Fresh Air
1,418 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★ - 32.7K ratingsFresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.
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Episodes
Cate Blanchett & Dir. Todd Field On Tár
March 01, 2023 20:44 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBIn 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, Mau...
How The Fed Is Growing More Powerful
February 28, 2023 20:47 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBWe 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. Podc...
Ke Huy Quan On 'Everything Everywhere'
February 27, 2023 20:04 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBQuan 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. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Best Of: 'Oscar Wars' / Marc Maron
February 25, 2023 13:29 - 49 minutes - 45 MBWe'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...
Remembering Richard Belzer & Tim McCarver
February 24, 2023 15:52 - 46 minutes - 43 MBWe 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.
How An Ex-Con & Caterer Became Putin's Trusted Warlord
February 23, 2023 20:00 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBGuardian journalist Shaun Walker talks about Yevgeny Prigozhin, the tough-talking convict-turned-businessman who recruits soldiers from Russian prisons to fight in Ukraine. "It's just so out of the realms of fantasy that this former convict is going to fly around prisons in his helicopter and offer people salvation for fighting for him at the front, and then lead these battalions of prisoners to their almost certain death," He says. "It's so dystopian that it's really hard to believe. But yet...
The 'Gold, Sweat, And Tears' Behind The Oscars
February 22, 2023 19:55 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MBFrom 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.
Life, Death & Uncertainty In The ER
February 21, 2023 20:06 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MBDr. 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.
Robert Caro On LBJ
February 20, 2023 13:51 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBFor 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.
Best Of: Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin / Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter
February 18, 2023 13:00 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBWhat 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 W...
Remembering De La Soul's David Jolicoeur
February 17, 2023 17:44 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBWe 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 Imme...
Marc Maron Goes 'From Bleak To Dark'
February 16, 2023 19:36 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBAfter 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.
A Playlist By Yannick Nézet-Séguin
February 15, 2023 20:05 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBWhat 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.
'Black Panther' Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter
February 14, 2023 20:19 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBIn 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.
Remembering Burt Bacharach
February 13, 2023 21:40 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBWe 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 lyric...
Best Of: Laura Poitras & Nan Goldin / Jazz Pianist Brad Mehldau
February 13, 2023 18:00 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBThe 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 Meh...
50 Years Of 'Schoolhouse Rock'
February 10, 2023 16:32 - 46 minutes - 43 MBIt'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.
Artist/Activist Nan Goldin & Filmmaker Laura Poitras
February 09, 2023 19:13 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBThe 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.
1966: The Year Of Black Power
February 08, 2023 19:33 - 46 minutes - 42.5 MBJournalist 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 R...
Inside The Criminal Investigation Into Trump's Finances
February 07, 2023 20:05 - 45 minutes - 42 MBProsecutor 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.
Jazz Pianist Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles
February 06, 2023 20:51 - 45 minutes - 41.5 MBOne 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.
Best Of: When A Doctor Becomes A Patient / Lizzy Caplan
February 04, 2023 13:00 - 48 minutes - 44.6 MBAfter 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 ...
Author Julie Otsuka / Remembering 'Nation' Editor Victor Navasky
February 03, 2023 19:04 - 41 minutes - 37.8 MBAfter 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...
Inside The Haqqani Terrorist Network
February 02, 2023 20:08 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBJournalist 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.
How 'Modern-Day Slavery' Powers The Rechargeable Battery Economy
February 01, 2023 19:59 - 44 minutes - 41.2 MBPhone 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.
Actor Lizzy Caplan
January 31, 2023 19:34 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBThe 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.
When A Doctor Becomes The Patient
January 30, 2023 19:59 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MBNeurosurgeon 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.
Best Of: Human Trafficking After Katrina / The Waco Siege
January 28, 2023 13:08 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBF. 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 surv...
Sun Records Founder Sam Phillips / Crosby & Nash
January 27, 2023 22:02 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBThis 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 HB...
How Social Media's Role Was Left Out Of The Jan. 6 Report
January 26, 2023 19:16 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBWashington Post technology reporter Drew Harwell says the unpublished report shows that tech companies didn't respond to employees' warnings about violent rhetoric on their platforms.
Revisiting The Waco Siege, 30 Years Later
January 25, 2023 20:21 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBAuthor 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.
'White Lotus' Actor F. Murray Abraham
January 24, 2023 20:19 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBF. 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.
Forced Labor & Rebuilding After Natural Disasters In The U.S.
January 23, 2023 19:53 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBAfter 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.
Best Of: The Status Of Abortion Rights / Novelist Jonathan Escoffery
January 21, 2023 13:00 - 48 minutes - 44.6 MBWe'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 ...
Jazz-Pop Duo Rachael & Vilray
January 20, 2023 17:53 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBRachael & 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.
Is The U.S. Gov't Designating Too Many Documents As Classified'?
January 19, 2023 20:16 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBHistorian 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.
What's Next For The New GOP-Led House?
January 18, 2023 19:24 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBNew York Times congressional correspondent Catie Edmondson says the new Republican-controlled House of Representatives will likely leverage their subpoena power to enact vengeance on the Biden administration. "The next two years is not going to be defined by governing and legislating. It is going to be defined by obstruction and clashes of personalities and investigation," she says.
The Status Of Abortion Rights In America
January 17, 2023 20:35 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBLegal 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.
A Journey Below The Mason-Dixon Line
January 16, 2023 13:00 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBPrinceton 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. Ja...
Best Of: Equity In Sports / 'Fleishman Is In Trouble' Creator
January 14, 2023 13:34 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBEqual 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 dati...
Remembering Novelist Russell Banks
January 13, 2023 18:12 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBWe 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...
What Israel's Move To The Right Means For Democracy
January 12, 2023 21:25 - 45 minutes - 42 MBJournalist 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.
'Fleishman Is In Trouble' Creator Taffy Brodesser-Akner
January 11, 2023 19:28 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MBTaffy 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.
Fighting For Equity In Sports
January 10, 2023 19:59 - 44 minutes - 41 MBChampion 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.
'If I Survive You' author Jonathan Escoffery
January 09, 2023 19:33 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBJonathan 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.
Best Of: Wrapping up the Jan. 6 hearings / Editing Robert Caro
January 07, 2023 13:01 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBWe 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 ...
Remembering A Creator Of The Philly Sound
January 06, 2023 18:08 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBWe 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 Whit...
How The Jan. 6 Committee Used TV Tactics Against Trump
January 05, 2023 20:06 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MBNYT journalist Luke Broadwater says the committee hired a former news producer to hit Trump where it hurt: "His whole career was built on television, and they were able to use that very medium against him."
Revisiting A Forgotten U.S. Hostage Crisis
January 04, 2023 19:45 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBIn 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.
Acclaimed Book Editor Robert Gottlieb
January 03, 2023 19:52 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBRobert 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 ...