Fresh Air

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Fresh Air episodes

February 16, 2022 The Untold Story Of 'Civil Rights Queen' Constance Baker Motley
Though she litigated Brown v. The Board of Education, was the first Black woman to argue before the Supreme Court, and represented MLK, few people know her name: Constance Baker Motley. Guest interviewer Tonya Mosley speaks with her biographer, Tomika Brown-Nagin, author of Civil Rights Queen.

John Powers reviews Severance on Apple TV+.
45 min
February 15, 2022 An Underground Journey With Afghan Refugees
Journalist Matthieu Aikins accompanied his Afghan interpreter when he decided to flee Afghanistan in 2016, using smugglers' routes to make his way to Europe and start a new life. For Aikins, it meant shedding his own identity and passport and taking risks refugees take — heading into the Mediterranean sea at midnight in a flimsy, overcrowded rubber craft, where Coast Guard patrols would ram the vessel to turn refugees away from their destination. Aikins' new book is The Naked Don't Fear the Water.
Also, podcast critic Nick Quah reviews Serial's new show, The Trojan Horse Affair.
47 min
February 15, 2022 An Underground Journey With Afghan Refugees
Journalist Matthieu Aikins accompanied his Afghan interpreter when he decided to flee Afghanistan in 2016, using smugglers' routes to make his way to Europe and start a new life. For Aikins, it meant shedding his own identity and passport and taking risks refugees take — heading into the Mediterranean sea at midnight in a flimsy, overcrowded rubber craft, where Coast Guard patrols would ram the vessel to turn refugees away from their destination. Aikins' new book is The Naked Don't Fear the Water.
Also, podcast critic Nick Quah reviews Serial's new show, The Trojan Horse Affair.
47 min
February 14, 2022 W. Kamau Bell On Bill Cosby's Legacy
About 60 women have come forward accusing Cosby of drugging and raping them. In 2018, Cosby was convicted of three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault, though that conviction was overturned on a technicality in 2021. W. Kamau Bell's new Showtime documentary series, We Need To Talk About Cosby, grapples with the comedian's tainted legacy, which Bell describes as a "third-rail" conversation for many people in the Black community. "[Cosby] was America's dad during The Cosby Show — not Black America's dad, America's dad," he says.
45 min
February 14, 2022 W. Kamau Bell On Bill Cosby's Legacy
About 60 women have come forward accusing Cosby of drugging and raping them. In 2018, Cosby was convicted of three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault, though that conviction was overturned on a technicality in 2021. W. Kamau Bell's new Showtime documentary series, We Need To Talk About Cosby, grapples with the comedian's tainted legacy, which Bell describes as a "third-rail" conversation for many people in the Black community. "[Cosby] was America's dad during The Cosby Show — not Black America's dad, America's dad," he says.
45 min
February 12, 2022 Best Of: Jonny Greenwood / How The Method Changed Acting
Jonny Greenwood plays guitar and keyboard in Radiohead, but in 2007 director Paul Thomas Anderson enlisted him to score his film There Will Be Blood. Since then, Greenwood has scored such films as The Power of the Dog, Spencer, and Phantom Thread.

Method acting is more than mining personal experiences to play a character — or physically transforming for a role. Author and cultural critic Isaac Butler traces the history of the technique in The Method.
49 min
February 12, 2022 Best Of: Jonny Greenwood / How The Method Changed Acting
Jonny Greenwood plays guitar and keyboard in Radiohead, but in 2007 director Paul Thomas Anderson enlisted him to score his film There Will Be Blood. Since then, Greenwood has scored such films as The Power of the Dog, Spencer, and Phantom Thread.

Method acting is more than mining personal experiences to play a character — or physically transforming for a role. Author and cultural critic Isaac Butler traces the history of the technique in The Method.
49 min
February 11, 2022 Remembering Antiwar Activist Todd Gitlin / 'Maus' Author Art Spiegelman
We remember activist, scholar and social critic Todd Gitlin, who died Feb. 5 at the age of 79. He was president of SDS, the Students for a Democratic Society and helped organize the first national demonstration against the Vietnam War. He continued his commitment to social change as a teacher and writer.

John Powers reviews a reissue of a groundbreaking crime novel about a gay detective.

Also, we'll listen back to our 1987 interview with Art Spiegelman, whose Pulitizer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus, about the Holocaust, is one of the books recently being banned.

Finally, Justin Chang reviews the thriller Kimi directed by Steven Soderbergh.
48 min
February 11, 2022 Remembering Antiwar Activist Todd Gitlin / 'Maus' Author Art Spiegelman
We remember activist, scholar and social critic Todd Gitlin, who died Feb. 5 at the age of 79. He was president of SDS, the Students for a Democratic Society and helped organize the first national demonstration against the Vietnam War. He continued his commitment to social change as a teacher and writer.

John Powers reviews a reissue of a groundbreaking crime novel about a gay detective.

Also, we'll listen back to our 1987 interview with Art Spiegelman, whose Pulitizer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus, about the Holocaust, is one of the books recently being banned.

Finally, Justin Chang reviews the thriller Kimi directed by Steven Soderbergh.
48 min
February 10, 2022 What We Know Now About Jan. 6
NYT congressional reporter Luke Broadwater was in the Capitol when the mob started breaking down barricades. We talk about the House committee's investigation into the attack and new revelations about Trump destroying documents and attempting to seize voting machines to overturn the election. We'll also consider the possibility of Trump facing criminal charges.
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: Is Jared Kushner a 'walking conflict of interest'?
Sep 1647 min
Number 2: The Roy Cohn Playbook, from McCarthyism to Trump
Sep 1746 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: Global power, rivalry, and A.I.; a preview of the U.S./China summit
Sep 2347 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.