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Fresh Air
NPR · News
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 features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including weekly bonus episodes and curated…
More from this show
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Best Of: Kyle MacLachlan / Inside the ‘romance scam’
Kyle MacLachlan was just 23 when he auditioned for Lynch's adaptation of Dune . The two would go on to work together on the cult classics Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks . “The worlds that [Lynch] creates are real in his mind — they exist,” he tells Terry Gross. MacLachlan's new memoir is Fictional Selves . Also, Wired…
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Celebrating minimalist composer Steve Reich
Often called one of the fathers of minimalist music, Reich created a vocabulary that has influenced nearly every form of music: Classical, electronic, jazz, and pop. To commemorate his 90th birthday, there are worldwide performances and festivals in his honor, including an upcoming concert at Carnegie Hall. Reich…
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Sheryl Crow
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has a new album, Pick You Up , out Oct. 9. She spoke with Fresh Air guest interviewer Sam Fragoso ( Talk Easy ) about touring with Michael Jackson in her 20s as a back-up singer, depression, and Bob Dylan’s advice for writer’s block. Also, John Powers reviews the Spanish language…
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New drones, deadlier attacks: Dystopian reality in Ukraine
Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist , is just back from her fourth visit to Ukraine. She says Russia has ramped up production of missiles and deadly drones, while Ukraine is desperately short of interceptors to resist the onslaught. “[Kyiv] has been under really extraordinary bombardment from the…
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Mahmoud Khalil’s 104 days in ICE Detention
Khalil was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and fled the country at 18. He had a green card to be in the United States, and had become one of the most visible faces of the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, where he had been a graduate student and a negotiator between the protesters and the…
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Kyle MacLachlan was David Lynch’s ‘submersible’ into dark places
MacLachlan was just 23 when he auditioned for Lynch's adaptation of Dune . The two would go on to work together on the cult classics Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks . “The worlds that [Lynch] creates are real in his mind — they exist,” he tells Terry Gross. MacLachlan's new memoir is Fictional Selves . Also, Maureen…
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Best Of: Rhiannon Giddens / Investigating Diddy’s Rise & Fall
Rhiannon Giddens doesn’t usually make pop music, but she wrote and played the banjo riff on Beyoncé’s country single, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” She comes from the Black string band tradition, is the artistic director of the Silk Road Ensemble, and studied opera in college. Giddens spoke with Terry Gross about channeling her…
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Bluegrass virtuoso Billy Strings
The Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist has one foot in traditional bluegrass and another in improvisational jam music. He has a new album, So Much for Goodbyes , inspired by his late mother. He spoke with producer Sam Briger about healing himself through songwriting, performing the day his mom died, and…
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Investigating the system that protected Sean “Diddy” Combs
Sean Combs founded Bad Boy Records and spent three decades as one of the most powerful men in hip hop. Now he's serving a federal prison sentence. Rolling Stone reporter Cheyenne Roundtree spent years talking to the people who worked for him, many of them trying to break into the music business. In her new book, Bad…
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Global power, rivalry, and A.I.; a preview of the U.S./China summit
As President Trump and China's President Xi prepare to meet tomorrow, Rush Doshi of the Council on Foreign Relations explains the current state of US-China relations and what to expect from this summit. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to our YouTube channel Check out the Fresh…
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Inside the 'modern slavery' where cyber scammers are victims themselves
WIRED ’s Andy Greenberg explains how a cybercrime operation in Southeast Asia trapped computer engineers into defrauding victims of billions of dollars. Plus he discusses the scam involving Fresh Air . Also, jazz historian Kevin Whitehead reflects on John Coltrane for the centennial of his birth. Subscribe to our free…
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Rhiannon Giddens traces the banjo from her ancestors to Beyoncé
A self-described "folkie to the bone," Giddens talks with Terry Gross about channeling her ancestors through her instrument, playing on Beyoncé’s country single “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and a connection between Irish folk music and Dolly Parton. Giddens also sings and plays banjo and fiddle throughout the interview. Her…
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Best Of: Colin Kaepernick / Danielle Brooks
10 years ago, former 49ers NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest police violence against Black people. After the season ended, he never played in the NFL again. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about his childhood, football career, and activism. His memoir is his The Perilous…
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Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones / Remembering singer Cassandra Wilson
The new film Coyote vs. ACME is based on the classic Warner Bros. cartoons featuring the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote. Today, we listen back to Terry’s 1989 interview with animator Chuck Jones. He created the characters, among others, and directed many Looney Tunes cartoons. He says they had specific rules for the…
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The Roy Cohn Playbook, from McCarthyism to Trump
In a biography of Roy Cohn, Kai Bird looks at how the lawyer taught President Trump to deny, delay, attack, sue and countersue, never admit defeat, side step paying bills and avoid a paper trail. His book, with co-author Susan Goldmark, is American Scoundrel . He spoke with Terry Gross. Also, Ken Tucker reflects on…
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Is Jared Kushner a 'walking conflict of interest'?
Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins says while Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is a U.S. special envoy negotiating peace, he's also working on private business deals, raising billions in some of the same countries. “He's potentially a walking conflict of interest,” Filkins tells Tonya…
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Actor Danielle Brooks has blessings to count
Brooks grew up in a church where her mom was a minister and her dad a deacon. She went on to play Taystee in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black . Now she co-stars in the indie film If I Go Will They Miss Me? Brooks spoke with Terry Gross about singing in the church, playing gospel icon Mahalia Jackson, and why…
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Colin Kaepernick is still fighting – for justice and for his football career
It has been 10 years since former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem, in protest of police brutality against Black people. Once the season ended, Kaepernick never played in the NFL again. "The NFL tried to send a very clear message that if you protest police killing Black folks…
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Best Of: Life in the Mojave Desert / Director of ‘The Uprising’
Author Claire Vaye Watkins lives in the Mojave Desert, just like the protagonist in her new novel, Yellow Pine . In the book, it’s an area being developed by an energy company, wreaking havoc on the environment. The locals protest, but the novel explores whether they actually have the power to defeat a corporate…
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Stories of survival & loss at Ground Zero
For the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, we go into our archive for voices of those who were there. Deputy Fire Chief John “Jay” Jonas spoke with Terry Gross about being inside the North Tower when it collapsed. Firefighter Ken Haskell talks about losing his two brothers and his search at Ground Zero. Author…
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How the WNBA became a political prop in the culture wars
Despite record viewership and attendance, and amazing talent across the league, the WNBA has been caught up in the national conversation about the culture wars. Sportswriter Sabreena Merchant says, “everything in the WNBA seems to take on a political lens far beyond what is actually happening on the court.” Merchant…
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How Sept. 11 changed American life
In his book Homeland: The War on Terror in American Life , Richard Beck looks at how the Sept. 11 attacks led to the expansion of government surveillance and a sharp increase in hate crimes against Muslim Americans. Beck also argues the War on Terror laid the groundwork for Donald Trump to become president and…
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Casey Gerald says ruining his reputation saved his life
A decade ago, Casey Gerald was running a celebrated nonprofit, giving TED talks, and on magazine covers as proof that the American dream still works. Then he shut it all down and disappeared from public life. Now, in a new book, The Great Refusal , he turns his leaving into an argument about the limits of the American…
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Rosanne Cash on the gift her father, Johnny Cash, gave her
For Labor Day, we’re listening back to our 2009 interview with Rosanne Cash. When she was 18, in 1973, her father Johnny Cash gave her a list of 100 essential country songs he thought she should know. At the time, she knew that it was an important document, “but it took me, I think until now, to realize that he was…
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Best Of: ‘Wonder Man’ actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II / John Coltrane centennial
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is nominated for an Emmy for his performance in the Marvel series ‘Wonder Man,’ but two weeks after his nomination, Disney announced the series would not return for a second season. But getting laid off is how he found acting in the first place. “I keep on getting laid off and losing jobs. What…
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Feminist Icon Gloria Steinem
Writer, activist and face of the women’s liberation movement Gloria Steinem died Wednesday at age 92. She spoke with Terry Gross several times over four decades, this remembrance pulls from three of those conversations: In 2015, Steinem talked about her unconventional childhood on the road with her parents, “My memory…
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Filmmaker Paul Greengrass on rage, rebellion and ‘The Uprising’
Paul Greengrass’ new film, The Uprising , stars Andrew Garfield as a 14th-century peasant who, in the wake of the Plague, leads a revolt against the king. It's a history Greengrass grew up learning, and now sees parallels with Covid and Jan 6th. “People were left numb, and then this gathering rage …defenseless, and…
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Back-to-school with Big Tech
Tech giants like Google and Microsoft have been competing for years to get their devices, software and AI into public schools, even offering free training programs for teachers and students. These brands are helping shape what and how children learn. NYT reporter Natasha Singer says, “Some teachers are using AI to…
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A centennial celebration of John Coltrane
Coltrane was one of the most influential musicians in the history of jazz, from his beautiful ballads, to his more spiritual music, and his role in the forefront of free jazz. September 23 marks 100 years since his birth. We speak with his son Ravi Coltrane, who is a highly regarded tenor saxophonist—the same…
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How the government wastes our time
Atlantic journalist Annie Lowrey explores the administrative burdens people face applying for government benefits like unemployment and food assistance. It's not just about wasted time: "When the government treats us like this, we don't trust it," she says. She spoke with Tonya Mosley about her book, The Time Tax: How…
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