Terry Gross appears in the following:
Remembering Max Cleland, former Georgia senator and Vietnam veteran
Friday, November 12, 2021
Cleland was a decorated Army veteran who lost three limbs while serving in Vietnam. After the the war, he dedicated his life to public service. He died Nov. 9. Originally broadcast in 2009.
A Marine veteran says the contradictions of war can make you feel insane
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Elliot Ackerman served five tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, during which time, he says, he witnessed the absolute worst — as well as the absolute best — that human beings are capable of.
Andie MacDowell draws from the chaos and darkness of her childhood for 'Maid'
Monday, November 08, 2021
MacDowell grew up with a mother who was mentally ill and addicted to alcohol. "Understanding the complexity of mental illness was something that I'm versed in," she says.
British actor Terence Stamp reflects on London in the swinging '60s
Friday, November 05, 2021
Stamp is currently playing the Silver Haired Gentleman in the film Last Night in Soho, which is partly set in 1960s London. It's a period he knows well. Originally broadcast in 2002.
Investigation finds federal agencies dismissed threats ahead of the Jan. 6 attack
Thursday, November 04, 2021
Washington Post reporter Carol Leonnig says President Trump froze key federal agencies, including the FBI and Dept. of Defense, whose job it was to investigate and stop threats to national security.
Paul McCartney knew he'd never top The Beatles — and that's just fine with him
Wednesday, November 03, 2021
The forthcoming documentary Get Back revisits The Beatles' final days together. McCartney says he took the band's breakup hard: "It was quite difficult, because I didn't know what to do at all."
Remembering 'Bosom Buddies' and 'Girls' actor Peter Scolari
Friday, October 29, 2021
Scolari, who died Oct. 22, played opposite Tom Hanks in the ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies, and later co-starred in Newhart. He won an Emmy for his role on Girls. Originally broadcast in 1988.
'Fresh Air' celebrates master magician Ricky Jay
Friday, October 29, 2021
The noted sleight-of-hand artist, who died in 2018, was also a scholar of con games and oddities. This week, Sotheby's auctioned off part of Jay's 10,000-item collection. Originally broadcast in 1998.
Trump's strategy to overturn the 2020 election didn't work. Next time it might
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Robert Costa's book Peril, which he co-wrote with Bob Woodward, goes inside Trump's war room on the eve of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Costa says the 2024 election could trigger a constitutional crisis.
After years of trying to be likable, Katie Couric is letting that go
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
The former Today co-host recently bought a T-shirt that says, "I'm not for everyone." Her new memoir, Going There, is a candid look at the successes and setbacks she's experienced as a journalist.
For Oscar Isaac, life — and acting — is all about impermanence
Thursday, October 21, 2021
Isaac says the bonds he makes on set are both meaningful and transient: "You have these really intense months ... and then it goes away." He stars in Dune, The Card Counter and Scenes from a Marriage.
Remembering Gary Paulsen, author of 'Dogsled' and 'Hatchet'
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
The Newbery award-winning author, who died Oct. 13, wrote over 200 books, many of which were tales of adventure aimed at young adults. In 1994, Paulsen talked about Alaska's Iditarod dog sled race.
Billy Porter makes peace with himself: 'I set myself free, honey. No more secrets'
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Fourteen years after his initial diagnosis, the Pose actor revealed publicly that he is HIV-positive. Porter says being open about his health status felt like a rebirth. His new memoir is Unprotected.
'Genius' actor Cynthia Erivo opens up her voice on 'Ch. 1 Vs. 1'
Monday, October 18, 2021
The British actor and singer played abolitionist Harriet Tubman in Harriet, and Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha. Now Erivo has a debut album. "I sing often with a bit of a smile," she says.
'Fresh Air' remembers Colin Powell, former secretary of state
Monday, October 18, 2021
The U.S.'s first Black national security advisor, chairman of the Joint Chiefs and secretary of state died on Oct. 18. Powell spoke to Fresh Air in 1995 about how the army had shaped his life.
In 'Maid,' a single mother struggles to make it on minimum wage
Friday, October 15, 2021
While raising her young daughter, Stephanie Land cleaned houses to scrape by. It was back-aching work for low pay. Her memoir inspired the Netflix series, Maid. Originally broadcast Jan. 29, 2019.
The 'Pandora Papers' expose the secret financial dealings of the global elite
Thursday, October 14, 2021
Greg Miller of The Washington Post is part of the team that sifted through millions of documents to reveal how dictators, oligarchs, drug dealers and others hide assets in secret accounts.
Questlove spins the soundtrack of his life in 'Music is History'
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
In his new book, Roots co-founder Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson starts in 1971 and moves year-by-year through his life, writing about memories, turning points and the songs he listened to.
'Fresh Air' listens back to Nick Lowe's 2001 album, 'The Convincer'
Friday, October 08, 2021
British singer, songwriter and guitarist Lowe got his start in the '70s pub-rock era. His 2001 album, The Convincer, has been newly remastered and reissued. Originally broadcast in 2001 and 2011.
A more moderate Taliban? An Afghan journalist says nothing has changed
Thursday, October 07, 2021
Reporting from Kabul, Najibullah Quraishi says the Taliban's vice and virtue squads have reinstituted harsh punishments, including whipping, chopping off hands and even hanging people from cranes.