Accessibility links
John Ridley A screenwriter, author and NPR Morning Edition commentator, John Ridley combines his unique perspective on the intersection of politics and pop culture in the NPR blog "John Ridley's Visible Man."
Stories By

John Ridley

Story Archive

Opinion

Send My Love To Linda: An Untold Jimi Hendrix Story

The musician died 40 years ago this Saturday at the age of 27. Commentator John Ridley remembers him by diving into the forgotten story behind one Hendrix tune.

Send My Love To Linda: An Untold Jimi Hendrix Story

Listen · 6:26
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/129855398/129874325" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Opinion

For John Ridley, The N-Word Is A Line In The Sand

Amid the fallout from talk radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger's use of the racial epithet on the air, Morning Edition commentator John Ridley talks to Steve Inskeep about his initial reaction, who can use the N-word, and Dr. Laura's First Amendment rights.

For John Ridley, The N-Word Is A Line In The Sand

Listen · 7:23
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/129317120/129316610" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Opinion

A True Champion Vs. The 'Great White Hope'

There may be no more charged phrase in all of the American lexicon than "the great white hope." The term came into existence almost a century ago in the era of Jack Johnson, the great American heavyweight fighter who happened to be black.

A True Champion Vs. The 'Great White Hope'

Listen · 3:55
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/128245468/128260013" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Opinion

The Top 'Nontroversies' Of 2009

Between Sarah Palin, Tiger Woods and Jon and Kate's clan of eight, some pretty memorable characters have drifted across our televisions and blogs in 2009. Before 2010 creeps in, their 15 minutes of fame are up and they're forever gone, let's revel in their glory.

The Top 'Nontroversies' Of 2009

Listen · 3:01
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/122053135/122093320" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Opinion

Vikings Game A Quandary For Packers Fans

Monday's NFL game between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings is perplexing for Packers fans. Former Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre now plays for Minnesota. And that leaves Commentator John Ridley, a Wisconsin native and "Packer Backer," in a quandary.

Vikings Game A Quandary For Packers Fans

Listen · 3:58
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/113491876/113491856" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Opinion

Enter Leno, Exit Writers: The Crisis Continues

If you're dreaming of becoming a high-priced Hollywood writer, you might want to dream on, says commentator John Ridley. The union that represents the bulk of movie and TV writers recently released its annual report. It reads like the script of a horror movie. And, he says, things are only going to get worse.

Enter Leno, Exit Writers: The Crisis Continues

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/112759627/112805066" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Opinion

If He Hollers: Remembering Chester Himes

Chester Himes' pen name was his prison number — 59623. He did hard labor on a prison chain gang and wrote hard-nosed detective fiction. One hundred years after Himes was born, commentator John Ridley remembers a life that personified hard-boiled.

If He Hollers: Remembering Chester Himes

Listen · 3:22
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/111210145/111273274" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Opinion

I Know! We'll Make A Board Game Into A Movie

Notable directors have reportedly signed on to big-budget versions of Monopoly and Battleship, and there's even a version of Candy Land in the works. Commentator John Ridley looks at the recent Hollywood trend of banking on child's play.

I Know! We'll Make A Board Game Into A Movie

Listen · 3:17
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/105514153/105847051" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Opinion

Keep Your Tweets To Yourself

Give someone an avatar and a URL, and he can't tweet, post or hyperlink enough personal information about himself to as many people as possible. Where is the expectation that people will keep their private nonsense to themselves?

Keep Your Tweets To Yourself

Listen · 2:38
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/104033836/104047305" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Browse archive or search npr.org