Award-winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Raphael Saadiq talks about his process — from collaborating with Beyoncé and Solange, to his song in Sinners, to his R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné! He just announced an extended tour of his one-man show, No Bandwidth: One Man, One Night, Three Decades of Hits. 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...
Jul 08, 2025•46 min
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jennifer Senior has had insomnia for 25 years. Her new piece in The Atlantic , "Why Can't Americans Sleep?," is about her often futile attempts to fall asleep, and about the latest research into insomnia and the medications and therapies used to treat it. Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews a new HBO Max documentary about Ms. magazine. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast spo...
Jul 07, 2025•45 min
Jeffrey Seller has been a key behind-the-scenes figure for some of the Broadway's biggest hits including, Hamilton and RENT , but he got his start on a much smaller scale. He looks back in a new memoir called Theater Kid . Ebon Moss-Bachrach has won two Emmys for his portrayal of Cousin Richie, the abrasive and ornery cook/maître d' on the FX series The Bear . He talks about the making of the show. Ken Tucker reviews a new collection of Bruce Springsteen music, songs he wrote and recorded from t...
Jul 05, 2025•47 min
Author Ricky Riccardi says Armstrong's innovations as a trumpeter and vocalist helped set the entire soundtrack of the 20th century. His book about Armstrong's early life is Stomp Off, Let's Go. 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...
Jul 04, 2025•45 min
Jacob Soboroff of NBC News says the Trump administration promised to deport the "worst of the worst" criminal immigrants, but is now detaining undocumented workers with no serious criminal record. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about the condition of some detainment centers, the impact on L.A. communities, and child separation. 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...
Jul 02, 2025•45 min
Jeffrey Seller has been a key behind-the-scenes figure for some of the Broadway's biggest hits including, Hamilton and RENT , but he got his start on a much smaller scale. He looks back in a new memoir called Theater Kid . Seller spoke with Terry Gross about his path from poverty in Michigan to the epicenter of musical theater. 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...
Jun 30, 2025•47 min
What happens when a former federal government employee turns his lens on the psychology of panic? You get Hysterical , a podcast series from Dan Taberski. In it, Taberski investigates a mysterious illness that swept through a group of high school students in upstate New York. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about his award-winning podcast. Book critic Maureen Corrigan recommends some mystery and suspense novels for your summer reading list. Also, we'll hear from Larry Charles who has been a writer, d...
Jun 28, 2025•48 min
After surviving many close calls as a war correspondent — from bullets, mortars and the threat of execution — Rod Nordland was diagnosed with a lethal brain tumor in 2019. He died last week, at the age of 75. In his interview with Terry Gross last year, he spoke about facing his mortality as a war correspondent and as a terminal cancer patient. Nordland covered wars and conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Bosnia, El Salvador and Cambodia. Also, we'll listen back to Terry's 1993 conve...
Jun 27, 2025•46 min
Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Robin Givhan talks with Tonya Mosley about her new book, Make It Ours: Crashing the Gates of Culture with Virgil Abloh. It's a powerful look at the life and influence of the late designer, who made history as the first Black American artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton. Givhan reveals how Abloh, the son of Ghanaian immigrants and a digital native, shaped by hip hop and skate culture, was able to penetrate fashion's elite barriers and redefine who gets to ...
Jun 26, 2025•46 min
Ebon Moss-Bachrach has won two Emmys for his portrayal of Cousin Richie, the abrasive and ornery cook/maître d' on the FX series The Bear . The show is known for kitchen chaos, but he says the set is calm. He spoke with Fresh Air contributor Ann Marie Baldonado about the show, his character on GIRLS , and his venture into the Marvel Universe. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the documentary, My Mom Jayne, produced and edited by Law & Order actor Mariska Hargitay. It's about her mom, the act...
Jun 25, 2025•46 min
Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour has called Trump's bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities a once-in-a-generation event that could transform the Middle East. While the impact of the conflict may not be clear for years, Sadjadpour says the attacks by the U.S. and Israel do raise a more immediate question: Will they strengthen the authoritarian regime in Tehran, or hasten its demise? See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podc...
Jun 24, 2025•45 min
Journalist Carter Sherman says Gen Z — people ages 13 to 28 — are having less sex than previous generations. As part of her research, Sherman interviewed more than 100 teenagers, college students, and sexual health experts. She argues that miseducation, porn, digital disconnection, and political pressure have combined to reshape how young people experience sex and intimacy. Her book is The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation's Fight Over Its Future. Also, critic at large John Powers revie...
Jun 23, 2025•46 min
Benicio del Toro talks about his leading role in Wes Anderson's new film, The Phoenician Scheme . He'll look back on his acting career, and tell us about moving from Puerto Rico to Pennsylvania in his teens. His other movies include The Usual Suspects , Traffic and Sicario . Justin Chang reviews the new rom-com Materialists , starring Dakota Johnson. MSNBC political analyst Molly Jong-Fast's mother Erica Jong became famous from her 1973 novel Fear of Flying , which was considered a groundbreakin...
Jun 21, 2025•49 min
Edmund White, one of the most eloquent and perceptive chroniclers of gay life and culture, died June 3. He was 85. His 1982 semi-autobiographical novel, A Boy's Own Story , became an international bestseller. White wrote over 30 books, fiction and nonfiction and co-authored the guide The Joy of Gay Sex . He spoke with Terry Gross in 1985, 1994, 1997, and 2006. Jazz critic Martin Johnson reviews a new album from Amaryllis, the septet founded by guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson. See pcm.adswi...
Jun 20, 2025•46 min
When painter, sculptor, and installation artist Titus Kaphar's life was upended by his estranged father, he turned to film. First he decided to tell his story in a documentary, but scrapped the project when it felt unsatisfying. His feature film, Exhibiting Forgiveness , tells his story and brings his paintings to life. Kaphar talked to Tonya Mosley about his journey to healing. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your p...
Jun 19, 2025•44 min
Dan Taberski's award-winning podcast Hysterical investigates a bizarre and unsettling phenomenon: a mysterious illness that swept through a group of high school students in upstate New York. Taberski unpacks the story behind this modern-day case of possible mass hysteria and reflects on his approach to investigative storytelling. We also dig into his past work, including Missing Richard Simmons . Book critic Maureen Corrigan shares a round-up of this summer's best mystery and suspense titles. Se...
Jun 18, 2025•44 min
