Showing results by author "Terry Gross" in All Categories

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...

Novelist Tim LaHaye and journalist Gershon Gorenberg on this edition of Fresh Air. Tim LeHaye is the co-author of the phenomenally popular Left Behind series. The books are apocalyptic Christian thrillers. The tenth and latest book is The Remnant, which debuted at the top of the New York Times best seller list. LeHaye is also the former co-chairman of Jack Kemp's presidential campaign, was on the original board of directors of the Moral Majority and an organizer of the Council for National Policy which has been called "the most powerful conservative organization in...

British comedian, stand-up performer, and actor Eddie Izzard on this edition of Fresh Air. Izzard is currently selling out venues in the U.S. and Canada with his new stand-up show Circle. He has won over fans with his quirky comedy and his cross-dressing. The Chicago Tribune says, "Izzard lives up to his billing. He's very bright, very fast, and very hip."

Singer songwriter John Fogerty, TV critic Tom Shales and author James Andrew Miller on this edition of Fresh Air. John Fogerty's new album is a double CD concert album Premonition. Featured on the recording is many of his biggest hits with Creedence Clearwater Revival: "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Down on the Corner," "Bad Moon Rising," and "Proud Mary." Fogerty won a Grammy Award in 1997 for his album Blue Moon, Swamp. Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller are the authors of the new book, Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. The book is a history of...

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.

Robert Plant, former lead singer of the band Led Zeppelin, on this edition of Fresh Air. Plant has a new solo CD that includes tracks he recorded before Zeppelin and after. It's called Sixty-Six to Timbuktu.

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.