Fresh Air

By NPRTV & Film Society & Culture Arts Books

Ranking
1st
on Books
Favorites
47,949
Followers
Typical duration
46 min
per episode
If it hooks
56%
finish an episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

Fresh Air episodes

August 29, 2022 Keith Richards / Brian May
We're kicking off a weeklong series of some of our favorite music interviews from our archive. We'll begin with Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who was our guest in 2010. He'll tell us about cofounding the band, writing songs with Mick Jagger, and how things changed when the Stones became famous.

Later, we'll hear our 2010 interview with Brian May, a founding member of Queen, and their lead guitarist. May wrote one of the band's most famous songs, "We Will Rock You." He'll tell the stories behind that song and Freddie Mercury's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
48 min
August 27, 2022 Best Of: Comic Mo Amer / Cold Case Investigator Paul Holes
Comedian Mo Amer is of Palestinian descent, but he grew up in Kuwait and Houston. So besides his native Arabic, he learned to speak Spanish, and the kind of English that sets Texans at ease. Amer stars in a new Netflix comedy about his life, called Mo.

Also, veteran cold case investigator Paul Holes talks about pursuing serial killers, and the emotional toll of obsessing over gruesome crime scenes. He played a key role in tracking down the Golden State Killer. He has a new memoir called Unmasked: My Life Solving Cold Cases.

John Powers reviews the documentary Three Minutes: A Lengthening, which shows a jewish neighborhood in Poland before it was erased by the Holocaust.
49 min
August 26, 2022 Colson Whitehead On 'Harlem Shuffle'
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist talks about Harlem, hooligans, race and class in the '60s. His novel Harlem Shuffle, now out in paperback, is about a furniture store owner in Harlem who's sideline is fencing stolen goods.

Also Justin Chang reviews the new film Three Thousand Years of Longing by director George Miller, who made the Mad Max movies. It stars Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton.
45 min
August 25, 2022 How The Ultrawealthy Avoid Taxes
Journalist Jesse Eisinger says a trove of IRS data acquired by ProPublica shows that many of America's billionaires avoid paying any taxes — sometimes by claiming big deductions from posh hobbies.

Also, John Powers reviews the German series Kleo on Netflix, which he says is reminiscent of Killing Eve.
45 min
August 24, 2022 The Growing Conflict Between China & The U.S.
China scholar Michael Beckley says China is engaged in the largest military buildup since World War II, and is being increasingly aggressive with its Asian neighbors and with the U.S. Beckley's book is Danger Zone.

Ken Tucker reviews a reissue by Roger Miller.
46 min
August 23, 2022 Comedian Mo Amer
Amer stars in a new Netflix comedy about his life called Mo. His family is Palestinian, and fled the first Gulf War, so Amer grew up in Houston from age nine. "Palestinian culture is a folksy farmer kind of mentality and life," Amer says. "And when I came to Texas, one of the things that was really attractive to me was the country music, the folksy music, the storytelling tradition of that." Amer also has two Netflix comedy specials, and co-starred in the Hulu series Ramy.

Also, Kevin Whitehead reviews the new album from jazz drummer Billy Drummond's quartet.
47 min
August 22, 2022 Former GOP Operative On Enabling Trump's Rise
Tim Miller is a former Republican communications operative who held moderate views and backed moderate candidates for years. But he says in practicing the dark arts of opposition research and planting negative stories about rival candidates, he worked with increasingly extreme right-wing media outlets and fed populist outrage that would radicalize much of the Republican voter base. Miller examines his past work, and considers why so many Republicans who thought Trump unfit for office nonetheless backed him, in a new book, called Why We Did It.
46 min
August 20, 2022 Best Of: What Happened To The GOP / Robin Thede
Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank examines how the GOP got to where it is today, with some elected leaders and candidates still endorsing the lie that Trump won. His book is The Destructionists.

Film critic Justin Chang reviews Emily the Criminal starring Aubrey Plaza.

Robin Thede's HBO series, A Black Lady Sketch Show, is the first sketch comedy show solely written, directed and starring Black women. She spoke with contributor Tonya Mosley.
49 min
August 19, 2022 Remembering Actor Anne Heche
We remember actor Anne Heche, who died Sunday at age 53. She starred in Donnie Brasco, Wag the Dog, Six Days, Seven Nights, and Walking and Talking. Early in her career, she made headlines when she had a relationship with Ellen Degeneres. She spoke with Terry Gross in 2000.

Also, we listen back to our 2015 interview with actor Jonathan Banks, who co-starred as fixer and hitman Mike Ehrmantraut on Better Call Saul.

Ken Tucker reviews the new album by Loudon Wainwright III about growing older, and John Powers reviews the new documentary Three Minutes: A Lengthening.
47 min
August 18, 2022 Arizona's Anti-Democracy Experiment
2020 election deniers won key races in the Arizona GOP primary. New York Times Magazine journalist Robert Draper says the swing state is a bellwether for the rest of the nation.
46 min

About Fresh Air

From the publisher's feed

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 and Tonya Mosley, the show…

Best of Fresh Air

Ranked by our users in the last 21 days

Number 1: The Roy Cohn Playbook, from McCarthyism to Trump
Sep 1746 min
Number 2: Is Jared Kushner a 'walking conflict of interest'?
Sep 1647 min
Number 3: Investigating the system that protected Sean “Diddy” Combs
Sep 2446 min
Number 4: Inside the 'modern slavery' where cyber scammers are victims themselves
Sep 2246 min
Number 5: Colin Kaepernick is still fighting – for justice and for his football career
Sep 1446 min

FAQ about Fresh Air

What's this show about?
Fresh Air, hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, features intimate conversations with luminaries in contemporary arts and issues.
What's it like to listen to?
The show delivers in-depth interviews in a conversational format. Expect a focus on the guest's work and life, with thoughtful questions and a relaxed atmosphere.
What are recent episodes about?
Recent episodes feature Jessie Buckley discussing her role in the film *Hamnet*, Delroy Lindo reflecting on his career, and discussions about Paul McCartney's post-Beatles life and plans to restrict voting in the U.S..
Who's behind the mic?
Terry Gross has hosted Fresh Air since 1975, winning a Peabody Award and countless other honors for her insightful interviews. Tonya Mosley is a Peabody Award-winning journalist and co-host of Fresh Air.
How long is each episode?
Each episode is typically around 45 minutes to an hour.
When do new episodes drop?
The show releases new episodes regularly.
What are the main topics?
Arts, books, film, society, culture, interviews, music, politics
Who should listen to this?
Listeners interested in the arts, film, music, and society, as well as those who enjoy in-depth interviews with a wide range of notable figures.