Fresh Air Interviews
Tom Perrotta is the author of several novels, including Election and Little Children.
Examining 'The Leftovers,' After The Rapture
()What if the rapture actually occurred? That's the plot of Tom Perrotta's novel The Leftovers, which examines the aftermath of an unexplained rapturelike event in which millions of people around the globe inexplicably disappear into thin air.
Music Interviews
Jeremy Denk: Playing Ligeti With A Dash Of Humor()
May 23, 2012 The pianist's new album features some of the most difficult etudes ever written for solo piano by the Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti. "Ligeti took the piano to places it had never been before," he says, "and makes demands of the pianist and the mind that had never been made before."
Theater
David Alan Grier's 'Sporting Life' On Broadway()
May 22, 2012 The stand-up comedian and star of In Living Color was recently nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of Sporting Life in the opera Porgy and Bess. "I think the character of Sporting Life is a salesman so he has to be flamboyant, the life of the party," he says.
Movie Interviews
Sacha Baron Cohen: The Fresh Air Interview()
May 21, 2012 Actor and writer Sacha Baron Cohen is famous for taking his characters — Ali G., Borat, Bruno — into the real world, interacting with people who have no idea that they're dealing with a fictional character. But his new movie, The Dictator, is a scripted comedy about a tyrant on the loose in New York.
Remembrances
A Conversation With Author Carlos Fuentes()
May 18, 2012 Carlos Fuentes, one of the most influential writers in the Latin American world, died Tuesday at a hospital in Mexico City. He was 83. Fresh Air remembers the prolific author with excerpts from a 1987 interview.
Remembrances
Fresh Air Remembers Donna Summer, Queen Of Disco()
May 18, 2012 In 2003, Donna Summer appeared on Fresh Air to talk about her memoir, Ordinary Girl, her hit Love to Love You Baby and her collaborator, record producer Giorgio Moroder. We remember Summer — who died Thursday at the age of 63 — with excerpts from that interview.
Remembrances
Remembering Vidal Sassoon, An Iconic Hairdresser()
May 18, 2012 The British hairdresser Vidal Sassoon, who created some of the most iconic hairstyles of the 20th century, died on May 9 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 84. Fresh Air remembers the trendsetter with excerpts from a 2011 interview.
Middle East
Why The U.S. Is Aggressively Targeting Yemen()
May 17, 2012 Yemen is now considered to be "the greatest external threat facing the U.S. homeland in terms of terrorism," says investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill.
Author Interviews
Just What's Inside Those Breasts?()
May 16, 2012 In her new book, Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, Florence Williams offers her take on why breasts are getting bigger and developing earlier, why tumors seem to gravitate toward the breast, and how toxins from the environment may be affecting hormones and breast development.
Theater
Audra McDonald: Shaping 'Bess' On Broadway()
May 15, 2012 The actress is nominated for her fifth Tony Award for the Broadway musical Porgy and Bess. "There's very few quiet moments for Bess," she says. "They're all very big, very emotional. ... And to commit to that night after night after night is very difficult."
Your Health
Pounding Away At America's Obesity Epidemic()
May 14, 2012 One-third of Americans today are obese, and another third are overweight. A new HBO documentary series, The Weight of the Nation, explores how our country got this way and what can be done to tackle the growing national health crisis.
