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Fresh Air (NPR) (Interviews)

  • Now playing on WCQS 88.1 Asheville, NC 18 minutes left
  • Listen locally on KPCC 89.3 Mon, Nov 24 at 7:06pm (Pacific)
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  • Host: Terry Gross
  • Fresh Air opens the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics. Terry Gross hosts this multi-award-winning daily interview and features program.
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An Undercooked But Enjoyable 'Twilight'

Fri, Nov 21 Listen
It's no mystery why Stephenie Meyer's romantic vampire saga Twilight gets under the skin of so many young readers and why the movie, although nowhere near as penetrating, will be the occasion for mass public swoon-a-thons. It's the biochemistry angle.

For Publisher Barney Rosset, Risk Has Its Rewards

Fri, Nov 21 Listen
So what is fit to print? For Barney Rosset, the answer is an invariable "anything."

Jack Bauer's Compressed, Two Hour 'Redemption'

Fri, Nov 21 Listen
Asking viewers to wait more than 18 months between seasons of a TV show, even if it's their favorite TV show, is asking a lot. Maybe too much. The Sopranos, over on cable, got away with it, but few shows do. When the writers' strike crippled TV production last season, the shows that rushed back into production afterward, like the procedurals and comedies on CBS, recovered nicely in the ratings. The shows that decided to wait and reboot this fall, like ABC's Pushing Daisies, didn't.

Earl Scruggs, On Life And Banjo Picking

Fri, Nov 21 Listen
Earl Scruggs' name is almost synonymous with the banjo. And for a good reason, too he helped pioneer Bluegrass music with his three-finger banjo picking technique, now known as "Scruggs Style."

Crossing Cultures In 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Thu, Nov 20 Listen
Slumdog Millionaire, the latest from Trainspotting director Danny Boyle, follows an uneducated Indian youth who hits the jackpot on the Hindi version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Detroit Rock History In 'A-Square'

Thu, Nov 20 Listen
Music critic Milo Miles reviews A-Square(Of Course), a new collection featuring Ann Arbor, Michigan's rock label A-Square on Big Beat Records. The album features 60s 'the' bands such as, The Thyme, The Bossmen and The Apostles.

'Milk' Screenwriter: Harvey Helped Me Come Out

Thu, Nov 20 Listen
Sean Penn stars in Gus Van Sant's new biopic Milk the story of an out gay politician who inspired a community with his courage, and whose 1978 murder made headlines across the country.

Mrs. Leary Offers 'Outtakes From A Marriage'

Wed, Nov 19 Listen
Ann Leary's new book is about a woman whose husband (a TV star) may be cheating on her. In real life, Leary is the wife of comedian and actor Denis Leary. She says that while the main character bears a resemblance to her, the book is not entirely based on fact.

Satire In Your Stocking With 'A Colbert Christmas'

Wed, Nov 19 Listen
Self-proclaimed "broadcasting legend" Stephen Colbert discusses his upcoming Comedy Central special, A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All. A take-off on the old holiday specials of yore, it will feature guests Toby Keith, Jon Stewart and Willie Nelson.

Which Way The Wind Blows: Bill Ayers On Obama

Tue, Nov 18 Listen
The name of former anti-war activist William Ayers was brought up twice in an attempt to discredit Barack Obama during the recent presidential campaign first by Hillary Clinton, and then by the McCain campaign. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin accused Obama who served on two nonprofit boards with Ayers of "palling around with terrorists."

Casting A 'Safety Net' For The Homeless

Mon, Nov 17 Listen
In 1992, Dr. Jim Withers began making "house calls" under bridges in Pittsburgh, Pa. sometimes dressing as a homeless person to help earn the trust of the truly homeless.

Fighting Illness From 'The Edge Of Medicine'

Mon, Nov 17 Listen
What if you could diagnose cancer just by smelling it? Dr. William Hanson, author of The Edge of Medicine, explains the 'Diag-Nose,' an electronic nose that can do just that.

'Quantum': Plenty Of Action, Just Not Bond's Kind

Fri, Nov 14 Listen
Quantum of Solace opens in mid-car chase, which wouldn't be so bad if at any given instant you could tell whose car was on what side of the winding road.

Still Setting Standards: Don Byron At 50

Fri, Nov 14 Listen
Bronx-born jazz clarinetist and composer Don Byron recently celebrated his 50th birthday. To commemorate the occasion, we listen back to previous interviews and performances featuring the performer.

Bebo Valdes Brings Havana To Village Vanguard

Thu, Nov 13 Listen
Bebo Valdes left Havana 50 years ago, but at the piano, it's as if he's still there. Back then, he was a modernist, up on the latest American and Cuban trends, but he still loves the tunes he played when he was coming up 1930s oldies like "Siboney," "Green Eyes" and "The Peanut Vendor." The old ways haunt his fingertips and piano hammers. He's not reviving anything. He just kept on doing it the old way, long after music in Cuba had moved on.

Merrill Lynch And The Mortgage Crisis

Thu, Nov 13 Listen
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gretchen Morgenson discusses the unprecedented collapse of Merrill Lynch, America's most famous brokerage house.

Italian Crime Novels Make An International Splash

Wed, Nov 12 Listen
When Barack Obama was elected, surely the most startling reaction came from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who called the new president "handsome, young and also suntanned." Now this was a dumb thing to say, but what made it even dumber was that Berlusconi seemed to think his words charming. Mortified Italians flooded The New York Times with letters expressing their horror.

Danny Boyle, From 'Trainspotting' to 'Slumdog'

Wed, Nov 12 Listen
British director Danny Boyle's newest film, Slumdog Millionaire, tells the story of an orphan boy who gets a shot at glory on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

'Alex & Me': The Hidden World Of Animal Minds

Wed, Nov 12 Listen
Although his brain was no bigger than a walnut, Alex the African gray parrot could do more than speak and understand he could also count, identify colors and, according to his owner Irene Pepperberg, develop an emotional relationship. When Alex died in September 2007, his last words to Pepperberg were "You be good. I love you."

A Pretender's Aching, 'Concrete' Return

Tue, Nov 11 Listen
Chrissie Hynde has gathered up a new batch of Pretenders including the great drummer Jim Keltner and wants you to know she's still up for some adventure, anger and lust. Her new album, Break Up The Concrete, has the forward momentum of music that needed to be made melodies and sentiments that Hynde sounds eager to get out into the world.

Artie Lange Tells All In 'Too Fat To Fish'

Tue, Nov 11 Listen
Since joining the Howard Stern Show in 2001, comic and actor Artie Lange has revealed his personal demons to millions of radio listeners. His new book, Too Fat To Fish, recounts anecdotes from Lange's past, from his stint as a cab driver in New Jersey to his struggle with drug addiction, obesity and depression.

The 'Flexible Aggression' Of The McCain Campaign

Mon, Nov 10 Listen
During the election season, David Kirkpatrick profiled Republican presidential contender John McCain in a series of articles in The New York Times. He shares his thoughts on the McCain campaign, and on the future of the Republican Party.

Obama's Winning 'Change' Strategy

Mon, Nov 10 Listen
Beginning with the Democratic primary, president-elect Barack Obama's campaign did not waver in its focus on "change." Journalist Ryan Lizza argues that the constancy and simplicity of Obama's message allowed the candidate to turn his vulnerabilities into assets and outmaneuver both Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

John Leonard, Author And Culture Critic, Dies At 69

Fri, Nov 7 Listen
Fresh Air book critic John Leonard was known as one of the best literary critics in America; he was an early champion of future Nobel Prize winners Toni Morrison and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Leonard died Wednesday at age 69 from complications with lung cancer.

'Law & Order' Moves Back To Wednesdays

Fri, Nov 7 Listen
Dick Wolf once worked in advertising shades of AMC's Mad Men but he's best known as the creator of Law & Order, the longest running drama on network television.

Studs Terkel: 'Hard Times' And Other Histories

Fri, Nov 7 Listen
The legendary Chicago broadcaster Studs Terkel dedicated his life to capturing the stories of ordinary Americans through oral histories.

Thirteen Books That Shaped America

Thu, Nov 6 Listen
From The Federalist Papers to The Feminine Mystique, Jay Parini's Promised Land examines 13 books that shaped and changed America. Maureen Corrigan has a review.

'Obama's Challenge': A Transformative Opportunity

Thu, Nov 6 Listen
Journalist and economist Robert Kuttner has reported on elections for over three decades. His latest book, Obama's Challenge, looks at the many Herculean obstacles the president-elect faces and what it will take to tackle them.

Mark Sawyer On Implications Of Obama's Election

Wed, Nov 5 Listen
Political scientist is an Associate Professor of African American Studies and Political Science at UCLA and the Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Politics.

The Future Of The Conservative Movement

Wed, Nov 5 Listen
Former Republican Congressman Mickey Edwards argues that the conservative movement has strayed from its founding principles. His book, Reclaiming Conservatism, offers a critique of the movement's current incarnation and a blueprint for its future success.

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