archive
Interviews
'Fresh Air' Bids Farewell To Melody Kramer
July 27, 2012 She's never been heard on the show, but producer Melody Kramer has created a singular voice for Fresh Air online and in social media. Today we send her off, affectionately, to medical school and the next phase of her career.
Politics
'Angler' Takes Measure Of Cheney's Influence
September 16, 2008 Dick Cheney is arguably one of the most powerful vice presidents in American history, but much of his work is done behind the scenes. In his new book, Angler, journalist Barton Gellman details the forty-year political career of Bush's second in command.
Music Interviews
Remembering The Hacienda Bros. Chris Gaffney
May 16, 2008 Chris Gaffney, vocalist and accordion player for the Hacienda Brothers, died last week from liver cancer at the age of 57.
Religion
An Israeli Journalist's Take on Christian Zionism
May 16, 2008 Israeli journalist Gershom Gorenberg discusses the Christian Zionist movement, which teaches that the rebirth of Israel is a prelude to the second coming of Jesus Christ — and the end of the world.
Religion
Pastor John Hagee on Christian Zionism, Katrina
May 16, 2008 John Hagee believes the end of days, the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ are imminent. He says that the rebirth of Israel and the restoration of Jerusalem are a prelude to the return of the Lord.
Author Interviews
Junot Diaz Discusses his 'Wondrous' Debut Novel
May 2, 2008 Author Junot Diaz won a Pulitzer Prize this year for his first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Set in both the United States and the Dominican Republic, the novel explores the complexities of living in two cultures at once, with prose that frequently mixes Spanish and English in the same sentence.
Interviews
Commemorating Philip Roth's 75th Birthday
April 11, 2008 On Friday, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Philip Roth is being honored at Columbia University in commemoration of his 75th birthday. The National Book Foundation is celebrating the event with an online exhibit of Roth's work. Roth, a frequent guest on Fresh Air, talks with Terry Gross about his celebrated career.
Books
Martin Luther King's Last Campaign for Equality
April 4, 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. was in Memphis in 1968 rallying for fair treatment and pay of African-American sanitation workers when he was assassinated. American history professor Michael Honey joins Fresh Air to discuss his book on the labor campaign King was leading at the time of his death.
Interviews
Arthur Penn, Realistic Violence in 'Bonnie and Clyde'
March 28, 2008 Director Arthur Penn changed the face of cinema with his film, Bonnie and Clyde. The graphic realism of the last scenes have influenced television and movies since the film's release in 1967.
Music Interviews
Quincy Jones, The Man Behind the Music
March 14, 2008 Quincy Jones started his career as a trumpeter in Lionel Hampton's big band in the early '50s. But Jones never became a noted instrumentalist. What made him famous and wealthy was his work as a record producer — perhaps, most notably, for the Michael Jackson megahit Thriller.
Music Interviews
Marian McPartland, Pioneering Jazz Legend
March 14, 2008 The fact that she is a British-born white woman hasn't stopped jazz pianist Marian McPartland from playing for nearly 50 years in a world that is largely male and black. Now about to turn 90, McPartland has a new CD called 'Twilight World.'
Music Interviews
Ray Davies: Rock Legend Rocks On
February 29, 2008 Rock legend Ray Davies joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross to discuss his career with the '60s British band The Kinks, and as a solo artist. He also describes a harrowing incident in New Orleans that nearly cost him his life.
Interviews
Suzanne Mintz, Making Family Caregiving Easier
January 30, 2008 Suzanne Geffen Mintz, president and co-founder of the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), talks with Terry Gross on how to make caregiving easier. Mintz speaks from experience. Her husband has multiple sclerosis.
Arts & Life
David Edelstein's Top 10 Films of 2007
December 18, 2007 Fresh Air's arbiter of things filmic offers his annual year-end movies wrap-up. This time, his Top 10 list has 11 entries, as the number-nine slot features a tie. At the top: Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Interviews
Raymond Arsenault Traces Freedom Riders' Road
May 4, 2007 In 1961, an integrated group of self-proclaimed "Freedom Riders" challenged segregation by riding together on segregated buses through the Deep South. They demanded unrestricted access but pledged nonviolence — and they kept that pledge even when attacked and bloodied by their racist opponents.
