives reflect larger shifts.
A Measured Look At Roth As The Writer Turns 80
Wednesday, March 20 2013 01:33 AM
The celebration of Philip Roth's career reaches its peak in a new documentary — Philip Roth Unmasked — that will screen on PBS next week as part of the American Masters series. There's no doubt that Roth is a master, and not just an American one, but the film tiptoes around the novelist's dark ferocity.
Justin Timberlake Returns To Music With Enthusiasm And 'Experience'
Wednesday, March 20 2013 01:33 AM
On his first album since 2006, The 20/20 Experience, Justin Timberlake explores his range, from soul-man groove to falsetto croon, taking inspiration from neo-soul and the expansiveness of '60s and '70s rock song formats.
Veterans Face Red Tape Accessing Disability, Other Benefits
Wednesday, March 20 2013 01:33 AM
On the 10-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, journalist Aaron Glantz talks about the challenges American service members face in accessing disability and other benefits. Glantz says there is a backlog of 900,000 claims and that the average waiting period is 273 days.
Two New TV Dramas Look Below The Surface
Tuesday, March 19 2013 01:33 AM
Jane Campion directs a new Sundance Channel miniseries, Top of the Lake, about a young New Zealand detective played by Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss. Meanwhile, producers from Lost and Friday Night Lights team up to create a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, called Bates Motel.
'Still Point': A Meditation On Mothering A Dying Child
Tuesday, March 19 2013 01:33 AM
In 2011, Emily Rapp's baby was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease, a genetic, degenerative condition with no cure. He died just shy of his third birthday. In her new memoir, The Still Point of the Turning World, Rapp writes about what it's like to care for a terminally ill child.
Fresh Air Weekend: Adrian Younge, 'Frankenstein's Cat' And Tegan And Sara
Sunday, March 17 2013 01:33 AM
Spaghetti Westerns, opera and the Wu-Tang Clan come together in the music of Adrian Younge. Emily Anthes talks about how scientists are working to create pigs that can grow organs for human transplant. Tegan and Sara depart from their indie singer-songwriter roots with their latest album.
Three New Films Examine What It Means When Girls Act Out
Saturday, March 16 2013 01:33 AM
Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, Sally Potter's Ginger & Rosa and Cristian Mungiu's Beyond the Hills are wildly different films, yet they share a common impulse: to demonstrate indelibly how for girls, behaving outrageously is still a political act.
Paul Thomas Anderson, The Man Behind 'The Master'
Saturday, March 16 2013 01:33 AM
The director of Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood talks to Fresh Air's Terry Gross about The Master, a tense drama with indelible performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams.
Jake Tapper Takes A Host Chair At CNN
Friday, March 15 2013 01:33 AM
The veteran reporter has recently moved from ABC News to CNN where he now hosts his own show and serves as Chief Washington Correspondent. In Part II of this interview, Tapper talks about fact-checking the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and blow back from the White House after asking tough questions.
Two Awards In One Day For 'Battleborn' Author Claire Vaye Watkins
Friday, March 15 2013 01:33 AM
On Wednesday, it was announced that the 28-year-old fiction writer had won the Story Prize as well as the Rosenthal Family Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her debut story collection explores the landscape, people and history of the American West.
The Moving Sidewalks: Where The British Invasion Met Texas Blues
Thursday, March 14 2013 01:33 AM
Before he became the guitarist for ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons was in a band called the Moving Sidewalks that just missed its shot at stardom. The album the Moving Sidewalks never released in the late 1960s was released in late 2012 and is very much a period piece, albeit a very well-made one.
A Young Man Gets 'Filthy Rich' Boiling, Bottling Tap Water
Thursday, March 14 2013 01:33 AM
Mohsin Hamid's How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia explores life in the modern megalopolis and the growing scarcity of clean water. In search of his fortune, Hamid's protagonist lands on a scam to boil and sell tap water as bottled mineral water in a novel that takes inspiration from self-help books.
'Lean In': Not Much Of A Manifesto, But Still A Win For Women
Wednesday, March 13 2013 01:35 AM
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has drawn a lot of attention with her "sort of a feminist manifesto" Lean In. Critic Maureen Corrigan finds that much of the book is bland, but toward the end, Sandberg's intellectual charisma breaks through.
Adrian Younge: Looking Back To Move Hip-Hop Forward
Wednesday, March 13 2013 01:34 AM
Spaghetti Westerns, Philadelphia soul, opera and the Wu-Tang Clan all come together in the music of Adrian Younge. He has produced and composed two new albums — one with William Hart, the lead singer of The Delfonics, and another with rapper Ghostface Killah.
Tegan And Sara Reach Out To New Audiences With 'Heartthrob'
Tuesday, March 12 2013 01:33 AM
The twin sisters from Canada depart from their indie singer-songwriter roots with their latest album. The music on Heartthrob is often loaded with a carefully articulated sense of doubt that Tegan and Sara suggest needs to be shaken off through a triumph of the pop-music will.
'Frankenstein's Cat': Bioengineering The Animals Of The Future
Tuesday, March 12 2013 01:33 AM
Science journalist Emily Anthes talks about how scientists are engineering mice with tumors and working to create pigs that can grow organs for human transplant and insects that could serve as drones for the military.
Fresh Air Weekend: Mike White, Mike Piazza And David Bowie
Sunday, March 10 2013 02:33 AM
Enlightened's writer, Mike White, says the show's whistle-blowing plot line was inspired, in part, by his own father's experience. In a new memoir, the catcher opens up about feuding with Roger Clemens and retiring from the game. Bowie's new album plays like a collection of discreet singles.
'Oz': Neither Great Nor Powerful
Saturday, March 09 2013 02:33 AM
There are three reasons to see this prequel to the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz: the trio of witches played by Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams. But James Franco, who stars as the wizard-in-the-making, disappoints — and the film as a whole is a bit snoozy.
The History Of The FBI's Secret 'Enemies' List
Saturday, March 09 2013 02:33 AM
As J. Edgar Hoover became increasingly worried about communist threats against America, he instructed the bureau to conduct secret intelligence operations against anyone deemed "subversive." Enemies: A History of the FBI by Tim Weiner is now out in paperback.
David Bowie Awakens To 'The Next Day' Of His Career
Friday, March 08 2013 02:31 AM
The icon's new album plays like a collection of discreet singles, with each performed in a different style, genre and mood. In this way, the album isn't a return to form, in part because David Bowie never took one form to begin with.
Making It In The Big Leagues Was A 'Long Shot' For Catcher Mike Piazza
Friday, March 08 2013 02:31 AM
In a new memoir, the Major League Baseball catcher opens up about getting drafted in the 62nd round, his feud with Roger Clemens and what it's like to go into retirement. Leaving the game, he says, was "like a small death."
A Fiendish Fly Recalls Kafka In 'Jacob's Folly'
Thursday, March 07 2013 02:31 AM
The main character in Rebecca Miller's new novel is a pest with a past, and his gnat-like status offers him one great advantage: Those convex eyes allow him to see fully into the hearts of humans, specifically two other characters whose paths intersect with his.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Supreme Court's 'Heavyweight'
Thursday, March 07 2013 02:31 AM
In a profile of Ginsburg for this week's New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin describes how the incremental philosophy of litigation that helped her win many precedent-setting women's rights cases as a lawyer is reflected in her career as a Supreme Court justice.
Ashley Monroe Is 'Like A Rose,' Briars And All
Wednesday, March 06 2013 02:33 AM
Recruiting the likes of Guy Clark and Vince Gill, the country singer and member of The Pistol Annies works within a tradition that extends back well beyond her twentysomething years. Monroe avoids the pitfalls of cliche, with sentiments on her new album that are nothing if not nicely ambivalent.
'Out Of Order' At The Court: O'Connor On Being The First Female Justice
Wednesday, March 06 2013 02:33 AM
Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, discusses her new book about the history of the court, and why she doesn't like the term "swing vote." O'Connor served for 24 years, retiring in 2006 to care for her ailing husband.
Cinerama Brought The Power Of Peripheral Vision To The Movies
Tuesday, March 05 2013 02:33 AM
In the 1950s, as movie directors were trying to offer TV watchers something they couldn't get on a small screen, Cinerama films threw three simultaneous images onto a curved screen to create peripheral vision. Two classic Cinerama films — This Is Cinerama and Windjammer — are now out on DVD.
Mike White On Creating HBO's 'Enlightened' Whistle-Blower
Tuesday, March 05 2013 02:33 AM
On the HBO series Enlightened, a naive corporate executive played by Laura Dern wants to change the world. The series' creator and writer, Mike White, says the show's whistle-blowing plot line was inspired, in part, by his own father's experience.
Fresh Air Weekend: 'Whitey Bulger,' 'Salt Sugar Fat' And Historical Language
Sunday, March 03 2013 02:33 AM
Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy have a new book about the Boston gangster Whitey Bulger. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Moss' new book goes inside the world of processed, packaged goods. Geoff Nunberg says a historical novel or screenplay should give us a translation, not a transcription.
A Disappointing Thriller Channels Hitchcock And Bram 'Stoker'
Saturday, March 02 2013 02:33 AM
The film is ripe with a creepy-crawly feel that would be affecting if the tone weren't so arch. Directed by Park Chan-wook, written by Wentworth Miller and starring Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode, Stoker is a vile little chamber horror, says critic David Edelstein.
Denzel Washington Remembers 'Malcom X' And 'The Wizard Of Oz'
Saturday, March 02 2013 02:33 AM
In highlights from a 2008 interview, the Oscar-winner talks with Terry Gross about reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X, which he calls "one of the greatest books I've ever read," and his love for the songs from The Wizard of Oz. He even sings a bar or two of "Follow the Yellow Brick Road."
'Flight' Takes On Questions Of Accountability
Saturday, March 02 2013 02:33 AM
The Robert Zemeckis film, out now on DVD, stars Denzel Washington as a pilot with a secret substance-abuse problem who successfully crash-lands an airplane while high on drugs and alcohol. He must then ask himself tough questions about whether his heroism is undermined by his addiction.
Ben Goldberg's Variations: Two New Albums From A San Francisco Jazz Staple
Friday, March 01 2013 02:33 AM
Known for his work in New Klezmer Trio, clarinetist Ben Goldberg has just released two new albums for different quintets: Subatomic Particle Homesick Blues and Unfold Ordinary Mind.
Dorothea Lange's 'Migrant Mother' Inspires The Story Of 'Mary Coin'
Friday, March 01 2013 02:33 AM
Marisa Silver's new novel imagines the meeting of a Depression-era photographer and her now-iconic subject. Giving the characters different names but similar stories to their real-life counterparts, Silver tackles big questions about the morality of art.
'The Gatekeepers' Offer Candid Assessment Of Israel's Security
Friday, March 01 2013 02:33 AM
Director Dror Moreh interviews six former heads of the Israel's Shin Bet security service in his Oscar-nominated documentary. The men look back on their work and conclude that continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinians will not resolve the conflict.
Aretha Franklin Before Atlantic: The Columbia Years
Thursday, February 28 2013 02:33 AM
Franklin found her voice in songs such as "I Never Loved a Man" for Atlantic Records in the 1960s. Before Atlantic, however, Franklin recorded for Columbia, and in those early recordings you can hear the legend just beginning to emerge.
'Behind The Scenes' At The Vatican: The Politics Of Picking A New Pope
Thursday, February 28 2013 02:33 AM
John Thavis covered the Vatican from Rome for nearly 30 years while working for the Catholic News Service. In his new book, The Vatican Diaries, he describes a place much less organized and hierarchical than the public imagines.
Historical Vocab: When We Get It Wrong, Does It Matter?
Wednesday, February 27 2013 02:34 AM
We're living in an age obsessed with authenticity, says linguist Geoff Nunberg, but we often choose to nitpick the wrong details. Whether it's Downton Abbey, Mad Men, Lincoln or Argo, Nunberg argues, a historical novel or screenplay should give us a translation, not a transcription.
How The Food Industry Manipulates Taste Buds With 'Salt Sugar Fat'
Wednesday, February 27 2013 02:33 AM
From food scientists who study the human palate to maximize consumer bliss, to marketing campaigns that target teens to hook them for life on a brand, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Moss' new book goes inside the world of processed, packaged goods.
Guards: Anthems With Gravitas
Tuesday, February 26 2013 02:33 AM
The debut album from the New York trio Guards is big on atmospherics, but also features a grandness of intent that connects the group to acts as varied as U2, Arcade Fire and The Beach Boys.
Whitey Bulger Bio Profiles Boston's Most Notorious Gangster
Tuesday, February 26 2013 02:33 AM
Reporters Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy, who covered Bulger for years for The Boston Globe, have a new book out about the career criminal. Bulger was wanted for 19 murders when he was captured by the FBI in 2011. He faces trial in June.
Fresh Air Weekend: Blanco And Bazelon
Sunday, February 24 2013 02:33 AM
Blanco, who read his poem "One Today" at Obama's second inauguration, is the first immigrant, Latino and openly gay poet chosen to read at an inauguration. Emily Bazelon explores teen bullying and how the rise of the Internet and social media make the experience more challenging.
Bradley Cooper Finds 'Silver Linings' Everywhere
Saturday, February 23 2013 02:33 AM
The actor, nominated for an Academy Award for his role in David O. Russell's film, talks about watching movies with his father as a kid in Philadelphia, his childhood fascination with soldiers and being up against Daniel Day Lewis for an Oscar.
Affleck On 'Argo' And The 1979 Hostage Crisis
Saturday, February 23 2013 02:33 AM
Ben Affleck's Argo won Golden Globes for best director and best motion picture/drama. The film now has Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Affleck talks about his approach to the story of six diplomats who managed to escape a hostile Iran in 1979.
Karen Russell's 'Vampires' Deserve The Raves
Friday, February 22 2013 02:43 AM
The author of Swamplandia! has a new collection of short stories called Vampires in the Lemon Grove. Critic Maureen Corrigan says the stories are daring and devastating, and with them Russell establishes herself as one of the great American writers of our young century.
'Erasing Death' Explores The Science Of Resuscitation
Friday, February 22 2013 02:39 AM
Dr. Sam Parnia researches the experiences of cardiac arrest patients in the time between when their hearts stop and when they are brought back to life. Parnia thinks of these experiences as actual-death experiences as opposed to near-death experiences.
Voting Pinochet Out Was More Than Just A Yes Or 'No'
Thursday, February 21 2013 02:31 AM
In the Chilean film No, which is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, a young ad man devises a campaign to vote the dictator Augusto Pinochet out of office using rainbows and catchy theme songs.
Jake Tapper: 'The Outpost' That Never Should Have Been
Thursday, February 21 2013 02:31 AM
In a new book, the CNN anchor tells the story of Combat Outpost Keating. The ill-fated American military base was in a remote Afghan valley, and on Oct. 3, 2009, it became the site of one of the deadliest attacks against U.S. troops in the history of the war in Afghanistan.
Today's Bullied Teens Subject To 'Sticks And Stones' Online, Too
Wednesday, February 20 2013 02:34 AM
In her new book, Slate senior editor Emily Bazelon explores teen bullying, what it is and what it isn't, and how the rise of the Internet and social media make the experience more challenging. "It really can make bullying feel like it's 24/7," she says.
Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco: 'I Finally Felt Like I Was Home'
Tuesday, February 19 2013 04:46 AM
Blanco, who read his poem "One Today" at Obama's second inauguration, is the first immigrant, Latino and openly gay poet chosen to read at an inauguration. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that while he was on the podium, "I really embraced America up there like I never had before."
Fresh Air Weekend: Detroit, Anat Cohen And Richard Thompson
Sunday, February 17 2013 02:33 AM
Journalist Charlie LeDuff discusses his new book, Detroit: An American Autopsy. Clarinetist Anat Cohen explores influences that range from Louis Armstrong to her native Israel. And in a new album, Richard Thompson is still coming to terms with the sources of his frustrations.
Wes Anderson, Creating A Singular 'Kingdom'
Saturday, February 16 2013 02:34 AM
The filmmaker's latest project, Moonrise Kingdom, is up for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It's the story of a 12-year-old girl and boy who fall in love and then make a pact to run off into the woods together.
Kushner's 'Lincoln' Is Strange, But Also Savvy
Saturday, February 16 2013 02:34 AM
Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay for the film Lincoln, which focuses on the 16th president's tumultuous final months in office. Kushner read more than 20 books before writing about Lincoln, a man who had "an enormous capacity for grief that didn't deprive him of the ability to act."
Richard Thompson's New Album Examines 'Electric' Love
Friday, February 15 2013 02:33 AM
The singer-songwriter often writes songs about his complex relationships with women. On his new Electric, Thompson is still coming to terms with the sources of his frustrations, which ought to give him material for many years to come.
'Klansville, U.S.A.' Chronicles The Rise And Fall Of The KKK
Friday, February 15 2013 02:33 AM
Author and sociologist David Cunningham speaks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the origins of cross burnings and white hoods, and why North Carolina had more Klan members during the height of the civil rights movement than all other Southern states combined.
Rudresh Mahanthappa: Bicultural Jazz, Ever Shifting
Thursday, February 14 2013 02:34 AM
The saxophonist and his quartet cross-pollinate Indian classical music and vintage Captain Beefheart to create complicated rhythms and solos reminiscent of jazz-rock fusion.
'Dead Sea Scrolls' Live On In Debate And Discovery
Thursday, February 14 2013 02:33 AM
In a new book, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Biography, religious scholar and author John J. Collins tells the history of the scrolls and the controversies they have prompted, and explores the questions they ask and answer about Judeo-Christian history.
A Soured Student-Teacher Friendship Threatens 'Everything'
Wednesday, February 13 2013 02:42 AM
In a new memoir, James Lasdun describes how a former-student-turned-friend stalked and slandered him online. Give Me Everything You Have is a meditation on what it means to control your reputation on the Internet — and the book is Lasdun's attempt to fight back.
The Sticky Questions Surrounding Drones And Kill Lists
Wednesday, February 13 2013 02:42 AM
Scott Shane, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, speaks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the drone-related stories he has helped break, including the revelation that President Obama personally approves targeted strikes against suspected terrorists.
An 'Autopsy' Of Detroit Finds Resilience In A Struggling City
Tuesday, February 12 2013 02:34 AM
To some, Detroit may be a symbol of urban decay; but to journalist Charlie LeDuff, it's home. In Detroit: An American Autopsy, he says the city's heart beats on. "We're still here trying to reconstruct the great thing we once had," he tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies.
Fresh Air Weekend: Bradley Cooper, Michael Apted
Sunday, February 10 2013 02:38 AM
Bradley Cooper talks about watching movies with his father as a kid in Philadelphia and being up against Daniel Day Lewis for an Oscar. Every seven years since 1964, Michael Apted has caught us up on the lives of 14 everyday people in his acclaimed 7 Up series.
'Caesar' Comes Alive In An Italian Prison
Saturday, February 09 2013 02:38 AM
In Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's new film, Caesar Must Die, a group of prisoners put on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It's barely an hour and a quarter, and it's physically small-scale, but it's so compressed it wears you out — in a good way.
Tyler Perry Transforms: From Madea To Family Man
Saturday, February 09 2013 02:38 AM
Best known for being the man behind Madea, Perry recently starred in the action thriller Alex Cross which is now out on DVD. We listen back to an October interview, in which he told Fresh Air's Terry Gross that his Madea character is a cross between his mom, his aunt and Eddie Murphy.
Bradley Cooper Finds 'Silver Linings' Everywhere
Friday, February 08 2013 02:37 AM
The actor, nominated for an Academy Award for his role in David O. Russell's film, talks about watching movies with his father as a kid in Philadelphia, his childhood fascination with soldiers and being up against Daniel Day Lewis for an Oscar.
A Mystery That Explores 'The Rage' Of New Ireland
Thursday, February 07 2013 02:37 AM
Reporter-turned-novelist Gene Kerrigan sets his story in Ireland after the 2008 financial crisis. The Rage is a boundlessly readable portrait of a country in which ordinary citizens have been hit the hardest and all the old certainties have vanished.
Anat Cohen: Bringing The Clarinet To The World
Thursday, February 07 2013 02:37 AM
On her latest album, Claroscuro, the jazz clarinetist explores influences that range from Louis Armstrong to Brazilian music to that of her native Israel. It's this desire to adapt the instrument to so many musical traditions that has earned Cohen such acclaim.
Rebecca Luker Has 'Got Love' For Jerome Kern
Wednesday, February 06 2013 02:34 AM
The Broadway star has a new album, I Got Love: Songs of Jerome Kern, which features songs by the great Broadway composer. The collection came out of a live show Luker performed at the Manhattan club 54 Below.
Michael Apted, Aging With The '7 Up' Crew
Wednesday, February 06 2013 02:34 AM
Every seven years since 1964, the director has caught us up on the lives of 14 everyday people in his acclaimed 7 Up series. Apted was 22 when the series began, and the subjects were 7. In the latest episode — 56 Up — the subjects are well into middle age.
Yo La Tengo: Decades In And Far From Fading
Tuesday, February 05 2013 02:34 AM
The indie-rock favorite's new album, Fade, demonstrates that the group is all grown up but not at all stuffy. The album's music and words add up to pure affirmation of life and living.
A Barbados Family Tree With 'Sugar In The Blood'
Tuesday, February 05 2013 02:34 AM
In her new book, Andrea Stuart explores the intersection of sugar, slavery, settlement, migration and survival in the Americas. Stuart's personal history was shaped by these forces — she is descended from a slave owner who had relations with an unknown slave.
Fresh Air Weekend: Spacey, Fincher And Macy
Sunday, February 03 2013 02:33 AM
Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey and Oscar-winning director David Fincher team up for an excellent new Netflix original series that premieres Friday. As the alcoholic paterfamilias Frank Gallagher on the Showtime series Shameless, William H. Macy enjoys portraying a man with a dark side.
'Gatekeepers' Let Us Inside Israeli Security
Saturday, February 02 2013 02:33 AM
The Oscar-nominated documentary directed by Dror Moreh is not a defense of Israeli security policy, but a critique. The six Shin Bet heads Moreh interviews may believe in the tactics they devised, but it's the overall strategy they think is flawed.
How The Glock Became America's Weapon Of Choice
Saturday, February 02 2013 02:33 AM
In his book Glock: The Rise of America's Gun, Paul Barrett traces how the sleek, high-capacity Austrian weapon found its way into Hollywood films and rap lyrics, not to mention two-thirds of all U.S. police departments.
A 'Special Edition' Box Set Of Jack DeJohnette And Band
Friday, February 01 2013 02:33 AM
A new four-CD set highlighting the music of the jazz keyboardist and drummer contains two discs that are gems and another two that have their moments.
Spacey And Fincher Make A 'House Of Cards'
Friday, February 01 2013 02:33 AM
Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey and Oscar-winning director David Fincher team up for a new Netflix original series that premieres Friday. House of Cards follows a Machiavellian politician as he schemes to take down the president of the United States.
'House Of Cards' Is Built To Last
Thursday, January 31 2013 02:35 AM
Two new dramas fueled by intrigue premiere this week: The Americans on FX and House of Cards on Netflix. While The Americans has its moments, House of Cards is the show that's going to make television history.
Paloma Faith's 'Fall To Grace' Is A Keeper
Thursday, January 31 2013 02:35 AM
A British singer with classic R&B; and pop influences, Faith draws comparisons to Amy Winehouse and Adele. If she keeps doing what she's doing, she's going to have lots of fans following her every musical and social cue.
William H. Macy Is 'Shameless' On Showtime
Thursday, January 31 2013 02:35 AM
As the alcoholic paterfamilias Frank Gallagher on the Showtime series Shameless, the actor enjoys portraying a man with a dark side. But he says it's Frank's better qualities that make him sustainable as a character.
'The Insurgents': Petraeus And A New Kind Of War
Wednesday, January 30 2013 02:33 AM
In a new book about Gen. David Petraeus, author and journalist Fred Kaplan looks at how theories of counterinsurgency have shaped U.S. military policy in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jane Austen's 'Pride And Prejudice' At 200
Tuesday, January 29 2013 02:37 AM
As the classic novel celebrates its bicentennial, Paula Byrne's The Real Jane Austen examines some of the key objects in Austen's life and how they reveal a much more cosmopolitan awareness of the world than is commonly credited to her.
Remembering Journalist Stanley Karnow
Tuesday, January 29 2013 02:37 AM
The veteran journalist died on Sunday at age 87. He was famous for his reporting on the Vietnam War, and in 1989 he spoke with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about another war: The Spanish-American War and U.S. involvement in the Philippines.
'Anything That Moves': Civilians And The Vietnam War
Tuesday, January 29 2013 02:36 AM
In a new book, Nick Turse says the pressure on U.S. forces to produce a body count during the Vietnam War led to mass civilian deaths. "The idea," he says, "was that the Vietnamese, they weren't really people."
Fresh Air Weekend: Scientology And Jimmy Kimmel
Sunday, January 27 2013 02:33 AM
Lawrence Wright's Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief looks at the world of the controversial church and the life of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. This month, Kimmel sets up camp in the 11:35 p.m. slot, which puts him head-to-head with Jay Leno and his idol, David Letterman.
Tina Fey: '30 Rock' Star And Creator Moves On
Saturday, January 26 2013 02:33 AM
The writer, actress and comedian has helmed the hit NBC show — which will have its series finale on January 31 — for seven seasons, during which time she's had two kids, been in a few movies and written a memoir called Bossypants.
Tracy Morgan: '30 Rock' Let Him Be Himself
Saturday, January 26 2013 02:33 AM
As the series prepares for its finale, the comedian talks about how Tina Fey created the character of Tracy Jordan specifically for Morgan and how she allowed him "to fly over the cuckoo nest once a week."
Alec Baldwin Bids Goodbye To Jack Donaghy
Saturday, January 26 2013 02:32 AM
As 30 Rock wraps up its seven-season run on NBC, the star talks about why he chose to take on the role of Jack Donaghy in the first place and about looking to NBC bigwig Lorne Michaels for inspiration in creating the character.
Tina Fey: Sarah Palin And 'Saturday Night' Satire
Saturday, January 26 2013 02:32 AM
Fey's impersonation of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin helped draw record audiences to Saturday Night Live in the fall of 2008. The former head writer for SNL opens up about politics, satire and her Emmy Award-winning sitcom, 30 Rock, which will have its series finale on January 31.
'Going Clear': A New Book Delves Into Scientology
Friday, January 25 2013 02:33 AM
Lawrence Wright's Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief looks at the world of the controversial church and the life of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, who died in 1986.
Jimmy Kimmel: Making Late Night A Family Affair
Thursday, January 24 2013 02:32 AM
This month, the late-night talk-show host sets up camp in the 11:35 p.m. slot, which puts him head-to-head with Jay Leno and Kimmel's idol, David Letterman. Kimmel has put a personal mark on his show by bringing in his family to help him make it happen.
Involved For Life: Pregnancy Centers In Texas
Wednesday, January 23 2013 02:55 AM
Carolyn Cline, the executive director and CEO of Involved for Life (IFL), a ministry partner of First Baptist Dallas, helps run a pregnancy center that discourages women from getting abortions and offers help during unplanned pregnancies.
'We Have No Choice': A Story Of The Texas Sonogram Law
Wednesday, January 23 2013 02:55 AM
Journalist Carolyn Jones wrote about her experience with the law for The Texas Observer after having an abortion last year. The state requires that a woman seeking an abortion receive a sonogram at least 24 hours before the procedure.
Kevin Bacon, Seeking A TV 'Following'
Tuesday, January 22 2013 02:40 AM
The actor stars in a new Fox series about a former FBI agent asked to help apprehend a serial killer he once put behind bars. The series is well done, but the violence in it is alarming — especially for network television.
'Double V': The Fight For Civil Rights In The U.S. Military
Tuesday, January 22 2013 02:39 AM
In his new book, The Double V, Rawn James Jr. argues that to understand race in America one must understand the history of African-Americans in the military. While the turning point came between the world wars, the struggle began with the American Revolution.
Fresh Air Weekend: Ben Affleck And Dustin Hoffman
Sunday, January 20 2013 04:04 AM
Fresh off the Golden Globes, where Ben Affleck won for best director and Argo won for best motion picture/drama, Affleck talks about his approach to the film. Dustin Hoffman makes his directorial debut with a film about four aging opera singers who stage a concert at their retirement home.
How A 'Madwoman' Upended A Literary Boys Club
Friday, January 18 2013 02:42 AM
The National Book Critics Circle has announced that two feminist literary scholars, Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, will receive a lifetime achievement award. Critic Maureen Corrigan says their groundbreaking 1979 book, The Madwoman in the Attic, changed the way we read.
'Grayest Generation': Older Parenthood In The U.S.
Friday, January 18 2013 02:42 AM
In an article for The New Republic, Judith Shulevitz writes that as people have increasingly waited until their 30s to become parents, there has been a rise in developmental and neurocognitive disorders. Moreover, she says that the age of both parents affects the health of the child.
'Quartet': Dustin Hoffman, Behind The Camera
Thursday, January 17 2013 02:35 AM
The veteran actor makes his directorial debut with a film about four aging opera singers who stage a concert at their retirement home. Starring Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay, the film explores friendship, memory and the time that remains.
George Saunders Lives Up To The Hype
Wednesday, January 16 2013 03:05 AM
At the beginning of January, the cover story of The New York Times Magazine declared: "George Saunders Has Written The Best Book You'll Read This Year." The stories in the author's latest collection, The Tenth of December, prove that The Times may well be right.
Affleck On 'Argo' And The 1979 Hostage Crisis
Wednesday, January 16 2013 03:04 AM
Fresh off Sunday's Golden Globe Awards, where he won for best director and his film won for best motion picture/drama, the actor and director talks about his approach to the story of six diplomats who managed to escape a hostile Iran — and the CIA operative who helped them do so.
'The Whole Nine Yards' Of What?
Tuesday, January 15 2013 03:23 AM
There are many theories about where the expression comes from — among them square-riggers with three masts, the amount of cloth in the queen's bridal train, the Shroud of Turin, and a prodigiously well-endowed Scotsman who gets his kilt caught in a door.
Retired Bishop Gene Robinson On Being Gay And Loving God
Tuesday, January 15 2013 03:23 AM
The first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church will start work with the Center for American Progress, focusing on issues of faith and gay rights. "Gay is not something we do," he says. "It's something we are." His book God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage was published in September.
Fresh Air Weekend: Civil War, 'Downton' And 'Girls'
Sunday, January 13 2013 02:39 AM
Civil War historian Bruce Levine says that from the destruction of the South emerged an entirely new country. On the hit Masterpiece Theater series, social rules are changing as the world events of the 20th century unfold. And David Bianculli reviews season two of 'Girls.'
Grant Green: The 'Holy Barbarian' Of St. Louis Jazz
Saturday, January 12 2013 03:07 AM
An album recording of the guitarist from 1959 captures the thrilling sound of Midwestern jazz.
Lena Dunham Addresses Criticism Aimed At 'Girls'
Saturday, January 12 2013 03:07 AM
The creator and star of HBO's new series Girls addresses the backlash against the show, which follows four 20-somethings as they navigate the ups and downs of life in New York City. The second season premieres January 13.
Season Two Brings Changes For 'Girls'
Saturday, January 12 2013 03:07 AM
The second season of the HBO series premieres this month, and Fresh Air critic David Bianculli says "these young women — these girls — really are changing and growing and adapting to tough life in the big city."
In 'Sliver Of Sky,' Barry Lopez Confronts Childhood Sexual Abuse
Friday, January 11 2013 02:48 AM
The nature writer has an essay in January's Harper's Magazine that details the four years of his childhood during which he says he was routinely raped and molested by a family friend.
'Nashville' Soundtrack Stands On Its Own
Thursday, January 10 2013 02:41 AM
A new album of original songs from the Golden Globe-nominated TV series about Music City reflects the tastes of the show's musical producer, T-Bone Burnett, as well as the vocal talents of stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere.
Bobby Cannavale, At Home On Broadway
Thursday, January 10 2013 02:41 AM
The actor, who's currently starring in Glenngarry Glen Ross opposite Al Pacino, has been acting for the stage since he was a teenager in Union City, N.J. "It was the only thing I ever wanted to do, really," he says.
The Unsung Pioneer Of Louisiana Swamp-Pop
Wednesday, January 09 2013 03:07 AM
In the early 1960s, Joe Barry combined Cajun and country music into a whole new sound. In honor of a new anthology of Barry's music titled A Fool to Care, critic Ed Ward tells the forgotten musician's story.
'The Fall Of The House Of Dixie' Built A New U.S.
Wednesday, January 09 2013 03:07 AM
In a new book, Civil War historian Bruce Levine says that from the destruction of the South emerged an entirely new country, making the Civil War equivalent to a second American Revolution. Integral to the Union's victory, he says, were the nearly 200,000 black soldiers who enlisted.
Mozart's Starring Role In 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'
Tuesday, January 08 2013 03:17 AM
The 1971 John Schlesinger film, recently released on Blu-ray, tells the story of a love triangle and makes moving use of a trio from the opera Cosi fan tutte as the film's musical theme.
Julian Fellowes On The Rules Of 'Downton'
Tuesday, January 08 2013 03:17 AM
On the hit Masterpiece Theater series, the social rules the characters have always known are changing as the world events of the 20th century unfold. The series' creator, Julian Fellowes, says his relatives who lived through that era inspired his lasting interest in class.
Fresh Air Weekend: Tarantino, Waltz, 'Downton'
Sunday, January 06 2013 02:39 AM
With his latest film, director Quentin Tarantino was inspired by spaghetti Westerns and the Civil War. Christoph Waltz, who won an Oscar for his role in Inglourious Basterds, teams up with Tarantino again in 'Django.' On Sunday, the third season of 'Downton Abbey,' takes America by storm.
'A Grain Of Truth' About Memory And Modern Poland
Saturday, January 05 2013 03:32 AM
A new mystery by novelist Zygmunt Miloszewski explores Poland's relationship to its anti-Semitic past. Teodor Szacki, the likably washed-up hero, must sprint all over town interrogating suspects, including so-called Polish "patriots" — extremists who bombard him with their anti-Semitic rants.
Remembering 'Rescue Me' Singer Fontella Bass
Saturday, January 05 2013 03:32 AM
Bass died on Dec. 27, 2012. We'll listen back to a Fresh Air interview from March 1995, in which she spoke about performing at funeral homes as a girl in St. Louis and how secular music wasn't allowed in her childhood home.
Frank Calabrese Jr. On Opening His 'Family Secrets'
Saturday, January 05 2013 03:32 AM
Frank Calabrese Jr. wrote a memoir about bringing down his father's murderous Chicago crime family. In Operation Family Secrets, Frank detailed how he helped the FBI convict his father of several murders by wearing a hidden wire and taping his father's conversations. His father died Christmas Day.
'Downton' Returns With Aristocratic Class And Clash
Friday, January 04 2013 02:55 AM
On Sunday, the PBS anthology series Masterpiece Classic begins its third season of Downton Abbey, the British period drama that has taken England — and America — by storm.
Northern Mali: A Violent Islamist Stronghold
Friday, January 04 2013 02:55 AM
Adam Nossiter, the West Africa bureau chief for The New York Times, is one of the few reporters covering the situation in northern Mali, where Islamist extremists allied with al-Qaida have taken control after a coup destabilized the country in April.
Western Star Harry Carey Jr., 1921-2012
Thursday, January 03 2013 02:31 AM
We'll listen back to a 1989 interview with actor Harry Carey Jr., who died Dec. 27. Carey co-starred with John Wayne in the classic Westerns She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers and 3 Godfathers. He talked to Fresh Air about filming epic cavalry-versus-Indian scenes — and his most challenging stunts.
Quentin Tarantino, 'Unchained' And Unruly
Thursday, January 03 2013 02:31 AM
With his latest film, director Quentin Tarantino was inspired both by spaghetti Westerns and the drama of slavery and the Civil War. The movie is extremely violent — but, says Tarantino, "What happened during slavery times is a thousand times worse. ... If you can't take it, you can't take it."
'Fresh Air' At 25: A Live Musical Tribute
Tuesday, January 01 2013 02:53 AM
This year marked the 25th anniversary of Fresh Air as a daily national NPR program. This episode looks back at some of the great live musical performances from the show's archive, including songs from Shirley Horn, Loudon Wainwright III, Susannah McCorkle, Nick Lowe and Richard Thompson.
Fresh Air Weekend: Critics' Picks For 2012
Sunday, December 30 2012 02:38 AM
It's that time of year when best-of lists abound, and Fresh Air's critics get in on the game: David Bianculli chooses his top television shows, David Edelstein names his favorite films, Maureen Corrigan weighs in with notable books and Ken Tucker tunes into to some of the best albums of 2012.
Doris Day: A Hollywood Legend Reflects On Life
Saturday, December 29 2012 03:15 AM
Day started singing and dancing when she was a teenager, and made her first film at 24. After nearly 40 movies, she walked away from that part of her life in 1968, and started rescuing and caring for animals. Here, she speaks to Terry Gross in a lengthy interview about her career in film and music.
Colbert On Musical Moments And 'America Again'
Saturday, December 29 2012 03:15 AM
As part of our year-end wrap up, we are sharing the best Fresh Air interviews of 2012. Here we listen back to two interviews we did this year with Stephen Colbert. He talks about the presidential debates, his superPAC, Jesus Christ Superstar and Elvis Costello
R.A. Dickey On 'Winding Up' As A Knuckleballer
Friday, December 28 2012 02:48 AM
New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey is currently the only knuckleball pitcher in the major leagues. His memoir, Wherever I Wind Up, explains how his life — and career — have mimicked the unpredictable trajectory of the difficult pitch he throws game after game.
Aaron Sorkin: The Writer Behind 'The Newsroom'
Friday, December 28 2012 02:48 AM
HBO's new behind-the-anchor-desk drama follows in the footsteps of Sorkin's hit series The West Wing. "I like writing about heroes that don't wear capes or disguises," he says.
Catherine Russell: The Fresh Air In-Studio Concert
Thursday, December 27 2012 02:37 AM
The standards singer's solo album, Strictly Romancin', explores the ups and downs of love. Russell sings several tracks from the record during this interview and performance.
Aziz Ansari's Latest Is 'Dangerously Delicious'
Thursday, December 27 2012 02:36 AM
The comedian, who plays Tom Haverford on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, just released a new comedy special directly on his website. He's also embarking on a multicity tour, where he'll be riffing on the things that terrify him — marriage, for instance, and babies.
Joan Rivers Hates You, Herself and Everyone Else
Thursday, December 27 2012 02:36 AM
Comedian Joan Rivers hates a lot of things. Her new book, I Hate Everyone, Starting With Me, details the things Rivers can't stand, from her appearance to obituaries to younger comedians who steal her gigs.
David Edelstein's Top 12 Movies of 2012
Tuesday, December 25 2012 11:15 AM
Fresh Air's movie critic does not think any masterpieces were made this year, but he does compare Daniel Day-Lewis to Julius Caesar and have some choice thoughts on the movie version of Les Mis.
David Edelstein's Top 12 Movies of 2012
Tuesday, December 25 2012 09:07 AM
Fresh Air's movie critic does not think any masterpieces were made this year, but he does compare Daniel Day-Lewis to Julius Caesar and have some choice thoughts on the movie version of Les Mis.
David Edelstein's Top 12 Movies of 2012
Tuesday, December 25 2012 06:54 AM
Fresh Air's movie critic does not think any masterpieces were made this year, but he does compare Daniel Day-Lewis to Julius Caesar and have some choice thoughts on the movie version of Les Mis.
David Bianculli Says 2012 Brought No New TV Favorites
Tuesday, December 25 2012 04:44 AM
Fresh Air's television critic says there weren't any new shows this year that wowed him and that all the shows he watched and loved this year were ones that have been on for at least a season. His No. 1 favorite remains Breaking Bad.
David Edelstein's Top 12 Movies of 2012
Tuesday, December 25 2012 02:34 AM
Fresh Air's movie critic does not think any masterpieces were made this year, but he does compare Daniel Day-Lewis to Julius Caesar and have some choice thoughts on the movie version of Les Mis.
Fresh Air Weekend: Barbra Streisand, Pizzarelli
Sunday, December 23 2012 09:15 AM
Barbra Streisand plays a well-meaning if overbearing Jewish mom in The Guilt Trip. The star says her own mother both encouraged her talents and was jealous of them. In his new book, guitarist, singer and songwriter John Pizzarelli shares stories from life growing up in a musical household.
Fresh Air Weekend: Barbra Streisand, Pizzarelli
Sunday, December 23 2012 09:15 AM
Barbra Streisand plays a well-meaning if overbearing Jewish mom in The Guilt Trip. The star says her own mother both encouraged her talents and was jealous of them. In his new book, guitarist, singer and songwriter John Pizzarelli shares stories from life growing up in a musical household.
Remembering Von Freeman, Lol Coxhill And Sean Bergin
Saturday, December 22 2012 02:54 AM
Jazz lost many great saxophonists in 2012, including David S. Ware, John Tchicai, Byard Lancaster, Faruq Z. Bey, Hal McKusick and Red Holloway. Critic Kevin Whitehead pays tribute to three more of his favorites.
HBO's 'Enlightened' Take On Modern Meditation
Saturday, December 22 2012 02:54 AM
Laura Dern is Amy Jellicoe, a health and beauty executive who returns from a post-meltdown retreat to pick up the pieces of her broken life in the HBO series Enlightened. Series creator Mike White talks about the tone of the show, and whether it's possible for people to really change.
Forget YOLO: Why 'Big Data' Should Be The Word Of The Year
Friday, December 21 2012 03:24 AM
"Big Data" had just as much to do with President Obama's victory as phrases like "Etch A Sketch" and "47 percent," says linguist Geoff Nunberg. Big Data is also behind anxieties about intrusions on our privacy, whether from the government's anti-terrorist data sweeps or the ads that track us on the Web.
Assault-Style Weapons In The Civilian Market
Friday, December 21 2012 03:24 AM
Senior analyst for the Violence Policy Center Tom Diaz says one of the weapons found at the site of the Newtown, Conn., shooting was a variant of a type of gun developed for troops in Vietnam.
Tunes To 'Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard' To
Thursday, December 20 2012 03:06 AM
Critic Milo Miles says that in this new collection of music from between the world wars, "the currents of long-ago lives come through: the drudgery of the work that demanded the release of the party, which then required the penance of prayer."
'Not Fade': Rock 'N' Roll, Here To Stay
Thursday, December 20 2012 03:05 AM
In his new film, Sopranos creator David Chase tells a coming-of-age story about Jersey boys in the 1960s who dream of riding the wave of the British invasion all the way to stardom. Chase teams up with Steven Van Zandt — of the E Street Band and The Sopranos — to make the movie's music rock.
Ken Tucker's Top 10 Albums Of 2012
Wednesday, December 19 2012 02:35 AM
From the inescapable "Call Me Maybe" to Fiona Apple's intricate word puzzles to the strikingly gorgeous return of Iris DeMent, the Fresh Air critic counts down his favorite albums and musical moments of the year.
'Unchained' Admiration Between Actor And Director
Wednesday, December 19 2012 02:35 AM
Austrian actor Christoph Waltz won an Oscar for his portrayal of Nazi Jew hunter Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds. Teamed up with Tarantino again in Django Unchained, he says Tarantino's writing and the rhythm of the language speaks to him as a performer.
'Guilt Trip': Streisand On Songs, Films And Family
Tuesday, December 18 2012 02:37 AM
In her new movie, singer, actor, writer, director and producer Barbra Streisand plays a well-meaning if overbearing Jewish mom. The star says her own mother both encouraged her talents and was jealous of them.
Fresh Air Weekend: Daniel Handler And Paul Lukacs
Sunday, December 16 2012 02:33 AM
In Who Could That Be at This Hour?, a prequel to A Series of Unfortunate Events, Daniel Handler satirizes pulp mysteries. Author and oenophile Paul Lukacs traces the 8,000-year history of wine. Also, David Edelstein reviews Zero Dark Thirty.
Looking For Bin Laden In 'Zero Dark Thirty'
Saturday, December 15 2012 02:48 AM
Kathryn Bigelow's film tells the story of the U.S. hunt for the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks. Critic David Edelstein says the film presents itself as a work of journalism, but that that there's no doubting its perspective: It's the story of America's "brilliant, righteous revenge."
Behind The Scenes Of The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour'
Saturday, December 15 2012 02:48 AM
A new documentary on PBS about the making of the Beatles' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour features outtakes from the original and new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. TV critic David Bianculli calls the film "wonderfully thorough."
Ravi Shankar: Remembering A Master Of The Sitar
Saturday, December 15 2012 02:48 AM
In a 1999 interview, Ravi Shankar, who died Tuesday, talked to Fresh Air about hippies, psychedelic drugs, "Norwegian Wood," George Harrison, his fond memories of the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967 and his less-fond memories of Woodstock.
Hall Of Famer: Randy Newman Makes The Cut
Saturday, December 15 2012 02:47 AM
Known for such hits as "Real Emotional Girl", singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and pianist Randy Newman is on his way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Newman, a 40-year veteran of the music business, talked to Fresh Air in 1998 and 2004 about his life and work.
10 Books To Help You Recover From A Tense 2012
Friday, December 14 2012 02:55 AM
2012 was a very jittery year — what with the presidential election, extreme weather events and the looming "fiscal cliff." Fresh Air critic Maureen Corrigan found that her favorite fiction and nonfiction this year directly confronted the atmospheric uncertainty of the age.
'World On A String': John Pizzarelli Jazzes It Up
Friday, December 14 2012 02:54 AM
In his new book, the guitarist, singer and songwriter shares stories from life growing up in a musical household and talks about collaborating and sharing the stage with the likes of Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra and Paul McCartney.
Ke$ha: A 'Warrior' In Search Of Legitimacy
Thursday, December 13 2012 03:07 AM
On her new album, the pop star tries to show she's not just in the business for the money. As critic Ken Tucker says, "Like pop stars ranging from Madonna on back to Chuck Berry, Ke$ha wants it both ways: mass-audience success and artistic acknowledgment."
Joseph Kennedy, 'Patriarch' Of An American Dynasty
Thursday, December 13 2012 03:07 AM
In a new book, biographer David Nasaw profiles the father of Robert, John and Teddy, and unpacks the elder Kennedy's influence on his children. "He told them over and over again, 'I'm making all this money so you don't have to make money, so that you can go into public service,' " Nasaw says.
Bass Note: Mingus And The Jazz Workshop Concerts
Wednesday, December 12 2012 02:46 AM
Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new, seven-disc Charles Mingus box set chronicling the jazz legend's mid-'60s live performances. The records, Whitehead says, "can be a little raw, as if the explosive music caught the engineers by surprise."
'Operation Delirium:' Psychochemicals And Cold War
Wednesday, December 12 2012 02:46 AM
In his article for The New Yorker, journalist Raffi Khatchadourian tells the story of a secret program that tested nerve gas, LSD and other drugs on 5,000 American soldiers throughout the 1950s and '60s.
Lemony Snicket Dons A Trenchcoat
Tuesday, December 11 2012 02:57 AM
In Who Could That Be at This Hour?, a prequel to A Series of Unfortunate Events, Daniel Handler satirizes pulp mysteries and uncovers the parallels between detective fiction and childhood. In both, he says, an outsider is trying to make his way in a mysteriously corrupt world.
Fresh Air Weekend: Judd Apatow, Colm Toibin
Sunday, December 09 2012 02:39 AM
Judd Apatow draws on his own experiences in a new comedy that explores family life. In The Testament of Mary, Irish author Colm Toibin imagines Mary's life after the crucifixion, as she wonders what she might have done differently to ease her son's suffering.
At Home With Dickens And Lousia May Alcott
Saturday, December 08 2012 02:34 AM
Two new biographical studies that read like novels explore the familial relationships that shaped two of the 19th century's most beloved authors. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls Great Expectations: The Sons And Daughters Of Charles Dickens "a Gothic nightmare" and Marmee & Louisa "a romance."
Celebrating The Life Of Jazz Pianist Dave Brubeck
Saturday, December 08 2012 02:34 AM
The jazz master died on Wednesday at age 91. In a 1999 interview with Fresh Air's Terry Gross he talked about his decades in the music industry and his first love: rodeo roping.
Forgotten Gems From The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Saturday, December 08 2012 02:34 AM
We remember Dave Brubeck, who died Wednesday at age 91, with a March 2012 review from jazz critic Kevin Whitehead, who wrote about a few of the more obscure titles from Dave Brubeck's quartet.
In 'This Is 40,' Family Life In All Its Glory
Friday, December 07 2012 04:05 AM
Judd Apatow draws on his own experiences as a husband and father in a new comedy that explores the ups and downs of family life. The film stays close to home, literally and figuratively. It stars his wife, Leslie Mann, as well as their two daughters, and was filmed a few doors down from his house.
A Thin Line: Economic Development Or Corporate Welfare?
Thursday, December 06 2012 03:30 AM
In her new series for The New York Times, reporter Louise Story traces the complicated relationship between localities and the corporations they want to lure to their states, counties and cities to help promote economic growth.
A Thin Line: Economic Development Or Corporate Welfare?
Thursday, December 06 2012 03:30 AM
In her new series for The New York Times, reporter Louise Story traces the complicated relationship between localities and the corporations they want to lure to their states, counties and cities to help promote economic growth.
Boxes Of TV Fun, Old And New, For The Holidays
Wednesday, December 05 2012 08:13 AM
It's holiday box-set season, and Fresh Air critic David Bianculli shares some favorites for the TV-lover on your list. "Giving someone a gift of a TV show," he says, "is somehow very personal. You're giving something that you love, and that, in many cases, will occupy many hours ... of their time."
'Inventing Wine': The History Of A Very Vintage Beverage
Wednesday, December 05 2012 08:13 AM
In his new book, author and oenophile Paul Lukacs traces the 8,000-year history of our original alcoholic beverage — from ancient times, when wine was believed to be of divine origin, to the sauvignon blanc you find in your supermarket today.
'Inventing Wine': The History Of A Very Vintage Beverage
Wednesday, December 05 2012 05:55 AM
In his new book, author and oenophile Paul Lukacs traces the 8,000-year history of our original alcoholic beverage — from ancient times, when wine was believed to be of divine origin, to the sauvignon blanc you find in your supermarket today.
Boxes Of TV Fun, Old And New, For The Holidays
Wednesday, December 05 2012 03:19 AM
It's holiday box-set season, and Fresh Air critic David Bianculli shares some favorites for the TV-lover on your list. "Giving someone a gift of a TV show," he says, "is somehow very personal. You're giving something that you love, and that, in many cases, will occupy many hours ... of their time."
A New 'Testament' Told From Mary's Point Of View
Tuesday, December 04 2012 02:33 AM
In his new novel, The Testament of Mary, Irish author Colm Toibin imagines Mary's life 20 years after the crucifixion, as she wonders what she might have done differently to ease her son's suffering. "I felt that I was Mary," he says. "I was her consciousness, watching the thing happening."
Fresh Air Weekend: Robert Zemeckis And Ken Tucker
Sunday, December 02 2012 02:50 AM
Robert Zemeckis' film tells the story of a pilot who crash-lands a plane while drunk and high. Friends and songwriters Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale just released a new album of duets. Also, Hilary Mantel has just won her second Man Booker Prize, this time for her novel Bring Up The Bodies — the sequel to Wolf Hall.
Tracey Thorn: 'Secular Carols' For The Holidays
Saturday, December 01 2012 03:28 AM
Thorn has recorded a holiday album, Tinsel and Lights, that critic Ken Tucker says might just work for warmer weather, as well. Tucker praises Thorn's voice as "bolstered by a firm intelligence," and says she avoids the fatty treacle that often weighs down Christmas albums.
'Times' Advice Guru Answers Your Social Q's
Saturday, December 01 2012 03:28 AM
New York Times advice columnist Philip Galanes details how to handle breakups, cellphone calls and food allergies — among other topics — in his book Social Q's: How to Survive the Quirks, Quandaries and Quagmires of Today.
Turning Up The Volume On The Electric Blues
Friday, November 30 2012 03:05 AM
A new 12-disc compilation traces the history of electric blues from its inauspicious start through its heyday in the 1950s and '60s. Critic Ed Ward says Plug It In! Turn It Up! does "a great job of illuminating one particular aspect of the blues."
'Flight' Takes On Questions Of Accountability
Friday, November 30 2012 03:04 AM
In the Robert Zemeckis film starring Denzel Washington, a pilot with a secret substance-abuse problem successfully crash-lands an airplane while high on drugs and alcohol. He must then ask himself some tough questions about whether his act of heroism is undermined by his addiction.
'Buddy And Jim': Friends In Life And Songwriting
Thursday, November 29 2012 03:35 AM
Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale just released a new album of duets. Critic Ken Tucker says Buddy and Jim recalls an earlier era of country music. The pair's voices, Tucker says, connect through "shared emotion in a song."
The Middle East: A Web Of 'Topsy-Turvy' Alliances
Thursday, November 29 2012 03:35 AM
Robert Malley, a program director for the International Crisis Group, analyzes the complexity of the situation in the Middle East, a region where conflicts interconnect and expand upon one another. "These alliances," says Malley, "are not clear cut ... they are alliances of convenience."
Cecilia Bartoli's New 'Mission' Unearths Baroque Gems
Wednesday, November 28 2012 03:11 AM
Critic Lloyd Schwartz welcomes the opera star's new album, Mission, which breathes new life into the work of Italian composer Agostino Steffani. Bartoli, he says, has an astonishing capacity for vocal fireworks and warm, delicate lyricism.
'The Last Refuge': Yemen, Al-Qaida And The U.S.
Wednesday, November 28 2012 03:11 AM
In his new book, journalist Gregory Johnsen charts the rise of Yemen as a haven for al-Qaida and explores the recent history of radical Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. The death of Osama bin Laden, he says, had more of an effect on the U.S. psyche than it did on people in Yemen.
Jason Kao Hwang: From The Blues To China And Back
Tuesday, November 27 2012 03:25 AM
The violinist attempts to mix jazz, classical and traditional Chinese music with his octet on Burning Bridge.
Mantel Takes Up Betrayal, Beheadings In 'Bodies'
Tuesday, November 27 2012 03:25 AM
Hilary Mantel is the first woman to win the Man Booker Prize twice, first for her 2009 novel, Wolf Hall, and now for that book's 2012 sequel, Bring Up the Bodies. The novels are part of a historical fiction trilogy about Tudor England and the events surrounding the reign of King Henry VIII.
Fresh Air Weekend: Colbert, America's Test Kitchen
Sunday, November 25 2012 02:32 AM
From "King Herod's Song" to Ben Folds Five, Stephen Colbert talks about some of his favorite music. America's Test Kitchen experts Jack Bishop and Bridget Lancaster join Fresh Air to explain what makes a great marinade. And critic David Edelstein reviews Life of Pi.
A Boy, A Boat, A Tiger: Reflecting On 'Life Of Pi'
Saturday, November 24 2012 03:52 AM
Ang Lee's meticulously controlled style makes a perfect fit for Life of Pi, a passionately overcontrolled adaptation of a wondrous adventure story with a surprisingly harsh sting in its tail.
What Happened To 'Baby Jane'? She's Turning 50
Saturday, November 24 2012 03:52 AM
On its 50th anniversary, Robert Aldrich's classic horror film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? has just been released on Blu-ray. Though it's far from a musical, classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says its musical elements are crucial to the film.
Jazz Vocalist Susie Arioli Goes 'All The Way'
Saturday, November 24 2012 03:52 AM
Listen to an in-studio concert and conversation with the Canadian singer and her longtime guitarist, Jordan Officer.
'Gershwins And Me' Tells The Stories Behind 12 Songs
Friday, November 23 2012 02:54 AM
Musician Michael Feinstein chronicles his experience working as an archivist and cataloger for legendary songwriter Ira Gershwin. The book is presented through the stories of 12 of the Gershwin brothers' songs, including "Fascinating Rhythm," "The Man I Love" and "I Got Rhythm."
The Mythic Power Of Bessie Smith
Thursday, November 22 2012 03:50 AM
"The Empress of the Blues" gave voice the listeners' tribulations and yearnings of the 1920s and '30s. A new 10-CD box set collects the complete works of the colossus who straddled jazz and blues.
A Daughter Remembers Her 'Entertainer' Father
Thursday, November 22 2012 03:50 AM
Margaret Talbot tells the story of her father, actor Lyle Talbot, in her memoir The Entertainer. He began his career as an assistant to a traveling hypnotist, and went on to star in movies with Shirley Temple and Humphrey Bogart — and played next-door neighbor Joe Randolph on Ozzie and Harriet.
Hungry Hearts And Family Matters In 'Middlesteins'
Wednesday, November 21 2012 03:43 AM
Jami Attenberg's black comedy about the fallout of one woman's food addiction is a tough but affecting story about family members putting up with each other. Critic Maureen Corrigan says the novel's fragmented narration and jumpy timeline add to its emotional punch.
The Insect Trust: An American Band Deconstructed
Wednesday, November 21 2012 03:43 AM
One of the great fantasies of the hippie era was that new combinations of music would emerge from the experimentation that was going on. Still, very few lived it. Ed Ward says The Insect Trust was one of the exceptions.
A Model Career: 'Grace' Goes From Runway To 'Vogue'
Wednesday, November 21 2012 03:43 AM
In a new memoir, Grace Coddington explains how she grew up on a remote island off the coast of Wales, started modeling as a young woman and ended up as creative director at Vogue magazine. Coddington speaks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about her life in the fashion industry.
'Life Of Pi' Star On The 'Duet' Of Acting
Tuesday, November 20 2012 03:14 AM
Actor Irrfan Khan talks about his role in the new movie Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee and based on the best-selling novel of the same name. Khan also starred in Slumdog Millionaire, The Namesake and A Mighty Heart.
'Color Of Christ': A Story Of Race And Religion In America
Tuesday, November 20 2012 03:14 AM
What did Jesus look like? In their new book, The Color of Christ, Edward J. Blum and Paul Harvey explore how different groups have claimed Jesus as their own — and how depictions of Jesus have both inspired civil rights crusades, and been used to justify the violence of white supremacists.
Fresh Air Weekend: Andrew Solomon, Tony Dokoupil
Sunday, November 18 2012 04:44 AM
Andrew Solomon's new book is about families with children who are profoundly different or likely to be stigmatized. Writer Tony Dokoupil discusses what's next now that voters in two states have approved recreational marijuana use.
In 'Silver Linings Playbook,' Lawrence Is Golden
Saturday, November 17 2012 03:25 AM
David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook stars Bradley Cooper as a bipolar high school teacher trying to put his life back together. But critic David Edelstein says it's the performance of co-star Jennifer Lawrence that makes the film a hot ticket.
Finding 'Life, Death And Hope' In A Mumbai Slum
Saturday, November 17 2012 03:25 AM
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Katherine Boo spent more than three years in Mumbai's Annawadi slum. In her book Behind the Beautiful Forevers, she profiles people living in extreme poverty — right in the shadow of luxury hotels. On Wednesday, the book won the National Book Award for nonfiction.
'When God Talks Back' To The Evangelical Community
Saturday, November 17 2012 03:25 AM
Anthropologist T.M. Luhrmann studies the personal relationships evangelicals develop with God. In her book When God Talks Back, she explains how relationships with God are often cemented through the power of prayer. The book has just come out in paperback.
The New British Empire: Pop-Culture Powerhouses
Friday, November 16 2012 04:29 AM
James Bond and The Rolling Stones both turn 50 this year. As critic John Powers points out, both may have been born in response to a dying British Empire, but their evolving legacies have reflected the times through which these brands have lived.
Doris Kearns Goodwin On Lincoln And His 'Team Of Rivals'
Friday, November 16 2012 04:29 AM
In Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin explains how the 16th president brought into his cabinet three powerful men who politically opposed him. She spoke with Fresh Air's Terry Gross in 2005.
Kushner's 'Lincoln' Is Strange, But Also Savvy
Friday, November 16 2012 04:28 AM
Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay for the film Lincoln, which focuses on the 16th president's tumultuous final months in office. Kushner read more than 20 books before writing about Lincoln, a man who had "an enormous capacity for grief that didn't deprive him of the ability to act."
Ian McEwan's 'Sweet Tooth' Leaves A Sour Taste
Thursday, November 15 2012 03:44 AM
The novelist has won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Booker Prize and the Whitbread Award. His latest novel, however, earns the ire of critic Maureen Corrigan, who usually numbers among McEwan's fans but finds herself dismayed by this book's attitudes toward women.
An Unlikely Tribute: Jamey Johnson Covers Hank Cochran
Thursday, November 15 2012 03:44 AM
The country-music star has enlisted the help of Merle Haggard, Elvis Costello and others to salute the man behind songs like "Make the World Go Away."
A Young Reporter Chronicles Her 'Brain On Fire'
Thursday, November 15 2012 03:44 AM
In her memoir, Susannah Cahalan writes about the month she descended into madness, experiencing seizures, paranoia, psychosis and catatonia. At first, her family was frightened, and her doctors, baffled. The eventual prognosis? A rare autoimmune disease that was attacking her brain.
Legalizing And Regulating Pot: A Growth Industry
Wednesday, November 14 2012 04:37 AM
On Election Day, voters in Colorado and Washington cast their ballots in favor of legalizing marijuana for recreational use. In his recent cover story for Newsweek, journalist Tony Dokoupil reported on the booming cannabis business in Colorado and its prospects for regulated expansion.
Parenting A Child Who's Fallen 'Far From The Tree'
Tuesday, November 13 2012 03:15 AM
Andrew Solomon's new book is about families with children who are profoundly different or likely to be stigmatized. "We all love flawed children," says Solomon, "and the general assumption that these more extreme flaws make ... children somehow unlovable — it wasn't true of most of my experience."
Fresh Air Weekend: Oliver Sacks And 'Oddly Normal'
Sunday, November 11 2012 02:42 AM
The famed neurologist talks to Fresh Air about how grief, trauma, brain injury, medications and neurological disorders can trigger hallucinations. John Schwartz and Jeanne Mixon talk about coming to terms with their son's sexual orientation and his suicide attempt in their memoir, Oddly Normal.
Historical, Fictional Icons Take To The Big Screen
Saturday, November 10 2012 11:14 AM
Two of the year's most highly anticipated movies arrive this week. Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, and Skyfall, the third film starring Daniel Craig as James Bond 007, directed by American Beauty Oscar-winner Sam Mendes. Film critic David Edelstein has this review of both.
Cody ChesnuTT Contains A Universe On 'Hundred'
Saturday, November 10 2012 11:14 AM
ChesnuTT is the best sort of egomaniac: On Landing on a Hundred, he's preachy but delightful.
Interrupting Violence With The Message 'Don't Shoot'
Saturday, November 10 2012 11:14 AM
Criminologist David M. Kennedy's strategy for reducing gang violence has dramatically reduced youth homicide rates nationwide. In his new memoir, Don't Shoot, Kennedy outlines how community meetings and interventions have worked to curb youth violence in more than 70 cities.
Samuel Yirga Ushers In A Golden Age Of Ethiopian Music
Friday, November 09 2012 03:57 AM
Yirga finds his way into Ethiopian standards, displays his flair for jazz over solo and ensemble pieces, and performs effortless homages to vintage soul. He holds everything together with voracious talent that helps him savor each musical flavor.
'Crushing Eastern Europe' Behind The 'Iron Curtain'
Friday, November 09 2012 03:57 AM
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum describes the tactics the Soviets used after World War II to take over and transform much of Eastern Europe. Her book Iron Curtain was recently nominated for the National Book Award.
Always A Rose: Elliott Carter Remembered
Thursday, November 08 2012 02:56 AM
Carter lived one of the most fulfilled lives any artist could wish for. What's sad about his death Monday at 103 isn't just that a whole era in music has come to an end, but that Carter was still composing, and on the highest level.
Could A Second Term Mean More Gridlock?
Thursday, November 08 2012 02:55 AM
President Obama has been re-elected. Democrats and Republicans have maintained their respective majorities in the Senate and in the House. So does this mean there will be more partisan gridlock? Fresh Air talks with political analyst Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute.
Oliver Sacks, Exploring How Hallucinations Happen
Wednesday, November 07 2012 03:03 AM
The famed neurologist talks to Fresh Air about how grief, trauma, brain injury, medications and neurological disorders can trigger hallucinations — and about his personal experimentation with hallucinogenic drugs in the 1960s.
Taylor Swift Leaps Into Pop With 'Red'
Tuesday, November 06 2012 03:53 AM
Critic Ken Tucker says that, like all good pop artists, Swift continues to evolve in a manner which challenges her diehard fans while inviting naysayers to give it another listen.
Caring For Mom, Dreaming Of 'Elsewhere'
Tuesday, November 06 2012 03:53 AM
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Russo began looking out for his mother early in life. In his new memoir, Elsewhere, Russo writes not only of his mother, but of the vanished world that shaped her. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls the book "gorgeously nuanced."
An 'Oddly Normal' Outcome For A Singular Child
Tuesday, November 06 2012 03:52 AM
From the time their son Joe was 3, John Schwartz and his wife, Jeanne Mixon, suspected he was gay. They supported him through troubles in school and when he decided to come out — but as a teen, Joe attempted suicide. Their memoir, Oddly Normal, chronicles their experiences.
Fresh Air Weekend: Katey Sagal, Sherry Turkle
Sunday, November 04 2012 01:33 AM
Katey Sagal plays Gemma, the fierce matriarch of the biker gang in the FX series Sons of Anarchy. Psychologist Sherry Turkle explains how digital devices are affecting our communication and relationships.
Rin Tin Tin: A Silent Film Star On Four Legs
Saturday, November 03 2012 03:36 AM
The orphaned German shepherd was found in the wreckage of a kennel during World War I. Writer Susan Orlean details how he became one of the biggest film stars of the silent era in Rin Tin Tin: The Life and Legend.
Animal Stage Trainer Makes Stars Out Of Pound Pups
Saturday, November 03 2012 03:36 AM
Bill Berloni has more than 30 years of experience training dogs, pigs, rats, cats and lambs for Broadway productions and Hollywood films. Fresh Air listens back to an interview with him from 2008.
Even Americans Find Some Britishisms 'Spot On'
Friday, November 02 2012 02:45 AM
Adding a foreign word to your vocabulary is like adding foreign attire to your wardrobe. Sometimes you do it because it's practical and sometimes just because you think it looks cool. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says Americans' use of "spot on" falls somewhere between affectation and flash.
Ricks: Firing 'The Generals' To Fight Better Wars?
Friday, November 02 2012 02:44 AM
Thomas Ricks' new book, The Generals, is about what he sees as a decline of American military leadership and accountability. He says that in World War II, generals were held accountable for their lack of success — but that started to change with the Korean War.
Sandy Raises Questions About Climate And The Future
Thursday, November 01 2012 03:02 AM
If you ask climate scientist Radley Horton, it's difficult to say that Hurricane Sandy was directly caused by climate change, but he says there are strong connections between the two. He talks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about climate change and preparing for severe weather.
Katey Sagal, Holding Court On 'Sons Of Anarchy'
Thursday, November 01 2012 03:01 AM
The actress plays Gemma, the fierce matriarch of the biker gang in the FX series. She's best-known for playing the acerbic Peg Bundy on the long-running show Married With Children.
Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band: The Fresh Air Interview
Tuesday, October 30 2012 02:04 AM
Rowan got his start performing with the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. In the '70s, he formed the band Old and in the Way with Jerry Garcia. In 2010, he joined his group for an in-studio session and interview on Fresh Air.
Fresh Air Weekend: Dexter Filkins, Joe Turner, Tom Wolfe
Sunday, October 28 2012 02:15 AM
With the help of reporter Dexter Filkins, an Iraq vet seeks atonement for an early war tragedy. Critic Ed Ward reviews a new collection of hard-hitting singles from the man behind "Shake, Rattle and Roll." And Tom Wolfe takes Miami's pulse in his novel Back to Blood.
'Cloud Atlas': You're Better Off Reading The Book
Saturday, October 27 2012 04:54 AM
David Mitchell's exquisite novel Cloud Atlas has been adapted for the screen by the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer. The film is never dull, but critic David Edelstein found that unlike the book, the film fails in its attempt to tie six distinct stories together.
John Cage At 100: Remembering A Revolutionary Composer
Saturday, October 27 2012 04:53 AM
September marked the centennial of the birth of composer John Cage and celebrations are being held around the world in his honor. His compositions include spoken texts, radios, toys and the sounds of vegetables being chopped. Cage died in 1992. Fresh Air listens back to an interview with Cage from 1982.
George Cables: A Heartfelt Tribute To His 'Muse'
Saturday, October 27 2012 04:53 AM
In the 1970s and '80s, Cables was the pianist of choice for saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper; Pepper called him his favorite pianist. Critic Kevin Whitehead says Cables' new trio album, My Muse, is so unassumingly good, you could miss just how good it is.
Bob Moog: The Fresh Air Interview
Saturday, October 27 2012 04:53 AM
Moogfest, the festival of electronic and visionary music, takes place on Saturday and Sunday in Asheville, N.C., the city music pioneer Bob Moog called home. Moog was the inventor of the Moog synthesizer. He died in August 2005. Fresh Air listens to an interview from February 2000.
Portis 'Miscellany' Makes A High-'Velocity' Collection
Friday, October 26 2012 02:34 AM
True Grit author Charles Portis is the cult writer for people who hate cult writers. He hasn't published a book since 1991, and reviewer John Powers says the short pieces collected in Escape Velocity have been treasured for decades, passed around like samizdat by Portis fans.
A Journalist Chronicles Lives After Guantanamo Bay
Friday, October 26 2012 02:33 AM
Michelle Shephard has traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, more than two dozen times and has been following the stories of men who've been released from the U.S. detention center. She's the author of Guantanamo's Child and Decade of Fear: Reporting From Terrorism's Grey Zone.
Tom Wolfe Takes Miami's Pulse In 'Back To Blood'
Thursday, October 25 2012 02:23 AM
Wolfe tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies that what makes Miami exceptional is the story of how an immigrant community rose to dominate its political landscape in just over a generation. His new novel deals with racial and ethnic conflict among the city's diverse inhabitants.
Stephen Colbert's Most Meaningful Musical Moments
Thursday, October 25 2012 02:22 AM
Colbert loves music and loves to sing, so Fresh Air's Terry Gross asked him to bring a few songs that mean a lot to him and tell her why.
Iraq Vet Seeks Atonement For Early War Tragedy
Wednesday, October 24 2012 02:24 AM
In the early days of the Iraq War, during a firefight in Baghdad, Lu Lobello's Marine unit mistakenly opened fire on a family of civilians, killing three. Years later, and after enlisting the help of reporter Dexter Filkins, Lobello reached out to that family for forgiveness.
The Big Man Behind 'Shake, Rattle And Roll'
Tuesday, October 23 2012 01:57 AM
Six feet tall, weighing in at 400 pounds and in his 40s when stardom hit him, Big Joe Turner is behind a load of rock 'n' roll hits. His hardest-hitting singles have been collected on a new compilation, titled Big Joe Turner Rocks.
Ava DuVernay: A New Director, After Changing Course
Tuesday, October 23 2012 01:57 AM
In January, DuVernay became the first African-American woman to win Sundance's best directing award for her second feature-length film, Middle of Nowhere. It's about a young woman who puts her life and dreams of going to medical school on hold while her husband is in prison.
Fresh Air Weekend: Michael Feinstein, Roxy Music, Tyler Perry
Sunday, October 21 2012 01:39 AM
Michael Feinstein chronicles his experience working as an archivist and cataloger for legendary songwriter Ira Gershwin. Critic Ed Ward reviews Roxy Music's boxed set, The Complete Studio Recordings 1972-1982. And Tyler Perry talks about his new action thriller, Alex Cross.
Gary Clark Jr.: A Raucous Blues Shout
Saturday, October 20 2012 02:09 AM
On Blak and Blu, you can hear the roar in Clark's blues guitar. But critic Ken Tucker says Clark remains a work in progress.
Baratunde Thurston Explains 'How To Be Black'
Saturday, October 20 2012 02:08 AM
From the comedian and digital director of The Onion, a satirical self-help book for anyone who has a black friend, wants to be the next black president or speak for the black community.
'Master' Jefferson: Defender Of Liberty, Then Slavery
Friday, October 19 2012 02:19 AM
In Master of the Mountain, historian Henry Wiencek uses an explosive interpretation of evidence to show how, by the 1780s, Founding Father and slave owner Thomas Jefferson had gone from championing equality to rationalizing an abomination.
In Constant Digital Contact, We Feel 'Alone Together'
Friday, October 19 2012 02:19 AM
In her book Alone Together, psychologist Sherry Turkle explains how digital devices are affecting our communication and relationships. "What is so seductive about texting, about keeping that phone on, about that little red light on the BlackBerry, is you want to know who wants you," Turkle says.
'Gershwins And Me' Tells The Stories Behind 12 Songs
Thursday, October 18 2012 02:20 AM
Musician Michael Feinstein chronicles his experience working as an archivist and cataloger for legendary songwriter Ira Gershwin. The book is presented through the stories of 12 of the Gershwin brothers' songs, including "Fascinating Rhythm," "The Man I Love" and "I Got Rhythm."
Budapest Quartet Gets To The Heart Of Beethoven
Wednesday, October 17 2012 02:48 AM
Among the most central pieces of the classical-music repertoire are the 16 string quartets Beethoven composed over the course of his career. For critic Lloyd Schwartz, these quartets, especially as recorded by the Budapest String Quartet, were crucial to his own musical upbringing.
'Test Kitchen' Chefs Talk The Science Of Savory
Wednesday, October 17 2012 02:48 AM
America's Test Kitchen experts Jack Bishop and Bridget Lancaster join Fresh Air to explain what makes a great marinade — and why you might want to add an anchovy or two to your next beef stew.
More Than This: The 'Complete' Roxy Music
Tuesday, October 16 2012 02:01 AM
Ed Ward connects the dots of the British band's eight studio albums, which were just collected in a box set.
Tyler Perry Transforms: From Madea To Family Man
Tuesday, October 16 2012 02:01 AM
Best known for being the man behind Madea, Perry is now starring in the action thriller Alex Cross. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that his Madea character is a cross between his mom, his aunt and Eddie Murphy.
Fresh Air Weekend: Tig Notaro, Louis C.K., Nate Silver
Sunday, October 14 2012 01:38 AM
Tig Notaro manages to find humor in a cancer diagnosis and Louis C.K. explains why he called Notaro's set "masterful." Statistical analyst Nate Silver says humility is key to making accurate predictions.
'Argo': Too Good To Be True, Because It Isn't
Saturday, October 13 2012 01:38 AM
Ben Affleck's Argo, which is based on the declassified story of the CIA's mission to save six American diplomats trapped in Iran in 1979, is gripping, compelling and, at times, hilarious. But, as critic David Edelstein explains, the best parts of the "true" story are the parts that aren't true at all.
The Man Who Tracks Viruses Before They Spread
Saturday, October 13 2012 01:36 AM
Nathan Wolfe travels to the viral hot spots of the world, where viruses first jump from animals to humans. The scientist spends his days tracking emerging infectious diseases before they turn into global pandemics.
'May We Be Forgiven': A Story Of Second Chances
Friday, October 12 2012 02:11 AM
In A.M. Homes' suburbia, yawning sinkholes will suddenly open up in front lawns, swallowing cliched plotlines and opening portals to other dimensions. In her latest novel, she serves up an old-fashioned American story that's more Norman Bates than Norman Rockwell.
Ron Miles Finds Wide-Open Spaces On 'Quiver'
Friday, October 12 2012 02:11 AM
For Miles, the better he knows how a tune works, the less he has to play to put it across.
In Digital War, Patents Are The Weapon Of Choice
Friday, October 12 2012 02:10 AM
New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg says that consumers and innovation are the big losers in the patent wars. "Patents have become a toll gate on the road of innovation," he says.
Iris DeMent's Emotionally Complex 'Sing The Delta'
Thursday, October 11 2012 02:33 AM
Sing the Delta is the roots-folk singer-songwriter's first album of new songs in 16 years.
'Signal' And 'Noise': Prediction As Art And Science
Thursday, October 11 2012 02:31 AM
Statistical analyst Nate Silver says humility is key to making accurate predictions. Silver, who writes the New York Times' FiveThirtyEight blog, has just written a new book called The Signal and the Noise.
One Debate, Two Very Different Conversations
Wednesday, October 10 2012 03:01 AM
Linguist Geoff Nunberg has been puzzling over President Obama's performance in the presidential debate last week. Looking at who the candidates were addressing their answers to shows that Romney was doing something unusual, he says.
When Prolonging Death Seems Worse Than Death
Wednesday, October 10 2012 03:00 AM
Counselor Judith Schwarz says that for terminally ill patients who are suffering, prolonging death can seem like a worse fate than death itself. Schwarz is a patient supporter with the nonprofit organization Compassion & Choices.
Louis C.K.'s Diagnosis: 'Masterful'
Tuesday, October 09 2012 02:14 AM
Louis C.K. decided to offer Tig Notaro: Live exclusively on his website when he saw the comedian perform a set just hours after receiving her cancer diagnosis.
Tig Notaro On Going 'Live' About Her Life
Tuesday, October 09 2012 02:12 AM
Tig Notaro walked onstage hours after finding out she was diagnosed with cancer, and talked about it in a standup comedy set that Louis C.K. described in a tweet as masterful. Notaro talks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the set, titled Tig Notaro: Live.
At College, A 'Pitch Perfect' Musical Comedy
Saturday, October 06 2012 04:15 AM
Critic David Edelstein reviews a film that may sound a lot like a campus-bound version of Glee, but has more to it than that label might suggest.
Memoirist James Wolcott Reflects On The '70s
Saturday, October 06 2012 04:15 AM
The Vanity Fair columnist wrote about his early career at the Village Voice in Lucking Out: My Life Getting Down and Semi-Dirty In the Seventies. (Rebroadcast from November 2011.)
Interview: MacArthur 'Genius' Junot Diaz
Saturday, October 06 2012 04:15 AM
His debut novel — The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao — won a Pulitzer Prize. He was recently named as one of the 2012 recipients of a MacArthur Fellowship. (Rebroadcast from December 2007)
Roving Eyes, Wandering Hands In 'How You Lose Her'
Friday, October 05 2012 02:28 AM
Junot Diaz's electric new collection of short stories centers around Yunior, a macho yet mournful Dominican-American man. In these stories about love, lust and infidelity, a good man is hard to find — and when he is found, he's always in bed with someone else.
Colbert: 'Re-Becoming' The Nation We Always Were
Friday, October 05 2012 02:27 AM
Stephen Colbert has a new book called America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't. It explores the dichotomy between thinking America is perfect — and feeling the urge to save the country from disaster at every moment.
When Words Were Worth Fighting Over
Thursday, October 04 2012 02:46 AM
Since the 1961 publication of the Third International Dictionary, people have debated the merits of dictionaries that describe language as it is and those that explain how it should be. Today the debate continues, but it doesn't hold the same cultural significance as before, writes Geoff Nunberg.
Low Cut Connie: The Self-Deprecating Bar Band
Thursday, October 04 2012 02:46 AM
The band's new Call Me Sylvia is as raucous as its debut, though it's slightly more self-conscious.
Tobolowsky: An Actor's Life 'Low On The Totem Pole'
Thursday, October 04 2012 02:45 AM
He's appeared in over 100 films and TV shows, but you still might not know his name. In his memoir, The Dangerous Animals Club, actor Stephen Tobolowsky talks about falling in love with comedy — and playing characters who are always on the story's fringes.
Paul Thomas Anderson, The Man Behind 'The Master'
Wednesday, October 03 2012 02:41 AM
The director of Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood talks to Fresh Air's Terry Gross about his new film, The Master, a tense drama with indelible performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams.
Being 'Joseph Anton,' Rediscovering Salman Rushdie
Tuesday, October 02 2012 02:12 AM
John Powers reviews the author's memoir of his time in hiding — the result of a fatwah calling for his murder after the publication of The Satanic Verses.
Out Of Industrial Wasteland, The English Beat Was Born
Tuesday, October 02 2012 02:12 AM
Ed Ward reviews the reissued catalog from the multiracial, multi-generational ska band.
In Memoir, Neil Young Wages 'Heavy Peace'
Tuesday, October 02 2012 02:11 AM
Singer, songwriter and guitarist Neil Young has a new memoir titled Waging Heavy Peace. It's about his music, raising two sons with special needs, and his own medical conditions, which have included polio, epilepsy and a brain aneurysm.
Fresh Air Weekend: J.R. Moehringer, Mindy Kaling
Sunday, September 30 2012 02:06 AM
In his first novel, Sutton, J.R. Moehringer writes from the point of view of the "greatest American robber." Mindy Kaling, who was on The Office stars in a new Fox show she also runs called The Mindy Project.
Fall TV's Returning Series: A Cause To Rejoice
Saturday, September 29 2012 03:26 AM
Showtime's Homeland, which swept this year's Emmy Awards, returns this weekend — as does another Showtime drama, Dexter. Critic David Bianculli says there's a rich bounty of returning series — and Homeland is the "most topical and meaningful drama on television."
Steve Martin: From Standup To Movie Star And Writer
Saturday, September 29 2012 03:24 AM
Steve Martin went from performing in an empty San Francisco coffee house to hosting the Oscars. In between, he spent 18 years as a stand-up comic — four of them, by his account, successful years. His early standup routines, TV specials and other TV appearances have been released in a new DVD box set.
'Looper': Time-Travel Nonsense, Winningly Played
Friday, September 28 2012 01:34 AM
Rian Johnson's action-thriller can't dodge the frustrating elements of most time-travel tales, but the film's characters, performances and stylization add up to an experience that critic David Edelstein believes is the right amount of happy and tragic.
From Sweet To Steely: Amy Adams In 'The Master'
Friday, September 28 2012 01:34 AM
The Oscar-nominated actress plays the forbidding wife of a cult leader in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. She tells Fresh Air it was an opportunity to play a character type she'd never played before.
British Scientist Driven To Find 'Spark Of Life'
Friday, September 28 2012 01:33 AM
Frances Ashcroft's new book details how electricity in the body fuels everything we think, feel or do. She tells Fresh Air about discovering a new protein, how scientists are like novelists and how she wanted to be a farmer's wife.
After 26 Years, The Sam Rivers Trio Resurfaces
Thursday, September 27 2012 03:30 AM
The freewheeling saxophonist and his small group from the 1970s came together for a live concert in 2007 — their first together in more than two decades. Now, a recording has been posthumously released on CD, and critic Kevin Whitehead says it's like they never went away.
'Sutton': America's 1920s, Bank-Robbing 'Robin Hood'
Thursday, September 27 2012 03:29 AM
In his first novel, J.R. Moehringer writes from the point of view of Willie Sutton, whom he calls the "greatest American robber." Moehringer says writing historical fiction helped him deal with the anger he felt toward banks after the global financial crisis in 2008.
A Lifetime Of Love In 'My Husband And My Wives'
Wednesday, September 26 2012 02:48 AM
Charles Rowan Beye has been married three times — to two women and a man. Now, over age 80, he looks back on his life and asks, "What was that all about?" Critic Maureen Corrigan says Beye's memoir, subtitled "A Gay Man's Odyssey," is a complex, poignant addition to the sexual canon.
Analog Players Society: A Party Cooked Up In A Studio
Wednesday, September 26 2012 02:48 AM
The Analog Players Society provides some of the best evidence since the rise of Vampire Weekend that formerly exotic international music — particularly African rhythms and accents — has become an everyday part of modern popular tunes.
Mindy Kaling Loves Rom Coms (And Being The Boss)
Wednesday, September 26 2012 02:48 AM
The actress played Kelly Kapoor on The Office, a role she also wrote and produced. Now she runs a new Fox comedy, The Mindy Project, in which she stars as an obstetrician whose personal life is a mess. Kaling tells Fresh Air that her late mother inspired her character's career.
Aimee Mann: The 'Charmer' And The Disciplined Id
Tuesday, September 25 2012 02:35 AM
Ken Tucker says that Charmer is a song cycle about getting rid of a cynical frame of mind; about distancing yourself from people who are dragging you down.
Redistricting: A Story Of Divisive Politics, Odd Shapes
Tuesday, September 25 2012 02:34 AM
Journalist Robert Draper's article for The Atlantic traces how the redistricting process has been manipulated for electoral gain. It has created increasingly solid Republican or Democratic congressional districts, which has led to more representatives who are unwilling to compromise, Draper tells Fresh Air.
The Art Of Preserving A High School 'Wallflower'
Saturday, September 22 2012 01:42 AM
Writer-director Stephen Chbosky brings his 1999 young adult novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower to the screen. Critic David Edelstein says the result may be better than the book — a project that communicates the trials of high school in a way that is both painful and elating.
Vince Guaraldi Didn't Just Play For 'Peanuts'
Saturday, September 22 2012 01:42 AM
Guaraldi had range, as well as an instrumental hit right when jazz was vanishing from AM radio.
Drew Faust On The 'Shared Suffering' Of The Civil War
Saturday, September 22 2012 01:42 AM
In her book This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, historian Drew Gilpin Faust writes that Civil War deaths — both their number and their manner — transformed America. She is featured in PBS's American Experience called Death and the Civil War, which premiered Sept. 18.
Kelly Macdonald: Strong Woman On The 'Boardwalk'
Friday, September 21 2012 01:55 AM
The Scottish actress plays Margaret Thompson, a young Irish widow who marries a corrupt politician on HBO's Boardwalk Empire. Macdonald, who got her start in Trainspotting, tells Fresh Air that she enjoys playing a "strong character" for a change.
A Close Look At Your Bills' 'Fine Print'
Friday, September 21 2012 01:55 AM
In his new book, The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use "Plain English" to Rob You Blind, author David Cay Johnston examines the fees that companies have added over the years that have made bills incrementally larger. He tells Fresh Air that companies are misusing language to "confuse people."
Brad Mehldau: (Unlikely) Songs By Other People
Wednesday, September 19 2012 01:35 AM
The jazz trio returns to covering classic rock, folk and pop tunes on its latest album, Where Do You Start. Fresh Air critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the band's take on Elvis Costello, Nick Drake, Sonny Rollins and more.
Journalist Examines Chaotic Fighting In Syria
Wednesday, September 19 2012 01:35 AM
The Guardian's Ghaith Abdul-Ahad calls the Syrian battle fluid and complicated. "There is chaos, there is no military planning, there is no organization," he tells Fresh Air. He reported for the PBS Frontline documentary The Battle for Syria, which airs Tuesday.
How Obama, Roberts Interpret Laws In 'The Oath'
Tuesday, September 18 2012 01:42 AM
Jeffrey Toobin's new book, The Oath, explores how President Obama and Chief Justice John Roberts are at odds over constitutional law. Toobin tells Fresh Air that while Obama likes precedent when it comes to the Supreme Court, Roberts "wants to move the court in a dramatically new direction."
Fresh Air Weekend: W. Kamau Bell, Michael Lewis
Sunday, September 16 2012 01:32 AM
W. Kamau Bell, who hosts the new FX show Totally Biased, talks about how he got labeled as a "political comedian." Writer Michael Lewis was given unusual access to the president to write an article for Vanity Fair.
'The Master': Filling A Void By Finding A Family
Saturday, September 15 2012 01:38 AM
Many comparisons have been made between Paul Thomas Anderson's film The Master and the history of Scientology. But, as David Edelstein explains, the challenge of balancing the search for surrogate family with American individualism dominates the film. (Recommended)
'Chico & Rita': An Animated Film With A Cuban Beat
Saturday, September 15 2012 01:37 AM
Director Fernando Trueba talks about his Oscar-nominated animated film Chico and Rita, which follows a pair of lovers who leave Havana's music scene in the 1940s to head to New York City. It's now out on DVD.
Going Under The 'Boardwalk' With Michael Shannon
Saturday, September 15 2012 01:37 AM
The actor plays a righteous federal agent who succumbs to all sorts of temptations on the HBO drama Boardwalk Empire. To build the character of Nelson Van Alden, he says, he worked out an elaborate back story about the agent's childhood. The third season starts Sunday.
New Shows Hit Average In Fall TV Lineup
Friday, September 14 2012 02:18 AM
Critic David Bianculli says of all the new programs premiering this fall, there isn't one you have to add to your weekly viewing list. The best new show, he says, is Emily Owens, M.D., which is just like Ally McBeal if she were a doctor instead of a lawyer — but it's graded on a curve.
'Totally Biased' Comic On Race, Politics And Audience
Friday, September 14 2012 02:17 AM
Comic W. Kamau Bell's new show, produced by Chris Rock, mixes standup, sketches and interviews. Bell tells Fresh Air about the origins of his political humor and why it's important for him to have a multiracial audience.
'The Scientists': A Father's Lie And A Family's Legacy
Thursday, September 13 2012 01:57 AM
Marco Roth grew up on New York's Upper West Side in the 1980s, where a liberal Jewish culture infused with European tastes was breathing its last gasps. In his memoir, Roth describes how he learned — years after his father died from AIDS — that his father was probably gay.
In Meetings, On The Court To Discover 'Obama's Way'
Thursday, September 13 2012 01:57 AM
Writer Michael Lewis was given unusual access to the president for six months for an article for Vanity Fair. Lewis tells Fresh Air that he found a "weird disjuncture between his powers and his powerlessness."
Bob Dylan's Baffling And Sometimes Beautiful 'Tempest'
Wednesday, September 12 2012 02:01 AM
Critic Ken Tucker says that some songs on Tempest sound less like concentrated efforts than outpourings of rambling thoughts; others are as precisely crafted as any Bob Dylan has written.
New Center Trains Detection Dogs To Save Lives
Wednesday, September 12 2012 02:00 AM
A center for scientists to study what helps dogs succeed in search-and-rescue operations opens Tuesday at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Cynthia Otto, who created the center, and Annemarie DeAngelo, the center's training director, tell Fresh Air why they depend on their canine companions.
The Forgotten Story Of Memphis' American Studios
Tuesday, September 11 2012 02:32 AM
Memphis has been a music town since anyone can remember, and it's had places to record that music since there have been records. Some of its studios — Sun, Stax and Hi — are well-known, but American Studios produced its share of hits, and yet remains obscure.
Andrew Rannells: Gay And Serious In 'New Normal'
Tuesday, September 11 2012 02:31 AM
The actor stars in the comedy TV series The New Normal, about a gay couple who want a child so badly that they hire a surrogate. Rannells tells Fresh Air that he didn't want to "dumb down" the serious role with "stereotypical over-the-top gay flash and sass."
Fresh Air Weekend: Feathers, Cellphones As Trackers
Sunday, September 09 2012 01:41 AM
A new book analyzes feathers in birds. A reporter says cellphones collect more than we realize. An advocate who entered an assisted living facility at 53 talks about recording residents' final days and how death is handled "very poorly" in facilities.
'Bachelorette' Sounds Dark Comedic Depths
Saturday, September 08 2012 02:10 AM
Leslye Headland makes her directorial debut with this adaptation of her own play about three bridesmaids whose bad habits and emotional issues threaten to undermine their friend's impending wedding. It's tonally uneven but engrossing, says critic David Edelstein.
Fresh Air Remembers Lyricist Hal David
Saturday, September 08 2012 02:10 AM
Hal David, the Oscar- and Grammy-winning lyricist, died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 91. David is best known for his many collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach between the late '50s and the mid-'70s.
Why Your Cellphone Could Be Called A 'Tracker'
Friday, September 07 2012 02:21 AM
ProPublica investigative reporter Peter Maass says cellphone companies monitor where we are, who we call, what we buy — and often provide it to law enforcement when requested. "They are collecting a heck of a lot more information than we expect them to be collecting about us," he tells Fresh Air.
Harmony, Teenagers And 'The Complete Story Of Doo-Wop'
Friday, September 07 2012 02:21 AM
Street Corner Symphonies is a 15-volume year-by-year survey of doo-wop by scholar Bill Dahl.
Advocate Fights 'Ambient Despair' In Assisted Living
Friday, September 07 2012 02:21 AM
Martin Bayne entered an assisted living facility at 53 after he was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease. Now he writes about long-term care reform. He tells Fresh Air about recording residents' final days and how death is handled "very poorly" in facilities.
Was Zadie Smith's Novel 'NW' Worth The Wait?
Thursday, September 06 2012 01:53 AM
Zadie Smith wrote her last novel On Beauty seven years ago — a long time in the anxious world of publishing. Her new novel NW was released in the U.S. on Monday. Critic Maureen Corrigan asks: Was it worth the wait?
Journalist Evaluates Obama, Romney Economic Plans
Thursday, September 06 2012 01:53 AM
New York Times Washington bureau chief David Leonhardt compares Obama's and Romney's tax plans, Medicare plans and conflicting claims on whether Americans are better off now than four years ago. "I think it's fair to say the typical American household isn't better off, but the country is," he tells Fresh Air.
When Ian Hunter Is 'President'
Wednesday, September 05 2012 01:53 AM
Despite its title, When I'm President isn't as political as Hunter's past couple of solo albums. Critic Ken Tucker says Hunter reaches back into rock's past while linking it firmly to the present.
Conservation Biologist Explains Why 'Feathers' Matter
Wednesday, September 05 2012 01:52 AM
Thor Hanson's new book looks at the evolutionary significance of feathers in birds. Hanson tells Fresh Air that he's amazed by birds' magnitude of feathers, how feathers grow and how they're the "most efficient insulation known."
Mickey Edwards On Democracy's 'Cancer'
Wednesday, September 05 2012 01:52 AM
In his new book, The Parties Versus the People, the former Republican congressman says party leaders have too much control over who runs for office, what bills make it to the floor and how lawmakers vote.
Miguel Zenon And Laurent Coq Play 'Hopscotch'
Tuesday, September 04 2012 01:35 AM
Julio Cortázar's book Rayuela is expansive, smart, breezy, romantic and occasionally reminiscent of a disturbing dream. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says that Miguel Zenon and Laurent Coq's Rayuela-inspired album lands on all those squares.
Joan Rivers Hates You, Herself And Everyone Else
Tuesday, September 04 2012 01:35 AM
Comedian Joan Rivers hates a lot of things. Her new book, I Hate Everyone, Starting With Me, details the things Rivers can't stand, from her appearance to obituaries to younger comedians who steal her gigs.
Fresh Air Weekend: Regina Spektor, Victor LaValle
Sunday, September 02 2012 01:36 AM
Singer Regina Spektor talks about Russia and her new album, What We Saw From the Cheap Seats. Author Victor LaValle says he drew on personal history to write his latest novel, The Devil In Silver.
Shoes: After 18 Years, The Power-Pop Band Re-Ignites
Saturday, September 01 2012 01:40 AM
The members of Shoes have cobbled together albums like stubborn craftsmen who know that their trade is at once outmoded and valuable. Ken Tucker says Ignition retains the same pop-rock rigor heard in the band's 1970s records.
Jack Black: On Music, Mayhem And Murder
Saturday, September 01 2012 01:40 AM
Actor Jack Black plays a kindly, small-town funeral director who murders a wealthy millionaire in the new film Bernie. Bernie is now out on DVD.
David Alan Grier's 'Sporting Life' On Broadway
Friday, August 31 2012 01:46 AM
The stand-up comedian and star of In Living Color played Sporting Life in the opera Porgy and Bess. The show, which won Tony Awards, closes on Broadway next month.
Audra McDonald: Shaping 'Bess' On Broadway
Friday, August 31 2012 01:46 AM
The actress plays Bess in the Broadway musical Porgy and Bess. The show, which won two Tony Awards, closes next month.
A Linguist's Serious Take On 'The A-Word'
Thursday, August 30 2012 01:48 AM
In his new book, Ascent of the A-Word, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg looks at how the term took root among griping World War II GIs — and how its meaning evolved in the '60s and '70s. He tells Fresh Air that crude words are "wonderfully revealing."
Victor LaValle On Mental Illness, Monsters, Survival
Thursday, August 30 2012 01:48 AM
In the author's latest novel, The Devil in Silver, a man is mistakenly committed to a mental hospital where a buffalo-headed monster stalks patients at night. LaValle tells Fresh Air why he picked monsters, about his family history of mental illness and how he had his own brush with psychological problems.
'Real Romney' Authors Dissect His Latest Campaign
Wednesday, August 29 2012 01:35 AM
Michael Kranish and Scott Helman's biography of Mitt Romney — The Real Romney — is now out in paperback with a new afterword. The authors discuss Romney's shift to the right, his faith and his recent comment that no one's ever asked to see his birth certificate.
In 'The Brontes,' Details Of A Family's Strange World
Tuesday, August 28 2012 01:39 AM
Juliet Barker has released a new edition of her landmark 1994 biography, The Brontes. Critic Maureen Corrigan says that even the 136 pages of footnotes are "thrilling," as readers are taken "deeper into the everyday realities" of the Brontes' "strange world."
Regina Spektor: On Growing Up A 'Soviet Kid'
Tuesday, August 28 2012 01:38 AM
Spektor spent the first nine years of her life in the Soviet Union, where she and her family faced discrimination as Jews. She talks about Russia and her new album, What We Saw From the Cheap Seats, with Terry Gross.
How Brazil Lives Now, In 'Neighboring Sounds'
Saturday, August 25 2012 01:32 AM
Brazilian culture is often portrayed as either joyful folk tradition or brutal gang violence. But Kleber Mendonca Filho's Neighboring Sounds penetrates into the daily lives of suburban Brazilians — and critic John Powers says it may be the best Brazilian film since the '70s.
'Incognito': What's Hiding In The Unconscious Mind
Saturday, August 25 2012 01:31 AM
Neuroscientist David Eagleman says everything we think, do and believe is determined by complex neural networks battling it out in our brains. His book Incognito, in which he explains what scientists are learning about this hidden world of cognition, is now out in paperback.
Paul Auster Meditates On Life, Death And Near Misses
Friday, August 24 2012 01:31 AM
The author's new memoir, Winter Journal, is a history of his body — scars, panic attacks and near-death experiences. He tells Fresh Air how he got a reputation as a dirty fighter, why he doesn't drive and how hard it was to see his mother's dead body.
Jane Mayer: Obama In 'Impossible Bind' Over Donors
Friday, August 24 2012 01:31 AM
In this week's New Yorker, the journalist details how the electoral climate since the Citizens United ruling in 2010 has negatively affected the Obama campaign's appeal to Democratic donors. Mayer tells Fresh Air that Obama has to make a "terrible choice between his principles and politics."
Bill Hader On Sketch Comedy, His Love Of Old Films
Thursday, August 23 2012 01:31 AM
Saturday Night Live's Bill Hader, nominated for an Emmy for his character Stefon, an obsessive clubgoer, says he needs a character to be funny. Hader tells Fresh Air that he doesn't know how people do standup — and that watching old films as a child sparked his interest in Hollywood.
Fresh Air Remembers Comedian Phyllis Diller
Wednesday, August 22 2012 01:30 AM
Comedian Phyllis Diller died Monday at the age of 95. In a 1986 interview with Fresh Air, Diller explains her routine when starting out, before she developed her persona as a crazed housewife.
Student 'Subversives' And The FBI's 'Dirty Tricks'
Wednesday, August 22 2012 01:30 AM
Journalist Seth Rosenfeld spent three decades pursuing government documents about the FBI's undercover operation in Berkeley, Calif., during the student protest movements in the '60s. His new book details how the FBI "used dirty tricks to stifle dissent on campus" and influenced Ronald Reagan's politics.
Mike Birbiglia, 'Sleepwalk'-ing On The Big Screen
Tuesday, August 21 2012 01:45 AM
The comedian co-wrote a film with Ira Glass, of public radio's This American Life, about his life and sleepwalking disorder. But making Sleepwalk With Me, based on Birbiglia's one-man show and comedic memoir, caused Birbiglia anxiety — which exacerbated his disorder.
Donald Ray Pollock On Finding Fiction Late In Life
Saturday, August 18 2012 01:43 AM
The author worked in a paper mill and meatpacking plant for 32 years before becoming a writer. His second book The Devil All the Time, set in his hometown of Knockemstiff, Ohio, is now out in paperback.
Sacha Baron Cohen: The Fresh Air Interview
Saturday, August 18 2012 01:42 AM
The actor and writer is famous for taking his characters — Ali G., Borat, Bruno — into the world, interacting with people who have no idea that they're dealing with a fictional character. His movie, The Dictator, a comedy about a tyrant on the loose in New York, will soon be released on DVD.
Autosalvage: The Psychedelic Band That Vanished
Friday, August 17 2012 05:24 PM
There are lots of stories about the band that got away. For rock historian Ed Ward, one of those groups has always been Autosalvage, a New York quartet who made one album and then stopped playing.
Frank Langella: A Career 'Like A Chekhov Play'
Friday, August 17 2012 05:24 PM
In the new movie Robot & Frank, the actor plays an aging ex-burglar who learns to take advantage of his robot caretaker. Langella, 74, tells Fresh Air why he was drawn to the role, and discusses the ups and downs of his long career.
How Jan Garbarek Came To Epitomize Nordic Jazz
Thursday, August 16 2012 01:38 AM
Garbarek helped the ECM label find its emerging voice 40 years ago. A new box set of early albums captures the saxophonist's forming sound — austere and astringent.
Do Voter ID Laws Prevent Fraud, Or Dampen Turnout?
Thursday, August 16 2012 01:38 AM
Thirty-three states now have voter ID laws requiring identification for voting. Some new laws requiring photo ID are being challenged in court or reviewed by the Justice Department. One supporter says these laws will prevent fraud. A critic says the claims are overblown.
With Ryan's Ascent, A Few Thoughts On 'Entitlement'
Wednesday, August 15 2012 01:58 AM
The Republican vice presidential pick wants to take another look at programs like Medicare and Social Security. Fresh Air's resident linguist parses the word "entitlement" in its political and nonpolitical contexts.
Climate 'Weirdness' Throws Ecosystems 'Out Of Kilter'
Wednesday, August 15 2012 01:58 AM
"We've had time to act — and essentially we haven't acted," says science journalist Michael Lemonick. He describes the threats posed by climate change in his new book, Global Weirdness: Severe Storms, Deadly Heat Waves, Relentless Drought, Rising Seas, and the Weather of the Future.
Looking To The 'Stars' For A Reason To Live
Tuesday, August 14 2012 01:52 AM
In Peter Heller's debut novel, The Dog Stars, a man named Hig survives a superflu that kills most of humanity. Heller, a travel and adventure writer, says that when his novel took a post-apocalyptic turn, he found himself relying on his real-life scrapes and survival skills.
Fresh Air Weekend: Chris Rock, Dan Auerbach
Sunday, August 12 2012 01:31 AM
This weekend: Chris Rock explains how doing well has affected his humor and how "the most fun thing" is being a dad. Ken Tucker says Black Keys member Dan Auerbach works wonders as a producer. And Dean Norris on playing good in Breaking Bad.
David Rakoff: 'There Is No Answer As To Why Me'
Saturday, August 11 2012 01:44 AM
Writer and humorist David Rakoff, who died Thursday at the age of 47, wrote with a perfect balance of wit and gravity about the cancer that would ultimately take his life. Fresh Air remembers Rakoff with excerpts from two interviews in 2001 and 2010.
60 Years Later, Still 'Singin' In The Rain'
Friday, August 10 2012 01:31 AM
The beloved musical celebrates its 60th birthday with a one-night screening of a newly restored print and a new reissue on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Chris Rock On The Funny Business Of Finding Success
Friday, August 10 2012 01:31 AM
The stand-up comedian says it's hard to pull off jokes about being rich, but "just because you're doing well in life doesn't mean you can't complain, too." Rock's latest project is a film called 2 Days in New York, in which he plays half of an interracial, multinational couple hosting relatives from France.
60 And Sexless, But 'Hope Springs' Eternal
Thursday, August 09 2012 02:02 AM
In Hope Springs, Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) seek out a couples therapist (Steve Carell) to try to rekindle the spark in their marriage. Critic David Edelstein says it's a post-reproductive chick flick for audiences who are no longer spring chickens.
Jazz Vocalist Susie Arioli Goes 'All The Way'
Thursday, August 09 2012 02:02 AM
Listen to an in-studio concert and conversation with the Canadian singer and her longtime guitarist, Jordan Officer.
'Dreamland': Open Your Eyes To The Science Of Sleep
Wednesday, August 08 2012 01:38 AM
Most people's after-midnight mishaps are nothing compared with what David K. Randall describes in his new book. From people committing murder while supposedly sleepwalking, to what sleep was like in medieval times, Dreamland provides a lively overview of the world's most popular nocturnal pastime.
Fresh Air Remembers Military Historian John Keegan
Wednesday, August 08 2012 01:38 AM
Keegan spent his life studying war, but he never fought in one and described himself as more or less a pacifist. The British military historian, who died last week at age 78, chronicled the history of warfare from Alexander the Great to the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
'Antietam' Dissects Strategies Of North And South
Wednesday, August 08 2012 01:37 AM
In The Long Road to Antietam, historian Richard Slotkin traces how both Northern and Southern strategies changed in the summer of 1862, when both sides committed to an all-out total war, and Lincoln squared off against Gen. George McClellan.
Dan Auerbach Likes It Fast, Simple And Loud
Tuesday, August 07 2012 01:40 AM
Ken Tucker says the Black Keys member works wonders producing JEFF The Brotherhood and Hacienda.
Dean Norris On Playing Good In 'Breaking Bad'
Tuesday, August 07 2012 01:40 AM
Norris plays DEA agent Hank Schrader in the AMC series about a chemistry teacher turned meth cook. "He's a good cop, he just hasn't put the pieces together yet," Norris says.
Fresh Air Weekend: Feminists, Models, Roma Music
Sunday, August 05 2012 01:35 AM
Caitlin Moran explains How to Be a Woman. Two supermodels talk about what it's like to grow old in the HBO documentary About Face. And critic Milo Miles reviews the irresistible party music of Boban i Marko Markovic.
Crum: Lee Maynard's 'Love Letter' To His Hometown
Saturday, August 04 2012 02:14 AM
The Scummers is the last installment in Maynard's Crum trilogy. Maynard based Crum, his 1988 semi-autobiographical novel, on his small, poor West Virginia hometown. The people of Crum who know the book tend to love it or hate it. Maynard spoke with Terry Gross in 2003.
Fresh Air Remembers Writer And Critic Gore Vidal
Saturday, August 04 2012 02:14 AM
We listen back to excerpts of interviews with the acerbic writer, who died Tuesday at 86. Vidal authored the historical novels Burr and Lincoln, wrote plays and provocative essays, ran for office twice — and lost — and frequently appeared on TV talk shows.
Digging Up The 'Newly Discovered Works Of Gil Evans'
Friday, August 03 2012 01:35 AM
Scholar and fan Ryan Truesdell has turned unheard Evans scores into richly textured works.
A Moody Tale Of Murder In A 'Broken' Dublin Suburb
Friday, August 03 2012 01:34 AM
Tana French's latest novel follows Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy, a police detective with a rage for order, as he investigates a young family's murder in a suburban Dublin development gone bust. Critic Maureen Corrigan says Broken Harbor is as much social criticism as it is whodunit.
Not A Feminist? Caitlin Moran Asks, Why Not?
Friday, August 03 2012 01:34 AM
Moran believes that most women who don't want to be called feminists don't understand what feminism is. Her new book How to Be a Woman is a funny take on housework, high heels, body fat, abortion, marriage and, of course, Brazilian waxes.
How Congressman Paul Ryan Is Shaping The GOP
Thursday, August 02 2012 01:35 AM
New Yorker writer Ryan Lizza profiles Rep. Paul Ryan from Wisconsin, whose radical alternatives to President Obama's economic policies have helped shape the GOP as it enters the final stage of the 2012 presidential campaign.
Boban i Marko Markovic: Irresistible Party Music
Wednesday, August 01 2012 01:46 AM
The various music styles of Eastern Europe's Roma people, formerly known as gypsies, have become favorites with audiences around the world. Milo Miles says no group does a better job of blending tradition with innovation than the ensemble led by Boban Markovic and his son Marko.
Facing The Fiscal Cliff: Congress' Next Showdown
Wednesday, August 01 2012 01:45 AM
In December, Congress is poised for another showdown on the deficit and taxes, in what is now being called the fiscal cliff. In his new book Red Ink, David Wessel explains how the federal budget got to the point where it is today — and where to go from here.
Fresh Air Remembers Actress Lupe Ontiveros
Tuesday, July 31 2012 01:41 AM
Lupe Ontiveros, known for her role in the 1997 film Selena, died Thursday at the age of 69. Fresh Air remembers the Latina actress, who was often called on to play the role of the maid, with excerpts from a 2002 interview.
This Time, R. Kelly Burns With (Relatively Chaste) Passion
Tuesday, July 31 2012 01:41 AM
The prolific, and often risque, crooner's 14th album explores sounds from earlier eras with surprising restraint.
Getting Old Is Hard, Even (And Especially) For Models
Tuesday, July 31 2012 01:40 AM
Supermodels open up about aging in a youth-obsessed industry in the HBO documentary About Face: The Supermodels Then and Now. "I really insisted that I not be retouched in Playboy," says Carol Alt. "... I'm 49 years old, and that was the point ... I let every bump and flaw show."
Fresh Air Weekend: Bishop Blair, Sister Farrell
Sunday, July 29 2012 01:32 AM
Bishop Leonard Blair talks about his Vatican-ordered assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an organization that represents 80 percent of Catholic sisters in America. Sister Pat Farrell, the president of LCWR, responds.
'Fresh Air' Bids Farewell To Melody Kramer
Saturday, July 28 2012 02:02 AM
She's never been heard on the show, but producer Melody Kramer has created a singular voice for Fresh Air online and in social media. Today we send her off, affectionately, to medical school and the next phase of her career.
Two Films Shoot Past Realism To Weirder Territory
Saturday, July 28 2012 02:02 AM
Ruby Sparks and Killer Joe tell of an author who conjures a woman from his typewriter and a corrupt detective hired to kill an aging mother, respectively. But Fresh Air's David Edelstein says the films share a common trait: Both take their stories beyond common reality to more fascinating parts of the psyche.
In '1493,' Uncovering The World Columbus Discovered
Saturday, July 28 2012 02:02 AM
When Columbus crossed the Atlantic in 1492, his journey prompted the exchange of not only information but also food, animals, insects, plants and disease between the continents. In a new book, Charles C. Mann describes the aftermath of Columbus' arrival in the Americas.
In China, A Persistent Thorn In The State's Side
Friday, July 27 2012 02:17 AM
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry follows the famous artist around the world as he repeatedly irks Chinese authorities with his art and political critiques. Fresh Air's John Powers says the documentary casts important light on the fight for greater freedom in China.
Frank Ocean's 'Orange' Revolution
Friday, July 27 2012 02:17 AM
Ocean has written songs for Beyonce, Justin Bieber and John Legend; last year, his mixtape Nostalgia Ultra attracted mainstream attention. Now, Ocean has released his first major-label album, Channel Orange. Rock critic Ken Tucker has a review of Ocean's album and career thus far.
Christopher Beha, On Faith And Its Discontents
Friday, July 27 2012 02:17 AM
The author's What Happened to Sophie Wilder features a convert to Catholicism and another character who struggles to understand her faith. Beha talks about his Catholic upbringing, irony's place in fiction and literature's therapeutic aspects.
Bishop Explains Vatican's Criticism Of U.S. Nuns
Thursday, July 26 2012 01:53 AM
Bishop Leonard Blair talks about his Vatican-ordered assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an organization that represents 80 percent of Catholic sisters in America. He says the LCWR is promoting a "new kind of theology that is not in accordance with the faith of the church."
Swearing: A Long And #%@&$ History
Wednesday, July 25 2012 01:59 AM
Middleborough, Mass., recently imposed a $20 fine for swearing in public. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says profanity makes hypocrites of us all.
'The Twilight War' Between The U.S. And Iran
Wednesday, July 25 2012 01:58 AM
In The Twilight War, historian David Crist outlines the secret history of America's 30-year conflict with Iran. Based on interviews with hundreds of officials as well as classified military archives, the book details how the covert war has repeatedly threatened to bring the two nations into open warfare.
Jill Tarter: A Scientist Searching For Alien Life
Tuesday, July 24 2012 02:06 AM
Jill Tarter works at the SETI Institute, where scientists seek evidence of extraterrestrial life in the universe by looking for some signatures of its technology. "The amount of searching that we've done in 50 years is equivalent to scooping one 8-ounce glass out of the Earth's ocean," she says.
Unraveling The Genetic Code That Makes Us Human
Tuesday, July 24 2012 02:06 AM
In The Violinist's Thumb, writer Sam Kean goes inside our genetic code, looking at the stories written by the fundamental building blocks within us. The book explains things like why some people can't handle drinking coffee and why some human babies are born with tails.
Fresh Air Weekend: Weaver, Sorkin, 'Dark Knight'
Sunday, July 22 2012 01:36 AM
HBO's new behind-the-anchor-desk drama The Newsroom follows in the footsteps of Aaron Sorkin's hit series The West Wing. Also, actress Sigourney Weaver talks about her miniseries Political Animals. And David Edelstein reviews the latest Batman movie.
Jesse Davis: Live From New York's Other Basement Club
Saturday, July 21 2012 01:42 AM
Davis' bluesy alto sax rasp is straight out of Charlie Parker's playbook, but he makes it his own in a new live recording from the Smalls Jazz Club.
Eddie Palmieri: Now A True 'Jazz Master'
Saturday, July 21 2012 01:42 AM
The great Latin band leader Eddie Palmieri has just received a Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, for his lifetime of achievement in jazz. Fresh Air honors the Latin band leader with excerpts from a 1994 interview.
When Zombies Attack Lower Manhattan
Saturday, July 21 2012 01:42 AM
Colson Whitehead's novel Zone One is a post-apocalyptic tale of a Manhattan crippled by a plague and overrun with zombies. He explains that he created the novel, in part, to pay homage to the grimy 1970s New York of his childhood.
Fresh Air Remembers Actress Celeste Holm
Friday, July 20 2012 01:39 AM
The actress of stage (Oklahoma!) and screen (All About Eve) passed away of a heart attack on July 15. She was 95 years old.
Sigourney Weaver's Stately Role In 'Political Animals'
Friday, July 20 2012 01:39 AM
The actress plays smart, tough Secretary of State Elaine Barrish in the new USA Network miniseries Political Animals. It's another strong role for Weaver, who has starred in films like Alien, Ghostbusters and Gorillas in the Mist.
A Reporter Looks At Where Egypt May Be Headed
Thursday, July 19 2012 02:03 AM
Reporter David Kirkpatrick, the Cairo bureau chief for The New York Times, reflects on his time reporting on the Arab Spring and discusses what the election of President Mohammed Morsi means for Egypt, the United States and Israel.
Ravi Coltrane: A Noble Sound, Witness To Its Heritage
Wednesday, July 18 2012 02:09 AM
The jazz musician didn't make his burden any lighter by choosing to play tenor and soprano saxophones — the same instruments his father, John Coltrane, indelibly stamped. But critic Kevin Whitehead says he speaks in his own voice on the album Spirit Fiction.
An American Nun Responds To Vatican Criticism
Wednesday, July 18 2012 02:09 AM
The Vatican recently announced that it would completely make over the Leadership Conference of Women Religious because of its "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith." Sister Pat Farrell, who heads the organization, says many of the charges are unsubstantiated.
Aaron Sorkin: The Writer Behind 'The Newsroom'
Tuesday, July 17 2012 02:03 AM
HBO's new behind-the-anchor-desk drama follows in the footsteps of Sorkin's hit series The West Wing. "I like writing about heroes that don't wear capes or disguises," he says.
Fresh Air Weekend: Iraq, Guthrie, 'Margaret'
Sunday, July 15 2012 01:34 AM
Brian Castner commanded two Explosive Ordnance Disposal units in Iraq, where his team disabled roadside IEDs. Also, filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan on his film Margaret and Fresh Air celebrates Woody Guthrie's birthday.
'Margaret': The Tortured Journey Of A Girl, On Screen
Saturday, July 14 2012 01:34 AM
David Edelstein says the extended cut of Kenneth Lonergan's second film is "as close to a masterpiece as any American film in a decade." Never widely screened, the film, starring Anna Paquin, is out now on DVD. (Recommended)
Tanglewood Celebrates 75th With Free Web Stream
Saturday, July 14 2012 01:34 AM
Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is celebrating its 75th anniversary. To celebrate, the BSO is streaming a different historic Tanglewood concert on its website every day for 75 days.
Aaron Paul: Playing A Meth Dealer On 'Breaking Bad'
Saturday, July 14 2012 01:33 AM
Student-turned-drug dealer Jesse Pinkman was supposed to die in the first season of the AMC drama. But the writers decided the chemistry between high school teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul) was too good to let go.
The 'Political Animals' Running Washington, D.C.
Friday, July 13 2012 01:40 AM
Greg Berlanti's new series on the USA Network stars Sigourney Weaver as the secretary of state and former first lady. Critic John Powers says he suspects that "even a Martian" would realize Weaver's character is based on Hillary Clinton — and that's not a bad thing.
Fresh Air Celebrates Woody Guthrie At 100
Friday, July 13 2012 01:40 AM
The legendary folksinger wrote hundreds of political songs, children's tunes and ballads, including "This Land Is Your Land," "Pastures of Plenty" and "Pretty Boy Floyd." Many of his tracks appear on a new CD box set released by Smithsonian Folkways.
'A Door In The Ocean' Leads To Dark Depths
Thursday, July 12 2012 01:48 AM
In his new memoir, David McGlynn describes how his teenage years were disrupted by violence. McGlynn was a swimmer who turned to evangelical Christianity in college. A Door in the Ocean is a compelling coming-of-age story marked by random tragedy and biblical tracts, church coffee and chlorine.
'Margaret:' Inside The 'Fall' Of A Teenager
Thursday, July 12 2012 01:48 AM
Kenneth Lonergan's critically acclaimed film Margaret stars Anna Paquin as Lisa, a Manhattan teenager who tries to make sense of a bus accident she may have caused — one that resulted in a woman's death.
'St. Matthew Passion': A Monumental Bach Feast
Wednesday, July 11 2012 01:59 AM
Bach's oratorio The St. Matthew Passion has been called the Mount Everest of Western classical music. For some three and a half hours, it tells the story of Jesus' last days, based on the Gospel of St. Matthew. A new DVD deals with this monumental work in an original way.
After Troops Leave, What Happens To Afghanistan?
Wednesday, July 11 2012 01:59 AM
New Yorker reporter Dexter Filkins just returned from his latest reporting trip to Afghanistan. "The United States is leaving: mission not accomplished," he writes.
'The Life That Follows' Disarming IEDs In Iraq
Tuesday, July 10 2012 01:34 AM
Brian Castner commanded two Explosive Ordnance Disposal units in Iraq, where his team disabled roadside IEDs and investigated the aftermath of roadside car bombings. He returned home a completely different man, which he details in his memoir, The Long Walk.
Fresh Air Weekend: Summer Cooking From Top Chefs
Sunday, July 08 2012 01:50 AM
Jack Bishop and Bridget Lancaster highlight some of their favorite grilling techniques and summer recipes. Also, James Beard award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson explains what it takes to work in America's finest kitchens.
'Savages': A Violent, Drug-Induced High
Saturday, July 07 2012 02:23 AM
Oliver Stone's new film Savages is a violent thriller starring Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson as pot growers caught up in a Mexican drug war. Critic David Edelstein says the movie is deeper and more complicated than Stone's famously bloody Natural Born Killers.
Big K.R.I.T.: Music Straight 'From The Underground'
Saturday, July 07 2012 02:23 AM
A Southern hip-hop artist, Big K.R.I.T. recently released his major-label debut, titled Live From the Underground. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the album takes the audience on a trip through K.R.I.T.'s own version of Southern history.
James Murphy: The Brains Behind 156311683
Saturday, July 07 2012 02:22 AM
The pop-dance-electronic group's founder tells Terry Gross why he stopped complaining about other bands and decided to start making his own music instead.
Linda Oh: Connecting Points On A Musical Map
Friday, July 06 2012 01:46 AM
Bassist Linda Oh's story is so compelling, everyone who writes about her mentions it: how she was born in Malaysia to Chinese parents, who emigrated to western Australia when she was three. Oh's second album is out. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says her music also covers a lot of ground.
AIDS In Black America: A Public Health Crisis
Friday, July 06 2012 01:46 AM
AIDS is the primary killer of African-Americans ages 19 to 44, and the mortality rate is 10 times higher for black Americans than for whites. A new Frontline documentary explores why.
Jimmy Fallon's Tribute To Neil Young
Thursday, July 05 2012 01:41 AM
Fallon talks with Terry Gross about listening to the radio and doing impressions of people like Neil Young.
Neil Young's Fascination With 'Americana'
Thursday, July 05 2012 01:41 AM
Young's latest album with Crazy Horse, Americana, features songs many of us learned as children, like "Oh Susannah" and "Clementine."
The dB's: Still Plaintive After All These Years
Wednesday, July 04 2012 01:35 AM
The dB's, led by singer-songwriter-guitarists Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, hasn't made an album with the original line-up in 30 years. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the band's new album, Falling Off the Sky, sweeps aside decades and nostalgia to achieve a vital sound for today.
Summer Cooking Tips From 'America's Test Kitchen'
Wednesday, July 04 2012 01:35 AM
Jack Bishop and Bridget Lancaster highlight some of their favorite grilling techniques and summer recipes — everything from meats to vegetables to, yes, even desserts.
'The Age Of Miracles' Considers Earth's Fragility
Tuesday, July 03 2012 01:45 AM
In Karen Thompson Walker's first book, climate change makes the Earth's rotation grow more and more sluggish, but this melancholy page-turner is more than just a disaster plot.
Assessing The Supreme Court's Recent Term
Tuesday, July 03 2012 01:45 AM
The health care case wasn't the only important decision rendered by the court during its recent term. New York Times reporter Adam Liptak rounds up the session's most important cases — including ones addressing immigration, campaign finance and Guantanamo detainees.
Fresh Air Weekend: Alec Baldwin, College Tuition
Sunday, July 01 2012 01:36 AM
The star of 30 Rock has two films out this summer, Rock of Ages and To Rome with Love. And we talk to a policy expert about rising college tuition. College is now four times more expensive than it was 3 decades ago. Also, Ken Tucker review's Fiona Apple's latest.
'Beasts': Taking Southern Folklore To The Next Level
Saturday, June 30 2012 02:03 AM
Beasts of the Southern Wild came out of nowhere to win the Camera d'Or at Cannes and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. The fable-like film, starring 6-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis, takes place after a storm ravages Louisiana. (Recommended)
R.A. Dickey On 'Winding Up' As A Knuckleballer
Saturday, June 30 2012 02:03 AM
New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey is currently the only knuckleball pitcher in the major leagues. His new memoir, Wherever I Wind Up, explains how his life — and career — have mimicked the unpredictable trajectory of the difficult pitch he throws game after game.
'Louie': TV's Most Original Comedy Returns
Friday, June 29 2012 01:31 AM
Fresh Air's critic at large, John Powers, says Louis C.K.'s raunchy FX show is changing the way comedy is done — for the better. "More than any TV comedy ever, it's all about capturing moments of truth and freshness," he says.
Marcus Samuelsson: On Becoming A Top Chef
Friday, June 29 2012 01:31 AM
The James Beard award-winning chef was the youngest ever to receive a three-star review from The New York Times. His new memoir, Yes, Chef, explains what it takes to be a master chef — and describes his journey from Ethiopia to Sweden to some of America's finest restaurants.
A Laugh A Minute, On Screen And In Life
Thursday, June 28 2012 01:38 AM
Nora Ephron, the essayist, novelist, screenwriter and film director, died Tuesday night in Manhattan. She was 71, and suffered from leukemia. Fresh Air remembers the creator of Silkwood and When Harry Met Sally with excerpts from a 2006 interview from WHYY's Radio Times.
Why Flying Is No Fun (And May Be More Dangerous)
Thursday, June 28 2012 01:38 AM
Airline veteran and writer William McGee says airlines' aggressive cost-cutting hasn't just added fees and hassles. He says they're taking steps that compromise safety — and regulators are letting it happen.
Taboo Revival: Talking Private Parts In Public Places
Tuesday, June 26 2012 01:36 AM
Earlier this month, there was a national uproar when a Michigan state legislator was disciplined for using a clinical sexual term during a debate. According to linguist Geoff Nunberg, it was just one of many such incidents that reflect a trend he calls the New Reticence.
Fresh Air Remembers Broadway's Richard Adler
Tuesday, June 26 2012 01:36 AM
Richard Adler, who co-wrote the musicals The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees with his partner, Jerry Ross, died Thursday at his home in Southampton, N.Y. He was 90. Fresh Air remembers the composer and lyricist with excerpts from a 1990 interview.
About Fresh Air
Fresh Air is one of the most popular programs on public radio, breaking the "talk show" mold, and Gross is known for her fearless and insightful interviews with prominent figures in American arts, politics, and popular culture.
Hosted by Terry Gross