Fresh Air

By NPR

What's Fresh Air about?

Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.

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Remembering Country Songwri...

10.30.2020

We remember the songwriter that Johnny Cash described as his favorite writer: Billy Joe Shaver. His songs have been performed by Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. Shaver first became known as the songwriter ...

Fresh Air episodes:

10.30.2020 Remembering Country Songwriter Billy Joe Shaver We remember the songwriter that Johnny Cash described as his favorite writer: Billy Joe Shaver. His songs have been performed by Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. Shaver first became known as the songwriter ...
10.29.2020 The Enduring Impact Of COVID-19 Nicholas Christakis is a doctor and a sociologist who has studied the science of infectious diseases and how plagues of the past have altered societies. "Everywhere you see the spread of germs, for the last few thousand years, you see ...
10.28.2020 Pro-Trump Militias: Election Day & Beyond 'Atlantic' writer Mike Giglio profiles the Oath Keepers, a pro-Trump militia group, in a new article. They have recruited thousands of police, soldiers and veterans. We talk about what they might do on Election Day and after. "We, as Americans, ...
10.27.2020 The Personal Scars & Political Mistakes That Shaped Joe Biden We talk with journalist Evan Osnos about the former vice president's long career in the Senate, how personal tragedy changed him, and some of the political missteps he made along the way. Osnos' new biography is 'Joe Biden: The Life, ...
10.26.2020 Chef Marcus Samuelsson Writes Black People Into U.S. Food History Samuelsson's new book, 'The Rise,' is a celebration of Black excellence in the culinary world — and the many Black cooks who have influenced American food, often without credit. He also talks about converting his Harlem restaurant Red Rooster into ...
10.23.2020 Father Of The Psychedelic Movement, Timothy Leary Psychologist Timothy Leary, who died in 1996, was the father of the psychedelic movement of the 1960s and its experiments with mind-altering drugs. In 1960, Leary joined the faculty of Harvard at the Center for Personality Research, where he analyzed ...
10.23.2020 Best Of: Novelist Rumaan Alam / 'My Octopus Teacher' Filmmaker Rumaan Alam's novel, 'Leave the World Behind,' centers on two families — one Black and one white — who are sharing a vacation home during a mysterious disaster. It explores issues of race and class, fear, and how we respond ...
10.22.2020 SCOTUS Correspondent Nina Totenberg Nina Totenberg is widely regarded as the dean of legal journalists. She started covering the Supreme court in 1971 and became NPR's legal correspondent in 1975. We talk about breaking the Anita Hill story, her friendship with the late Justice ...
10.21.2020 Novelist Sigrid Nunez Nunez's new novel, 'What Are You Going Through,' is about facing mortality and the relationship between a writer dying of cancer and the friend she asks to stay with her. Lloyd Schwartz reviews a collection of performances by Leontyne Price, ...
10.20.2020 Free Speech In The Age Of Disinformation 'New York Times Magazine' writer Emily Bazelon talks about how the lies and conspiracy theories sweeping through American media are leading some scholars to question our faith in free speech and in minimal government regulation of speech. Bazelon says false ...
10.19.2020 John Brown, Abraham Lincoln & The Fight To End Slavery Historian H.W. Brands' new book, 'The Zealot and the Emancipator' looks at two very different 19th century leaders, John Brown and Abraham Lincoln. Brown was a militant abolitionist who embraced violence and was hanged after he tried to spark an ...
10.17.2020 Best Of: Broadway Stars Danny Burstein & Rebecca Luker / 'Nice White Parents' Creator Married Broadway stars Danny Burstein and Rebecca Luker both contracted COVID in the spring, just as theaters went dark. Burstein was starring in 'Moulin Rouge' at the time. Burstein's case was severe and he nearly died. Luker's case was mild, ...
10.16.2020 How Women Have Been Left Out Of The Constitution / Remembering MLB's Joe Morgan As a teen, Heidi Schreck debated the Constitution in competitions. Later she realized it had failed to protect four generations of women in her family. "I believed it was perfect. I believed it was a tool of justice. I did ...
10.15.2020 'My Octopus Teacher' Filmmaker Craig Foster spent a year diving — without oxygen or a wetsuit — into the frigid sea near Cape Town, South Africa. One octopus began coming out of her den to hunt or explore while Foster watched. He documents their ...
10.14.2020 2 Broadway Stars Grapple With Illness And Uncertainty Married Broadway stars Danny Burstein and Rebecca Luker both contracted COVID in the spring, just as theaters went dark. Burstein was starring in 'Moulin Rouge' at the time. Burstein's case was severe and he nearly died. Luker's case was mild, ...
10.13.2020 Lessons For A Post-Pandemic World CNN host and 'Washington Post' columnist Fareed Zakaria says COVID-19 presents a chance to make positive changes: "We could well look back on these times 10 or 20 years from now and say, 'This was the turning point.'" His new ...
10.12.2020 How 'Nice White Parents' Can Undermine School Integration 'This American Life' producer Chana Joffe-Walt says progressive white parents may say they want their kids to go to diverse schools — but the reality tells a different story. "I think white parents are pretty savvy at evading the explicit ...
10.10.2020 Best Of: Ethan Hawke / Lenny Kravitz Ethan Hawke plays 19th-century abolitionist John Brown in the seven-part Showtime series, 'The Good Lord Bird.' He says Brown's story feels particularly relevant today, as America confronts systemic racism and the legacy of slavery. Also, Justin Chang reviews the film ...
10.09.2020 Remembering MLB Pitcher Bob Gibson We remember Bob Gibson, one of baseball's most intimidating pitchers. He dominated hitters from the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1960s and '70s and he holds the record for most strikeouts — 17 — in a World ...
10.08.2020 The State Of The Affordable Care Act As President Trump recovers from COVID-19 and candidates debate the issue of insurance for people with pre-existing conditions, we take stock of the nation's health care system. We talk with the 'New York Times' health policy reporter Sarah Kliff about ...
10.07.2020 Novelist Rumaan Alam Alam's novel, 'Leave the World Behind,' centers on two families — one Black and one white — who are sharing a vacation home during a mysterious disaster. It explores issues of race and class, fear, and how we respond to ...
10.06.2020 Lenny Kravitz Kravitz talks about growing up the son of a Jewish father and Black mother, finding his musical style, and how Lisa Bonet changed him as a songwriter. His new memoir about his life up until his breakout album is 'Let ...
10.05.2020 Ethan Hawke Hawke plays 19th-century abolitionist John Brown in the seven-part Showtime series, 'The Good Lord Bird.' He says Brown's story feels particularly relevant today, as America confronts systemic racism and the legacy of slavery. We also talk about 'Training Day,' collaborating ...
10.03.2020 Best Of: What If Trump Contests The Election? / Filmmaker Kirsten Johnson 'Atlantic' staff writer Barton Gellman says if President Trump claims mail-in votes are fraudulent and contests the results, Republican legislatures might then try to ignore their states' popular votes and send Trump representatives to the Electoral College. His latest article ...
10.02.2020 A Cave Diver On The Thrill & Terror Of Going 'Into The Planet' Diver and photographer Jill Heinerth shares some of her most dangerous and exhilarating experiences underwater — like getting trapped inside an iceberg in Antarctica. Heinerth also explains how she stays calm when things go wrong: "I take a really deep ...
10.01.2020 What Happens If Trump Contests the Election? 'Atlantic' writer Barton Gellman says the 2020 election could trigger a constitutional crisis, and if the election is close, it could take weeks to determine the results in key battleground states as mail-in ballots are scrutinized for technical flaws and ...
09.30.2020 Filmmaker Faces Her Dad's Mortality In 'Dick Johnson Is Dead' After Kirsten Johnson's dad started showing signs of dementia, she had a hard time accepting that his death was getting closer. Her new Netflix documentary, 'Dick Johnson is Dead,' enacts his death from a series of imagined accidents. Johnson has ...
09.29.2020 Inside The Mueller Investigation Andrew Weissmann, a lead prosecutor in the Mueller investigation, shares his experience with the probe and its report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. Weissmann says the constant threat that President Trump might fire Mueller and shut down the ...
09.28.2020 The 'Secret History' Of Nuclear War In his new book, 'The Bomb,' journalist Fred Kaplan pulls back the curtain on how U.S. presidents, their advisers and generals have thought about, planned for — and sometimes narrowly avoided — nuclear war. Also, Kevin Whitehead reviews the first ...
09.26.2020 Best Of: Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin / Inside Trump's Businesses Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and Philadelphia Orchestra, talks about Verdi's "Requiem." He'll talk about how Verdi communicates suffering and hope through music, and how music has helped him find a sense of connection during the pandemic. Ken ...
09.25.2020 Feminist Activist Gloria Steinem The new drama 'The Glorias' is based on the feminist activist's memoir 'My Life on the Road,' and follows Steinem from ages 20 to 40. Steinem spoke with Terry Gross in 2015 about her unique childhood, the illegal abortion she ...
09.24.2020 Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin On Hope & Suffering Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the young, charismatic conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and Philadelphia Orchestra, talks about Verdi's "Requiem." He chose the piece for his inaugural performance as music director of the orchestra in Philadelphia. We'll talk about how Verdi communicates suffering ...
09.23.2020 Political Meddling In The Fight Against COVID-19 'Politico' reporter Dan Diamond describes efforts by Trump loyalist and HHS spokesperson (currently on leave) Michael Caputo to alter weekly CDC reports and have scientists change their findings on the course of the coronavirus pandemic. "Caputo walked in the door ...
09.22.2020 How Donald Trump Turned The Presidency Into A Business 'Forbes' senior editor Dan Alexander examines President Trump's sprawling business interests in his new book, 'White House, Inc.' Alexander says the president has broken a number of pledges he made about how he would conduct business while in office. We ...
09.21.2020 Remembering RBG / Neurologist Oliver Sacks Legal analyst and 'New Yorker' staff writer Jeffrey Toobin spoke with Terry Gross in 2013 about his profile of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, written as she marked her 20th anniversary on the Supreme Court. We'll talk about how her work ...
09.19.2020 Best Of: The Origin Of Data Science & Elections / Novelist Ayad Akhtar Harvard historian and 'New Yorker' writer Jill Lepore tells the story of the Simulmatics Corporation. Founded in 1959, it used a so-called "people machine," a computer program it claimed could predict the impact of political messages or advertising pitches. Her ...
09.18.2020 'Watchmen' Writer Cord Jefferson The HBO series 'Watchmen' uses sci-fi and action heroes to examine American racism. We talk with show writer Cord Jefferson, who wrote the episode of the series in which the main character narrowly survives the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, when white ...
09.17.2020 Country Musician & Historian Marty Stuart The Grammy winning singer-songwriter started out in Lester Flatt's backup band. Now he's being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Stuart played some of his own music in this 2014 interview, and talked about his archive of cowboy ...
09.16.2020 COVID On College Campuses College campuses have become the pandemic's newest hotspots, with more than 88,000 COVID cases at the nation's colleges and universities. We talk with reporter Scott Carlson about the tough decisions colleges are facing as they decide how to continue classes, ...
09.15.2020 The Strange Origin Story Of Data Science & Elections Harvard historian and 'New Yorker' writer Jill Lepore tells the story of the Simulmatics Corporation. Founded in 1959, it used a so-called "people machine," a computer program it claimed could predict the impact of political messages or advertising pitches. At ...
09.14.2020 Writer Ayad Akhtar On Blending Fact & Fiction Actor, playwright and novelist Ayad Akhtar won a Pulitzer Prize for 'Disgraced,' his play about an American-born Muslim who hosts a dinner party that sparks a heated discussion of religion and politics. Akhtar's new novel, 'Homeland Elegies,' explores the experiences ...
09.12.2020 Best Of: Yaa Gyasi / How Torture Derailed The War On Terror Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi drew on her own experiences growing up in a largely white community in Alabama for her new book, 'Transcendent Kingdom.' In the novel, she explores themes of depression, addiction, religion and race. Book critic Maureen Corrigan ...
09.11.2020 'Devil All The Time' Novelist / 'PEN15' Creators Return To Middle School Donald Ray Pollock worked in a paper mill and meatpacking plant for 32 years before becoming a writer. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2011 about his acclaimed gothic crime novel, 'The Devil All the Time.' The film adaptation, starring ...
09.10.2020 What Happened To The 1 Million Displaced Persons After WWII? Historian David Nasaw tells the story of the concentration camp survivors, POWs and other displaced people who remained in Germany following the war. Many had no home to return to. Nasaw's book is 'The Last Million.'
09.09.2020 Novelist Yaa Gyasi Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi drew on her own experiences growing up in a largely white community in Alabama for her new book, 'Transcendent Kingdom.' In the novel, she explores themes of depression, addiction, religion and race. Her award-winning debut novel, ...
09.08.2020 How Torture Derailed The War On Terror After 9/11 Former FBI agent Ali Soufan interrogated dozens of Al-Qaida members and other extremists in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. He says he got valuable information by preparing carefully for interviews and building rapport with his subjects. When CIA ...
09.07.2020 Celebrating Sonny Rollins / Octavia Spencer Today is the 90th birthday of the great tenor saxophonist and improviser Sonny Rollins. We celebrate by hearing some of his music spanning five decades, with commentary from our jazz critic Kevin Whitehead. And we'll listen back to Terry Gross' ...
09.05.2020 Best Of: Cherry Jones / The Early Years Of The CIA Cherry Jones is nominated for an Emmy for her role in the HBO series 'Succession' as Nan Pierce, the head of a family-owned media empire. She's also known for her roles on 'Transparent,' '24,' and her career in the theater. ...
09.04.2020 RuPaul / Padma Lakshmi Both RuPaul and Padma Lakshmi are nominated for Emmys in the best reality/competition category. RuPaul describes his drag persona as "one-part Cher, two-parts David Bowie, one-part Diana Ross and two heaping spoonfuls of Dolly Parton." The reality show he hosts ...
09.03.2020 Kerry Washington / Comic Ramy Youssef We're revisiting some of our favorite recent entertainment interviews, as we approach the 2020 Emmy Awards. Both guests today are nominated for their lead roles. In the Hulu series 'Little Fires Everywhere,' Kerry Washington co-stars opposite Reese Witherspoon as Mia ...

Older episodes

Fresh Air

What's Fresh Air about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Fresh Air episodes:

Remembering Country Songwriter Billy Joe Shaver

The Enduring Impact Of COVID-19

Pro-Trump Militias: Election Day & Beyond

The Personal Scars & Political Mistakes That Shaped Joe Biden

Chef Marcus Samuelsson Writes Black People Into U.S. Food History

Father Of The Psychedelic Movement, Timothy Leary

Best Of: Novelist Rumaan Alam / 'My Octopus Teacher' Filmmaker

SCOTUS Correspondent Nina Totenberg

Novelist Sigrid Nunez

Free Speech In The Age Of Disinformation

John Brown, Abraham Lincoln & The Fight To End Slavery

Best Of: Broadway Stars Danny Burstein & Rebecca Luker / 'Nice White Parents' Creator

How Women Have Been Left Out Of The Constitution / Remembering MLB's Joe Morgan

'My Octopus Teacher' Filmmaker

2 Broadway Stars Grapple With Illness And Uncertainty

Lessons For A Post-Pandemic World

How 'Nice White Parents' Can Undermine School Integration

Best Of: Ethan Hawke / Lenny Kravitz

Remembering MLB Pitcher Bob Gibson

The State Of The Affordable Care Act

Novelist Rumaan Alam

Lenny Kravitz

Ethan Hawke

Best Of: What If Trump Contests The Election? / Filmmaker Kirsten Johnson

A Cave Diver On The Thrill & Terror Of Going 'Into The Planet'

What Happens If Trump Contests the Election?

Filmmaker Faces Her Dad's Mortality In 'Dick Johnson Is Dead'

Inside The Mueller Investigation

The 'Secret History' Of Nuclear War

Best Of: Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin / Inside Trump's Businesses

Feminist Activist Gloria Steinem

Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin On Hope & Suffering

Political Meddling In The Fight Against COVID-19

How Donald Trump Turned The Presidency Into A Business

Remembering RBG / Neurologist Oliver Sacks

Best Of: The Origin Of Data Science & Elections / Novelist Ayad Akhtar

'Watchmen' Writer Cord Jefferson

Country Musician & Historian Marty Stuart

COVID On College Campuses

The Strange Origin Story Of Data Science & Elections

Writer Ayad Akhtar On Blending Fact & Fiction

Best Of: Yaa Gyasi / How Torture Derailed The War On Terror

'Devil All The Time' Novelist / 'PEN15' Creators Return To Middle School

What Happened To The 1 Million Displaced Persons After WWII?

Novelist Yaa Gyasi

How Torture Derailed The War On Terror After 9/11

Celebrating Sonny Rollins / Octavia Spencer

Best Of: Cherry Jones / The Early Years Of The CIA

RuPaul / Padma Lakshmi

Kerry Washington / Comic Ramy Youssef

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