Terry Gross

Host, Fresh Air

Terry Gross appears in the following:

Cosby's legacy is a third rail conversation we need to have. W. Kamau Bell is ready

Monday, February 14, 2022

Bell's new Showtime documentary grapples with Bill Cosby's tainted legacy and his larger betrayal of the Black community. "It's just like: Why? Why do you have to be this guy?" Bell says.

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'Maus' author Art Spiegelman shares the story behind his Pulitzer-winning work

Friday, February 11, 2022

Spiegelman's graphic novel, which was recently banned by a school district in Tennessee, tells the story of how his Jewish parents survived the Holocaust in Poland. Originally broadcast in 1987.

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Remembering activist Todd Gitlin, who helped lead the '60s antiwar movement

Friday, February 11, 2022

Gitlin was part of the tumultuous student protest movement of the 1960s, and continued his commitment to social change through teaching and writing. He died on Feb. 5. Originally broadcast in 1987.

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How Trump sought to use fake electors, conspiracy theories to remain in power

Thursday, February 10, 2022

New York Times reporter Luke Broadwater says Trump and his allies were fixated on reversing the election: "It seemed like crazy stuff at the time ... but obviously it got extremely serious on Jan. 6."

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How the Method transformed film — and made acting more human

Wednesday, February 09, 2022

Method acting is more than mining personal experiences to play a character — or physically transforming for a role. Author Isaac Butler traces the history of the technique in The Method.

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How did the Republican Party become the party of Trump?

Tuesday, February 08, 2022

New York Times reporter Jeremy Peters says the religious right and social conservatives "got basically everything that they wanted" from Trump's presidency. Peters' new book is Insurgency.

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For Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, there are no rules to composing for film

Monday, February 07, 2022

Greenwood says writing the music for The Power of the Dog allowed him to experiment by mixing a banjo and a string quartet. He also recently scored Spencer and Licorice Pizza.

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Remembering 'WKRP in Cincinnati' actor Howard Hesseman

Friday, February 04, 2022

Hesseman, who died Jan 29, performed in the San Francisco improv troupe The Committee in the 1960s and later played DJ Johnny Fever on WKRP from 1978 to 1982. Originally broadcast in 1988.

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From slavery to socialism, new legislation restricts what teachers can discuss

Thursday, February 03, 2022

Researcher Jeffrey Sachs says that U.S. teachers are being censored for broaching certain topics. One group in New Hampshire is offering a $500 bounty for teachers who discuss critical race theory.

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Heartbroken? There's a scientific reason why breaking up feels so rotten

Tuesday, February 01, 2022

Science writer Florence Williams experienced what felt like a brain injury when her husband left her after more than 25 years. Her new book is Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey.

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Guillermo del Toro says his future was set the first time he saw 'Frankenstein'

Monday, January 31, 2022

The Mexican filmmaker says seeing the 1931 Frankenstein as a child was like being "struck by a lightning bolt." Del Toro's latest film, Nightmare Alley, stars Bradley Cooper as a carnival grifter.

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Remembering stand-up comic and actor Louie Anderson

Friday, January 28, 2022

Anderson grew up in Minnesota, in a family with 11 children. His Emmy-winning performance in the FX series Baskets was based upon his mother. Anderson died Jan. 21. Originally broadcast in 2016.

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Remembering Thich Nhat Hanh, peace activist and Vietnamese Buddhist monk

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

One of the world's most influential Zen masters, Thich Nhat Hanh championed "engaged Buddhism," which combines meditation and anti-war work. He died Jan. 22. Originally broadcast in 1997.

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Remembering Ronnie Spector, lead singer of the Ronettes

Friday, January 21, 2022

Spector, who died Jan. 12, was part of the 1960s girl group that gave us "Be My Baby." She left the music business for some years but returned to recording in the 1970s. Originally broadcast in 1988.

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Remembering André Leon Talley, a titan of the fashion world

Friday, January 21, 2022

The former creative director at Vogue magazine and larger-than-life fashion influencer died Jan. 18. Talley spoke to Fresh Air in 2018 about growing up in Durham, N.C., and discovering fashion.

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This Marine-turned-journalist interviewed the Taliban commander he had fought against

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Thomas Gibbons-Neff served two tours in Afghanistan, and is now a New York Times reporter. He recently interviewed a high-level Taliban commander about a battle they had both been engaged in.

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Benedict Cumberbatch digs into toxic masculinity in 'The Power of the Dog'

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

The British actor says the American West is "about as far from my lived experience as you can imagine." Cumberbatch got into his role for The Power of the Dog by spending time with real ranchers.

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'Succession' actor Brian Cox can't defend Logan Roy, but he can relate to him

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Cox says the ruthless business tycoon he plays HBO's Succession is one of the most extraordinary roles he's ever taken: "He is a misanthrope [who] is very disappointed with the human experiment."

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Attorney Laura Coates has witnessed the dissolution of voting rights first hand

Monday, January 17, 2022

While working for the Department of Justice, Coates says she saw voter rolls being purged and instances where polling places were moved to known Klan locations. Her new memoir is Just Pursuit.

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Remembering Oscar-winning lyricist Marilyn Bergman

Friday, January 14, 2022

Bergman and her husband Alan worked together for more than 60 years, writing songs for Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand and others. Marilyn died Jan. 8. Originally broadcast in 2007.

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