Terry Gross appears in the following:
Fresh Air Weekend: Marc Maron; 'Simpsons' Voice Actor Hank Azaria
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Maron's new Netflix stand-up special, End Times Fun, was named before the coronavirus pandemic. Azaria reflects on his IFC comedy series Brockmire and why he no longer performs Apu on The Simpsons.
'Fresh Air' Celebrates Broadway Legend Stephen Sondheim (Part 2)
Friday, March 27, 2020
Sondheim, who turned 90 on March 22, composed the music and lyrics for Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Company and other shows. He spoke about his career in musical theater in this 2010 interview.
Trump Has Declared 'War' On The Presidency, Author Says
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Benjamin Wittes says Trump has changed the presidency fundamentally — and we're seeing the impact during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is the author, with Susan Hennessey, of Unmaking the Presidency
'Fresh Air' Remembers Broadway Playwright Terrence McNally
Thursday, March 26, 2020
McNally, who died March 24 due to complications related to COVID-19, won Tony awards for Love! Valour! Compassion!, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ragtime and Master Class. Originally broadcast June 1993.
Michael Pollan Explains Caffeine Cravings (And Why You Don't Have To Quit)
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
When Pollan decided to write about caffeine, he gave it up — cold turkey. "I just couldn't focus," he says. "I was irritable. I lost confidence." Originally published Feb. 10, 2020.
'All Of This Panic Could Have Been Prevented': Author Max Brooks On COVID-19
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
The World War Z novelist has done extensive research into real disaster preparedness. "There is no excuse not to mobilize the full forces of the federal government right now," he says.
Comedian Marc Maron: We Need 'Groupthink Empathy' During COVID-19 Outbreak
Monday, March 23, 2020
"We [have] to do the right thing to protect those who are vulnerable," Maron says. His new Netflix stand-up special, End Times Fun, was named before the coronavirus pandemic.
'Fresh Air' Celebrates Broadway Legend Stephen Sondheim
Friday, March 20, 2020
Sondheim, who turns 90 on March 22, composed the music and lyrics for Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Company and other shows. He spoke about his career in musical theater in this 2010 interview.
'This Is Why We Play': Amid Pandemic, Philadelphia Orchestra Livestreams Beethoven
Thursday, March 19, 2020
The Philadelphia Orchestra has shuttered its doors in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin reflects on their final performance — streamed for people at home.
Electoral College 'Not Carved In Stone:' Author Advocates Rethinking How We Vote
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Jesse Wegman, author of Let the People Pick the President, says the Electoral College's winner-take-all rule is not mandated by the Constitution: "There's nothing keeping us from changing it."
'I Always, Always Fight': Octavia Spencer On Demanding More From Hollywood
Monday, March 16, 2020
Spencer plays businesswoman Madam C.J. Walker in a new Netflix series Self Made. Walker was born on a plantation in 1867 and built an empire selling hair and makeup products designed for black women.
'The Plot Against America' Asks: What If The U.S. Had Sided With The Nazis?
Friday, March 13, 2020
David Bianculli reviews HBO's new miniseries, which imagines that Charles Lindbergh became president in 1940. And we listen back to a 2004 with Philip Roth, who wrote the novel the series is based on.
Reporter: White House Knew Of Coronavirus' 'Major Threat,' But Response Fell Short
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Politico reporter Dan Diamond says infighting at the Department of Health and Human Services and the need to flatter Trump impeded the response to the coronavirus.
RuPaul's Recipe For Success? Love Yourself And Stay Flexible
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
The host of RuPaul's Drag Race describes his drag look as "one-part Cher, two-parts David Bowie, one-part Diana Ross and two heaping spoonfuls of Dolly Parton."
'Emphasize The Positive': James McBride On The Kindness That Shaped Him
Monday, March 09, 2020
McBride's novel, Deacon King Kong, takes place in 1969, in a Brooklyn housing project similar to the one he grew up in. "In this book and in this community, people generally love each other," he says.
Rhythm Guitarist Marty Grosz: The 'Fresh Air' Interviews
Friday, February 28, 2020
Grosz fled Germany with his family in 1933. Now 90, he tells his story in the memoir, It's a Sin to Tell a Lie. Grosz visited Fresh Air in 1984 and 2004 to play music and to talk about his life.
Aidy Bryant On 'Shrill,' 'SNL' Thrills, And Not Feeling Bad About Her Body
Friday, February 28, 2020
Bryant co-writes and stars in the comedy series Shrill. Now in its second season on Hulu, it's based on Lindy West's book about identifying as fat and a feminist. Originally broadcast March 14, 2019.
Understanding Trump's 'Hit List': Experience Matters Far Less Than Loyalty
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Axios reporter Jonathan Swan says the president has "crossed a psychological line" since impeachment, developing a list of disloyal officials to oust — and suggesting loyalists to replace them.
'Outsider' Actor Ben Mendelsohn On Australian Machismo And Mastering Accents
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
In the HBO series, which was adapted from Stephen King's novel, the Australian actor plays a detective trying to solve a murder — and resisting the idea that the killer may be a supernatural entity.
'Supreme Inequality' Argues That America's Top Court Has Become Right-Wing
Monday, February 24, 2020
In a new book, lawyer/journalist Adam Cohen makes the case that the Supreme Court has been "a right-wing court for 50 years," siding with corporations and the wealthy — and against the poor.