Fresh 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 and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.
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In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination on Sept. 10, NYT reporter Robert Draper talks with Terry Gross about the conservative activist's rise and legacy. Draper profiled Kirk earlier this year and stayed in touch up to the day before his death. We also discuss right-wing extremist Nick Fuentes, a rival of Kirk’s with a large following. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Priv...
Science writer Mary Roach is fascinated by the human body, especially, she says, the " gooey bits and pieces of us that are performing miracles on a daily basis. Roach has done deep dives on human cadavers , the digestive system and the science of sex . Now, in Replaceable You, she chronicles both the history of body part replacement (including prosthetic noses that date back to the 1500s), and more recent medical breakthroughs in regenerative medicine. Roach spoke with Terry Gross. This month m...
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Trymaine Lee's new memoir, A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America , is part history, and part personal. He traces the bloody history Black Americans have with firearms, recalls the gun violence in his own youth and follows his ancestors’ path back to Ghana. The book reads like a plea for people to see the humanity of those lost to gun violence — and for this country to care enough to act. Lee spoke with Tonya Mosley about the ...
This month marks 50 years of Terry Gross as the host of Fresh Air . What began in 1975 as a local experiment at WHYY in Philadelphia has since grown into a national institution—one that not only transformed public radio, but laid the groundwork for the world of podcasting.To commemorate a half-century on the air, Terry Gross joins us for a rare appearance in the interview seat. At the top, we discuss her Brooklyn upbringing (11:39), early memories of writing (14:13), and her improbable road to p...
Rob Reiner talks with Terry Gross about directing the new sequel to Spinal Tap , the mockumentary about a heavy metal band. He’ll also talk about his remarkable life and career, like directing When Harry Met Sally and starring in All in the Family . Also, singer songwriter and guitarist Billy Strings is one of the rare bluegrass musicians who can fill arenas with tens of thousands of fans. He’s been working to get to where he is for a long time. "I slept with my guitar when I was four or five ye...
The Netflix miniseries follows a 13-year-old accused of murdering a girl from his school. Co-creator and star Stephen Graham says he read about similar crimes and wanted to know: "Why is this happening?" Graham spoke with Sam Briger about the crime that inspired the show, fatherhood, and the unusual way the show was shot — in one single take. Adolescence has 13 Emmy nominations. Film critic Justin Chang reviews Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our colle...
Veteran Air Force linguist Reality Winner was working at the NSA in 2017 when she leaked a classified document to the press about Russian election interference. Soon after, the FBI showed up at her door. She was sentenced to five years in prison and was released in 2021. Winner's new memoir is I Am Not Your Enemy . She spoke with Terry Gross. Also, John Powers reviews the MUBI series Mussolini: Son of the Century about the ferocious rise of the Italian dictator. See pcm.adswizz.com for informati...
Law scholar Richard Hasen explores the escalating challenges to American democracy and election integrity, including proposals to ban mail-in ballots and electronic voting, as well as the Justice Department's efforts to build a national voter roll. He details the impact of partisan gerrymandering, the ongoing erosion of the Voting Rights Act through Supreme Court decisions, and the demobilizing effect of rhetoric questioning election legitimacy. Hasen argues for the critical need to safeguard the precarious constitutional right to vote and rebuild trust in democratic processes.
Reiner's 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap sparked a new genre of satire. Now, more than 40 years later, the band is back in a new sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues . "They have grown neither emotionally or musically," Reiner says. The filmmaker spoke with Terry Gross about When Harry Met Sally , growing up around comedy legends, and starring in Norman Lear's seminal sitcom All in the Family . Also, David Bianculli reviews the new comedy series The Paper . See pcm.adswizz.com for infor...
The Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist has one foot in traditional bluegrass and another in improvisational jam music. He has a new album, Live at the Legion , and he brought his guitar to our studio. He spoke with Sam Briger about healing himself through songwriting, performing the day his mom died, and how being a father has changed him as a musician. "I sing now from a place of freedom and joy in my belly," Strings says. Also, jazz critic Martin Johnson reviews an album from harp...
At 87, Oscar-winning actor Jane Fonda is pouring her energy into activism. She’ll reflect on her decades-long career, and how she first began her fitness empire to fund her activist work. Also, we hear from Spike Lee. His latest film, Highest 2 Lowest , reimagines Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High and Low , but through the lens of modern-day America and hip-hop culture. Both guests spoke with Tonya Mosley. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for spo...
After 11 seasons on ER , Noah Wyle thought he was finished with medical dramas: "I spent 15 years avoiding — actively avoiding — walking down what I thought was either hallowed ground or traveled road." But then COVID happened, and he felt compelled to tell more of these stories. He spoke with Dave Davies about the making of HBO's hit show The Pitt, the medical jargon, and his mom's feedback on the show. Justin Chang reviews the new film Caught Stealing , from director Darren Aronofsky. See pcm....
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta's new book examines the world of pain — why we feel it, and how we can treat it. He says distraction and meditation can be useful tools for managing pain. He spoke with Terry Gross about how the brain gets pain signals wrong, alternatives to painkillers, and how a family of circus performers inspired a new drug. Gupta's book is It Doesn't Have to Hurt . Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the HBO series Task , by the creator of Mare of Easttow...
We look at the stormy tenure of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. New York Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg discusses how RFK Jr.'s cuts to government staff and expert groups will impact everyday Americans. A vaccine skeptic, Kennedy fired the CDC director last week. Also, John Powers reviews the Prime Video thriller series Butterfly , starring Daniel Dae Kim. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage...
Earlier this year, Fonda made headlines for delivering a fiery critique of the Trump administration during a SAG-AFTRA award acceptance speech. "This is not the time to go inward," Fonda says. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about her career onscreen and off, as an activist. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy...
Fresh Air delves into the rich history of rock and R&B, featuring a 2000 interview with former teen idol Dion, who reflects on transitioning from youth-oriented hits to more mature material, his diverse musical influences, and the poignant story behind a song connected to the 1959 plane crash. The episode also includes a 1988 conversation with New Orleans' Allen Toussaint, an influential songwriter and producer, who performs and discusses the origins of classics like "Mother-in-Law" and "Working in a Coal Mine." Finally, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead profiles alto saxophonist Art Pepper, exploring his unique style, turbulent life, and acclaimed comeback.
All week we're revisiting archival interviews with key figures in early rock and roll, rockabilly and R&B. We listen back to a 1989 interview with singer and pianist Charles Brown. Brown is credited with creating an expressive style of music that blended rough Texas blues with the soft glamour of Hollywood. And we revisit a 1998 interview with soul singer Ray Charles, who helped shape American music, beginning with his 1955 hit, “I Got a Woman.” See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our ...
All week we're revisiting archival interviews with key figures in early rock and roll, rockabilly and R&B. Soul singer Ben E. King began his career in the ‘50s with The Drifters but it was the '61 hit "Stand by Me" that sealed his musical legacy. He spoke to Fresh Air in 1988. We also listen back to a 1991 interview with lyricist Jerry Leiber and composer Mike Stoller, who wrote and produced music for King. Plus, we'll revisit Terry Gross' 1993 interview with Jerry Wexler, the hitmaker who c...
All week we're revisiting archival interviews with key figures in early rock and roll, rockabilly and R&B. Singer, songwriter, producer and talent scout Johnny Otis got his start leading a big band that had the 1945 hit “Harlem Nocturne.” Later, as a talent scout, he discovered such performers as Big Mama Thornton, Esther Phillips and Etta James. James' career took off in the '60s with hits including “At Last," “A Sunday Kind of Love” and “I’d Rather Go Blind." See pcm.adswizz.com for inform...
All week we're revisiting archival interviews with key figures in early rock and roll, rockabilly and R&B. Sam Phillips discovered Elvis Presley and produced his first records, which many consider Elvis’ best. He also founded Sun Records and launched the careers of Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich and Johnny Cash. Cash is one of the most influential figures in country music. His collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, starting in the late 1990s, transformed Cash’s image and gained ...
All week we're revisiting archival interviews with key figures in early rock and roll, rockabilly and R&B. We're kicking it off with Terry Gross's interviews with Elvis Presley's guitarist Scotty Moore, who tells stories about playing with the King and recording "Blue Suede Shoes." That song was written by rockabilly musician Carl Perkins, who also spoke with Terry about his career. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manag...
We remember British actor Terence Stamp, who died last week at age 87. He starred in the film The Limey , as an ex-con out for revenge, and in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert as a transgender performer on the road with a lip-synch club act. Stamp got his start in the ’60s, starring in the films Billy Budd , Far From the Madding Crowd and The Collector . Stamp grew up in a working class cockney neighborhood and as a teenager, when he let it be known he wanted to be an actor, his ...
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich served under President Clinton from 1993 to 1997. He opens his new memoir, Coming Up Short, with an apology on behalf of the Baby Boom generation for failing to build a more just society. Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews the books Pariah and The Dancing Face. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy...
The New Yorker’s Ruth Marcus says Bondi has presided over the DOJ's most convulsive transition of power since Watergate, aggressively reversing policies, investigating Trump’s foes and firing staff. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy...
Spike Lee's new film, Highest 2 Lowest , centers on a music mogul (Denzel Washington) who faces a moral dilemma when kidnappers mistakenly hold his friend's son ransom instead of his own: Will he risk it all to save a child who isn't his? The Oscar-winning filmmaker spoke with Tonya Mosley about his decades-long partnership with Denzel, an upcoming docuseries about Hurricane Katrina, and Do The Right Thing , 35+ years later. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of per...
The Emmy-nominated Saturday Night Live cast member talks with Terry Gross about his favorite pop culture in the aughts, his SNL audition, and his recent trip to China. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Writer Thomas Mallon looks back on the early years of the AIDS epidemic, when he was in his 30s, living in Manhattan. His friends were sick or dead, and he was terrified that he’d die, too. Excerpts of his journals from those years are collected in The Very Heart of It . He'll also talk about his latest novel, Up with the Sun , based on the life and murder of a little-known gay actor from the 1950s and '60s. Also, we remember jazz singer Sheila Jordan, who died Monday at age 96. And Justin Chang...
After writing chapters of her new book about how tech companies help and exploit us, tech journalist and novelist Vauhini Vara fed those chapters to ChatGPT. She told the AI chatbot she needed help with her writing. But her real goal was to analyze and critique the chatbot’s advice. Her book is Searches . Also, before social media, before influencers, the magazines Vanity Fair , Vogue , GQ, and Architectural Digest were among the most significant tastemakers, informing readers what clothes, cele...
Chilean-born actor Pedro Pascal has faced countless on-screen challenges, including cosmic battles and cartel kingpins. He's nominated for an Emmy for his role on the HBO series, The Last of Us . He spoke with Tonya Mosley about getting fired from restaurant jobs, his dance training, and his parents' exile from Chile. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy...
Crockett grew up poor and got his start in music busking for tips on the street and in the subway. He's since played the Hollywood Bowl and been nominated for a Grammy. The country/roots musician talks with Terry Gross and plays songs from his new album, Dollar a Day. John Powers reviews The Diary of Lies , a new mystery novel about a reporter. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new series Alien: Earth , a TV prequel to the film Alien . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...
