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 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 . Justin Chang reviews the Western film The Dead Don't hurt . Learn more about sponsor message choice...
May 31, 2024•46 min
Yohance Lacour's Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast, You Didn't See Nothin' , tells the story of Lenard Clark, a 13-year-old Black boy who was beaten into a coma by white teenagers, after riding his bike into a predominantly white neighborhood. Lacour talks about the importance of the case today, and how it shaped his life and the city of Chicago. Also, John Powers reviews the film Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR...
May 30, 2024•44 min
About 25 years ago, the acclaimed cellist asked a high school student to help him name his instrument. Yo-Yo Ma brings his cello — aka "Petunia" — to his conversation with Terry Gross. He talks about being a child prodigy, his rebel years, and straddling three cultures: American, French, and Chinese. For sponsor-free episodes of Fresh Air — and exclusive weekly bonus episodes, too — subscribe to Fresh Air+ via Apple Podcasts or at here. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.co...
May 29, 2024•46 min
When journalist Rachel Somerstein had an emergency C-section with her first child, the anesthesia didn't work. She recounts her own experience and the history of C-sections in her book, Invisible Labor. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the last season of Evil. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 28, 2024•44 min
The small Memphis label Stax Records created soul hits by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Rufus and Carla Thomas, and others. It's the subject of a new documentary on MAX. We're featuring interviews with musicians who were a big part of the Stax sound: Guitarist, songwriter, and producer Steve Cropper tells us about becoming part of the house rhythm section, and going on to help write hits for Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Keyboardist Booker T. Jones remembers being pulled out of cl...
May 27, 2024•47 min
Grammy-winning musician Michael McDonald looks back on his childhood and his career in a new memoir. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about imposter syndrome and his first band as a tween. Also, investigative journalist and author Eric Schlosser talks about how mergers and acquisitions and very little regulation have all but decimated competition within food systems and supply chains. And Justin Chang reviews Furiosa , the latest film in the Mad Max franchise. Learn more about sponsor message choices:...
May 25, 2024•48 min
The fifth installment of the Mad Max series of post-apocalyptic action films is roaring into theaters. It's called Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga , and it's a prequel to the 2015 film, Mad Max: Fury Road , which earned 10 Oscar nominations. First, Justin Chang reviews the new movie, and then we revisit our 2016 interview with director George Miller. Also, we remember alto saxophonist David Sanborn, who toured or recorded with David Bowie, James Brown, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and others. ...
May 24, 2024•46 min
In Fat Leonard , journalist Craig Whitlock tells the story of a defense contractor who plied Navy commanders with lavish meals, trips, cash and sex workers. In return they let him overcharge taxpayers. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
May 23, 2024•44 min
In 2021, burnt out from the intensity of her early career, Maggie Rogers considered quitting music entirely. Instead, she took a detour — to Harvard Divinity School, where she earned a master's degree in religion and public life. Rogers spoke with Fresh Air 's Sam Briger about her songwriting process, becoming a star overnight, and being a nostalgic person. Her new album is Don't Forget Me. This episode is a special extended version of the interview that aired on NPR. Learn more about sponsor me...
May 22, 2024•55 min
The SNL alum co-stars with Carol Burnett in Palm Royale , an Apple TV+ series about a former pageant queen who wants to break into high society. Wiig talked with Ann Marie Baldonado about working with Burnett, the rush of SNL , and co-writing the mega hit movie Bridesmaids . Ken Tucker shares three songs of the summer. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 21, 2024•46 min
McDonald says that earlier in his career, he tended to avoid writing about himself directly in songs. He opens up about his life and career in the memoir, What a Fool Believes. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about his first band as a tween, his songwriting process, and being big in the Black community. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 20, 2024•46 min
Musician, activist, and punk pioneer Kathleen Hanna talks about being at the epicenter of the '90s riot grrrl movement. She talks about the early days of Bikini Kill and writing the anthem "Rebel Girl." Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Claire Messud's new novel. Also, actor Tyler James Williams shares the motivation behind his role as a no-nonsense teacher on the hit series Abbott Elementary . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 18, 2024•48 min
Filmmaker Roger Corman, the "King of the B" movies, died last week at the age of 98. He made hundreds of films, such cult classics as Little Shop of Horrors , A Bucket of Blood , House of Usher , The Last Woman on Earth , and The Cry Baby Killer . We feature our 1990 interview with him, and with those whose careers he helped launch – including actors Peter Fonda and Bruce Dern, as well as directors James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, and Jonathan Demme. And our critic at large, John Powers, has an a...
May 17, 2024•47 min
Wallace is known for his celebrity profiles, but his new memoir, Another Word For Love , is about his own life, growing up unhoused, Black and queer, and getting his start as a writer at the age of 40. David Bianculli shares an appreciation of John Mulaney's six-part live Netflix talk show, Everybody's in L.A . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 16, 2024•44 min
The Economist Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom explains why some Arab leaders hate Hamas, fear Iran and have some sympathy for Israel — although not for how Israel is waging the war. For sponsor-free episodes of Fresh Air — and exclusive weekly bonus episodes, too — subscribe to Fresh Air+ via Apple Podcasts or here . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 15, 2024•46 min
Williams was thrust into the public eye as a kid, when he starred in Everybody Hates Chris . Now, playing a teacher on Abbott Elementary , he strives to make the child actors on set feel comfortable. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about the trauma of fame as a kid, his Crohn's diagnosis, and tuning out online chatter. Justin Chang reviews the Japanese film Evil Does Not Exist, by Drive My Car director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Priva...
May 14, 2024•46 min
Kathleen Hanna's band Bikini Kill was the epicenter of the riot grrrl feminist punk movement of the '90s. Their song "Rebel Girl" was the anthem. Now Hanna has a memoir (also called Rebel Girl ) about her time in the punk scene, her childhood, and finding joy in expressing anger in public. Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Claire Messud's new novel, This Strange Eventful History . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 13, 2024•46 min
WNBA star Brittney Griner talks about the physical and emotional hell of her nearly 300 days in Russian prisons. Russian authorities apprehended Griner at the Moscow Airport when she was found carrying a tiny amount of medically prescribed cannabis — then charged her with drug smuggling. Her memoir is Coming Home . Jazz historian Kevin Whitehead reviews a 1959 Sonny Rollins reissue. And we'll talk about plant intelligence with climate journalist Zoë Schlanger. Her book is The Light Eaters . Lear...
May 11, 2024•48 min
Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer has been adapted into a series on HBO/MAX. It's set in Vietnam during the last days of the war, and in LA, just after. The narrator becomes a consultant to a Hollywood film about the war. The novel is written from a Vietnamese perspective. "It's my revenge on Francis Ford Coppola, my revenge on Hollywood, to try to get Americans to understand that Vietnam is a country and not a war," he told Terry Gross in 2016. Nguyen's family fle...
May 10, 2024•45 min
We remember painter and sculptor Frank Stella, whose early work was considered revolutionary. He died last week at age 87. Stella became famous and controversial in the 1950s for his "black paintings," which were a stark contrast to the abstract expressionism of the time, and made him one of the fathers of minimalism. Later, we'll feature an interview with one of the most influential early rock and roll guitarists, Duane Eddy. He also died last week. Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Long Isl...
May 09, 2024•45 min
#BlackLivesMatter. #OscarsSoWhite. #ICantBreathe. Filmmaker Prentice Penny's docuseries about Black Twitter celebrates the voices and movements that impacted politics and culture. Penny was also the showrunner of the HBO series Insecure . Also, John Powers reviews the four-part series Shardlake , based on C.J. Sansom's first novel in a series about a crime-solving lawyer in 16th-century England. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 08, 2024•43 min
Griner spent nearly 300 days incarcerated in Russia after authorities at the Moscow airport found two nearly empty cartridges of cannabis in her luggage. The WNBA star spoke with Terry Gross about the dehumanizing prison conditions, her release, and return to the court. Griner, who is 6'9", says she felt like a zoo animal in prison. "The guards would literally come open up the little peep hole, look in, and then I would hear them laughing." Her new memoir is Coming Home . Learn more about sponso...
May 07, 2024•45 min
Climate journalist Zoë Schlanger explains the fascinating science behind how plants learn, communicate, and adapt to survive. She says plants can store memories, trick animals into not eating them, and even send alarm calls to other plants. Her new book is called The Light Eaters. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new Netflix series A Man in Full , starring Jeff Daniels and Diane Lane. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 06, 2024•46 min
In a new Hulu docuseries, Jon Bon Jovi looks back on his career and his recovery after vocal surgery. He spoke with Terry Gross about his breakthrough hit "Runaway" and how he's evolved as a musician. Also, we'll hear from fantasy author Leigh Bardugo. She's best known for her YA series Shadow and Bone . Her new adult novel, The Familiar , set in 16th century Spain, is about a young woman who can perform miracles. Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews a new collection of letters by Emily Dickinso...
May 04, 2024•49 min
The New York Times described Paul Auster as the "Patron Saint of Literary Brooklyn." He died Tuesday of complications of lung cancer. He was 77. We'll listen back to some of our interviews with him, including one about his early career when he was desperately trying to make a living as writer, and even tried writing porn. Justin Chang reviews the new film The Fall Guy , starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Polic...
May 03, 2024•46 min
Congress and President Biden say TikTok must shed its financial ties to China or face a ban in the U.S. But Washington Post tech reporter Drew Harwell says selling the company is complicated. For sponsor-free episodes of Fresh Air — and exclusive weekly bonus episodes, too — subscribe to Fresh Air+ via Apple Podcasts or here . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 02, 2024•43 min
In The Demon of Unrest, author Erik Larson chronicles the five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the start of the Civil War, drawing parallels to today's political climate. Also, David Bianculli reviews the FX/Hulu spy thriller series The Veil , starring Elisabeth Moss. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 02, 2024•45 min
Leigh Bardugo is best known for her YA Shadow and Bone series. Her adult novel, The Familiar, centers on a young woman in 16th century Spain who must hide her identity as a Jew who converted to Catholicism. She spoke with producer Sam Briger. Also, jazz historian Kevin Whitehead looks at a reissue of Sonny Rollins. For sponsor-free episodes of Fresh Air — and exclusive weekly bonus episodes, too — subscribe to Fresh Air+ via Apple Podcasts or here. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podca...
Apr 30, 2024•47 min
A few years ago, Bon Jovi stopped performing because of a vocal cord injury. The Hulu docuseries Thank You, Goodnight offers a career retrospective, plus a view of his surgery and return to the stage. He spoke with Terry Gross about his voice, writing "Livin' on a Prayer," and his forthcoming album, Forever . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Apr 29, 2024•46 min
Songwriter, guitarist and singer St. Vincent talks about her new album, All Born Screaming . Also, we talk with child psychiatrist Harold Koplewicz. His latest book is called Scaffold Parenting: Raising Resilient, Self-Reliant and Secure Kids in an Age of Anxiety . To get staff recommendations, highlights from our archive, and intel on what's coming up on the show, subscribe to our newsletter . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Apr 27, 2024•48 min•Ep. 5880
