Fresh Air

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Fresh Air episodes

September 09, 2021 SCOTUS & The Future Of Roe V. Wade
Ian Millhiser covers the Supreme Court for Vox. He says the Court's decision to uphold the recent Texas abortion law was a generational victory for abortion opponents: "They've spent many decades working for this moment."

Maureen Corrigan reviews Sally Rooney's new novel, 'Beautiful World, Where Are You.'
48 min
September 08, 2021 Remembering Michael K. Williams
Williams was best known for playing Omar on 'The Wire' and Chalky White on 'Boardwalk Empire.' In 2008, Williams told Terry Gross the story behind the scar on his face and his background in dance. In 2016, he reflected on his lucky breaks and what it was like to leave Omar behind. "When 'The Wire' and the character of Omar ended, I had zero tools, personally speaking, in how to deal with letting that go. ... I didn't equip myself with the tools of how to wash that off my psyche." Williams died Sept. 6 of a suspected drug overdose.

Also, critic David Bianculli reviews the new reboot of Doogie Howser, M.D.
48 min
September 07, 2021 Poet Laureate Joy Harjo / Historian Tiya Miles
The nation's first Native American poet laureate has a new memoir in which she tells her own story — as well as the story of her sixth-generation grandfather, who was forced from his land in the Trail of Tears. It's called 'Poet Warrior.' "If my work does nothing else, when I get to the end of my life, I want Native peoples to be seen as human beings," she says.

Historian Tiya Miles tells the story of an enslaved woman who, upon hearing that her child was being sold off, hastily packed her a cotton sack with a few personal items. That cotton bag remained in the child's possession and was passed on from one generation to the next, and at one point in the early 1900s, was inscribed with the family's tale. Eventually it ended up at the National Museum of African American History. Miles joins contributor Arun Venugopal to talk about what this story tell us about slavery. Her book is 'All That She Carried.'
48 min
September 06, 2021 Mavis Staples / Gladys Knight
We conclude our Summer of Soul series with Mavis Staples and Gladys Knight, two performers featured in Questlove's documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. As a teenager, Mavis Staples performed with her family in the Staple Singers, led by her father, "Pops" Staples. By the late '50s, the Staple Singers was one of the most popular gospel groups in the country. In the early '70s, they crossed over to the top of the pop charts.

Gladys Knight's Motown hits with the Pips included "I heard it Through the Grapevine," "Neither One of Us," and "The End of Our Road." She had one of her biggest hits after leaving Motown: "Midnight Train to Georgia."
49 min
September 04, 2021 Best Of: Sandra Oh / Aretha Franklin
Sandra Oh stars in the new comedy series 'The Chair,' as the newly appointed chair of the English department at a prestigious college-- the first woman and first person of color to hold the position. Oh co-starred in Grey's Anatomy and is currently shooting the fourth and final season of the spy thriller series 'Killing Eve.'

Also, we'll listen to our 1999 interview with Aretha Franklin. She's portrayed by Jennifer Hudson in the new biopic 'Respect.'

And Justin Chang reviews 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.' It's the first Marvel movie to feature an Asian superhero.
48 min
September 03, 2021 Abbey Lincoln / Max Roach
We're continuing our "Summer of Soul" series with archival interviews with singer Abbey Lincoln and drummer Max Roach. Both were featured in the Questlove documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Abbey Lincoln started out as a seductive nightclub singer in the 1950s, but after meeting Max Roach, she started performing in a style influenced by modern jazz and the civil rights movement. She evolved into an introspective singer who wrote achingly beautiful songs about love and life. Max Roach was one of the inventors of modern jazz drumming. He helped formulate the language of bebop. In the early 1960s, he recorded some of the first jazz music inspired by the Civil Rights Movement.

Also, John Powers reviews the PBS Masterpiece series 'Guilt.'
54 min
September 03, 2021 B.B. King / Hugh Masekela
We're revisiting archival interviews with some of the musicians featured in the documentary 'Summer of Soul.' The film is about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a series of free concerts which reflected changes in Black culture and politics. Today we'll hear our 1996 interviews with B.B. King, perhaps the most famous blues singer and guitarist of his generation, and our 1988 interview with Hugh Masekela, the South African trumpeter who was described in the 'New York Times' as a symbol of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, even as he spent three decades in exile.
48 min
September 01, 2021 Questlove Revives "Black Woodstock" With 'Summer Of Soul'
Today we begin our series Summer of Soul, featuring interviews from our archive with some of the performers showcased in the documentary 'Summer of Soul,' about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The festival was a series of six concerts that reflected changes in Black music, culture and politics. Over the next few days, we'll hear interviews from our archive with B.B. King, Hugh Masekela, Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples, Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln. We start with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, who directed the documentary. Questlove founded the band The Roots, the house band of 'The Tonight Show' and is known for his encyclopedic knowledge of hip-hop, funk, soul and R&B.

Justin Chang reviews 'Shang-Chi,' Marvel's first superhero film starring an Asian lead.
46 min
August 31, 2021 Celebrating Aretha Franklin, Queen Of Soul
To mark the debut of the biopic 'RESPECT,' we listen back to archival interviews with Aretha, as well as with Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler, and songwriter Dan Penn, who co-wrote "Do Right Woman." We'll hear about Aretha's upbringing in the church, the iconic "sock-it-to-me's" in Respect, and recording at Muscle Shoals.
48 min
August 30, 2021 Sandra Oh
Oh stars as chair of the English department at a prestigious university in the Netflix series 'The Chair.' The 'Grey's Anatomy' co-star joined us to talk about her upbringing in Canada, breaking barriers for Asian women in Hollywood, and the sexual tension between her 'Killing Eve' character and the psychopath Villanelle.

TV critic David Bianculli shares his first impressions of the Hulu comedy 'Only Murders in the Building,' starring Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez as amateur sleuths.
47 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…

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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.