Showing results by author "Terry Gross" in All Categories

Remembering film critic Pauline Kael on this edition of Fresh Air. Pauline Kael died yesterday at the age of 82. William Whitworth was her editor at The New Yorker.

Writer F.X. Toole and Professor Michael A. Bellesiles on this edition of Fresh air. At age 70, F.X. Toole has just published his first book.

Novelists Anita and Kiran Desai and classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz on this edition of Fresh Air.

Keyboard player and record producer Ray Manzarek and record executive Jac Holzman on this edition of Fresh Air. Ray Manzarek was part of the rock band the Doors, which broke up after the death of lead singer Jim Morrison. This month marks the 40th anniversary of the band's formation. There's a new book out next month called The Doors. It's an inside look at the band and includes interviews with the three surviving members. Never before seen photos and previously untold stories are revealed.

Filmmaker Kirby Dick, MPAA Ratings Board Chair Joan Graves, and actor Jeremy Sisto, on this edition of Fresh Air. Kirby Dick's new documentary is This Film is Not Yet Rated. It's a look into the secretive world of the MPAA film ratings system. Dick considers the highly secretive process of rating films G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17. MPAA board members are anonymous, deliberations are private, and standards are seemingly arbitrary.

Singer and songwriter Neil Diamond and actress Angie Dickinson.

John F. Kennedy biographer Robert Dallek on this edition of Fresh Air. Dallek's new biography of John F. Kennedy called An Unfinished Life. He looked into medical records to reveal new information about Kennedy's health problems. He also discusses Kennedy's extramarital affairs and his life as a soldier.

On this edition of Fresh Air, the focus is the work of underground comic book writer Harvey Pekar and the new film based on his life and work, American Splendor. Harvey has been described as "working-class Everyman," and "first-class curmudgeon."

Cage, Keitel, Coppola, and 15 other stars of the stage and screen speak candidly with Fresh Air's Terry Gross in this compilation of classic interviews.

Rory Stewart is a British diplomat, journalist and former fellow at the Carr Center for Human Tights Policy at Havard's Kennedy School of Government. At the age of 29, following the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Stewart, walked alone across the country. The sometimes harrowing journey took him two years. He wrote about it in the memoir The Places in Between. Then, after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Stewart was appointed a provincial governor.

Hear singer-songwriter Ray Davies on this edition of Fresh Air. Davies first became known as the leader of the band The Kinks, one of the great and enduring British bands to came out of the 60s. Davies' first solo record, Other People's Lives was released in 2006. While recording the album in New Orleans, he was shot in the leg by a man who stole his girlfriend's purse. His new album, Working Man's Cafe, was released this month.

Writer David Sedaris on this edition of Fresh Air. Sedaris is best known for his contributing work with Public Radio's This American Life. He's written three books of essays, Barrel Fever, Naked, and his latest Me Talk Pretty One Day.

Because Audible was not granted digital audio rights for today's Fresh Air broadcast, we bring you a great archive episode featuring the great singer and pianist Ray Charles, musician Quincy Jones, and saxophonist Hank Crawford. Ray Charles died June 10, 2004, at the age of 73. He was about to go back on tour, but died of complications of liver disease.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg and Army chaplain Ran Dolinger on this edition of Fresh Air. Linguist and Fresh Air commentator Geoff Nunberg's new book is Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show. Nunberg teaches at UC Berkeley's School of Information.

Because Audible was not granted rights to today's broadcast of Fresh Air, we present a great archive interview with singer, songwriter, and guitar player Robbie Fulks. His newest CD is called Georgia Hard. Fulks also has an XM Satellite Radio show called Secret Country on Channel 12.

Writer Robert Sullivan and journalist Bill Minutaglio on this edition of Fresh Air. Robert Sullivan's new book is called Cross Country: Fifteen Years and 90,000 Miles on the Roads and Interstates of America with Lewis and Clark, a lot of bad motels, a moving van, Emily Post, Jack Kerouac, my wife, my mother-in-law, two kids, and enough coffee to kill an elephant. It's a chronicle of his family's cross country trips from Oregon to New York. He's joined by his two children Louise and Sam.

Journalist Juliet Eilperin on her new book Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the U.S. House of Representatives.

Plus book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Theft: A Love Story by Australian writer and twice winner of the Booker Prize Peter Carey.

Songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen on his new volume of poetry, Book of Longing.

Journalist Daniel Okrent on this edition of Fresh Air. From 2003 to 2005, he served as the first Public Editor, or ombudsman, for The New York Times. His new book, Public Editor #1: The Collected Columns (with Reflections, Reconsiderations, and Even a Few Retractions) of the First Ombudsman of The New York Times chronicles his tenure and provides a behind the scenes look at America's most respected newspaper. Note: Because of rights issues, this episode is 20 minutes long.

Writer/director Richard Linklater and documentary stars Bill Resler and Devon Crosby Helms on this edition of Fresh Air. Richard Linklater's new film, A Scanner Darkly, is based on the book by Philip K. Dick. It's about drug addiction, paranoia, and surveillance. It stars Robert Downey Jr. and Keanu Reeves. Linklater is a self-taught director whose other films include Slacker, Dazed & Confused, and The School of Rock.