Scott Simon is an American journalist, and the host of National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Saturday. Born in Chicago, in 1952 or 1953, he is the son of comedian Ernie Simon and actress Patricia Lyons; his first novel is Pretty Birds.
Shows:
Scott Simon appears in the following:
Opinion: An Ode To Manny's Cafeteria And Delicatessen In Chicago
Saturday, July 18, 2020
NPR's Scott Simon tells the story of Manny's, a Jewish-style deli in Chicago that's been struggling during the pandemic.
'We Are Freestyle Love Supreme' Is An Accidental 'Hamilton' Cast Origin Story
Saturday, July 18, 2020
A new documentary catalogs the rise of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Christopher Jackson and other members of the hip-hop group Freestyle Love Supreme in the mid-2000s before they became famous on Broadway.
Opinion: What Lobsters And Ants Can Teach Us About Social Distancing
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Researchers have reported that some animals take precautions and keep their distance so they're less likely to be infected by another animal. Scott Simon wonders why some humans won't do the same.
'Utopia Avenue,' The Greatest Sixties Band That Never Was
Saturday, July 11, 2020
David Mitchell's new novel chronicles the rise and fall of fictional 1960s psychedelic rock band. He says he was drawn to both the music and the "dark magic that was in the air" in that era.
Opinion: Outplaying Segregation, Negro National League Hits 100-Year Milestone
Saturday, July 04, 2020
NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the 100th anniversary of the Negro National League as a response to segregation in major league baseball.
D. L. Hughley: 'Everybody Knows' Independence Day Didn't Free Us All
Saturday, July 04, 2020
In his new book, Surrender, White People!, Hughley suggests we consider whether our national holidays speak to the entire nation — along with other bitingly funny ideas for addressing injustice.
'A Most Beautiful Thing' Tells Of The First U.S. All-Black High School Rowing Team
Saturday, June 27, 2020
In A Most Beautiful Thing, Arshay Cooper shares the story of how he, and others from rival gang neighborhoods on Chicago's West Side, found their way to crew — and each other.
Opinion: Remembering The LGBT 'Aunts' And 'Uncles' Who Helped Raise Me
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Scott Simon reflects on the LGBTQ people who helped raise him, who would have benefited from the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in an employment discrimination case this week.
Doctor Warns Of Risks In Rush To Embrace A COVID-19 Treatment
Saturday, June 20, 2020
As researchers herald dexamethasone as a potential breakthrough treatment for critically ill patients, Dr. Kirsten Lyke says publicizing research that hasn't been rigorously vetted could erode trust.
In 'Love,' Roddy Doyle Mines The Past — Over Many, Many Pints
Saturday, June 20, 2020
In Doyle's new novel, two old friends meet at a Dublin pub for a night of reconnecting and hard drinking. Joe has a burning secret; Davy has a concealed sorrow.
'Perry Mason' Reboot Is No Rerun: This Is A 'Very Dark' Take, Says Matthew Rhys
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Welsh actor Matthew Rhys stars in the HBO version of the 1960s legal drama. This Perry Mason is a seamy, slovenly private eye in 1932 Los Angeles. "He doesn't fit in in any way," Rhys says.
Don Bryant Discusses New Album, Marriage and Love
Saturday, June 20, 2020
NPR's Scott Simon speaks with longtime soul singer Don Bryant about his new album You Make Me Feel.
Opinion: Let's Rethink The Names Behind Forts Benning And Bragg
Saturday, June 13, 2020
NPR's Scott Simon dusts off some history behind the naming of two army bases after Confederate officers, and what Braxton Bragg and Henry Benning actually stood for.
Delroy Lindo: I Think Of 'Da 5 Bloods' As 'A Love Story'
Saturday, June 13, 2020
Lindo stars in Spike Lee's new film about four black Vietnam vets who return decades later to bring home the body of a fallen friend. "These men are human beings ... loving human beings," he says."
Tune In To 'Up All Night' For The Story Of Daniel Schorr And The Birth Of CNN
Saturday, June 13, 2020
Former Murrow Boy Dan Schorr and "Mouth of the South" Ted Turner seem like an unlikely pairing — but when Turner was launching CNN 40 years ago, the veteran newsman was his first editorial employee.
Chicago Mayor Says Police Union Is 'Extraordinarily Reluctant To Embrace Reform'
Saturday, June 06, 2020
Lori Lightfoot says contracts with the city's police union have been "a significant problem and challenge in getting the reforms necessary."
Opinion: In The Shadow Of Protests, Turn To Ralph Ellison
Saturday, June 06, 2020
WIth protests continuing across the country in the wake of police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Scott Simon turns to Ralph Ellison's classic novel Invisible Man for wisdom.
In 'A Burning,' Striving, Dreaming And Joking In The Face Of Oppression
Saturday, June 06, 2020
Megha Majumdar's new novel is set during the aftermath of a terror attack in India, and examines the intersecting lives of three people affected by the events and the government's response.
How Nashville's HBCU-Owned Jazz Station Holds A Community Together
Saturday, June 06, 2020
NPR's Scott Simon talks with Sharon Kay, general manager of Fisk University's WFSK about serving its audience as protests continue in Nashville over police brutality.
Opinion: Larry Kramer, A Remembrance Of A Fierce AIDS Activist
Saturday, May 30, 2020
NPR's Scott Simon remembers AIDS activist Larry Kramer who died this week. He was 84.
