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
America’s milestone anniversaries—1876, 1926, 1976, and the upcoming 250th—function as rituals where the nation constructs a narrative of its founding while editing out the persistent contradictions of race. Princeton professor Eddie Glaude Jr. argues that these moments reveal a "divided soul," where the country imagin...
The enduring impact of The Book of Mormon on Broadway and the diverse career trajectory of actor Clarke Peters define this conversation. Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells reflect on the 15th anniversary of The Book of Mormon, discussing the evolution of their vocal performances, the physical demands of stage work, and the s...
Actor Andrew Scott examines the nuances of his career, specifically his ability to locate vulnerability within complex characters like the priest in Fleabag and the antagonist Moriarty in Sherlock. He emphasizes the importance of unlearning the "famousness" of iconic roles to achieve authentic, human-centered performan...
Comedian and The Daily Show writer Josh Johnson explores the intersection of personal vulnerability and professional success. His creative process relies on communal writing, where individual jokes evolve into universal narratives through collaboration. Johnson’s comedy often centers on his self-described "muggable" pe...
Actor Josh O'Connor discusses his transition from independent cinema to blockbuster filmmaking in Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day. O'Connor details his rigorous preparation methods, including the creation of "character bibles" and crime-scene-like walls to map out a character's internal life. He reflects on his portr...
The upcoming FIFA World Cup faces significant scrutiny due to opaque ticketing practices, including the controversial use of dynamic pricing and misleading stadium maps that obscure seat locations. Beyond logistical and financial barriers, the tournament navigates complex geopolitical tensions, such as U.S. immigration...
The Book of Mormon celebrates its 15th anniversary on Broadway, reuniting original stars Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad to examine the musical’s enduring legacy and their own artistic trajectories. The show’s unique blend of satire and sincerity challenges audiences to find meaning amidst absurdity, a balance that remain...
The intersection of personal history, cultural identity, and the power of language defines this exploration of literature and social discourse. Novelist Maggie O'Farrell examines the legacy of the Irish Great Famine and the influence of Irish mythology in her work, while reflecting on how her personal struggle with a s...
The Tony Awards serve as the backdrop for revisiting iconic performances by Alan Cumming and Angela Lansbury, two legends of the stage. Cumming reflects on his multi-decade evolution as the Emcee in Cabaret, emphasizing the role's physical demands and its Brechtian function as a guide through the encroaching darkness o...
Actor Clarke Peters reflects on his extensive career, spanning iconic roles in The Wire and The Five Bloods to his current work in the Netflix series The Boroughs. He emphasizes the importance of storytelling over stardom, rejecting roles that treat the elderly with condescension in favor of characters with depth and a...
Journalist Susan Saulny investigates her family's history of racial passing, triggered by news of a newly elected pope with New Orleans Creole roots. Her great-uncle Edward left New Orleans in the 1920s to live as a white man in Chicago, creating a permanent divide within the family. Saulny uncovers the complex legacy ...
Author Maggie O'Farrell discusses her novel Land, which examines the intersection of Irish history, colonialism, and the personal legacy of her ancestors. Set in the 1860s, the story follows a mapper working for the British Ordnance Survey in the aftermath of the Great Famine, highlighting how cartography functioned as...
Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, a history professor and daughter of legendary comedian Richard Pryor, examines the complex legacy of the N-word in her memoir, Something We Said. The discussion centers on the tension between the word’s history as a tool of racial oppression and its subversive use in Black protest and comedy. ...
The Netflix series The Boroughs, produced by the Duffer Brothers, follows a group of elderly misfits in a retirement community who confront sinister, otherworldly forces. The show highlights the depth and individual agency of its veteran cast, including Alfre Woodard and Alfred Molina. Woodard emphasizes the importance...
Sonny Rollins, the legendary jazz tenor saxophonist who passed away at 95, defined the genre through his improvisational brilliance and enduring influence. His career spanned decades, marked by iconic performances, a famous sabbatical practicing on the Williamsburg Bridge, and a courageous recovery from heroin addictio...
Award-winning actor Alfre Woodard reflects on her decades-long career, emphasizing the importance of creating authentic, complex portrayals of Black women that transcend two-dimensional tropes. Discussing her role in the new Netflix series The Boroughs, she highlights how her generation of actors brings depth and histo...
The U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement represents a fundamental strategic failure that empowered Iranian hardliners and precipitated unnecessary military conflict. By abandoning a multilateral framework that ensured compliance, the U.S. sacrificed its international credibility and triggered a global financ...
David Sedaris explores his latest essay collection, The Land and Its People, detailing how live performances serve as his primary editorial tool for refining prose through real-time audience feedback. His creative process remains tethered to rigorous, often obsessive daily habits, including extensive walking and langua...
Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell trace their creative evolution, highlighting how their collaborative songwriting process has matured alongside their vocal techniques. Eilish reflects on the shift from her early, whispery style to a more robust vocal range, while Finneas details his role in shaping the instrumental ...
Stephen Colbert’s transition from his satirical Colbert Report persona to his authentic voice on The Late Show highlights the creative discipline required to maintain a character versus the vulnerability of hosting as oneself. This evolution mirrors the political career of the late Barney Frank, who utilized sharp wit ...
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