Showing results by narrator "Terry Gross" in All Categories

Comedian and political satirist Al Franken and actor Benicio Del Toro on this edition of Fresh Air. In December, Franken was part of a USO tour performing for troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait. The tour lasted eight days, and he returned Christmas Day. He'll talk about the tour and do some of his routine from it. Franken's books include Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right and Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot.

Jazz bassist Ron Carter and inventor Dean Kamen on this edition of Fresh Air. Carter has more than two thousand recordings to his credit as well as a new CD, The Golden Striker. From 1963-1968 he was part of the Miles Davis Quintet with Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, and Wayne Shorter.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the film West Side Story, Fresh Air speaks with cast members.

Singer, songwriter, musician, and arranger Barry Manilow is on this edition of Fresh Air.

Documentary filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn and photographer Joel Meyerowitz on this edition of Fresh Air. Nathaniel Kahn's father was the great architect Louis Kahn. Nathaniel has made a new film about his father, My Architect.

Hear drummer Levon Helm (formerly with The Band), Canadian author Jane Rule, and TV critic David Bianculli, on this edition of Fresh Air. When The Band supported Bob Dylan on stage in 1965, Time magazine described the combination as "in some ways, the most decisive moment in rock history." They went on to record their own highly influential albums Music From Big Pink and The Band in 1968 and 1969.

Writer Vernor Vinge and actor Steve Buscemi on this edition of Fresh Air. The author of 16 books of science fiction, Vernor Vinge gained a cult following for his early role in writing about cyber-culture and the Internet. His new book, Across Realtime, came out earlier this year. He talks about the difficulty of writing science fiction when technology outdates itself as rapidly as it does. Vinge teaches computer science at San Diego State.

Hear journalist David Rieff and New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman on this edition of Fresh Air. David Rieff has written a new memoir about the death of his mother, Susan Sontag, who died in 2004 after her third bout with cancer. His memoir is Swimming in a Sea of Death: A Son's Memoir.

Soul week continues on Fresh Air. Two former members of the vocal group The Impressions - Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield on this edition of Fresh Air. Singer Jerry Butler, aka The Iceman. His 1969 hit, "Only the Strong Survive," is a rhythm and blues classic, and also the title of his autobiography: Only the Strong Survive: Memoirs of a Soul Survivor. Butler founded The Impressions.

Hear authors David and Nic Sheff, and critic at large John Powers, on this edition of Fresh Air. David Sheff and his son, Nic, have both written memoirs. David's new book is called Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction. Nic's book is called Tweak. Nic became addicted to meth and was in and out of rehab. David and Nic join us to talk about doing drugs, getting over them, and the effect on family.

Hear singer and songwriter Sheryl Crow, and book critic Maureen Corrigan, on this edition of Fresh Air. Sheryl Crow performs in the studio solo, and with her band. Her new album, Detours, is her sixth studio album. It's also the most politically and personally outspoken record of her career. The first single from the album is "Shine over Babylon", which she describes as a "battle song in the face of fear" over our complicated and troubled times.

Comic book artist and writer Frank Miller and keyboard player and record producer Ray Manzarek on this edition of Fresh Air. Frank Miller transformed Batman into a brooding, tortured vigilante in his remakes of the classic Batman comic: The Dark Knight Returns and The Dark Knight Strikes Again.

Comic Bob Newhart on this archive edition of Fresh Air. He's been a part of the American comedy landscape since 1961 when his debut comedy album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart became a surprise hit. Since then he's starred in three TV shows, including the Peabody award winning original The Bob Newhart Show, and appeared in numerous films. There's a new Rhino anthology of his classic routines, Something Like This...The Bob Newhart Anthology.

Singer and musician David Johansen and media anaylist Douglas Rushkoff on this edition of Fresh Air. David Johansen was the lead singer for the 70's pre-punk punk rock band New York Dolls.

Singer Emmylou Harris and horror writer Peter Straub on this archive edition of Fresh Air.

Hear comic Don Rickles, documentary producer Huw Cordey, and rock critic Ken Tucker on this edition of Fresh Air. He's known for insulting his audiences on stage, but Don Rickles doesn't consider himself an insult comic. His heyday was in the 1950s and 60s, on TV and in Vegas. Frank Sinatra was an early fan and helped get him noticed. Rickles has a new memoir, Rickles' Book: a Memoir.

Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and actor Greg Kinnear on this edition of Fresh Air. Sondheim was mentored by Oscar Hammerstein, and went on to revolutionize musical theatre. His first major success was writing lyrics for West Side Story. He also composed the music and wrote the lyrics for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Follies, and A Little Night Music to name a few.

Listen to journalist Kenneth R. Weiss, Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, and rock critic Ken Tucker on this edition of Fresh Air. Kenneth Weiss writes for the L.A. Times and has covered the California coast and the oceans for the past five years. He's written (with co-author Usha Lee McFarling) a new five-part series, Altered Oceans, on the long-term health of the seas. The series received the George Polk Award for journalism.

Hear actor, comic, and Howard Stern Show cast member Artie Lange, writer Grace Paley, and film critic David Edelstein, on this edition of Fresh Air. Artie Lange is co-producer, co-writer, and star of the film Artie Lange's Beer League which makes its network television premiere on Comedy Central. He will also host Friday Night Stand-up on Comedy Central.

Journalist Bill Keller and actresses Lupe Ontiveros and Bonnie Hunt on this edition of Fresh Air. Bill Keller is a columnist for The New York Times and senior writer for the magazine section. He just returned from a trip to Russia. He'll discuss Russia's position on Iraq. Actress Lupe Ontiveros stars in the new film Real Women Have Curves as a mother at odds with her two teenage daughters. She recently starred in the independent film Chuck and Buck.