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Barry Manilow recently broke Elvis' record for performances in Las Vegas, and he has a new Broadway musical called Harmony. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2002 about his hits of the '70s and '80s and writing advertising jingles early in his career.
Film critic Justin Chang reviews the new film Poor Things, starring Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe.
In his new book, Kenan Thompson shares stories from his life and career, like his early days at SNL, his estrangement from his longtime co-star Kel Mitchell, and how he was conned by an accountant, lost all of his Nickelodeon money and had to file for bankruptcy. "It's humbling when people in the McDonald's drive-thru line recognize you, and then they also recognize that you're paying for a meal with change," he tells Tonya Mosley. His new book is When I Was Your Age.
Also, John Powers reviews the documentary Anselm.
More than half of the population menstruates, and yet there is still so much shame and stigma surrounding what is a normal part of life. We talk with filmmaker Lina Lyte Plioplyte about her new documentary Periodical. The film looks at the origins of the cultural stigma around periods. We also talk about period poverty, taxation on menstrual products, and reframing how we think about menopause.
The documentary is streaming on Peacock and airing on MSNBC.
Also, Maureen Corrigan shares her picks for the 10 best books of the year.
The former representative says a second Trump presidency would be an "existential threat" to democracy: "There's simply no defense, no excuse for putting that power back in the hands of Donald Trump."
Dave Davies, Fresh Air's longtime fill-in host, is cutting back workload on the show. Today we're paying tribute to him — by listening to clips of some of his memorable interviews. And we'll talk about his reporting career in Philadelphia and the odd jobs he had along the way.
Computer scientist Joy Buolamwini coined the term the "coded gaze" while in grad school at MIT. As a brown-skinned woman, the facial recognition software program she was working on couldn't detect her face until she put on a white mask. She's written a book about the potential harms of AI — which include the social implications of bias and how it affects everyone.
Also, we'll talk about UFO conspiracy theories with journalist Garrett Graff. He talks with us about how they've led to other conspiracy theories about the government.
And Justin Chang will review the latest film by Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron.
Maddow's new book, Prequel, chronicles the the ultra right-wing groups that sided with Hitler's Germany and plotted to overthrow the U.S. government before World War II. The plot led to the largest sedition trial in American history. The book is also about sitting members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives who colluded with a Nazi agent to spread Nazi propaganda to millions of Americans with the help of American taxpayers money. Prequel is based on Maddow's hit podcast series, Ultra.
Also, Justin Chang reviews The Boy and the Heron, by Hayao Miyazaki.
Journalist Ari Berman says both the Supreme Court and the lower courts are working to dismantle the 1965 law that's considered one of the most effective pieces of civil rights legislation ever enacted in the U.S. "It's precisely because it worked and because it worked so well that there has been such a dedicated effort for 50 plus years to try to weaken and nullify it," Berman says.
Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews two mysteries: Alexis Soloski's Here in the Dark and The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose.
Journalist Tim Alberta grew up in a conservative, republican, evangelical church, where his father was the pastor. He wanted to know why so many evangelical Christians had become extremists, and ardent supporters of Trump. Over the past 4 years, he traveled to churches around the country, reporting on pastors and congregants who backed Trump, and those who felt forced out of their church because they couldn't support him. His new book is The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory.
Computer scientist and AI expert Joy Buolamwini warns that facial recognition technology is riddled with the biases of its creators. She is the author of Unmasking AI and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League. She coined the term "coded gaze," a cousin to the "white gaze" or "male gaze." She says, "This is ... about who has the power to shape technology and whose preferences and priorities are baked in — as well as also, sometimes, whose prejudices are baked in."
Also, we remember former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died at age 96 last week. She spoke with Terry Gross in 1984.
We talk with journalist Garrett Graff about his new book, UFO: The Inside Story of the U.S. Government's Search of Alien Life Here – and Out There. It's about reported sightings, how they've been investigated by the military, what secrets the military keeps and why, and the scientificsearch for extraterrestrial intelligence. He says that the government is absolutely covering up information about what's in the skies, but not for the reasons you may think.
Later, John Powers reviews the new romantic comedy, Fallen Leaves.
We hear some live music and conversation from two of the best traditional jazz musicians around, trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso and guitarist Matt Munisteri. In 2007, they founded the band The EarRegulars, who play Sunday nights at a very old bar in Greenwich Village called the EAR Inn. They have a new live album.
David Bianculli reviews the new season of Fargo.
Then we hear from playwright Larissa FastHorse. She's the first known Native American woman to have a show on Broadway with The Thanksgiving Play. It's a satire that pokes fun at political correctness and the way we talk – and think about – indigenous people in America.
Leslie Jones says performing stand-up for the first time as a freshman in college felt like putting on a shirt that fit perfectly: "It was just so natural." She spoke with Tonya Mosley about the best advice she got, her bittersweet time at SNL, and why she loves physical comedy. Her memoir is Leslie F*cking Jones.
Also, Justin Chang reviews the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan.
Pianist Jason Moran talks jazz and plays selections from his latest recording, which borrows from the music of James Reese Europe, the composer and musician who led the all-Black Harlem Hellfighters regiment band during WWI. Moran's new album is called From the Dancehall to the Battlefield, and it features Moran's take on Europe's compositions and pop music of that time.
In 2007, trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso and guitarist Matt Munisteri founded the band The EarRegulars, who play Sunday nights at a very old bar in Greenwich Village called the Ear Inn. But don't let the word "traditional" fool you. Although some of the songs they play are a hundred years old, the way they play is vibrant and exciting. They brought their instruments to the studio to play us some tunes.
Larissa FastHorse's satire, The Thanksgiving Play, focuses on four well-meaning white people trying to put on a politically correct school production for Native American history month. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about diversifying Broadway, her rewrite of Peter Pan, and changes she suggested for the Macy's Thanksgving Day Parade.
Stephanie Land's 2019 memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother's Will to Survive was a visceral portrait of living in poverty as a single mom, cleaning houses. It was a bestseller and later adapted into a critically acclaimed Netflix series. Now Land has a new book, Class, about her experience juggling college, motherhood, and work. During that time she experienced food insecurity, and struggled to get government assistance. "I see such a lack of empathy toward people who live in the margins of society," she tells Tonya Mosley.
Also, rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the new album from guitarist Marnie Stern, and David Bianculli reviews the latest season of Fargo.
This week, Rupert Murdoch stepped down from his position as chair and CEO of Fox, and his son Lachlan replaced him. How might Fox change under Lachlan's leadership? And how has it already changed since Tucker Carlson was fired? Brian Stelter, author of the book Network of Lies,explains.
Film critic Justin Chang reviews the black comedy May December, directed by Todd Haynes.
Sofia Coppola talks about her new movie, Priscilla. It portraysthe relationship between Priscilla and Elvis Presley — from Priscilla's point of view. The two met when she was 14 and he was 24. Coppola makes films about the internal lives of young women, including The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Lost in Translation.
Comic, actor, screenwriter and director Albert Brooks is the subject of a new HBO documentary called Defending My Life. It examines his career from his standup in the late '60s to his films including Real Life, Modern Romance, and Lost in America. It's directed by Brooks' longtime friend Rob Reiner. Brooks spoke with Terry Gross in 1996.
Also, Justin Chang reviews May December, directed by Todd Haynes, which dramatizes a '90s tabloid story.
In The Invisible Ache, actor Courtney B. Vance and psychologist Dr. Robin L. Smith examine the mental health crisis affecting Black men and boys. According to the CDC, the rate of suicide among Black men and boys "is accelerating faster than any other group in the United States," Dr. Robin says. She attributes the rise to historical racial trauma, compounded by the current nationwide epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Vance lost both his father and his godson to suicide. He has spent years trying to understand the pain his father suffered in silence, and to heal the generational trauma.
Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new album by pianist Angelica Sanchez.
This week, Rupert Murdoch steps down from his position as chair and CEO of Fox, and his son Lachlan replaces him. How might Fox change under Lachlan's leadership? And how has it already changed since Tucker Carlson was fired? Today we discuss that with Brian Stelter, author of the new book Network of Lies: The Epic Saga of Fox News, Donald Trump, and the Battle for American Democracy.
Also, David Bianculli reviews the mini-series The Curse, starring Emma Stone and the series co-creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie.
We go inside the first days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine with journalist Mstyslav Chernov. He and his team were the only international journalists to spend the first 20 days covering the siege of the city of Mariupol. "I just understood that we need to record everything. Every frame, every second."A new PBS FRONTLINE documentary features their images — the constant shelling of the city, mass graves, and graphic images of women and children who are suffering and dying. Chernov is a video journalist for the Associated Press. He and his team won a Pulitzer Prize for their work in Mariupol.
Later, Maureen Corrigan reviews a new short story collection by Claire Keegan.
Throughout her career, Barbra Streisand's mother would send her bad reviews of her performances. The intention was to prevent her daughter from getting a "swelled head," but they also served as fuel for a woman who was determined to be a star. The EGOT-winning icon spoke with Terry Gross about her career and her memoir, My Name is Barbra.
Co-founder of The Roots, Tariq Trotter (aka Black Thought), reflects on his difficult childhood in Philly, his decades-long friendship with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, and 50 years of hip-hop. Trotter's new memoir is The Upcycled Self.
For Veterans Day we're revisiting two interviews about war. 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. Ackerman is also a journalist, novelist, memoirist and National Book Award nominee. His Silver Star is for leading a platoon in the Battle of Fallujah in Iraq.
Historian Matthew Delmont talks about the more than one million Black people who served in the military in WWII, the contributions they made and discrimination they faced, and those who struggled for equality in civilian life. Delmont's book is Half American.
Film critic Justin Chang reviews David Fincher's new thriller, The Killer.
Before the war between Israel and Hamas, it sometimes looked as if Israel might be headed toward a civil war. At least that's what New York Times correspondent Isabel Kershner thought. She covers Israeli and Palestinian politics and society and has been covering the current war. A few months before the war, she published a book about divisions within Israel resulting from ideological, religious, ethnic, and generational differences, and how those differences help explain Israel's shift to the right. Her book is called The Land of Hope and Fear: Israel's Battle for Its Inner Soul.
Throughout her career, Barbra Streisand's mother would send her bad reviews of her performances. The intention was to prevent her daughter from getting a "swelled head," but they also served as fuel for a woman who was determined to be a star — despite all the forces in her life telling her no. "I don't know if it was like, 'I'll prove you wrong,' because [my mother] kept telling me to get a job as a secretary," Streisand says. "I just somehow always saw my future." The EGOT icon spoke with Terry Gross about her career and her memoir, My Name is Barbra.
Also, John Powers reviews the new Australian romantic comedy series Colin from Accounts on Paramount+.
Tariq Trotter, aka Black Thought, reflects on his difficult childhood in Philly, his decades-long friendship with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, and 50 years of hip-hop. Trotter's new memoir is The Upcycled Self.
Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews Rob Reiner's new HBO documentary about Albert Brooks.
Sofia Coppola's new movie is about the relationship between Priscilla and Elvis Presley --from Priscilla's point of view. The two met when she was 14 and he was 24. Coppola makes films about the internal lives of young women, including The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Lost in Translation, which she won an Oscar for in 2003. This fall she published her first book, Archive, which covers her career in film.
Also, rock critic Ken Tucker has an appreciation of a musician you may never have heard of: singer-songwriter Dwight Twilley.
David Byrne talks about his life and music. The Talking Heads movie Stop Making Sense – which many people consider the best concert film ever made – has been restored and remastered for its 40th anniversary.
Also, we'll talk about the capabilities and consequences of facial recognition technology with New York Times tech reporter Kashmir Hill. Her book is called Your Face Belongs to Us.
We remember actor Matthew Perry, who died last week at age 54. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2007 about auditioning to play Chandler Bing on Friends, and how overnight fame changed his life. And we'll listen back to our 2003 interview with his Friends co-star, Lisa Kudrow, about her time on the show.
Justin Chang reviews Priscilla, directed by Sofia Coppola.
It's the 40th anniversary of Talking Heads' masterpiece concert film, Stop Making Sense. A24 remastered and rereleased the movie, bringing it to new audiences and longtime fans. Talking Heads frontman David Byrne returns to Fresh Air to speak with Terry Gross about songwriting, dancing, and yes, the big suit.
The former Illinois congressman reflects on confronting the "fanaticism of the hardcore" of the GOP. Kinzinger served on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6th attack on the Capitol. His book is Renegade.
Historian Tanisha Ford tells Tonya Mosley the story of Harlem activist Mollie Moon, credited with raising millions to build economic and racial equality in the U.S. Ford's new book is Our Secret Society.
Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Alice McDermott's new novel, Absolution.
Werner Herzog talks with Terry Gross about the curiosity that's fueled his career.The filmmaker and writer is drawn to extremes: extreme characters, extreme settings, extreme scenarios. His new memoir is Every Man for Himself and God Against All.
Ken Tucker reviews the new album from The Rolling Stones.
In Past Lives, Greta Lee stars as a playwright caught between two men she loves. Lee says the film allowed her to explore the immigrant experience in a way that felt vulnerable — and personal. She spoke with Ann Marie Baldonado.
The author of such spy novels as The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Night Manager is the subject of a new documentary by Errol Morris called The Pigeon Tunnel. It features the final interviews with le Carré who died in 2020. It details his life as a writer and his earlier work as a spy for Britain's domestic and foreign intelligence services. We'll listen back to the interviews Terry Gross recorded with him in 1989 and 2017.
Also, Justin Chang reviews Alexander Payne's new comedy film The Holdovers.
Herzog reflects on the curiosity that's fueled his career in the new memoir, Every Man for Himself and God Against All. The filmmaker and writer is drawn to extremes: extreme characters, extreme settings, extreme scenarios. But don't mistake him for a mad man like some of his film subjects: "You have to control what is wild in you. You have to be disciplined. And people think I'm the wild guy out there but I'm a disciplined professional," he tells Terry Gross.
Later, Lloyd Schwartz reviews new releases that celebrate the late opera star Maria Callas's singing and acting.
Author Scott Eyman explains how silent film actor Charlie Chaplin was smeared in the press, scandalized for his affairs with young women, condemned for his alleged communist ties and banned from returning to the U.S. His book is Charlie Chaplin vs. America.
Also, Ken Tucker reviews The Rolling Stones' new album, Hackney Diamonds.
Jada Pinkett Smith spoke with Tonya Mosley about growing up in Baltimore, her career in Hollywood, and her friendship with Tupac.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Justin Torres' long awaited second novel, Blackouts, which has been shortlisted for the National Book Award.
Also, we'll hear from Keegan-Michael Key. Along with Jordan Peele, Key was half of the sketch comedy duo Key & Peele. He's now co-written The History of Sketch Comedy.
Martin Scorsese's film, based on David Grann's 2017 book, tells the true story of white men in the 1920s who married into and systematically murdered Osage families to gain claims to their oil-rich land. Grann spoke with Dave Davies about this story when the book came out.
Also, Justin Chang shares his review of the movie.
In Past Lives, Greta Lee stars as a playwright caught between two men she loves. Lee says the film allowed her to explore the immigrant experience in a way that felt vulnerable — and personal. She spoke with Ann Marie Baldonado about speaking Korean for the film, her mother's reaction to the film, and the muscle movies that made her want to act.
David Bianculli reviews the revival of Frasier.
The Alliance Defending Freedom is a Christian conservative legal group that has won 15 Supreme Court cases, including overturning Roe v. Wade. We talk with David Kirkpatrick, who wrote about the group in a New Yorker article titled "The Next Targets for the Group that Overturned Roe." Those next targets include further restricting or banning the abortion pill mifepristone, and limiting LGBTQ rights. We'll also talk about Kirkpatrick's recent interview with a senior political leader of Hamas.
Jada Pinkett Smith dominated headlines with the news that she and her husband, famed actor Will Smith, have been separated for 7 years. It was one of several explosive revelations in her new memoir Worthy. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about her unconventional marriage, life growing up in Baltimore, and her acting career. She also shares intimate details about her childhood friendship with the late rapper Tupac Shakur and the infamous slap at the Oscars.
Lawrence Wright, who is known for best selling books about Al Qaeda and Scientology, has a new novel about the colorful world of Texas politics. In Mr. Texas, a naive rancher lucks into a seat in the state legislature, where he meets lobbyists, influence peddlers, conspiracy mongers and power brokers. Wright spoke with Dave Davies about their home state.
Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Blackouts by Justin Torres.
Iranian American filmmaker Maryam Keshavarz was banned from returning to Iran after the release of her first feature, Circumstance, about Iran's youth underground culture, and two young women who fall in love. That film and her new one, The Persian Version, won the Audience Award at Sundance. She spoke with Terry Gross about her family and sneaking American pop music into Iran as a kid.
Ken Tucker will review a new Joni Mitchell box set of rare recordings from the early '70s.
Also, we'll hear from electronic music producer and DJ Jennifer Lee, better known as TOKiMONSTA. In 2016 she was diagnosed with a rare brain disease that required two surgeries — leaving her without the ability to hear sound or speak. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about her recovery and relearning the language of music.
Patrick Stewart is best known for starring as Jean-Luc Picard in two Star Trek series, 30 years apart. In his new memoir, Making It So, he shares details of his life growing up in working class in England. At 15, he left school and went on to become a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He spoke with Sam Briger in 2020 about those early years.
Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews the new film Anatomy of a Fall,which won the top prize at Cannes. And Ken Tucker reviews Volume 3 of the Joni Mitchell archive series from 1972-1975.
Baron joined The Washington Post in 2013 – just months before the paper was acquired by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. He led coverage of major news events including Donald Trump's election and presidency, the document leak describing the NSA's surveillance operations, and the murder of George Floyd. His new book is Collision of Power.
Also, John Powers reviews two books by Helen Garner.
We'll talk with terrorism expert Daniel Byman about the deadly foundations of the war between Israel and Hamas, and where the war may lead. Byman has written extensively about the Middle East. His books include A High Price: The Triumphs and Failures of Israeli Counterterrorism. He's a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a professor at Georgetown University.
The Key & Peele and Schmigadoon! star explains why he loves sketch comedy — watching it, performing it and writing about it. His book, with writing partner Elle Key, is The History of Sketch Comedy.
David Bianculli reviews Wes Anderson's adaptation of Roald Dahl short stories, now on Netflix.
Loosely based on Maryam Keshavarz's own life, The Persian Version centers on an Iranian American woman who identifies as bisexual and whose mother entered into an arranged marriage as a teen. Both this film and her 2011 movie Circumstance won the Audience Award at Sundance.
Musician Allison Russell talks and sings about the physical and sexual abuse she endured from her racist adoptive father — and about how she learned she was worthy of being loved. Her new album is The Returner.
David Bianculli reviews Wes Anderson's adaptations of Roald Dahl short stories, now on Netflix.
Also, Cat Bohannon talks about her new book Eve, which explores the development of the female body-- from its ability to produce milk to why women menstruate — and why women's bodies for so long have been left out of biological and medical research.
Holes spent more than 20 years investigating crimes in California and played a critical role in identifying the so-called Golden State Killer. His memoir Unmasked is out in paperback.
Also, John Powers reviews The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.
Huge swaths of the country are pivoting from fossil fuels, toward wind, solar and other renewables. New York Times climate reporter Brad Plumer discusses this progress and the roadblocks that lie ahead.
Poet and writer Safiya Sinclair grew up in a devout Rastafari family in Jamaica where women were subservient. When she cut her dreadlocks at age 19, she became "a ghost" to her father. Her new memoir is How to Say Babylon.
When it comes to biological and medical research, female bodies have historically been under-studied. Author Cat Bohannon traces the female body through evolutionary history in her new book, Eve. Shetalks about how women process opioids and painkillers differently, human menstruation, and the difference between male and female brains.
Music producer and DJ Jennifer Lee — aka TOKiMONSTA — underwent two brain surgeries in 2016 that temporarily stripped her of her ability to understand words or music. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about that life-altering experience and being in the male-dominated field of electronic music.
Also, Kevin Whitehead shares an appreciation of tenor saxophonist Von Freeman.
In her new memoir, comedian Leslie Jones writes about being on Saturday Night Live – and the years she spent working odd jobs to get by before she was famous.
Ken Tucker reviews Allison Russell's new album, The Returner.
Award-winning actor, producer, and activist Kerry Washington also has a new memoir. In Thicker Than Water, she examines her life, career and the discovery of a secret about her origins that her parents revealed to her just a few years ago.
Scottish actor David McCallum played an eccentric medical examiner on the CBS crime series NCIS, but he found fame nearly 60 years ago in his role as Russian agent Illya Kuryakin on the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. He died Sept. 25 at age 90.
Also, we feature our interview with Allen Ginsberg. A tribute album of musical interpretations of his poems will be released next week.
Film critic Justin Chang reviews the new futuristic action thriller The Creator.
The secretive company Clearview AI scans unidentified faces, and finds a match in their database of billions of photos. The pics are scraped from websites and apps, including Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, without the companies' permission. NYT tech reporter Kashmir Hill found that once your face is identified for a client, Clearview can quickly connect the client to a lot of information about you. Chances are your face is in Clearview's database, without your knowledge or permission. Clearview's clients include many police departments and some government agencies. Hill says it could spell the end of privacy. Her new book is Your Face Belongs To Us.
Russell talks and sings about the physical and sexual abuse she endured from her racist adoptive father — and about how she learned she was worthy of being loved. Her new album is The Returner.
Environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb says cars are killing animals, while highways cut off them off from their food sources and migration paths. His new book about road ecology is Crossings.
Maureen Corrigan reviews C Pam Zhang's Land of Milk and Honey.
Award-winning actor and producer Kerry Washington was an adult when she learned that she had been conceived via artificial insemination and the man she considered her father was not her biological dad. Her new memoir about her journey of self-discovery is Thicker than Water.
Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead celebrates Sam Rivers on what would've been his 100th birthday.
Casting director Allison Jones is considered one of the greatest comedy casting directors of our time. Her credits include films and TV shows like Freaks and Geeks, The Office, Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Bridesmaids, and now Barbie. She spoke with Terry Gross about some of these projects.
Maureen Corrigan reviews Lauren Groff's new novel, The Vaster Wilds.
Also, NPR's Scott Simon gives the history of why jazz was banned in Hitler's Germany, and how it was repurposed as propaganda on shortwave radio. His new audiobook is Swingtime for Hitler.
Billy Crudup stars in The Morning Show, now back for its third season. We also talk about going to rock star camp for his role in Almost Famous and his iconic Mastercard commercials.
Also, Justin Chang reviews A Haunting in Venice.
Leslie Jones says performing stand-up for the first time as a freshman in college felt like putting on a shirt that fit perfectly: "It was just so natural." She talks with Tonya Mosley about the best advice she got, her bittersweet time at SNL, and why she loves physical comedy. Her memoir is Leslie F*cking Jones.
Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Lauren Groff's new novel, The Vaster Wilds.
Hitler's Germany banned jazz because it was deemed degenerate music made by Jews and Black people. But NPR host Scott Simon says the Nazis used it abroad to weaken British and American resolve. His new audiobook about this history is Swingtime for Hitler.
Comedian, writer, and actor Aparna Nancherla has starred in the TV shows BoJack Horseman, Master of None, and Corporate. She's written for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, and Late Night with Seth Meyers, and has comedy specials on Netflix and Comedy Central. She spoke with Ann Marie Baldonado about her anxiety, depression, and imposter syndrome, despite her career success. Her new book is Unreliable Narrator.
John Powers reviews the Paramount TV+ heist drama series The Gold.
Grammy and Oscar-winning music producer Mark Ronson is known for his party hits, pop songs, soulful arrangements, and producing for stars like Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, and Adele. His latest project is the Barbie soundtrack and score.
We talk with Bethann Hardison about her 50+ year career as a trailblazer in the fashion world. She started modeling in the late '60s during the height of the Black is Beautiful movement. There's a new documentary about her life and career called Invisible Beauty.
The Army and Navy are testing weapons with remarkable capabilities, using cutting edge technology and AI. Terry Gross spoke with Eric Lipton of the New York Times about his investigation into the weapons, the need to modernize, and the obstacles in the way.
The Barbie movie is just the latest example of why Allison Jones is considered one of the greatest comedy casting directors of our time. She casted films and TV shows like Freaks and Geeks, The Office, Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Superbad and Bridesmaids. We talk about casting Steve Carell in The Office, auditioning Jason Segel as a teenager, and what she's learned about acting from doing cameos of herself.
Also, Ken Tucker reviews Allison Russell's new album, The Returner.
We talk with Bethann Hardison about her 50+ year career as a trailblazer in the fashion world. She started modeling in the late '60s during the height of the Black is Beautiful movement. With her brown skin and short afro, Hardison describes herself as being the first "Black Black" looking model. Later, she was one of the first Black women to own a modeling agency. There's a new documentary about her life and career called Invisible Beauty.
John Powers reviews two films about the 1973 coup in Chile.
Zadie Smith talks about her new book, The Fraud. It's a historicalnovel, but its themes of gender inequality, class, and the enduring damages of slavery, are very connected to the present.
David Bianculli reviews the new Apple+ series The Changeling, starring LaKeith Stanfield.
Comic Maria Bamford's new memoir, Sure, I'll Join Your Cult, is about the lengths she's taken to fit in — from self-help books, to 12-step programs — and why making fun of her anxiety, depression, and OCD has been a powerful medicine.
The son of Taiwanese immigrants, New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu defined himself as a teen by the music he loved. The murder of a close friend when he was in college changed the course of his life. He tells this story in his memoir, Stay True, whichwon a Pulitzer this year.
David Bianculli reviews the new Apple+ series The Changeling, starring LaKeith Stanfield.
Grammy and Oscar-winning music producer Mark Ronson is known for his party hits, pop songs, and soulful arrangements, producing for stars like Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, and Adele. His latest project is the Barbie soundtrack and score. We talk about the year he and his collaborator Andrew Wyatt spent conceptualizing, producing, and composing songs for the album which features Nicki Minaj, Sam Smith, Billie Eilish, and Dua Lipa.
Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright.
Comic Maria Bamford talks about — and jokes about — serious and dark topics like her anxiety, depression, and intrusive thoughts from OCD. Her new memoir is about the lengths she's gone to fit in, from self-help books to 12-step programs. It's called Sure, I'll Join Your Cult.
Also, John Powers reviews the Danish crime series Face to Face.
Zadie Smith is known for her essays and novels about contemporary life and art. But her new book, The Fraud, is a historical novel, set in Victorian England. Her characters are dealing with some of the same issues we face today — gender inequality, class divisions, and the perpetual consequences of slavery. Smith spoke with Terry Gross about the novel, aging, history, and how writing is an exercise in control rather than creativity.
We wrap up our hip-hop history series with our 2010 interview with Sean Carter, A.K.A. Jay-Z, one of the most successful rappers of all time. He's won 24 Grammys and holds the record for the most No. 1 albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200. In 2019 he became the first hip-hop billionaire.
Our celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop continues with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, drummer and co-founder of The Roots. He was born in 1971 and says he and hip-hop grew up together.
Also, Public Enemy's Chuck D talks about the song "Fight the Power" and the powers they were fighting. And we'll listen back to a conversation with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, A.K.A. Puff Daddy. He made his name—or names—in the hip-hop world as a record producer and rapper.
We continue our celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and feature interviews from our archive with the RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan, and André Benjamin, A.K.A. André 3000, from Outkast. Both have done solo work and have acted in films.
Our hip-hop history week continues, with interviews with two groups known for their clever lyrics and inventive use of samples. First, De La Soul, a group from Long Island, that sampled music from Schoolhouse Rock to James Brown, for their 1989 album, 3 Feet High and Rising. We'll hear our interview from 2000 with De La Soul's Vincent Mason and the late Dave "Trugoy" Jolicoeur.
Also from our archive, a 2006 interview with the Beastie Boys: Mike Diamond, Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock), and Adam Yauch. They had the first hip-hop album to reach number 1 on the pop chart. Yauch died in 2012.
Our hip-hop history series continues, featuring interviews from our archive with Ice-T, one of the early gangsta rappers. He went on to star as a detective in Law & Order: SVU. Also, Queen Latifah, the first female rap solo artist to earn a gold album. She now stars in the TV series The Equalizer. Ice-T spoke with Terry Gross in 1994 and Queen Latifah in 1999.
We continue our celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with Darryl McDaniels, co-founder of one of rap's oldest groups, Run-DMC. We'll also hear from LL Cool J, and from record producer Nile Rodgers, the guitarist and co-founder of the disco group Chic. He'll talk about coming up with the bass line for the song "Good Times" which was used in Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight."
This week we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. We'll hear interviews with some of the most influential rappers and DJ's of the past few decades. Today, we kick things off with three hip-hop pioneers.
First, DJ Kool Herc, who is considered the first DJ to isolate the breaks — the most danceable beats in a record — and repeat them to keep the dancers going.
Then, Grandmaster Flash, who was one of the first DJ's to make successful recordings. He'll describe some of the turntable techniques he developed.
Finally, we'll hear from Melle Mel, the rapper with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Their record "The Message" was the first successful rap record that offered social commentary.
For years, hip-hop has been dominated by men and hyper-masculine lyrics. That's changing. "The girls and the gays are running things. They're the cultural crusaders at this point," says Sidney Madden.She co-hosts the NPR podcast Louder Than A Riot with Rodney Carmichael. They'll both join us to discuss the podcast's second season, which focuses on hip-hop's strain of misogyny and homophobia, and how a new generation of women and queer artists are refusing to stand for it. We'll also revisit the legacy of the late rapper Biggie Smalls with journalist Justin Tinsley.
It's been 50 years since David Bowie retired his famous alter-ego Ziggy Stardust onstage, stunning his fans and some of his bandmates. The film capturing that performance, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, has been restored and reissued. Bowie spoke with Terry Gross in 2002.
Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new album of Verdi choruses, and Justin Chang reviews Bottoms.
The New Yorker writer says Elon Musk's Starlink satellites are key to providing internet to Ukraine in its war with Russia, giving Musk an influence that's "more like a nation state than an individual." Farrow won a Pulitzer for his 2017 exposé of Harvey Weinstein.
Journalist Justin Tinsley discusses the life and legacy of Biggie Smalls, a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G., who was killed in 1997: "You can't talk about the story of hip-hop without mentioning the name Biggie Smalls." Tinsley's book is It Was All A Dream: Biggie and the World That Made Him.
And John Powers reviews the Japanese TV series Midnight Diner.
Growing up in the South, Drew Gilpin Faust rejected the narrative she was fed about slavery and the Civil War. She writes about her journey to activism and becoming the first woman president of Harvard University in Necessary Trouble. She spoke with Terry Gross about being groomed to be a Southern lady, affirmative action, and why we need to confront our uncomfortable past.
As hip-hop marks its 50th anniversary, Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael, the co-hosts of the NPR podcast Louder Than A Riot, are taking a hard look back — and ahead — at a genre that male artists and hyper-masculine lyrics once dominated. The first season of Louder Than A Riot investigated the connection between hip-hop and mass incarceration. In its second and final season, the podcast examines the misogynoir that has long plagued the genre— and highlights artists that are pushing back. Carmichael says the topic is "well past due, but also right on time."
Also, Ken Tucker reviews Bush Tetras' album They Live In My Head.
Christopher Nolan's new film Oppenheimer is about the man who's known as the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. "Like it or not, we live in Oppenheimer's world and we always will," Nolan says.
We also hear from humorist R. Eric Thomas. His new book of essays is called Congratulations, the Best Is Over! In it, Thomas explores what it's like to move back to his hometown of Baltimore as a middle-aged man.
Later, Maureen Corrigan reviews the new novel by James McBride.
The FX/Hulu series Reservation Dogs follows four teens on an Oklahoma Indian reservation who are frustrated and alienated, caught between what's left of traditional Native culture on the reservation and the broader pop culture. Co-creator and showrunner Sterlin Harjo spoke with Terry Gross last year about his own upbringing in Indian Territory. The show is now in its third and final season.
Also, we listen back to an archival interview with Exorcist director William Friedkin. He died August 7th.
Also, Justin Chang reviews The Adults starring Michael Cera.
Criminal justice reporter Maurice Chammah recently wrote an op-ed for the New York Times about the power of music programs in prison. He says at a time when the criminal system is at an impasse, music, and art can cultivate hope and dignity for prisoners and possibly change how we think about the people who make it. "It allows you to really hold in your mind anger about a crime, and then separately an understanding that this is a human being and there's more to say about them than their crime." Chammah also talks with us about the rich history of prison music in the U.S., dating all the way back to the 1930s.
Playrwright and humorist R. Thomas' new book, Congratulations, the Best Is Over!, is about middle age, and what it was like to reluctantly return to his hometown of Baltimore as an adult — when both he and the city had changed. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about life transitions, church, and why he doesn't want to talk about The Wire.
Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new Blue Note box set by pianist Sonny Clark.
Christopher Nolan talks about writing and directing the new film Oppenheimer, about the man who's known as the father of the atom bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Nolan also directed the WWII movie Dunkirk, The Dark Knight, and Inception. The film is about Oppenheimer's leading role in the race to develop the bomb before the Nazis. But after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he became an arms control advocate, opposed building the hydrogen bomb, and was targeted during the anti-communist witch hunts of the 1950s.
Later, Maureen Corrigan reviews the new novel by James McBride.
Pianist Jason Moran joins us at the piano to play his take on the WWI-era music of James Reese Europe. And we'll hear from writer Andre Dubus III. His new novel, Such Kindness, asks how a person gets on with life after an accident that leads to disability and flames of chronic pain.
78 years ago this week atomic bombs destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — and questions linger about the U.S. decision to use the weapons. For the anniversary, we're revisiting archival interviews about the bombings. Author and psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton says American justifications are based on a myth. Writer Evan Thomas concludes using the weapons likely saved countless lives — including Japanese soldiers and civilians. And Lesley M.M. Blume focuses on what U.S. military censors hid from the American public about the effects of the bombs.
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jennifer Senior shares the pain of her family in a new piece for The Atlantic titled, "The Ones We Sent Away." In it, Senior tells the story of her Aunt Adele, who was institutionalized for her entire life because of her intellectual and developmental disability, beginning at 21 months old. Senior found out about her aunt when she herself was 12, believing up until then that her mother was an only child.
Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new season of Only Murders in the Building.
When Shane McCrae was 3, his maternal grandparents, who were white supremacists, kidnapped him from his father, who is Black. His new memoir is Pulling the Chariot of the Sun.
Also, Ken Tucker reviews MeShell Ndegeocello's album The Omnichord Real Book.
Andrew Leland started losing his sight 20 years ago. He's now legally blind, although he still has a narrow field of vision, which allows him to see about 6% of what a fully-sighted person sees. In his new memoir, The Country of the Blind, he explores different kinds of perception, and shares his experience adapting to his new reality.
Also, Justin Chang reviews the film Passages.
Moran talks jazz and plays selections from his latest recording, which borrows from the music of James Reese Europe, the composer and musician who led the Harlem Hellfighters regiment band during WWI. Moran's new album is called 'From the Dancehall to the Battlefield,' and it features Moran's take on Europe's compositions and pop music of that time. It's available only on Bandcamp.
Richard E. Grant (Withnail & I, Can You Ever Forgive Me?) was married to Joan Washington, an acclaimed dialect coach, for 35 years. He writes about their relationship and her death from cancer in the new memoir, A Pocketful of Happiness.
Also, podcast critic Nick Quah reviews Dreamtown.
Comic Leanne Morgan calls herself the "Mrs. Maisel of Appalachia." She says she's interested in speaking to an audience that she says gets forgotten — middle-aged women, mothers, and people in rural America. She has a new Netflix special called I'm Every Woman.
Actor Paul Reubens, who created the character Pee-wee Herman, died July 30 at age 70. His joyful, odd and subversive CBS TV show, Pee-wee's Playhouse, was loved by children and adults alike. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2004. We'll also hear from Laurence Fishburne and S. Epatha Merkerson, who appeared on his show.
Also, TV critic David Bianculli reflects on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and what to watch while Hollywood production is halted.
How do you get on with life after an accident that leads to disability and chronic pain? That's the central question in Andre Dubus III's new novel, Such Kindness. He talks about the injuries he faced when he was a carpenter, and how his relationship changed with his father after the senior Dubus was struck by a car and never walked again. His previous books include Townie and House of Sand and Fog.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has faced rebellions in his chamber, from the ultra conservative Freedom Caucus. Another hard right group, "the Twenty," is even more disruptive. These groups could lead us to a government to shutdown in the fall. Terry Gross spoke with New York Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni.
Richard E. Grant (Withnail & I, Can You Ever Forgive Me?) was married to Joan Washington, an acclaimed dialect coach, for 35 years. He writes about their relationship and her death from cancer in the new memoir, A Pocketful of Happiness.
The self-described "Mrs. Maisel of Appalachia" set out to speak to an audience that she says gets forgotten — middle-aged women, mothers, and people in rural America. Morgan spoke with Tonya Mosley about breaking out in comedy later in life, and feeling like an outsider in the industry. She has a new Netflix special called I'm Every Woman.
Also, podcast critic Nick Quah recommends Dreamtown.
After writing two Pulitzer Prize-winning novels, The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead started writing crime novels set in Harlem. His new one, Crook Manifesto, is an entertaining read about crime at every level–from small-time crooks, to revolutionaries, cops, politicians and Harlem's elite.
Also, we hear from crime writer S. A. Cosby. His new novel, All the Sinners Bleed, is about the first Black Sheriff in a Southeast Virginia county who is trying to stop a serial killer. Cosby talks about his novel and growing up in the South, haunted by the confederacy.
Pediatric neurosurgeon Jay Wellons regularly feels the exhilaration of saving a child from near certain death — and sometimes the anguish of failing to prevent it. He's operated on various parts of the pediatric central nervous system, including performing spine surgery on an in-utero fetus. His memoir is All That Moves Us. (Originally broadcast in 2022)
Justin Chang reviews The Haunted Mansion and Talk to Me.
If you have any impression of LBJ Vice President Hubert Humphrey, it might be that of an establishment politician who defended an unpopular war in Vietnam and led the Democratic Party to defeat in 1968. But writer Samuel Freedman says the young Hubert Humphrey was a man of true principle and rare talent, fighting bigotry as mayor of Minneapolis, and waging a courageous battle to get the party to embrace civil rights. Freedman's book is Into the Bright Sunshine.
John Powers reviews the new season of the Navajo police drama Dark Winds.
The legendary crooner, who died July 21, told Terry Gross in 1991 he never got tired of singing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco": "I'm very grateful for that song."
In S.A. Cosby's novel All the Sinners Bleed, a Black sheriff in a Southern town is tracking down a serial killer who preys on Black children. The author spoke with producer Sam Briger about how the story was inspired by the George Floyd uprising, and his own feelings about his Southern identity.
Also, critic Maureen Corrigan reflects on her childhood playing with Barbies.
"My early '70s New York is dingy and grimy," the Pulitzer Prize-winning author says. Whitehead's new sequel to Harlem Shuffle, Crook Manifesto, centers on crime at every level, from small-time crooks to Harlem's elite.
Later, TV critic David Bianculli reviews two new books about TV.
Timothy Olyphant is best known for portraying lawmen in cowboy hats. He reprises the role of U.S. marshal Raylan Givens in the eight-part sequel, Justified: City Primeval, based on Elmore Leonard's novel. He also played Sheriff Seth Bullock in Deadwood.
"We won't heal until we make sense of the crack epidemic," Donovan X. Ramsey says. His book, When Crack Was King, examines the drug's destructive path through the Black community.
We remember classical pianist André Watts, who died last week at the age of 77. He became famous overnight after performing with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic at the age of 16.
Soccer star Megan Rapinoe is playing in her last Women's World Cup this month. She spoke with Terry Gross in 2020 for her memoir, One Life.
Justin Chang reviews Barbie and Oppenheimer.
The entertainment industry is in upheaval. Streamers are reckoning with not being profitable, and writers and actors are on strike. Bloomberg reporter Lucas Shaw talks about what viewers can expect.
Maureen Corrigan reviews two summer reads: Do Tell and The Stolen Coast.
In 2018, Delta airlines unveiled new uniforms made of a synthetic-blend fabric. Soon after, flight attendants began to get sick with rashes, hair loss, and brain fog. Alden Wicker explains how toxic chemicals get in clothes in To Dye For.
Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a newly unearthed recording from tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan.
Olyphant is best known for portraying lawmen in cowboy hats. He reprises the role of U.S. marshal Raylan Givens in the eight-part sequel, Justified: City Primeval, based on Elmore Leonard's novel. He also played Sheriff Seth Bullock in Deadwood.
Science writer Emily Monosson says fungi and fungus-like pathogens are the most devastating disease agents on the planet, causing the extinction or near extinction of species of trees, bananas, bats, frogs and more. We also talk about life threatening fungal infections that affect the immunocompromised. Her book is Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic.
Also, David Bianculli reviews the reboot of FX's Justified. Ken Tucker reviews two music books: Robert McCormick's Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey and Robert Mugge's Notes from the Road: A Filmmaker's Journey Through American Music.
Terry Gross interviews co-host Tonya Mosley about her life and work, and how they intersect in the current season of her podcast Truth Be Told. It focuses on the therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms to heal racial trauma.
Later, Tonya talks about how rising temperatures and extreme heat will change our lives. Her guest is Jeff Goodell, author of The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on A Scorched Planet.
Film critic Justin Chang reviews the new film Joy Ride.
"My father was not a good person, but he was a great character," Sedaris says. The humorist writes about his efforts to make peace with his memories of his late father in Happy-Go-Lucky. (Originally broadcast May 2022)
Also, Justin Chang reviews Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.
"We won't heal until we make sense of the crack epidemic," Donovan X. Ramsey says. His book, When Crack Was King, examines the drug's destructive path through the Black community.
AuthorJeff Goodell warns a new climate regime is coming: "We don't really know what we're heading into and how chaotic this can get." His new book is The Heat Will Kill You First.
Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews the memoir Through the Groves by Anne Hull.
Terry Gross interviews new Fresh Air co-host Tonya Mosley about growing up in Detroit, her career in news, and healing racial trauma with psychedelics.
In his documentary The League, Sam Pollard tells the story of the Negro National League: "They brought a different kind of style ... a kind of baseball which Major League Baseball is trying to bring back."
Also, Kevin Whitehead reflects on box set of Charles Mingus.
Alicia Roth Weigel is one of three activists profiled in Julie Cohen's new documentary, Every Body. She says intersex is an umbrella term for people whose "anatomy doesn't fit super neatly into a binary box."
Artificial intelligence experts recently signed an open letter warning that AI could destroy humanity. New York Times technology reporter Cade Metz explains why we are at a turning point with this technology.
Actor Alan Arkin, who died June 29, got his start creating comic characters with the comedy troupe Second City and later won an Oscar for his role in Little Miss Sunshine. He spoke with Fresh Air in 1989.
Also, we listen back to our interview with Ringo Starr on the occasion of his 83rd birthday. The Beatle told Terry Gross that he made his first drum kit out of "biscuit tins and firewood."
Justin Chang reviews the comedy Joy Ride.
Alicia Roth Weigel is one of three activists profiled in Julie Cohen's new documentary, Every Body. She says intersex is an umbrella term for people whose "anatomy doesn't fit super neatly into a binary box."
Monáe is known for her Afro-futurist funk, soul and hip hop sound. She's been nominated for 8 Grammys, and last month she released her 4th album, The Age of Pleasure, where she explores lusty romance and both masculine and feminine energies. Recently Monáe came out as non-binary, using she/they pronouns. In addition to her music, she's also forged a successful career in movies, co-starring in films like Knives Out: Glass Onion, Hidden Figures and Moonlight. In 2020Monáespoke with Terry Gross about how she grew up wanting to be on Broadway, her life as a Black queer artist, and working with Prince.
We go into our archive to feature our 2005 interview with Neil Diamond. The new Broadway show A Beautiful Noise is based on his life and features his songs. Some of his most famous songs include Sweet Caroline, Solitary Man, and Girl, You'll be A Woman Soon.
We'll also remember two-time Oscar-winner Glenda Jackson, who died June 15th. She was 87. Terry Gross spoke with her in 2019 when she was starring on Broadway in a production of King Lear, as Lear. Jackson also served in British Parliament for over two decades.
Actor Laura Dern and her mother Diane Ladd have always shared a profession. But when Ladd was diagnosed with lung disease, the two started sharing so much more. Their new book is Honey, Baby, Mine.
Award-winning playwright of Slave Play, Jeremy O. Harris, helped bring Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window to Broadway. "This play is telling us, in every scene, that no matter how much capitalism corrupts the world of our politics, we cannot lose our ideals," Harris says. "We cannot stop fighting."
Harnick, along with composer Jerry Bock, wrote the enduring music for Fiddler on the Roof, as well as Fiorello and She Loves Me. He died June 23 at the age of 99. Originally broadcast in 1988, 2004 and 2014.
Aidan Key explains why U.S. schools are seeing an increase in transgender students and how educators can respond to anti-LGBTQ curriculum measures. His book is Trans Children in Today's Schools.
TV critic David Bianculli shares his concern about the future of Turner Classic Movies.
The award-winning playwright of Slave Play helped bring Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window to Broadway."This play is telling us, in every scene, that no matter how much capitalism corrupts the world of our politics, we cannot lose our ideals," Harris says. "We cannot stop fighting."
Maureen Corrigan reviews two roadtrip novels: Richard Ford's Be Mine and Lorrie Moore's I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home.
Actor Laura Dern and her mother Diane Ladd have always shared a profession. But when Ladd was diagnosed with lung disease, the two started sharing so much more. Their new book is Honey, Baby, Mine. Dern talks with Terry Gross about growing up with actor parents, encountering predatory behavior in Hollywood, and accessing rage for some of her hot-headed roles.
Tupac Shakur — who was killed at 25 in 1996 — would have turned 52 this year. His mother, Afeni Shakur, was an activist and a central figure in the Black Panthers. Author and historian Santi Elijah Holley's new book, An Amerikan Family, follows the Shakur family tree and their work in the Black Liberation Movement.
Ken Tucker reviews Janelle Monáe's new album, The Age of Pleasure.
Christian Cooper was birdwatching in Central Park in 2020 when a white woman falsely accused him of threatening her. The video went viral. His memoir, Better Living Through Birding, chronicles life as a Black birder, gay activist and Marvel comic book writer and editor.
We remember Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press in 1971, in hopes they would help end the Vietnam War. He died last week at the age of 92. We'll listen to our 2017 interview with him. "I identify more with Chelsea Manning and with Edward Snowden than with any other people on earth," he told Dave Davies. "We all faced the same question which is, who will put this information out if I don't?" Also New York Times correspondent Charlie Savage shares a story about Ellsberg continuing to battle government secrecy when he was 90.
Also, David Bianculli reviews the new reality TV competition show Morimoto's Sushi Master on the Roku channel.
Gottlieb, who died last week at age 92, edited Joseph Heller, Toni Morrison, John le Carré and, for more than 50 years, Robert Caro. He went on to become editor of The New Yorker. We'll listen to our recent interview with Gottlieb, and we'll hear some of our interview recorded in 2000 with Gottlieb and musical theater expert Robert Kimball. They co-authored a book on some of the best lyricists of the last century.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Brandon Taylor's, The Late Americans, and Andre Dubus III's novel, Such Kindness.
Author Evan Thomas tells the story of American leaders wrestling with the terrifying dilemmas of nuclear weapons and of determined Japanese leaders confronting the humiliating prospect of defeat. His book is Road to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II.
John Powers reviews the novel Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck.
In Black Folk, Award-winning historian Blair LM Kelley portrays generations of Black workers — Pullman porters, domestic laborers, USPS employees, COVID-19 essential workers — whose work has been vital to the nation's prosperity.
Ken Tucker reviews Janelle Monáe's new album, The Age of Pleasure.
Kwame Alexander's new memoir is Why Fathers Cry at Night. It started as a book of love poems, but ended up being a book of essays and poems about falling in love, the end of his two marriages, raising two children. He is best known for his children's books, including The Undefeated, which won the Caldecott Medal.
Also, we'll hear from chef Lidia Bastianich. She's won James Beard Awards, hosted a long-running TV series, and written cookbooks. She'll talk about how she built her career after fleeing the chaos in Europe with her family following World War II.
We're revisiting Terry Gross's 2009 interview with musician John Mellencamp. He's got a new album called Orpheus Descending out this month.Mellencamp's big hits in the 1980s included "Jack and Diane" and "Small Town."
Film critic Justin Chang reviews Wes Anderson's new movie, Asteroid City, and David Bianculli reviews the new season of the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror.
Artificial intelligence experts recently signed an open letter warning that A.I. could destroy humanity. New York Times technologyreporter Cade Metz explains why we are at a turning point with this technology.
Tupac Shakur — who was killed at 25 in 1996 — would have turned 52 this year. His mother, Afeni Shakur, was an activist and a central figure in the Black Panthers. Author and historian Santi Elijah Holley's new book, An Amerikan Family, follows the Shakur family tree and their work in the Black Liberation Movement.
John Powers reviews the final season of the British detective series Endeavour.
"You don't hear about enslaved people at Mass or in Sunday school," says author Rachel Swarns. Her new book tells the story of 272 enslaved people sold in 1838 to help save what is now Georgetown University.
Cooper was birdwatching in Central Park in 2020 when a white woman falsely accused him of threatening her. The video went viral. His memoir, Better Living Through Birding, chronicles life as a Black birder, gay activist and Marvel comic book writer and editor. Cooper now hosts a National Geographic birdwatching show.
Songwriter Cynthia Weil, along with her writing partner and husband Barry Mann, wrote the 1960s hits You've Lost that Loving Feeling, Uptown, On Broadway, and We've Got to Get Out of This Place. We'll listen to our 2000 archival interview with them. She died last week at 82.
Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews Past Lives.
On Feb. 14, 2018, David Hogg was in his AP Environmental Sciences class at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., when he heard gunshots. It was the beginning of one of the deadliest school shootings in American history. 17 people were murdered. Hogg is a co-founder of the youth-led gun reform movement March for Our Lives. He talks about advocacy, finding common ground with opponents and the importance of making time for joy amid the pain.
Also, Ken Tucker reviews new albums by Jason Isbell and Rodney Crowell.
For much of his life, the Canadian actor (Juno, X-men, The Umbrella Academy) experienced gender dysphoria that made him extremely uncomfortable in his own body. "It's like a constant noise," he says. His new memoir is called Pageboy.
Maureen Corrigan reviews two suspense novels: My Murder by Katie Williams and Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott.
Constitutional lawyer and Brennan Center for Justice President Michael Waldman says there's a growing divide between the electorate and the Supreme Court: "the country is moving in one direction ... the Court is moving fast in another direction." His book is The Supermajority.
The much-anticipated series finale of HBO's Succession answered one big question — who would succeed media mogul patriarch Logan Roy — but we still have more: Was Kendall going to jump into the river? Why did we keep seeing Logan in the bathroom? Why was the presidential election left unresolved? Creator Jesse Armstrong and executive producer Frank Rich answer all in this wide-ranging interview.
As controversy swirls around revelations of gifts to Justice Clarence Thomas, we'll speak with award-winning filmmaker Michael Kirk. His PBS/FRONTLINE documentary is Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Arturo O'Farrill's new album, Legacies.
Also, we talk with medical anthropologist Theresa MacPhail about allergies. If it seems like your seasonal allergies are getting worse over time, you're probably not wrong. Allergies have risen dramatically in recent years, both in the U.S. around the world. MacPhail's book is Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World.
Writer John Vercher trained in mixed martial arts as a young man. His novel, After the Lights Go Out, centers on a veteran MMA fighter who is experiencing memory loss, severe mood swings and tinnitus. The book is also about the fighter's biracial identity.
TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new PBS American Masters documentary, Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock 'n' Roll.
Kwame Alexander's new book, Why Fathers Cry At Night, started as a book of love poems, but ended up being a book of essays and poems about falling in love, the end of his two marriages, raising two children and one of them leaving home and cutting ties. We'll talk about that, and about being a son of a Baptist minister. Alexander is best known for his children's books, including The Undefeated and the Newberry Medal-winning book The Crossover, which has been adapted into a Disney+ series, on which he's a writer and executive producer.
As controversy swirls around Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni over financial benefits they received for years from a Texas billionaire, we look at the formative influences on the Washington power couple. Filmmaker Michael Kirk's FRONTLINE PBS documentary examines Clarence Thomas's early years, where he endured poverty, hardship and discrimination in the Jim Crow South. After a period as a Black Power activist in college, he began to criticize affirmative action and build ties with conservative Republicans, leading eventually to his seat on the Supreme Court. He teamed up with and married Ginni Lamp, who grew up surrounded by far-Right conservatives. Kirk's documentary is Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court.
From excessive hygiene to low-fiber diets, author Theresa MacPhail explores the deep-rooted causes of rising allergy rates in her new book Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World.
Julia Louis Dreyfus stars in the new film, You Hurt My Feelings. She also has a podcast called Wiser Than Me, where she asks older women to share their experiences and life lessons. She talks about both projects with Dave Davies.
Also, we hear from Wanda Sykes. In her new Netflix comedy special, she talks about raising teenagers with her French wife, and what it's like to live in the world after a pandemic, an insurrection, and George Floyd.
David Bianculli reviews a new documentary about Mary Tyler Moore.
Samara Joy is the second jazz performer in Grammy history to win "Best New Artist." The 23-year-old also won for "Best Jazz Album." She joined us for a concert and conversation about growing up in a family of gospel singers and her musical influences.
Moore is the subject of a new HBO (MAX) documentary that explores her rise in Hollywood — from her 1970s hit The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which inspired a generation of single professional women, to her 1960s breakout role on The Dick Van Dyke Show. She spoke with Terry Gross in 1995.
Also, we remember novelist, essayist and literary critic Martin Amis, who died last week at 73.
Film critic Justin Chang reviews the new live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
James Beard Award-winning chef Lidia Bastianich fled the Italian peninsula of Istria, as a child, after it was handed over to Communist Yugoslavia following WWII. She spoke with Terry Gross about her family's journey to America, her first TV dinner, and how food became her "connector." Her new PBS show is Lidia Celebrates America.
Lloyd Schwartz reviews a CD set of opera singer Renée Fleming.
Louis-Dreyfus stars in the new film You Hurt My Feelings. She spoke with Dave Davies about her first big laugh as a kid, receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and her new podcast, Wiser Than Me.
Also, John Powers reviews the British crime series Happy Valley, now available in the U.S.
Legendary comic Wanda Sykes spoke with Tonya Mosley about the WGA strike, portraying Moms Mabley in the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and raising white kids as a Black mom. Her new Netflix special is I Am an Entertainer.
Also, David Bianculli reviews a new HBO documentary about Mary Tyler Moore, and book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Goodnight, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea.
Joel Edgerton stars as a horticulturist with a secret past as a white nationalist in Paul Schrader's Master Gardener. He spoke with Terry Gross about the film and how his small role in Star Wars changed his career.
TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new Netflix docuseries Working, hosted by President Barack Obama.
Humorist and TV writer Samantha Irby spoke with Tonya Mosley about her new book of essays, Quietly Hostile. She says it's like a survival guide, of sorts.
The Queen of Disco's hits of the 1970s and early '80s included "Hot Stuff," "Last Dance," "Heaven Knows," "On the Radio," "Bad Girls," and "She Works Hard for the Money." She had three consecutive No. 1 platinum albums, and 11 gold albums. She's now the subject of a new HBO documentary, titled Love to Love You: Donna Summer. She died in 2012. Originally broadcast in 2003.
Also, we remember Chris Strachwitz, the founder of Arhoolie records. He devoted his life to tracking down regional musicians – and recording them in their homes, front porches and beer joints. He died earlier this month.
When Sara Bareilles got the role of the Baker's Wife in Sondheim's Into the Woods, she thought she was signing up for a two-week limited run. But the show became a sensation, and is now a Grammy award-winning Broadway musical with six Tony nominations. She spoke with Ann Marie Baldonado about the show, writing the music for Waitress, and poking fun at the music industry in the series Girls5eva.
Also, Kevin Whitehead reviews Arturo O'Farrill's album Legacies.
Matthew Dallek says the John Birch Society, which was active from the late '50s through the early '70s, propelled today's extremist takeover of the American right. His new book is Birchers.
John Powers reviews the award-winning French crime drama The Night of the 12th.
Humorist and TV writer Samantha Irby is not afraid to tell you about her bowel movements, her mental health struggles or about the "glamorous hoarding" in her house. She's made a career out of writing about these things, and spinning them into comedy. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about her new book, Quietly Hostile.
Also, David Bianculli reviews the new Netflix docuseries Working, hosted by Barack Obama.
Edgerton stars as a horticulturist with a secret past as a white nationalist in Master Gardener. We talk about what he learned from director Paul Schrader, his small role in Star Wars: Revenge of the Clones, and working with his brother, who is a stunt man.
Long COVID leaves millions of people with impaired brain function, and yet the medical establishment has a shortage of answers. Neuropsychologist James Jackson says many people with long COVID find they struggle to remember things, perform basic tasks and solve problems – often leading to a loss of employment, income, and important relationships. Jackson's new book is a practical guide for long COVID patients and their families.
And, it's been 50 years since Al Green released his album Call Me. Ken Tucker reminds us why it's widely considered the singer's greatest.
Also, we'll talk about parking with writer Henry Grabar, author of the new book Paved Paradise. He says he's not anti-car, but it's time to make some changes.
The married British duo Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt — aka Everything but the Girl — have their first album in 24 years. Ken Tucker reviews Fuse, then we listen back to a 2018 interview with Thorn.
Also, Justin Chang reviews the movie BlackBerry.
An estimated 200 million people worldwide have long COVID. Dave Davies interviews neuro-psychologist James Jackson about the cognitive impairment, social isolation, and mental health issues that the long COVID patient population experiences. His book is Clearing the Fog.
Maureen Corrigan reviews the book Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma, by Claire Dederer.
Author Henry Grabar says parking codes, parking lots and garages have shaped the landscape of cities and suburbs, and limited the creation of affordable housing. His book is Paved Paradise.
TV critic David Bianculli reviews Pete Davidson's semi-autobiographical series on Peacock, Bupkis.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James Risen tells the story of Senator Frank Church, who exposed crimes and cover-ups of the CIA and the FBI nearly 50 years ago. Risen says the Church hearings, which revealed CIA assassination plots, led to congressional oversight of intelligence agencies. Risen's book is The Last Honest Man.
Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Auder's memoir, Don't Call Me Home, describes her early life in the Chelsea Hotel, in a world of underground artists. We talk about her unconventional childhood and parenting her own kids.
Maureen Corrigan reviews Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma, by Claire Dederer
In the experimental show Jury Duty on Amazon Freevee, actors play oddballs doing their civic duty. The twist? One juror, Ronald, is a real guy who doesn't know it's all fake. Actor James Marsden plays a satirical version of himself. We talk with Marsden about the challenges of filming this unorthodox show.
Johansen was a founding member and frontman for the early '70s glam band The New York Dolls – the band that helped set the stage for the punk movement. Later, Johansen created the lounge-lizard persona Buster Poindexter. He's the subject of the new documentary Personality Crisis: One Night Only, co-directed by Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi. Johansen spoke with Terry Gross in 2004.
Justin Chang reviews the film The Eight Mountains.
A series of investigative reports over the last year has revealed that underage children, most of them migrants from Central America, are working some of the most dangerous jobs in our country — from construction sites to slaughterhouses to factories — operating dangerous equipment. States like Iowa, Missouri, and Ohio are considering rollbacks on child labor protections, allowing minors, some as young as 14, to work longer hours and night shifts. Tonya Mosley spoke with New York Times investigative reporter Hannah Dreier, who has been reporting on the children, and Washington Post business reporter Jacob Bogage, who has been reporting on conservative campaign to weaken child labor laws in the states.
Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Auder's memoir, Don't Call Me Home, describes her early life in the Chelsea Hotel, in a world of underground artists. We talk about her unconventional childhood and parenting her own kids.
In the experimental show 'Jury Duty' on Amazon Freevee, actors play oddballs doing their civic duty. The twist? One juror, Ronald, is a real guy who doesn't know it's all fake. Actor James Marsden plays a satirical version of himself. We talk with Marsden about the challenges of filming this unorthodox show.
Also, John Powers reviews the Romanian film R.M.N.
Journalist Justice Malala explains how Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk kept the country on a path to peace after the 1993 assassination of Chris Hani. His book is The Plot to Save South Africa.
Also, David Bianculli reviews the five part HBO series White House Plumbers, a new spin on a Watergate break-in drama.
Beloved YA author Judy Blume talks with Terry Gross about her books being banned, motherhood, and feminism. The first film adaptation of her breakthrough novel, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, is now out in theaters. And journalist and writer Virginia Sole-Smith talks about her new book, Fat Talk: Parenting In The Age of Diet Culture.
ComicRoy Wood Jr. will host the White House Correspondents Dinner this weekend. Recently Wood guest hosted The Daily Show, as Comedy Central decides who will replace Trevor Noah. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2018.
It's been 50 years since Al Green released his album Call Me. Critic Ken Tucker reminds us why it's widely considered the singer's greatest. And Justin Chang reviews the new film based on the popular 1970 Judy Blume book Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Singer Harry Belafonte starred in films and helped popularize calypso music in the U.S. in the 1950s. In the '60s he became a civil rights activist. He died April 25. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1993.
Also, we hear from "full-spectrum" doula Vicki Bloom. Since 2010, Bloom has worked with the Doula Project, a New York City-based collective that partners with clinics to support pregnant people — whether the result is childbirth, miscarriage, or abortion.
TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new reboot series Fatal Attraction.
Financial journalist Gretchen Morgenson explains how private equity firms buy out companies, then lay off employees and cut costs in order to expand profits. Her new book is These are the Plunderers.
Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead remembers pianist Ahmad Jamal.
Journalist Virginia Sole-Smith says efforts to fight childhood obesity have caused kids to absorb an onslaught of body-shaming messages. We talk about thin privilege, how to neutralize food and the word "fat," and how diet culture hurts everyone. Her new book is Fat Talk.
Known for her books about adolescence and all that comes with it, Judy Blume is widely beloved and widely banned. Her 1970 novel, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. has been adapted for the screen for the first time. She's also the subject of a new documentary, Judy Blume Forever. We talk about feminism, marriage, and parenting her own kids.
Russell played a fictional Soviet spy in The Americans. Now she stars as a career foreign service officer who reluctantly becomes the U.S. ambassador in London in the Netflix series The Diplomat.
Then, Maureen Corrigan reviews There Will Be Fire, by journalist Rory Carroll.
Also, author David Grann tells the story of an 18th-century British warship that wrecked along the coast of Patagonia. His new book is The Wager.
For decades, Anne Perry, who died April 10, kept secret the fact that she was one of the teenage girls involved in the murder depicted in the 1994 film Heavenly Creatures. Originally broadcast in 1994.
One of the first openly gay editors working at a major publishing house, Michael Denneny launched the Stonewall Inn Editions imprint. He died April 12. Originally broadcast in 1987 and 1994.
Plus, Kevin Whitehead reviews Walter Smith III's album return to casual. AndJustin Chang reviews the film, Beau is Afraid.
The new Broadway musical New York, New York includes Kander and Ebb's songs from Scorsese's 1977 film. We listen back to an '83 interview with Kander and Ebb, plus '91 and '15 interviews with Kander.
David Bianculli reviews the new Amazon Prime series, Dead Ringers.
Author David Grann tells the story of an 18th-century British warship that wrecked along the coast of Patagonia. The survivors sailed thousands of miles to safety, and later faced charges of mutiny. His new book is The Wager.
After starring in Felicity from 1998 until 2002, Russell took a break from acting. "That step back is the only way I'm still in this business," She says. She went on to star (with her real-life partner Matthew Rhys) in The Americans. Now, in the new Netflix political drama, The Diplomat, Russell plays a career foreign service officer who's forced out of her comfort zone when she becomes the U.S. ambassador in London.
Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews There Will Be Fire, by Rory Carroll.
Mary Louise Kelly, a host of NPR's All Things Considered, and former national security correspondent, talks about the difficulties juggling her career and being a mother. Her memoir is It. Goes. So. Fast.
Then Justin Chang reviews the new film Showing Up.
Also, Josh Groban first auditioned to play Sweeney Todd back in high school. He didn't get the part then; now he's starring in the Broadway revival. He spoke with Fresh Air's Ann Marie Baldonado.
Mimi Sheraton was a food writer and restaurant critic for The New York Times. So she wouldn't get preferential treatment at a restaurant, she had a collection of wigs to disguise herself. She died earlier this month at age 97.
Actor Michael Lerner played a studio mogul in Barton Fink, and a mob boss in Harlem Nights. He died earlier this month at age 81.
Also, Justin Chang reviews Showing Up, the new film by Kelly Reichardt.
'New York Times' journalist Jeremy Peters explains Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News. Dominion claims that Fox's hosts and commentators falsely stated that Dominion was part of a conspiracy to steal votes from Donald Trump with the larger goal of stealing the election. "Legal experts tell me that rarely have they seen a case this strong," Peters says.
Dr. Sandeep Jauhar talks about his father's decline, and about his own quest to understand what happens in a brain afflicted with Alzheimer's. Jauhar's new memoir is called "My Father's Brain."
Also, John Powers reviews the political thriller "How to Blow Up a Pipeline."
Mary Louise Kelly, a host of NPR's All Things Considered, and former national security correspondent, talks about the difficulties juggling her career and being a mother. At work, the breaking news stories and deadlines are non-stop. She's reported from around the world, including from war zones. She left NPR twice, after her youngest son's medical issues convinced her she needed to be home. Her memoir is It. Goes. So. Fast.
David Bianculli reviews Sunday's spectacular episode of HBO's Succession.
The Grammy-Award winning baritone first auditioned to play the Demon Barber of Fleet Street back in high school. He didn't get the part then; now he's starring in the Broadway revival. He spoke with Fresh Air's Ann Marie Baldonado about his affinity for Stephen Sondheim, poking fun at his own image on TV, and starting his singing career as a teen.
Maureen Corrigan reviews Nicole Chung's new memoir, A Living Remedy.
This year Samara Joy became the second jazz performer in Grammy history to win "Best New Artist." The 23-year-old also won for "Best Jazz Album." She joins us for a concert and conversation about growing up in a family of gospel singers and her musical influences.
Film critic Justin Chang reviews A Thousand and One.
Brooke Shields looks back on her childhood career with guest interviewer Tonya Mosley. The new Hulu documentary, Pretty Baby, examines how she was sexually objectified as a child and teen actress.
Record biz giant Seymour Stein died last Sunday at age 80. He was the co-founder of Sire Records, which he ran from 1966 until he stepped down in 2018. We're have two archival interviews with Stein. Over his long career, he signed a wide range of pioneering artists from The Ramones and Madonna to Talking Heads, The Pretenders, k.d. lang and Ice-T.
Also, we listen back to our interview with Joni Mitchell. She recently received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Music.
Justin Chang reviews the film Air, about the origin story of Nike's Air Jordans, starring and directed by Ben Affleck.
Five years ago, a Supreme Court ruling lifted a ban on betting on sports. New York Times reporter Eric Lipton uncovers the lobbying, favorable deals, partnerships and human impact that's come from that decision. He and a team of investigative reporters did a series in the Times called A Risky Wager.
Kevin Whitehead marks the 100 year anniversary of Louis Armstrong and King Joe Oliver's first recording.
Philosophy professor Clancy Martin lives with two incompatible ideas in his head: "I wish I were dead – and I'm glad my suicide [attempts] failed." He says he wrote his book, How Not to Kill Yourself, especially for people struggling with suicidal thoughts.
If you or someone you know is in an emotional crisis, reach out to the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.
Brooke Shields looks back on her childhood career with guest interviewer Tonya Mosley. When she was 11 months old, she was in soap commercials and print ads. At the age of 12, she starred as a child prostitute in the film Pretty Baby. In her teens, she modeled jeans for Calvin Klein and became a household name. The new Hulu documentary, Pretty Baby, examines how she was sexually objectified as a child and teen actress.
Also, Ken Tucker reviews Lana Del Rey's new album which he says features risky, ambitious music.
Bible scholar Bart Ehrman says interpretations of the Book of Revelation have created disastrous problems — from personal psychological damage to consequences for foreign policy and the environment. His book is Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says about the End.
John Powers reviews the romantic comedy Rye Lane.
Clint Smith's poems, which are addressed to his young children, describe what their ancestors endured and escaped. He also examines the joy and anxiety of parenthood, especially as a Black father. His book of poetry is called Above Ground.
Justin Chang reviews the film Tori and Lokita.
Brett Goldstein is a writer for Ted Lasso and plays Roy Kent, a gruff but lovable retired footballer-turned-coach. He spoke with Ann Marie Baldonado.
Two popular TV series are beginning their second seasons: Yellowjackets on Showtime, and Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+. Ann Marie Baldonado spoke with Melanie Lynskey, one of the stars of Yellowjackets. It's the story of the members of a high school girls soccer team who survive a plane crash and must get by in the wilderness for over a year.
Schmigadoon! is a loving parody of musicals from years past, such as Oklahoma, The Music Man and Brigadoon. Terry Gross spoke with Cinco Paul, who wrote the songs, and co-created and co-wrote the series. Finally, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new season.
Last month Samara Joy became the second jazz performer in Grammy history to win "Best New Artist." The 23-year-old also won for "Best Jazz Album." She joins us for a concert and conversation about growing up in a family of gospel singers and her musical influences.
Clint Smith's poems, which are addressed to his young children, describe what their ancestors endured and escaped. He also examines the joy and anxiety of parenthood, especially as a Black father. His book of poetry is called Above Ground.
Also, Justin Chang reviews A Thousand and One.
Public health professor Arline Geronimus explains how marginalized people suffer nearly constant stress, which damages their bodies at the cellular level. Her new book is Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society.
Also Maureen Corrigan reviews Biography of X by Catherine Lacey.
Brett Goldstein is a writer for Ted Lasso and plays Roy Kent, a gruff but lovable retired footballer-turned-coach. He says "Sport is there so men can say 'I love you' without saying 'I love you.'" He spoke with Ann Marie Baldonado about getting the role of Roy, the series ending, and also co-creating the series Shrinking.
Also, filmmaker Justin Chang reviews Tori and Lokita.
Ari Shapiro co-hosts NPR's All Things Considered, co-stars in a cabaret act with Alan Cumming, and sings with the band Pink Martini. Now, he's written a book, a memoir called The Best Strangers in the World.
Billy Crudup stars as a fast-talking salesman — selling timeshares on the moon to frustrated earthlings — in the Apple TV+ series Hello Tomorrow! We also talk about going to rock star camp for his role in Almost Famous andhis iconic Mastercard commercials.
The final season of the HBO series Succession begins Sunday. We listen back to our interviews with Brian Cox, who plays Logan Roy the patriarch in a family-owned business empire, Kieran Culkin, who plays Roman, the immature and jokey son, and Matthew Macfadyen, who plays the put-upon son-in-law Tom Wambsgans.
Linda Simpson performed in and chronicled the New York drag scene in the '80s and '90s, taking some 5,000 photos of performers. Her collection is called The Drag Explosion. She says Tennessee's anti-drag legislation is "ridiculous."
Also, we remember late Episcopal Bishop Frank Griswold. He presided over the ordination of the church's first openly gay bishop. He died earlier this month.
John Powers reviews the new Netflix thriller series The Night Agent.
Ari Shapiro co-hosts NPR's All Things Considered, co-stars in a cabaret act with Alan Cumming, and sings with the band Pink Martini. Now, he's written a book, a memoir called The Best Strangers in the World.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond says if the top 1% of Americans paid the taxes they owed, it would raise $175 billion each year: "That is just about enough to pull everyone out of poverty." His new book is Poverty, by America.
Also Ken Tucker shares three songs: Iris DeMent's "Goin' Down to Sing in Texas," Sunny War's "Love's Death Bed," and Margo Price's "Radio."
Billy Crudup stars as a fast-talking salesman — selling timeshares on the moon to frustrated earthlings — in the Apple TV+ series Hello Tomorrow! We also talk about going to rock star camp for his role in Almost Famous, his iconic Mastercard commercials, and The Morning Show.
Memphis drag queen Bella DuBalle says the legislators behind a new Tennessee law criminalizing public drag shows don't understand the art. We talk with the native Tennessean about the law, performing for kids, and how her livelihood and safety are at risk.
Maureen Corrigan reflects on 40 years of Nora Ephron's Heartburn and recommends a new comic novel.
Actor Clancy Brown has been working since the 1980s and has played some memorable villains over the years in movies, including Shawshank Redemption, Highlander and, coming out later this month, John Wick: Chapter 4. But he may be best known as the voice of Mr. Krabs on the animated show Spongebob Squarepants.
Michelle Yeoh made history last week, becoming the first Asian woman to win an Oscar for best actress. We'll hear our interview with Yeoh about Everything Everywhere All At Once. Yeoh has also starred in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, the Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, and Crazy Rich Asians.
We'll also hear our interview with Adam Sandler. He's this year's recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Sandler talks about playing a jewelry store owner in the film Uncut Gems, and his music comedy.
David Bianculli reviews Lucky Hank starring Bob Odenkirk.
Bella DuBalle says the legislators behind a new Tennessee law criminalizing public drag shows don't understand the art: "They think that every drag performer is doing something hypersexual or obscene." We talk with the native Tennessean about the law, performing for kids, and how her livelihood and safety are at risk.
Also, Maureen Corrigan celebrates the 40th anniversary of Nora Ephron's Heartburn and shares a new comic novel, Pineapple Street.
Many of Ricardo Nuila's patients at Houston's Ben Taub Hospital are dealing with serious illnesses as a result of not being able to access basic preventive care. His new book is The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine.
Actor Clancy Brown has been working since the 1980s and has played some memorable villains over the years in movies, including Shawshank Redemption, Highlander and, coming out later this month, John Wick 4. But he may be best known as the voice of Mr. Krabs on the animated show Spongebob Squarepants.
Kevin Whitehead revies the new jazz recording by Fred Hersch and Esperanza Spalding, and John Powers reviews the new novel Birnam Wood by Booker Prize-winner Eleanor Catton.
Karen Fine talks about practicing Chinese medicine and acupuncture on sick pets, what "ADR" stands for, and the mental health issues many veterinarians face. Her new book is The Other Family Doctor.
Also, Ken Tucker reviews Caroline Polachek's new album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You.
Writer Thomas Mallon talks about his diaries that were recently published in the New Yorker, titled Finding My Way– and Staying Alive — During the Aids Crisis. Mallon's latest novel, Up With the Sun, is based on the life and murder of Dick Kallman, a closeted actor in the 1950s and '60s.
Critic John Powers reviews the film Return to Seoul.
Also, we hear from Dr. Farzon Nahvi. He has a new memoir about his experiences in the ER, and his frustrations with American healthcare during COVID. It's called Code Gray: Death, Life and Uncertainty in the ER.
We explore the subtle genius of a man often remembered for pratfalls and sight gags. Buster Keaton was a silent film star in the 1920s, but he was far more than an actor and stuntman. He conceived and directed his films, cited by some of America's leading filmmakers as inspirations. We speak with Slate film critic Dana Stevens, whose book examines Keaton's work and influence, and chronicles his colorful life. Her book, Camera Man, is now out in paperback.
Justin Chang reviews the new film Palm Trees & Power Lines.
Mallon talks about his diaries that were recently published in the New Yorker, in a piece titled Finding My Way — and Staying Alive — During the AIDS Crisis: A Diary of 1980s Manhattan. He was in his thirties then. His latest novel, Up With the Sun, is based on the life and murder of Dick Kallman, a closeted actor in the 1950s and '60s.
Science writer Sally Adee says scientists are experimenting with ways to manipulate the body's natural electrical fields to try and treat wounds, depression, paralysis, and cancer. Her new book is We Are Electric.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead has an appreciation of Wayne Shorter, who died March 2. John Powers reviews the film Return to Seoul.
We look back on the life of Jimmy Carter. He is spending his remaining time at home, under hospice care. Carter was elected president in 1976, and lost his re-election campaign to Ronald Reagan. He was later praised for redefining the meaning and purpose of the post-presidency. He talked with Terry Gross about why he entered politics, his presidency, his work negotiating with tyrants, his faith, and his reflections on aging.
UCLA law professor Joanna Schwartz talks about the legal protections — including qualified immunity and no-knock warrants — that have protected officers from the repercussions of abuse. Her book is Shielded.
Also, David Bianculli reviews Mel Brooks' History of the World Part II on Hulu.
In Tár, Cate Blanchett plays a charismatic orchestra conductor who uses her power to take sexual advantage of young women she's mentoring. Tár is nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director.
Maureen Corrigan reviews I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai.
Ke Huy Quan starred in the '80s films Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies as a kid, before quitting acting. Now he's up for an Oscar for the first major acting job he's had in decades for the role of Waymond in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
We pay tribute to Doc Watson on the centennial of his birth. The pioneering bluegrass, country and folk guitarist and singer changed the way people around the world think about mountain music. In his prime, he was considered the greatest guitar flat picker. We'll listen back to our 1988 interview, and his 1989 performance on our show.
Also, John Powers reviews the new season of Perry Mason.
Journalist Will Sommer went to road shows and spoke to believers and their families while investigating QAnon. His book, Trust the Plan, makes the case that there are more conspiracy theories to come.
In Tár, Cate Blanchett plays a charismatic orchestra conductor who uses her power to take sexual advantage of young women she's mentoring. "For me, it was never really about classical music," director Todd Field says. "And it was about ... how do you look at power and why does power exist? And it's not a uni-directional situation. Nobody holds power alone. There's a complicity in it." Tár is nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director.
Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews the literary thriller I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai.
We talk about a small group of unelected officials who make important decisions that affect our lives, all the time. New York Times reporter Jeanna Smialek covers the Federal Reserve, which manages the nation's money supply, and is currently struggling to get inflation down by raising interest rates. Smialek says the Fed wields enormous influence, and is growing more powerful as it responds to national crises, including the financial meltdown and the pandemic. Her new book is Limitless.
Podcast critic Nick Quah reviews the new season from Serial called The Coldest Case in Laramie.
Quan starred in the '80s films Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies as a kid, before quitting acting. Now he's up for an Oscar for the first major acting job he's had in decades for the role of Waymond in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Justin Chang reviews the Irish film The Quiet Girl.
We'll talk with New Yorker staff writer Michael Schulman about his new book, Oscar Wars. It's about the ongoing conflicts surrounding race, gender, and representation in Hollywood, as well as earlier conflicts dating back to the founding of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Also, we'll hear from comic and podcaster Marc Maron. In his new HBO comedy special, From Bleak to Dark, he talks about climate change, anti-Semitism, and processing the sudden death of his girlfriend, Lynn Shelton.
John Powers reviews the documentary, All That Breathes, about two brothers devoted to rescuing birds in Delhi, India.
We remember two accomplished performers from different fields: Sharp-witted comedian Richard Belzer, probably best-known for playing the dramatic role of Detective John Munch on Law & Order, and major-league catcher and Hall of Fame broadcaster Tim McCarver.
Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews Hello Tomorrow! starring Billy Crudup.
From relentless campaigning to snubs and speeches, the Academy Awards have often reflected a cultural conflict zone. Michael Schulman sifts through the controversies in his new book, Oscar Wars.
Also, Kevin Whitehead shares a remembrance of Burt Bacharach.
Dr. Farzon Nahvi spent the early months of the pandemic as an emergency room physician in Manhattan. He talks about trying to improvise treatments during that time. His new book is Code Gray.
Also, David Bianculli reflects on 10 years of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
For President's Day, we speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Robert Caro about the life of Lyndon Johnson. To understand his subject, Caro moved to the Texas Hill country to meet friends and associates of Johnson from his early years. At age 87, Caro is still working on the last volume of his Johnson biography.
What do great conductors listen to when they're not on the podium? Philadelphia Orchestra/Met Opera conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin made a playlist, specifically for Fresh Air, of music that inspires him. It includes a surprising mix of pop, hip-hop and classical music — and includes a song that his cats love.
In the last 30 years, Ruth E. Carter has produced some of the most iconic looks in the Black film canon and beyond. She won an Academy Award for Black Panther and is now nominated for Wakanda Forever. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about these projects as well as her decades-long collaboration with Spike Lee.
We remember David Jolicoeur, otherwise known as Trugoy the Dove, of the hip-hop group De La Soul. The influential group that emerged in the late 1980s brought a sense of fun and wit to the genre, as well as a middle-class suburban sensibility. We'll listen back to our 2000 interview with him.
Also, science writer Ed Yong tells us about how animals perceive the world differently than humans, through hearing, sight, vibrations, echoes and magnetic fields. It's the subject of his book An Immense World.
Justin Chang reviews the new film Emily, about the novelist Emily Brontë in the years before she wrote Wuthering Heights.
After the sudden death of his girlfriend Lynn Shelton in 2020, comedian and podcaster Marc Maron was forced to grieve in isolation. He talks about finding humor amidst his grief in his new HBO special, From Bleak to Dark.
Also, Ken Tucker reviews a new release of Bob Dylan's Time Out of Mind.
What do great conductors listen to when they're not on the podium? Philadelphia Orchestra/Met Opera conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin made a playlist, specifically for Fresh Air, of music that inspires him. It includes a surprising mix of pop, hip-hop and classical music — and includes a song that his cats love.
Find the playlist on our website or on Spotify.
In the last 30 years, Ruth E. Carter has produced some of the most iconic looks in the Black film canon and beyond. She won an Academy Award for Black Panther and is now nominated for Wakanda Forever. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about these projects as well as her decades-long collaboration with Spike Lee.
Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews On Writing and Failure by Stephen Marche.
We remember composer and arranger Burt Bacharach, who died last week at 94. Bacharach, along with lyricist Hal David, created dozens of pop hits of the '60s and early '70s. He was known for his rhythmically sophisticated and catchy pop songs, like The Look of Love, Do You Know the Way to San Jose, Walk on By, Anyone Who Had a Heart, Don't Make Me Over, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, I Say a Little Prayer, and Alfie. We'll listen back to two of our interviews. One with Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. The other with Bacharach and Elvis Costello. They wrote many songs together.
The new Oscar-nominated documentary, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, focuses on world-famous photographer Nan Goldin, her life, her work, and the protests she led at museums that accepted funding from the Sackler family. Their company, Purdue Pharma, manufactured and unscrupulously marketed OxyContin. We'll talk with Goldin and director Laura Poitras.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Up With the Sun, by Thomas Mallon.
One of the most acclaimed jazz pianists of his generation, Brad Mehldau sits down at the piano, for music and conversation. His album, Your Mother Should Know, interprets songs by The Beatles.
It's been 50 years since Schoolhouse Rock appeared on Saturday morning TV to teach kids about math, grammar and history. We're listening back to portions of our interviews with some of the people behind those songs: Composer, pianist and singer Bob Dorough, songwriter and pianist Dave Frishberg, and trumpeter and singer Jack Sheldon.
Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews Magic Mike's Last Dance, the third and final Magic Mike film starring Channing Tatum.
The new Oscar-nominated documentary, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, focuses on world-famous photographer Nan Goldin, her life, her work, and the protests she led at museums that accepted funding from the Sackler family. Their company, Purdue Pharma, manufactured and unscrupulously marketed OxyContin. We'll talk with Goldin and director Laura Poitras.
Also, John Powers reviews the documentary (also Oscar-nominated) All That Breathes.
Journalist Mark Whitaker says that much of what's happening American race relations today traces back to 1966, the year when the Black Panthers were founded and the Black Power movement took full form. It's also the year when when Stokely Carmichael replaced John Lewis as chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and challenged the tactic of non-violence. Whitaker examines the pivotal year in his new book, Saying It Loud: 1966 — The Year Black Power Challenged the Civil Rights Movement.
Prosecutor Mark Pomerantz worked on the Manhattan District Attorney's office probe into Donald Trump's finances, then resigned after a new DA decided not to file charges. His book is People vs. Donald Trump.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Up With the Sun by Thomas Mallon.
One of the most acclaimed jazz pianists of his generation, Mehldau sits down at the piano, for music and conversation. His album, Your Mother Should Know, interprets songs by The Beatles.
After working as a neurosurgeon for over 40 years, Dr. Henry Marsh was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. The cancer led him to reflect on doctor/patient relationships, his own mortality, and why he'd consider the possibility of hastening the end through medically-assisted death. His new book is And Finally.
Also, we'll hear from actor Lizzy Caplan. In the series Fleishman Is in Trouble, she plays a character who's having questions about her marriage, motherhood, and what happened to her youth and potential.
And David Bianculli will review the new series Shrinking, starring Harrison Ford and Jason Segel.
After losing much of her memory to dementia, one of the things the main character in the novel The Swimmers remembers is being forced into an incarceration camp for Japanese Americans during World War II. Author Julie Otsuka talks about the novel and her own family's experience in Japanese incarceration camps.
Also, we remember Victor Navasky, the longtime editor and eventual publisher of The Nation. He also wrote the book Naming Names, now considered a classic, about the Hollywood 10 and the House Un-American Activities Committee.
David Bianculli reviews the new Netflix mockumentary series Cunk on Earth.
Journalist Jere Van Dyk has spent years in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he got to know leaders of the Haqqani network, responsible for many suicide bombings and kidnappings. His new book is Without Borders.
Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead a new anthology of Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Shirley Scott Cookbook sessions.
Phone and electric car batteries are made with cobalt mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cobalt Red author Siddharth Kara describes the conditions as a "horror show."
Justin Chang reviews the Belgian film Close.
The series Fleishman Is in Trouble is about marriage, parenthood, and middle age. Lizzy Caplan plays Libby, a mom and journalist who is struggling with identity since moving to the suburbs. Caplan's other films and TV shows include Mean Girls, Party Down, and Freaks and Geeks. She was nominated for an Emmy for her work in the series Masters of Sex. She spoke with Fresh Air's Ann Marie Baldonado.
Also, David Bianculli reviews the series Shrinking, starring Jason Segel and Harrison Ford.
Neurosurgeon Dr. Henry Marsh describes how his own cancer diagnoses led him to reflect on the doctor-patient relationship, his own mortality and medically-assisted death. He'll talk about his memoir, And Finally, and about his trips to Ukraine performing surgery and working to improve the country's medical system.
F. Murray Abraham won the 1985 Best Actor Oscar for Amadeus. Now he co-stars in The White Lotus as Bert, a chauvinistic patriarch on vacation in Italy with his son and grandson. We talk about his career and life, and the lessons he learned along the way.
David Bianculli reviews Rian Johnson's new series Poker Face, starring Natasha Lyonne.
Author Jeff Guinn has written about cult leaders Charles Manson and Jim Jones. In the book, Waco, he draws on new interviews with federal agents and surviving Branch Davidians to revisit the 1993 confrontation, which left scores of people dead, including more than 20 children.
This month marks the centennial of the birth of Sam Phillips, the record producer who discovered Elvis and produced his first records. We're listening back to our interview with Phillips, who founded Sun Records in Memphis and also launched the careers of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison.
Also David Crosby and Graham Nash tell the story of how they met and started making music together as Crosby, Stills, & Nash. Crosby died last week.
John Powers reviews the new HBO series The Last of Us.
Author Jeff Guinn has written about cult leaders Charles Manson and Jim Jones. In the book, Waco, he draws on new interviews with federal agents and surviving Branch Davidians to revisit the 1993 confrontation, which left scores of people dead, including more than 20 children.
Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new Peacock series Poker Face, starring Natasha Lyonne.
F. Murray Abraham won the 1985 Best Actor Oscar for Amadeus. Now he co-stars in The White Lotus as Bert, a chauvinistic patriarch on vacation in Italy with his son and grandson. We talk about his career and life, and the lessons he learned along the way.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2006, hundreds of workers from India were promised jobs and green cards in what labor organizer Saket Soni calls "one of the largest cases of forced labor in modern U.S. history." He tells their story in The Great Escape.
We'll talk about the latest developments and strategies in the fight over abortion rights with Mary Ziegler, who has written several books on the law, history and politics of abortion. Her new book, Roe: The History of a National Obsession, is about how abortion has remained at the center of America's culture wars and political battles.
Also, we'll hear from writer Jonathan Escoffery. His semi-autobiographical collection of stories, If I Survive You, is on our book critic Maureen Corrigan's list of the best books of 2022. The main character, like Escoffery, is the American-born son of Jamaican immigrants, trying to figure out how race and racism work in America, and where he's supposed to fit.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new solo album from pianist and composer Kenny Baron.
Rachael & Vilray's new album, I Love a Love Song, features them with a jazz ensemble. Most of their songs sound like something you would have heard on the radio in the '30s and '40s. Rachael is also the lead singer of the group Lake Street Dive. They spoke with Sam Briger in 2020.
Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews the novel This Other Eden, by Paul Harding, and Justin Chang reviews the new film Women Talking.
Historian Matthew Connelly says government records are marked as "classified" three times every second — and many of them will never be declassified. We talk about what that means for the public and how this might change. His new book is The Declassification Engine.
Also, John Powers reviews the French courtroom drama film Saint Omer by Alice Diop.
Legal historian Mary Ziegler has chronicled the legal, political and cultural battles around abortion, and says the debate is far from over: "We're at a moment of almost unprecedented uncertainty in the United States when it comes to abortion," Zielger says. Her book is Roe: The History of a National Obsession.
Princeton African American Studies professor Imani Perry says the South can be seen as an "origin point" for the way the nation operates. Her book, South to America, reflects on the region's history and traces the steps of an enslaved ancestor. "The South in some ways becomes the repository for the nation's sins, right?" she says. "And then it allows the rest of the country to conceive of itself as relatively pristine." South to America won the National Book Award for nonfiction in 2022.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews pianist Kenny Barron's album The Source.
Equal sports opportunities for women was mandated 50 years ago by title IX legislation. Champion runner Lauren Fleshman explains why getting access to a sports world built by men, for men and boys isn't working for girls and women. Her book, Good For a Girl, is a feminist critique of the sports world and a memoir about her own running career.
Also, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, creator, writer and showrunner of FX's series Fleishman Is In Trouble on Hulu talks about divorce, middle age, and dating apps.
Justin Chang reviews the critically acclaimed film No Bears by Iranian director Jafar Panahi. Not long after the film was completed, Panahi was sentenced to six years in prison.
We remember novelist Russell Banks, whose working-class background inspired much of his work. His best known novels were adapted into films, including Affliction, The Sweet Hereafter, and Continental Drift. We'll listen back to portions of our interviews with him.
Also, we're revisiting our interview with photographer
Larry Sultan, whose photographic memoir of growing up in California in the '50s and '60s is the basis of a new Broadway show starring Nathan Lane.
Maureen Corrigan reviews the novel Sam by Allegra Goodman. And Justin Chang reviews No Bears, the Iranian film that's been on his year-end best list.
Journalist Anshel Pfeffer says the Israeli prime minister has a "strange detachment" when it comes to social issues — which opens the door for conservative members of his coalition to make changes.
Taffy Brodesser-Akner says the start of middle age hit her "like a truck." As her friends got divorced and began dating again, she was inspired to write a novel — which she's adapted for the screen. Fleishman is in Trouble is on FX/Hulu.
Also, Raw Deal author Chloe Sorvino talks about the state of the meat industry.
Champion distance runner Lauren Fleshman says 50 years after Title IX legislation, the sports world is still built for mens' bodies. She's now an activist seeking to change that by addressing important sex-based differences. We'll talk about her famous "Objectify Me" Nike campaign, inclusivity for transgender athletes, and how breasts, hips and menstruation shouldn't be treated as an impediment to athletic performance. Her book is Good for a Girl.
Jonathan Escoffery grew up in Miami, the son of Jamaican immigrants. In a world where identity was linked to race, he says it was often confusing to figure out where he fit in. His new book of stories is If I Survive You.
Also, Ken Tucker reviews SZA's new album, SOS.
We talk about the January 6th Committee's work with Luke Broadwater, who covers Congress for the New York Times. He was in the Capitol the day of the assault, and has reported on the Committee's work from the beginning.
John Powers reviews Noah Baumbach's film adaptation of Don DeLillo's White Noise.
The list of authors Robert Gottlieb has edited include Joseph Heller, Toni Morrison, John Le Carré, Katharine Graham, Bill Clinton, Nora Ephron and Michael Crichton. The documentary Turn Every Page, by his daughter Lizzie Gottlieb, examines his decades-long editing relationship with Power Broker author Robert Caro.
We remember one of the creators of the Philly Sound: songwriter, arranger and producer Thom Bell. He died late last month, at the age of 79. He was a classically trained pianist whose inventive R&B arrangements included horns, strings, oboe, timpani, and more. Among the songs he arranged were "Drowning in the Sea of Love" by Joe Simon, and "Backs Stabbers" by the O'Jays. He also wrote and arranged for the Stylistics, the Spinners, and the Delfonics.
John Powers reviews the new film White Noise, directed by Noah Baumbach, now on Netflix.
In 1977, gunmen led by a charismatic Muslim leader stormed three locations in Washington, D.C., taking more than 100 people hostage. Journalist Shahan Mufti examines the incident in his book American Caliph.
Robert Gottlieb has been working in publishing since 1955. The list of authors he's edited include Joseph Heller, Toni Morrison, John Le Carré, Katharine Graham, Bill Clinton, Nora Ephron and Michael Crichton. The documentary Turn Every Page, by his daughter Lizzie Gottlieb, examines his decades-long editing relationship with Power Broker author Robert Caro. Terry Gross spoke with both Lizzie and Robert Gottlieb.
Also, John Powers reviews the British drama Living, adapted by Kazuo Ishiguro from Akira Kurosawa's classic 1952 film Ikiru.
Our best of 2022 series concludes with actor Rosie Perez. Raised in a convent for abandoned kids, Perez used to dream of stability and a loving home. Now that she has it, Perez says, "It's priceless." We talk with Perez about overcoming the trauma of her childhood, how a fight with Spike Lee helped land her breakthrough role in Do the Right Thing, and her brief — but impactful — time dancing on Soul Train. She co-stars on HBO Max's The Flight Attendant.
We continue our series of some of our favorite interviews of the year with Seth Meyers, the host of NBC's Late Night. Also, we hear from comedian, writer, director and actor Stephen Merchant. He co-created the British comedy series The Office with Ricky Gervais. His most recent series is called The Outlaws. And critic Ken Tucker shares his picks for the best music of 2022.
The hit parody artist "Weird Al" Yankovic talks about what made him weird, the legal gray area of parody, and bringing "the sexy back" to accordion. The new movie Weird, inspired by the story of his life, is a parody of music biopics.
Our best of 2022 series continues with Michael Imperioli, who played a sex-addicted Hollywood producer on vacation in Sicily in HBO's The White Lotus. He's best known for his role as Tony Soprano's hot-headed protégé, Christopher Moltisanti. He talked about both of these roles with Fresh Air producer Sam Briger.
Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead remembers musicians who died this year.
DJ Questlove has put together a playlist of some of his favorite Christmas recordings. We'll talk about his picks. And film critic Justin Chang shares his best of 2022 list.
You can find Questlove's Spotify playlist here: https://spoti.fi/3WeZhfd
Our best of 2022 series continues. In his HBO comedy special, Rothaniel, Jerrod Carmichael opens up about his real name, his family tree, and his sexual orientation. We'll go deeper into these issues — and talk about how being honest about them changed his comedy and his life. Carmichael is hosting the Golden Globes in January.
Podcast critic Nick Quah shares his picks for best podcasts of 2022.
Our best of 2022 series continues. The FX/Hulu series Reservation Dogs follows four teens on an Oklahoma Indian reservation who are frustrated and alienated, caught between what's left of traditional Native culture on the reservation and the broader pop culture. We talk with co-creator and showrunner Sterlin Harjo about his own upbringing in Indian Territory and how he was inspired by the storytellers in his family.
Also, rock critic Ken Tucker shares his picks for best of 2022.
Our best of 2022 series continues. Spielberg's latest project, The Fabelmans, is semi-autobiographical — focused on his childhood and teen years and his parents' divorce. He jokingly refers to the film as "$40 million of therapy." He speaks with Terry Gross about the first movie he saw in theaters, filming the iconic D-Day sequence in Saving Private Ryan, and growing up around Holocaust survivors.
Our best of 2022 series continues. John McEnroe is remembered as one of the most talented — and hot-headed — tennis players of all time. Over the course of his career, he won 155 combined titles — more than any man in the game's modern era. We talk about wins, losses and notorious moments on the court.
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