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NPR · Arts & Culture

Fresh Air

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 playlists of archive interviews from Fresh Air. And subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Fresh Air Weekly, to get interview highlights, staff recommendations, gems from the archive, and the week's interviews and reviews all in one place. Sign up at www.whyy.org/freshair

Episodes

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Questlove On Sly Stone & The Burden Of Black Genius

10 Feb 2025
46m
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This Fresh Air interview with Questlove focuses on his new documentary, Sly Lives, a.k.a. The Burden of Black Genius, exploring the life and musical legacy of Sly Stone and Sly & the Family Stone. The discussion analyzes key songs like "Dance to the Music" and "Everyday People," highlighting Stone's innovative musical...

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Best Of: Ariana Grande / Inside A Dominatrix's Dungeon

08 Feb 2025
48m
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This Fresh Air Weekend episode features an interview with Ariana Grande about her role in the movie musical Wicked, which explores themes of belonging and challenging perceptions of good versus evil. The conversation covers Grande's extensive vocal training for the role, her audition process, and her perspective on th...

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Remembering British Singer Marianne Faithfull

07 Feb 2025
46m
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This Fresh Air interview remembers Marianne Faithfull, who died at 78. The episode features excerpts from two Terry Gross interviews: one from 1994, focusing on Faithfull's autobiography and early career with the Rolling Stones, including her relationship with Mick Jagger and heroin addiction; and a 2005 interview dis...

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A Dominatrix/Writer Takes Readers Into A Dungeon

06 Feb 2025
43m
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This Fresh Air interview features author Brittany Newell, who also works as a professional dominatrix, discussing her new novel Soft Core. The conversation explores the blurred lines between fiction and reality in her writing, focusing on her protagonist Ruth, a stripper and dominatrix who encounters clients grappling...

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Trump's Plan For Gaza / The U.S. Military's Recruiting Crisis

05 Feb 2025
45m
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This Fresh Air interview with Dexter Filkins primarily discusses Donald Trump's unexpected proposal to have Palestinians leave Gaza, with the U.S. taking over and rebuilding it. The conversation then shifts to the U.S. military's recruitment crisis, exploring the reasons behind the shortage and the military's response...

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Ariana Grande Loves Being In A 'Beautiful Coven'

04 Feb 2025
44m
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This Fresh Air interview focuses on Ariana Grande's role as Glinda in the film adaptation of "Wicked." The conversation covers her extensive audition process (three auditions, including singing for both roles), her vocal training for the coloratura soprano style required, and the unique experience of singing live on s...

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Parenting A Child With Terminal Cancer

03 Feb 2025
44m
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This Fresh Air interview focuses on Sarah Wildman's experience as a parent whose daughter, Orly, died of terminal liver cancer at age 14. The interview details Orly's three-and-a-half-year battle with the disease, including her treatments and the family's emotional journey. Wildman discusses the challenges of communi...

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Best Of: 50 Years Of SNL Musical Guests / Black History Through Blues

01 Feb 2025
48m
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This Fresh Air Weekend interview podcast focuses on the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, specifically its music. The show begins with a TV critic reviewing two new documentaries about SNL—one focusing on the music, co-directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, and another a four-part series exploring various aspe...

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For 'Severance' Star Adam Scott, Work & Life Can't Be Separated

31 Jan 2025
43m
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This Fresh Air interview podcast features actor Adam Scott, star of the Apple TV+ series Severance. The conversation begins with a discussion of Severance's themes of work-life balance and the show's unique production design, which contributed to the overall feeling of isolation and dread. The interview then shifts t...

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How Louis Armstrong Became The First Black Pop Star

30 Jan 2025
45m
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This Fresh Air interview podcast focuses on Louis Armstrong, exploring his life and career, particularly his early years. The interview begins with a discussion of Armstrong's groundbreaking recordings with the Hot Five and Hot Seven, highlighting their influence on improvisation. The conversation then delves into Ar...

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This Anti-Social American Life

29 Jan 2025
44m
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This Fresh Air interview podcast explores the increasing trend of social isolation in the 21st century, a phenomenon writer Derek Thompson calls the "anti-social century." Thompson argues that this trend, which began decades ago with the rise of the car and television, has been exacerbated by smartphones, leading to i...

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What The Color Blue Tells About Black History

28 Jan 2025
44m
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This Fresh Air interview podcast features scholar Imani Perry discussing her book, Black in Blues, which explores the multifaceted significance of the color blue in Black history and culture. The conversation traces the color's symbolism from its historical association with enslaved Africans' clothing choices to its p...

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Questlove Digs Into 50 years Of 'SNL' Musical Hits (And Misses)

27 Jan 2025
45m
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This Fresh Air interview focuses on Amir “Questlove” Thompson’s new documentary, Ladies and Gentlemen, 50 Years of SNL Music, exploring the show's musical history. The conversation begins with a review of the documentary by TV critic David Bianculli, who also discusses a companion series on Peacock. Questlove then di...

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Best Of: Jesse Eisenberg / Pamela Anderson

25 Jan 2025
48m
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This Fresh Air Weekend interview podcast features Jesse Eisenberg, who discusses his film "A Real Pain," which he wrote, directed, and stars in alongside Kieran Culkin. The conversation explores the film's themes of suffering and the complexities of comparing personal struggles with historical trauma, using the backdr...

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Remembering David Lynch

24 Jan 2025
46m
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This Fresh Air interview podcast is a tribute to filmmaker David Lynch, who passed away at 78. The episode begins with a biographical overview of Lynch's career, highlighting key films like Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, and the TV series Twin Peaks. The main section features excerpts from a 1994 intervie...

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Trump's Foray Into Cryptocurrency

23 Jan 2025
44m
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This Fresh Air interview podcast focuses on Donald Trump's surprising embrace of cryptocurrency and its implications. The interview begins with an explanation of cryptocurrency, specifically meme coins, and then delves into Trump's various ventures, including his own meme coin and his appointments of pro-crypto indivi...

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Pamela Anderson Is Still Reinventing Herself

22 Jan 2025
44m
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This Fresh Air interview podcast features Pamela Anderson, discussing her new film, The Last Showgirl. The conversation begins with Anderson's decision to return to acting after a period away from Hollywood, focusing on the parallels between her life and her character, a veteran Las Vegas showgirl facing career and pe...

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Jesse Eisenberg Hated Bar Mitzvahs As A Kid

21 Jan 2025
44m
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This Fresh Air interview focuses on Jesse Eisenberg's new film, "A Real Pain," which he wrote, directed, and stars in. The conversation begins with an overview of Eisenberg's career and then delves into the inspiration for the film, stemming from a Jewish heritage tour ad and his own experiences with mental health. E...

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MLK, The Organizer & Radical Thinker

20 Jan 2025
45m
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This Fresh Air interview podcast discusses the juxtaposition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Donald Trump's inauguration. The conversation features sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom and scholar Eddie Glaude Jr., who reflect on King's legacy and the complexities of race and politics in America. Cottom highlights t...

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Best Of: Learning From Silence / Comic Roy Wood Jr.

18 Jan 2025
47m
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This interview podcast features two segments. The first is an interview with Pico Iyer, author of the memoir Aflame: Learning from Silence, who discusses the 1990 wildfire that destroyed his home and the subsequent solace he found in Benedictine monasteries. He details the terrifying experience of being trapped in hi...

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