Showing results by author "Terry Gross" in All Categories

Children's TV host Fred Rogers on this edition of Fresh Air. Rogers died of stomach cancer on February 27, 2003, at the age of 74. His popular show, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, was the longest-running program on public television. It ended in 2001 after 33 years on the air. Last year, Rogers was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor the nation can bestow. (Original Broadcast Date: November 13, 2002)

Satirist and host of the public radio program Le Show, Harry Shearer, on how he's been dealing with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on his show. Will Ferrell is a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live. Last weekend the show began the new season in a somber tone, opening the show with Mayor Guilliani surrounded by a group of New York fire fighters, police and EMT workers. Ferrell has portrayed President George Bush on the show as well as Janet Reno, Alex Trebek and Robert Goulet; his other send-ups include musical middle school teacher Marty Culp, and Spartan...

Father Donald Cozzens on this edition of Fresh Air. He is the author of The Changing Face of the Priesthood: A Reflection on the Priest's Crisis of Soul. Father Cozzens is president-rector and professor of pastoral theology at Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Cleveland. He is also the editor of The Spirituality of the Diocesan Priest. Father Cozzens will talk about the church's current sexual abuse scandals, and other crises facing the priesthood. (Broadcast Date: March 12, 2002)

Jon Stewart, co-producer and anchorman of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and Jim DeRogatis, author of Let it Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, America's Greatest Rock Critic, on this edition of Fresh Air. Stewart's show is an alternative take on the news.

Authors Dalton Conley and Niall Ferguson on this edition of Fresh Air. Dalton Conley is the author of the memoir, Honky, about growing up white in a predominately African American.

Writer Mary Karr on this edition of Fresh Air. Mary Karr, author of the best-selling memoir The Liar's Club. Her new memoir Cherry which chronicles her teen age years is now out in paperback. In a follow up to what critics call "a hard scrabble childhood," she returns to East Texas to detail her adolescence. Karr relates anecdotes of rebellion, self-doubt and sexual coming of age. The recipient of several literary awards such as the Pushcart Prize and the Bunting Award, she has published two volumes of poetry. She is the Peck Professor of English Literature at Syracuse...

Sinatra experts, columnist and editor Tom Kuntz and Wall Street Journal staff reporter Phil Kuntz, and Chinese independent filmmaker Peter Loehr, on this edition of Fresh Air. The Kuntz brothers' new book The Sinatra Files: The Life of an American Icon Under Government Surveillance excerpts and analyzes portions of the FBI's massive file on Frank Sinatra, begun in the mid-1940s up through 1972. Tom Kuntz is the editor of "Word for Word," a column in The New York Times' " Week in Review" section. Native New Yorker Peter Loehr has become China's first independent...

Remembering former publisher of The Washington Post, Katherine Graham and jazz critic Kevin Whitehead on this edition of Fresh Air. Graham died on July 17, at the age of 84. Graham's father owned The Washington Post in 1933 and later her husband, Phil Graham, took over. Following her husband's suicide in 1963, Graham became publisher, knowing little about the managerial or journalistic aspects of the job. But, learning while she worked, she transformed the paper into one of the country's most respected newspapers. The paper broke the Watergate scandal and published the...

Religion scholar Karen Armstrong on Islamic fundamentalism on this edition of Fresh Air. She's the author of the best selling books The Battle for God, Jerusalem, and The History of God. She's also the author of Islam: A Short History. (Broadcast Date: October 17, 2001)

Historian David McCullough and LA Times food editor Russ Parsons on this edition of Fresh Air McCullough is the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Truman. His new book is the biography of founding father and second President of the United States. The book is John Adams. Food Editor for The Los Angeles Times, Russ Parsons, examines the science of cooking in his new book, How to Read a French Fry: and other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science.

Evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson and explorer Barry Clifford on this archive episode of Fresh Air. Olivia Judson, in her guide to the evolutionary biology of sex, explores the sex lives of animals and insects. Posing as Dr. Tatiana, sex-advice columnist, she answers "letters" posted by such creatures as the fairy wren, the stalk-eyed fly, and the African elephant. Her new book is Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation. Judson has also written for The Economist, Nature, and Science.

Writer, explorer, and deep-sea diver Barry Clifford's new book is...

Poet, critic, and novelist Carol Muske-Dukes and remembering social critic and novelist Mordecai Richler on this edition of Fresh Air. Muske-Dukes' new novel Life After Death is the story of a woman who says one day to her husband in anger "Why don't you just die?" The next day he drops dead. The book follows her journey into grief, self-reproach, and self-discovery. Muske-dukes is the Director of the PhD Program in Creative Writing and Literature at the University of Southern California. She's published three previous novels, and six collections of poetry, the most recent is...

Olympic snowboarder Chris Klug and jazz trombonist and composer Roswell Rudd on this edition of Fresh Air. He's considered the top American male alpine snowboarder. In July 2000, he underwent a liver transplant to cure a serious and rare degenerative liver ailment. Klug was back on the slopes within months, competing in the World Cup races. Snowboarding made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Nagano games. Klug began skiing at the age of two. He was born and lives in Colorado. Jazz trombonist and composer Roswell Rudd is known for his work with groundbreaking groups and musicians like...

Fifth Beatle Pete Best on this edition of Fresh Air. He was the drummer for the Beatles in their early days in Liverpool and Hamburg. His mother, Mona Best, was the owner of The Casbah Coffee Club in Liverpool.

Actor/comedian/screenwriter/playwright and novelist Steve Martin on this edition of Fresh Air. His new novel The Pleasure of My Company follows his best selling novella Shopgirl (which he is making into a new film). He wrote the play Picasso at The Lapin Agile and is the author of a collection of short stories, Cruel Shoes. Martin's screenwriting credits include L.A. Story, and Roxanne.

Husband and wife song writing team, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil on this edition of Fresh Air. The duo is responsible for such songs as "You've Lost that Loving Feeling," "On Broadway," "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," "Here You Come Again," "Don't Know Much," and more.

Writer Alain de Botton and novelist David Benioff on this edition of Fresh Air. Alain de Bottom is the author of several books including How Proust Can Change Your Life, and The Consolations of Philosophy. His latest book, The Art of Travel, is a reflection on travel, the anticipation versus the reality, how one often travels to escape the familiar and mundane - but can't escape oneself, and an examination of the art and literature of travel. David Benioff is the author of 25th Hour. His book, about a former drug dealer in New York City out on the town on...

Fresh Air Archive: William Greider and Wilbert Rideau

Musician Al Kooper on this edition of Fresh Air. He turns 60 years old on February 5th. A benefit concert celebrating the event is set for the Berklee Performance Center in Boston on Jan 31. Kooper helped popularize the Hammond B3 organ as part of rock music, performing on recordings of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and The Who. He was a member of the legendary Blues Project, and later founded the group Blood Sweat and Tears.

Late night talk show host Conan O'Brian on this edition of Fresh Air. He celebrates ten years on the air Sunday September 14 2003 with a primetime special on NBC. In 1993, he moved into the Late Night host slot when David Letterman went to CBS.