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

December 03, 2020 National Security & The Final Weeks Of The Trump Administration
President Trump has ousted his secretary of defense and the head of the Pentagon's Defeat Isis Task Force. Trump has also considered striking Iran, and is expected to pull troops from Afghanistan. We talk with 'New York Times' reporter Eric Schmitt about what this may mean for American national security.
50 min
December 02, 2020 Loudon Wainwright III & Vince Giordano Play From The Great American Songbook
Singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III and Nighthawks bandleader Vince Giordano collaborated on the 1920s and '30s style music for the series 'Boardwalk Empire' and the film 'The Aviator.' Now they've gotten together again on the new album, 'I'd Rather Lead a Band,' a collection of songs from the Great American Songbook. They talk with Terry Gross about their new record and the music of the era.
49 min
December 01, 2020 Hugh Grant
Grant co-stars in the HBO miniseries 'The Undoing' as a charming doctor suspected of brutally murdering his lover. We talk with Grant about the "blessed relief" of taking a break from playing nice guys, his activism about tabloid privacy, and how 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' changed his life.
51 min
November 30, 2020 Sen. Ted Kennedy & American Liberalism
A liberal voice in the U.S. Senate for decades, Senator Ted Kennedy led a life marked by tragedy and scandal. Historian Neal Gabler says Kennedy's career shaped the course of American liberalism. His book is 'Catching the Wind.'

Film critic Justin Chang reviews 'Happiest Season.' It stars Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis as a lesbian couple trying to keep their relationship a secret during a Christmas family gathering.
48 min
November 28, 2020 Best Of: Chef David Chang / Actor Gillian Anderson
Momofuku chef David Chang talks about his new memoir, 'Eat a Peach,' which details his struggle with bipolar disorder and how cooking saved his life. He also hosts the series 'Ugly Delicious' on Netflix.

John Powers reviews the gripping Romanian documentary 'Collective,' about journalists uncovering a corruption scandal.

'X-Files' and 'Sex Education' actor Gillian Anderson talks about playing Margaret Thatcher in the new season of 'The Crown,' and then coaches Terry Gross on how to imitate the former prime minster's voice.
51 min
November 27, 2020 Carol Burnett
The celebrated variety and sketch comedy series, 'The Carol Burnett Show' aired from 1967-1978 and won more than 20 Emmy Awards. The series is going to streaming services for the first time. Burnett talked to Terry Gross in 2003 and our TV critic David Bianculli interviewed her this year about her signature ear pull, why she didn't do topical humor, and why the show stands the test of time.
50 min
November 26, 2020 Conan O'Brien
After 28 years of hosting late-night shows, O'Brien will be starting something new at HBO. He spoke to Terry Gross in 2019 about his early days as a comic and how late-night TV has changed over the years.

Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a newly discovered live recording by Sonny Rollins.
50 min
November 25, 2020 Chef David Chang
Momofuku chef and 'Ugly Delicious' host David Chang talks about fatherhood, mixing culinary traditions, and how depression led him to take his biggest career risks. "Momofuku was an exercise in combating depression," he says. "Otherwise, a 26 year-old with very little experience should never open a restaurant — and that's what happened." His new memoir is 'Eat a Peach.'

Also, we remember travel writer and memoirist Jan Morris. She died last week at 94.
49 min
November 24, 2020 Vaccine Expert On COVID & The Year Ahead
Dr. Peter Hotez is part of a team working to develop a low-cost COVID vaccine that could be distributed globally. "Vaccines are coming," he says. "We have to get everybody through to the other side." Hotez talks about vaccine development, the anti-vax movement, and what the year ahead might look like.
49 min
November 23, 2020 The Sanitation Crisis In Rural America
In a 2017 study of a rural area of Alabama, more than one in three people tested showed traces of hookworm, an intestinal parasite spread by contact with human feces, previously thought to be eradicated in the U.S. Catherine Coleman Flowers grew up in Alabama, and has spent 20 years calling attention to the problem of people living with no sanitary means of human waste disposal, so it collects in their yards, and sometimes seeps into their homes. Earlier this year, she was awarded a MacArthur fellowship to support her work. Her new book is 'Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret.'

Also, John Powers reviews the documentary 'Collective,' about a team of journalists investigating the aftermath of a 2015 Bucharest nightclub fire that killed 64 people
50 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: 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.