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Fresh Air With Terry Gross
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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the WHYY Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
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Fresh Air with Terry Gross is a radio talk show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and broadcast nationally on National Public Radio (NPR). The show features interviews with journalists, scholars, and experts in various fields aimed at putting current issues into a larger political, cultural, and historical framework. In 2016 Fresh Air reached nearly 4.8 million people weekly on over 620 public radio stations. Fresh Air interviews cover a range of subjects, including literature, the performing arts, health, religion, and contemporary social and political issues. Gross’s interview style elicits guests’ perspectives on their work while drawing out the personal experiences that influenced the work. Terry Gross has hosted the show since 1975, when it was a 3-hour daily program broadcast in the greater Philadelphia area. It transitioned to a 2-hour daily program in the early 1980s, and in 1985 WHYY-FM launched a weekly half-hour edition which was distributed nationally by NPR. Since 1987, a daily, one-hour national edition of Fresh Air has been produced by WHYY-FM resulting in approximately 250 shows annually.
Each episode of the show consists of one or two segments - an interview and a review of a book, television show, musical, exhibition, or a film. Interviews are conducted by Terry Gross or guest hosts Dave Davies and David Bianculli; reviews are lead by Maureen Corrigan (books), David Bianculli (television), Ken Tucker (rock music), Kevin Whitehead (jazz), Lloyd Schwartz (classical music), Milo Miles (world music), Ed Ward (rock music), John Powers (popular culture), Geoff Nunberg (language).
Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Gross received a bachelor's degree in English and M.Ed. in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Gross began her radio career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, New York. There she hosted and produced several arts, women's and public affairs programs, including This Is Radio, a live, three-hour magazine program that aired daily. Two years later, she joined the staff of WHYY-FM in Philadelphia as producer and host of Fresh Air, then a local, 3 hour daily interview and music program.
Terry Gross and Fresh Air have received many awards over the past several decades. Of particular note, in 2003 Gross received the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Edward R. Murrow Award for her "outstanding contributions to public radio" and for advancing the "growth, quality and positive image of radio" and in 2016, the Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama for her “artful probing of the human experience. Her patient, persistent questioning in thousands of interviews over four decades has pushed public figures to reveal personal motivations behind extraordinary lives—revealing simple truths that affirm our common humanity.”
The Fresh Air audio archive represents more than 8,000 interviews which were recorded over the past 40 years in various audio formats—from analog reels to digital files. The digital collection contains files covering 8,142 episodes of the radio program’s original broadcast audio recordings.
Digital files can be accessed through links to WorldCat records in the inventory below or by searching http://www.worldcat.org. Interviews from 1997 - 2015 have transcripts which are not publicly accessible due to copyright restrictions.
Fresh Air with Terry Gross’s content will interest researchers exploring a wide range of national and international political and social issues, social and cultural history and issues, and the arts and humanities. Host Terry Gross interviewed thousands of guests about international affairs, environmental issues, judicial issues, governance, science, athletics, wars and conflict, politics, education, children, historical preservation, literature, film, television, music, and an array of social issues. The collection contains in-depth interviews with prominent individuals from world leaders to international artists to major entertainment personalities. These rich oral histories are of significant value to scholars and students in providing insight and accounts of people, activities and events around the world.
Literature is well represented in the Fresh Air collection with many Pulitzer Prize-winning author interviews including novelist Toni Morrison, Children’s writer Maurice sendak , American biographer and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Norman Mailer, Zadie Smith, author and New Yorker columnist Jill Lepore, Gloria Steinem and poet Billy Collins. Other award-winning author interviews include Amy Tan, Susan Sontag, Jonathan Franzen and Nora Ephron. The collection is also rich with music, stage and film artist interviews including Iggy Pop, B.B. King, Patti Labelle, Lin Manuel Miranda, Phyllis Diller, Ray Charles, Michael Scorsese, Matt Damon, Stephen Sondheim, Ornette Coleman, Bruce Springsteen and Wynton Marsalis.
Interviews with journalists and media hosts include Ellen DeGeneres, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Anthony Shadid, David Remnick, Thomas Friedman, Paul Krugman, and Dan Rather.
Fresh Air interviews have covered state and national elections, and the experiences of past and present members of congress, Senators, and state legislators. Interviews with political leaders include President Barack Obama while a United States senator, President Jimmy Carter, and Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Madeline Albright.
The Fresh Air audio archive from 1976-2007 was digitized from the original analog recording sources (reel to reel tapes, DAT and CDs). All shows, 1976-2015 were individually described for improved access.
- Publisher
- WHYY, Inc.
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Anu Paul with support from Drexel University
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is open for research use. There are a small number of interviews that are restricted and only have descriptions available on WorldCat, no audio file is available.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact WHYY with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.
Collection Inventory
1. John McAuliff and Sophie Quinn-Judge of the American Friends Service Committee discuss their experiences in Vietnam and what has happened in the year since the end of the war. (INTERVIEW BY STEVE SHICK) 2. Jazz musicians Dave Burrell and Beaver Harris discuss their band 360 Degree Music Experience and the history and current state of jazz. 3. Irwin Altman discusses his book "The Environment and Social Behavior: Privacy, Personal Space, Territory, Crowding.
(1.) Jazz musician Mose Allison discusses his life and career.
(1.) Jazz pianist Barry Harris discusses jazz, rock, and popular music. As the head of Xanadu Records, he also offers his opinion on the current state of jazz in the U. S. and abroad. Harris's album with David Allyn is called "Don't Look Back." (2.) Marcella Hazan discusses her book "The Classic Italian Cook Book: The Art of Italian Cooking and the Italian Art of Eating." (3.) John Aiello is the is the head of the Italian American Bicentennial Association. He discusses his views of the Italian American community.
(1.) Jazz musician Ted Curson discuses his album "Tears for Dolphy" and upcoming tribute concert to Eric Dolphy. (2.) Robert Calder discusses his suspense novel "The Dogs."
(1.) Sandra Boston and Raymond Torres are members of the Campaign for Global Justice, which plans to protest the Eucharistic Congress. (2.) Julius Hemphill discusses jazz music and his upcoming concert in Philadelphia.
(1.) Dr. Harry Zall, a psychiatrist at the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital, joins the show to discuss depression. (2.) Oliver Lake, jazz musician, joins the show to discuss his music and upcoming Philadelphia show. (3.) Anthony Kay Brown discusses his book "Bodyguard of Lies" and discuss the intelligence community. (INTERVIEW BY DAVID KARPOFF).
(1.) Music writer William Duffy is the co-author of Billie Holliday's autobiography "Lady Sings the Blues." His new book, "Sugar Blues," isn't about music but about our culture's addiction to sugar and the health dangers it poses.
(1.) Poet Adrienne Rich reads selections of her work.
(1.) John Dean, former White House Counsel for Richard Nixon, discusses his new book "Blind Ambition" and the Watergate scandal. (2.) Ralph Flood introduces a talk given by I. F. Stone at La Salle University on the intelligence network in the United States.
(1.) Ralph Flood introduces a talk given by I. F. Stone at La Salle University on the intelligence network in the United States. (2.) Mae Rockland discusses her book "The Jewish Yellow Pages." (3.) Film critic Stuart Samuels joins the show to discuss the latest film version of "King Kong."
(1.) South African poet and activist DENNIS BRUTUS appears before a live audience to read his poetry and discuss his literary influences and what it's like to live under apartheid.
(1.) Terry Gross interviews musician and composer MEREDITH MONK. (2.) Antique writer LITA SOLIS-COHEN and art curators JOE RISHEL and DORIS FANELLI talk art and antique collecting in Philadelphia.
(1.) DAVID ARNOLD plays a series of recordings to demonstrate different sound recording and engineering techniques. (2.) Protestors at New Hampshire's Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant construction site PETE HILL, BILL MOYER, DAVID PACKENHURST and AMY KIETZMAN call Fresh Air to describe conditions on the ground.
(1.) Soundcast: listeners call in and Fresh Air broadcasts whatever sound is around them. (2.) Fresh Air broadcasts "The Midnight Mocker," a radio drama by Leo Goldman.
Interview with Duane Hanson.
(1.) Novelist JOHN BARTH delivers a lecture about fiction writing and reads from his new book, Letters.
(1.) ROBERTA DICKINSON, TERRENCE MALLOY and JAMES GILFOIL discuss transsexualism and sexual reassignment surgery.
(1.) Illustrator FRANK KELLY FREAS talks about drawing for magazines, symbolism in science fiction imagery, and the history and future of the genre.
(1.) Photographer DUANE MICHALS explains his craft, his feelings toward eroticism in art, and his use of writing in his creative work. (ASSUMED REBROADCAST OF 9.15.1977)
(1.) MEL TORME talks about his early years as a singer, winning over an audience, and the impact "The Christmas Song" had on his career.
Jazz pianist and composer Mal Waldron discusses his career and his new album "Signals."
(1.) Steel drum player and musician John Gibbs discuses his new album "Steel Funk," steel drum music, and plays the drums in-studio.
(1.) Dr. Theodor Gaster, renowned religious scholar, discusses his field and other philosophical questions.
(1.) John Cage reads from his "Empty Words" works and discusses his effort to create a "non-syntactical language."
(1.) Professor Ken Brusica discusses the field of music therapy.
(1.) Jazz musician and composer John Coates, Jr. discusses his music.
(1.) Cartoonist Dave Berg discusses his work, including working on Mad Magazine.
(1.) Artist Chuck Close discusses his work in photography, print making, and painting.
(1.) Saxophonist STEVE MARCUCCI and bassist PAUL KLEINFELTER perform in-studio.
(1.) As part of Fresh Air's AudioVisions series, sculptor JODY PINTO offers this untitled "radio-sculpture," which explores the line between interview and interrogation, and explores themes such as amputation and excavation. Pinto is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She is known for her installation pieces, which sometimes evoke strong feelings.
(1.) Donald Embiner, of the gay erotic magazine Blueboy, Jack Veasey, of the Philadelphia Gay News, and George Bodamer, of the New Gay Life, join the show for a discussion of gay male culture.
(1.) Writer David Slavitt, who also writes under the pseudonym Henry Sutton. His new novel is "Jo Stern," published under the Slavitt name.
(1.) Film director, Frank Capra. Capra delivers a talk about his legendary work and answers questions from a live audience.
(1.) Jazz musician Teddy Edwards discuss his life and work. (2.) Jazz vocalist Lorez Alexandria discuss her life and work.
(1.) Mark Allen has built a new type of grand concert piano. He discusses his piano and plays recordings to illustrate the choices he made in its design and construction.
(1.) SUN RA is the leader of the Spirit of Jazz Cosmos Arkestra. The band played a live concert at the WHYY studios as part of a five part radio program, "All That Jazz," hosted by Ann Mint and produced by Mint and Jack McGann. The members of the band are: RA, WALTER MILLER, BYARD LANCASTER, LUQMAN ALI, MARSHALL ALLEN, STANLEY MORGAN, MICHAEL RAY, DANNY DAVIS, ELO OMOE, DANNY THOMPSON, RICKY JOYCE, "JAC" JACSON, CHERYL BANKS, and JUNE TYSON.
(1.) SUN RA is the leader of the Spirit of Jazz Cosmos Arkestra. The band played a live concert at the WHYY studios as part of a five part radio program, "All That Jazz," hosted by Ann Mint and produced by Mint and Jack McGann. The members of the band are: RA, WALTER MILLER, BYARD LANCASTER, LUQMAN ALI, MARSHALL ALLEN, STANLEY MORGAN, MICHAEL RAY, DANNY DAVIS, ELO OMOE, DANNY THOMPSON, RICKY JOYCE, "JAC" JACSON, CHERYL BANKS, and JUNE TYSON.
(1.) Bossa nova and samba singer Astrud Gilberto discusses her childhood, career, and music.
(1.) Jazz pianist SAM DOCKERY recalls his coming-of-age in the jazz scene, as well as performing and recording with a number of jazz legends.
(1.) Writer DAVID SLAVITT, who publishes popular fiction under the name HENRY SUTTON, explains how his knowledge of cinema, as well as changing tastes in the publishing industry, affects his novels.
(1.) STEVE SABOL runs NFL Films, a production company founded by his father dedicated to making movies about professional football. He talks to Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the craft of filmmaking and developing a strong and capable workforce.
(1.) Jazz bass player DAVID IZENZON talks about his experiences playing free jazz, his work as a psychotherapist, and the deleterious effect marijuana can have on a musician's creativity.
(1.) MARNI NIXON is best known for dubbing the sung vocal tracks in musical films like West Side Story, My Fair Lady and the King and I. She talks about the dubbing process, as well as her new album of cabaret songs by Arnold Schoenberg.
(1.) Record producer BOB PORTER has recently begun reissuing classic albums from the Savoy Record Company. He talks to Terry Gross about the project. This is part one of their interview.
(1.) Part two of Terry Gross's interview with jazz producer BOB PORTER, who is best known for his reissues of classic recordings from the Savory Record Company.
(1.) Novelist RITA MAE BROWN's first novel, Rubyfruit Jungle, became an underground classic of lesbian fiction. She talks to Terry Gross about writing her new book, Six of One.
(1.) Jazz drummer MICKEY ROKER currently tours with Dizzy Gillespie's band. He joins Terry Gross to talk about the development of his musical career.
(1.) First-time director STEVE RASH has a new movie out about the rock and roll legend Buddy Holly. He talks about Holly's legacy, as well as the challenges of making a biographical film.
(1.) DEIRDRE BAIR spent seven years researching and writing a biography of novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett. She teaches at the University of Pennsylvania.
(1.) Terry Gross talks to BILL MURPHY, CARSON RAYONIER, and KEN PERSING about their experiences bartending in the Philadelphia area.
(1.) Pianist BILLY TAYLOR has performed with a number of notable jazz musicians. He gives a solo performance for Fresh Air listeners before discussing his career with host Terry Gross.
(1.) Terry Gross talks with JAMES BURKE and LINDA BURKE, the son and granddaughter of the late songwriter Joe Burke. Together they discuss the elder Burke's life and listen back to recordings of his iconic songs. This is part two of their interview.
(1.) Singer/songwriter TOM WAITS has a new album called Blue Valentine and a small role in the film Paradise Alley. He tells Fresh Air host Terry Gross about his distinctive voice and the rigors of being a working musician.
(1.) Part one of the Fresh Air interview with playwrights and performers CONRAD BISHOP and LINDA BISHOP.
(1.) Part two of the Fresh Air interview with playwrights and performers CONRAD BISHOP and LINDA BISHOP.
(1.) Minimalist composer STEVE REICH tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about his musical techniques and approaches. A recording of a recent composition, Music for 18 Musicians, was recently released on the ECM label.
(1.) Folklorist ALAN DUNDES delivers a lecture about folklore's impact on contemporary culture.
(1.) DAVID IZENZON is a classically-trained jazz bassist who later studied to become a psychotherapist. In addition to performing with the free jazz legend Ornette Coleman, Izenzon has started a campaign against marijuana abuse.
(1.) Poet ROD MCKUEN joins Terry Gross to talk about his newest endeavor, the reissuing of forgotten popular and classical music on his label Stanyan Records.
(1.) Jazz bassist and psychotherapist DAVID IZENZON returns to Fresh Air to discuss his work with the group Pot Smokers Anonymous, which supports marijuana abusers. He also address the concerns of Fresh Air listeners who call in.
(1.) Latin jazz percussionist RAY MANTILLA talks about the growing popularity of the genre. He has a new album titled Mantilla.
(1.) Flute player and visual artist LLOYD MCNEILL discusses his recent work. (2.) Cinematographer GARRETT BROWN invented the Steadicam, which revolutionized filmmaking. He also was half of the folk duo Brown and Dana, and had a successful career in advertising.
(1.) Penn Jillette, Teller, and Wier Chrisemer form the troop Asparagus Valley Cultural Society. Today, they, sound engineer Marc Garland, and guitarist Gary Anderson, join the show for an interview and perform their music, comedy, and magic. The group also shares their favorite classical records.
(1.) Jazz drummer Dannie Richmond joins the show to discuss his work with the recently deceased Charlie Mingus.
(1.) Nat Hentoff, music journalist, critic, and author, remembers the recently deceased jazz bassist Charles Mingus.
(1.) Maggie Kuhn is one of the co-founders of the Gray Panthers -- an advocacy group for older Americans. Dr. John Fryer is a professor of psychology and community health at Temple University. They discuss the Gray Panthers and the issues older people face.
(1.) Winnie Winston is a pedal steel guitar player, composer, and music teacher. He discusses his latest album "Steel Wool."
(1.) New York Times columnist Vincent Canby discusses the role of the film critic.
(1.) Carla Bley, jazz musician and composer, and trumpeter Mike Mantler join the show to discuss their upcoming concert and The Carla Bley Band's album "Musique Mecanique." (2.) Ralph Flood speaks with two groups of protestors gathered at City Hall in Philadelphia. They oppose Jimmy Carter's 1979 budget proposal and the First Bank of Pennsylvania's support of Food Fair in spite of a strike, respectively.
(1.) Actress and singer Virginia Capers discusses her career and upcoming movie "North Avenue Irregulars."
(1.). Artist Cynthia Carlson discusses her influences and process. Carlson's radio piece for the Audio Vision series at WHUY "A Portrait of the Young Artist As a Young Middle Aged Voice" is played.
(1.) Blues singer and guitarist John Hammond, Jr. brings his instrument to the studio.
(1.) Big band leader Cab Calloway is still going strong at the age of 72. He joins the show to discuss his career and life.
(1.) Martin Williams is a jazz critic, writer, and academic. He currently works at the Smithsonian Institution. He discusses jazz criticism and the effect jazz has had on classical music. He also shares some of his favorite records.
(1.) Clive and Carol Robbins are music therapists. Clive discusses his work with composer Paul Nordoff in the field of music therapy. Carol joins the interview later to discuss the couple's work using music therapy with deaf children. The Robbins also share recordings from sessions with children, including recordings with Nordoff. Carol and Clive Robbins are the founders of the Nordoff-Robbins Center.
(1.) Philadelphia musician Ken Ulansey joins Fresh Air to discuss his life as a musician and his travels in Europe, the Near and Middle East, and Asia. He's played and studied music in places such as Paris, Istanbul, Afghanistan, Nepal, Tehran, and India. He also brings his alto and soprano saxophones to perform in-studio.
(1.) Milt Gabler has a storied history in jazz and pop music as the owner of the Commodore Record Shop and the Commodore Record label. He's also worked with artists such as Coleman Hawkins, Jelly Roll Morton, and Billie Holliday, whose "Strange Fruit" Gabler produced. He joins the show to discuss his career.
(1.) Milt Gabler has a storied history in jazz and pop music as the owner of the Commodore Record Shop and the Commodore Record label. He's also worked with artists such as Coleman Hawkins, Jelly Roll Morton, and Billie Holliday, whose "Strange Fruit." Gabler produced. He joins the show to discuss his career.
(1.) Joan Morris and Bill Bolcom are husband and wife musicians. Joan is a singer and Bill plays the piano. They discuss their life and work together.
(1.) Jazz and bop pianist Barry Harris joins the show for an in-studio performance and discussion of his life and career.
(1.) Jazz and bop pianist Barry Harris joins the show for an in-studio performance and discussion of his life and career.
(1.) Billy Crystal is a comedian currently enjoying success on television. He also grew up around jazz musicians due to his father's business; Billie Holliday was his sometime-babysitter. Crystal joins the show to discuss his career and jazz memories. (INTERVIEW WITH DAVID KARPOFF)
(1.) Joan Morris and Bill Bolcom are husband and wife musicians. Joan is a singer and Bill plays the piano. They discuss their life and work together.
(1.) Art historian, playwright, and critic MARTHA KEARNS and writer EDMUND WHITE offer their opinions on the topic "The Politics of Drag," debate-style.
(1.) NATALIE ALLON is a sociologist and professor at the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Sciences, who researches group interactions. Her latest book, "Urban Life Styles," discusses singles' bars, health spas, and group dieting.
(1.) Playwright and Pennsylvanian Albert Innaurato delivers a talk about his life and career to a live audience.
(1.) Billy Eckstine is a jazz singer and big band leader. After playing in the Earl Hines Band, he formed his own band, which was involved in the development of bop. He worked with legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan and Charlie Parker. Eckstine continues to perform as a singer. He joins the show to discuss his life and career.
(1.) Milt Gabler has a storied history in jazz and pop music as the owner of the Commodore Record Shop and the Commodore Record label. He's also worked with artists such as Coleman Hawkins, Jelly Roll Morton, and Billie Holliday, whose "Strange Fruit" Gabler produced. He joins the show to discuss his career. (REBROADCAST FROM MARCH 23, 1979)
(1.) Milt Gabler has a storied history in jazz and pop music as the owner of the Commodore Record Shop and the Commodore Record label. He's also worked with artists such as Coleman Hawkins, Jelly Roll Morton, and Billie Holliday, whose "Strange Fruit" Gabler produced. He joins the show to discuss his career. (REBROADCAST FROM MARCH 23, 1979)
(1.) Richard Ben Cramer, foreign affairs journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, has spent extensive time traveling to and reporting on the Middle East. He has reported on Israel, Egypt, and Lebanon, and his stories often focus on individuals. He joins the show to discuss his work and the situation in the Middle East.
(1.) Barney Kessel is a jazz guitarist, composer, and music writer. He has worked with artists such as Fred Astaire and Bille Holliday. He continues to perform across the country. He joins the show to discuss his career and life.
(1.) At 19, Jim McGowan was the victim of an assault which left him with paralyzed legs. He later worked as an R&B singer in the 1950s with the group the Four Fellows, whose song "Solider Boy" was a number one hit. He late became an academic and has written a book about an Underground Railroad figure in "The Life and Letters of Thomas Garnett." He is also an activist for handicapped persons and was the photographer for the book "Wheelchair Champions." (2.) Dr. Robert Giuntoli, gynecologist, of the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Herbert Blough, virologist, of the University of Pennsylvania and the Scheie Institute, join the show to discuss the new treatment they have developed for genital herpes.
(1.) Dr. Ray Birdwhistell is the founder of the field of kinesics, the study and interpretation of body language and other nonverbal behavior. His books include "Introduction to Kinesics" and "Kinesics in Context." Dr. Birdwhistell is a professor of Communication at the Annenberg School of the University of Pennsylvania.
(1.) Pianist Jimmy Golden, pianist Sam Dockery, and trumpeter and club owner Jack Fields discuss jazz in Philadelphia. Jimmy Golden and Sam Dockery have served as house pianists at many Philadelphia jazz clubs, and Jack Fields owned the club the Blue Note in the 1950s.
(1.) Music critic KAL RUDMAN's weekly publication Friday Morning Quarterback influences what songs get radio play and what records become hits. Rudman tells Fresh Air what he looks for in popular music.
(1.) Terry Gross talks about the issues affecting overweight individuals with fat liberation activist VIVIAN MAIR, Dr. CAROLINE MICHAELSON, president of the Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) EDIE CALLAHAN, and sociologist NATALIE ALLON.
(1.) Fresh Air explores the experiences of blind people through a conversation with jazz pianist BRUCE MILLS, Philadelphia-based employment specialist SANDY SMITH and author PETER PUTNAM.
(1.) Jazz critic DAN MORGENSTERN speaks to Terry Gross about how he became a fan and supporter of musicians in the jazz community. This is part two of their interview.
(1.) Jazz critic DAN MORGENSTERN speaks to Terry Gross about how he became a fan and supporter of musicians in the jazz community. This is part one of their interview.
(1.) Jazz guitar player CHARLIE BYRD has a new album called Bluebyrd. He joins Terry Gross to talk about his musical development through live performance, his appreciation for classical music and the influence of boss nova on his playing.
(1.) JOHN NORRIS runs the Canadian-based jazz label Sackville Records and the music magazine CODA. He joins Terry gross to talk about recording jazz musicians from the U.S. and Canada.
(1.) Singer and guitar player JOE WILLIAMS left Count Basie's band to pursue a solo career. He tells Terry Gross about his extensive touring around the world and how his music has affected audiences.
(1.) WILLIAM HINTON wrote the book Fanshen: A Documentary of Revolution in a Chinese Village. He joins Terry Gross to talk about how Chinese culture is changing in light of the Cultural Revolution.
(1.) Playwright RALPH ALLEN's new musical Sugar Babies draws inspiration from the burlesque tradition of the early 20th century. He talks about the history of musical revues and the craft of writing bawdy jokes.
(1.) Folk singer TONY BIRD gives an in-studio performance. In between songs, he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about his career, craft and why he left his native South Africa.
(1.) Nigerian drummer (Babatunde) OLATUNJI lives in the United States, where he runs a center promoting African culture and supporting African immigrant communities. He talks about his upbringing in Nigeria and the political aspects of his music.
(1.) BARNEY KESSEL is a renowned, self-taught jazz guitarist who also made his living as a studio musician. He tells Terry Gross about what it takes to be a great improvisor and develop a unique musical voice.
(1.) BEN BOVA is a prolific science fiction writer who believes that military advances have a profound effect on the genre.
(1.) Actress ESTELLE PARSONS stars in Roberto Athayde's experimental play Miss Margarida's Way, which pits the titular protagonist, a stern schoolteacher, against the audience.
(1.) Writer RALPH ALLEN returns to Fresh Air to speak with Terry Gross and listeners about the history and humor of burlesque, and his new musical, Sugar Babies.
(1.) After making a career in Europe, jazz trumpeter TED CURSON now calls New Jersey home. Amidst a busy performance schedule and the challenges of navigating the music industry, he has released a new album called The Trio.
(1.) Jazz trombonist JIMMY KNEPPER remembers his days playing with Charles Mingus. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about making a living as musician, both in and out of the jazz scene.
(1.) Novelist JERZY KOZINSKI joins Terry Gross to discuss his new novel Passion Play. He shares his thoughts about writing in English, his readers' reactions to the portrayal of sex in his fiction, and an infamous literary prank involving his novel Steps.
(1.) Sculptor ISAMU NOGUCHI is also known for his design of public gardens, playgrounds, and theater sets. He speaks with Terry Gross about the perception of his work in the U.S. and abroad. He has a show opening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art called Imaginary Landscapes.
(1.) African-American poet NTOZAKE SHANGE has a new collection entitled Nappy Edges. She tells Terry Gross about growing up with around jazz musicians and navigating women's and Black liberation movements.
(1.) BERNICE REAGON is singer, activist and scholar. She was a member of SNCC's Freedom Singers and founded the a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock. She joins Terry Gross to talk about the music associated with the Civil Rights Movement.
(1.) Writer CHRISTOPHER CERF recently co-edited a humorous, speculative history called The 80s: A Look Back at the Tumultuous Decade, 1980-1989. He joins Terry Gross and Fresh Air callers to share his insights on the coming years.
(1.) Jules Feiffer's new novel-in-cartoons, Tantrum, deals with the emotional plight of a middle-aged father. He talks about the culture of the 1970s and writing the screenplay for then upcoming Popeye movie.
(1.) Philadelphia-based jazz trombonist AL GREY performed for 22 years as a member of Count Basie's big band. He talks about how he makes a living as a musician today.
(1.) Writer MICHAEL KORDA reflects on his early life in the shadow of his uncle, Sir Alexander Korda, in his new memoir Charmed Lives. He and Terry Gross talk about filmmaking and the publishing industry.
(1.) Writer AL FRASER co-wrote the autobiography of Dizzy Gillespie, To Be, Or Not...to BOP. While researching the book, he conducted several interviews with legendary jazz musicians of the bebop era.
(1.) Actor ALVIN EPSTEIN and singer MARTHA SCHLAMME collaborate on a new endeavor: to reinterpret and perform the songs of Kurt Weill.
(1.) A.C.L.U. executive director IRA GLASSER explains the function of his organization in preserving constitutional rights. The A.C.L.U has recently filed suit against the Department of Justice over their plan to require all Iranian students in the U.S. to report to the Immigration and Naturalization Services (I.N.S.).
(1.) Writer CHRISTOPHER CERF returns to Fresh Air to discuss his co-authored book Kids, Day In and Day Out, which covers a number of topics pertaining to childhood and child rearing. He also talks about the impact of the television show Sesame Street, for which he writes.
(1.) Scholar and writer E. DIGBY BALTZELL examines how the intersection of wealth and faith traditions contributed to the unique character and political cultures of Philadelphia and Boston.
(1.) Philadelphia Inquirer food critic ELAINE TAIT joins Terry Gross to talk about trends in Philadelphia-area restaurants, as well as her professional experiences as a food writer.
(1.) Reverend RALPH MOORE and and Rabbi MAYER SELEKMAN discuss the impact of their faith traditions on their family lives and how they engage with contemporary culture.
(1.) Mother Jones investigative reporter DEIRDRE ENGLISH examines her role as a journalist and feminist. She discusses her problems with the film Apocalypse Now, as well as the potential link between pornography and violence against women.
(1.) Actor ALVIN EPSTEIN and singer MARTHA SCHLAMME collaborate on a new endeavor: to reinterpret and perform the songs of Kurt Weill. (REBROADCAST FROM 11.30.1979)
(1.) University of Pennsylvania-based sociologist ANN H. BEUF has a new book called Biting off the Bracelet: A Study of Children in Hospitals, which explores how medical culture in hospitals can have a dehumanizing effect on children who need care. She also considers ideal models of child rearing and child development.
(1.) MEINHARDT RAABE is a little person who pursued acting in carnivals, circuses and world's fairs. He later was cast as a Munchkin in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
(1.) Poet and playwright SONIA SANCHEZ brings a strong social consciousness--with a focus on the African American community--to her writing and teaching. She reads some of her work and discusses how black liberation and feminist movements inform each other.
(1.) Bucks County, Pennsylvania-based JOHN CASE is a former prison warden who worked to reform the system by improving conditions for prison employees and inmates alike. He addresses the deleterious impact of poor training, low pay, a lack of mental health and addiction services, and needless laws against non-violent offenses.
(1.) Scholar ERIK BARNOUW examines how an advertising-driven, demographics-focused television industry affects viewers' consumption habits and expectations. Later, he talks about his work at the Library of Congress, where he outlines the challenges of preserving the film archives of historically significant television programs--including the ads that ran with them.
(1.) Actor, singer, and dancer DONALD O'CONNOR was featured in several classic musical films, including Singin' in the Rain. He continues to perform today, both on- and off-screen.
(1.) Jazz trumpet player and studio musician RED RODNEY's colorful history includes a stint in Charlie Parker's band and a stay in a government hospital for heroin abuse. He developed his technical skills playing gigs of all kinds in Philadelphia.
(1.) SCOTT TUCKER is a member of the Philadelphia-based gay advocacy group Lavender Left. RITA ADDESSA is the director of the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force. PEGGY O'DONNELL is a member of the organization WAVAW, or Women Against Violence Against Women. Together, they talk about the negative portrayal of homosexuality in William Friedkin's film Cruising and discuss their actions to protest movie's screening.
(1.) Three members of the Center for Opium Research, director DAVID FEINGOLD and associate researchers TERRY PARSSINEN and KAREN KERNER discuss their study of the opium trade, medical approaches to addiction in Britain, and the history and current impact of drug laws.
(1.) Jazz vocalist NANCY WILSON tells Terry Gross about how she got her start in music, the growth of her career, the challenges of balancing her professional and personal life, and how she selects which songs to record.
(1.) Actress LINDA LOVELACE has a new memoir entitled Ordeal, in which she explains how her ex-huband abused and forced her into prostitution--which eventually led to her starring role in the pornographic film Deep Throat. (2.) COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics) members SELMA JAMES and WILMETTE BROWN both advocate for the decriminalization of prostitution and protections for sex workers, as well wages for housework. This is part one of their interview.
(1.) Part two of the Fresh Air interview with activists SELMA JAMES and WILMETTE BROWN. They advocate for the decriminalization of prostitution through the group Call Off Your Tired Ethics (COYOTE), and fight for wages for housework. (2,) Jazz critic FRANCIS DAVIS considers pianist John Lewis's place in the post-bop era. (3.) Women's Way president JUDITH HARRIS, Bread & Roses member CAROL ROGERS, and TIMOTHY SAASTA of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy talk about the current state of funding for charitable organizations. Prompting this conversation was the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania's rejection of Women's Way's petition for membership due to the latter's support of abortion rights.
(1.) Filmmaker ROBERT DREW left his post at Life Magazine to make documentaries, most notably Primary, about the Democratic presidential runs of John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey.
(1.) Episcopal priest RALPH MOORE and Rabbi MAYER SELEKMAN return to FRESH AIR to share their views on Eastern religions, what drives--and should drive--people to lead moral lives, and how their faith helps them confront their own mortality.
(1.) Best known for his novels, writer and rabbi CHAIM POTOK joins Terry Gross to discuss his new non-fiction book, Wanderings, about the history of Judaism and how cultural exchange led to literary and faith-based innovations.
(1.) Musical theater actress CHITA RIVERA shares her experiences performing in West Side Story, Bring Back Birdie, and Chicago. (2.) Jazz critic FRANCIS DAVIS considers the short career of baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff, who died of cancer at 33.
(1.) Writer SONIA SANCHEZ, best known for her poetry, has a forthcoming collection of children's stories called A Sound Investment. She returns to Fresh Air to talk about the importance of storytelling with her own children, the power of political poetry, and how persistent stereotypes of black men and women in film and television obscure other, more powerful narratives of the African American experience.
(1.) Lyricist SHELDON HARNICK has a successful career collaborating with composer Jerry Bock to write hit musicals like Fiorello! and Fiddler on the Roof.
(1.) Fresh Air broadcasts a lecture by ANN BEUF about power and authority in American families. She discusses how a persistent patriarchal tradition has led to the dominance and legal power of men over women in marriages.
(1.) MONGO SANTAMARIA is a conga player from Havana, Cuba who helped bring salsa music to American audiences. He has a new album called Red Hot.
(1.) Jazz piano player DAVE BRUBECK was recently commissioned to compose a Catholic mass. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his success over the decades and his longstanding collaboration with saxophonist Paul Desmond.
(1.) Actor Powers Boothe portrays the American cult leader Jim Jones in the made-for-TV movie Guyana Tragedy. He tells Terry Gross about the filmmakers' efforts to reflect reality without resorting to salacious exploitation of the more gruesome details. Boothe also discusses the extensive research he did to prepare for his role.
(1.) Actress CYBILL SHEPHERD starred in renown films like The Last Picture Show and Taxi Driver. She has recently begun pursuing a career as a jazz singer.
(1.) STEVEN FELD is an anthropologist, ethnomusicologist and jazz musician. He spent time with the Kaluli people of Papau New Guinea to learn more about the ritualistic and cultural function of music within their community.
(1.) DR. DEMENTO, whose real name is Barret Eugene Hansen, is a DJ who features obscure novelty songs on his popular radio show. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the record industry and play some oddball music from his personal collection. (2.) Jazz critic FRANCIS DAVIS takes a look at the legacy of pianist Jaki Byard.
(1.) JAMES KIRKWOOD is a playwright and novelist most famous for writing the book for A Chorus Line. His new novel is called P.S. Your Cat Is Dead. He shares his musings on love affairs and friendship with Fresh Air's Terry Gross.
(1.) TULI KUPFERBERG, former member of the band The Fugs, and performer LANNES KENFIELD now perform in the Revolting Theater group, which takes its inspiration from current events. They explain how their radical politics inform their art. (2.) Film and television critic BILL VAN WERT discusses Jodie Foster's performance in the new film The Foxes, then looks at the politics of the Academy Awards.
(1.) Actor LEONARD NIMOY is best known for his role as Spock in the television series Star Trek. He now stars in the one-man show Vincent, about Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theo. Nimoy also wrote and produced the play. He also talks to Terry Gross about the making of the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, as well as what it's like to be a recognizable, public celebrity.
(1.) Actress Molly Picon has a new autobiography called Molly!, which details her life growing up in the Yiddish theater and her marriage to Jacob Kalich, who helped launch and sustain her career.
(1.) ELLIOTT CURSON was the media consultant for President Ronald Reagan's campaign and runs a Philadelphia-based advertising firm. He shares his views on what makes an effective campaign ad.
(1.) Jazz singer and pianist NINA SIMONE chose to live in Africa to escape racism in the United States. She has returned to her hometown of Philadelphia for an extended stay, and joins Terry Gross to discuss her career and self-exile.
(1.) Lyricist SAMMY CAHN is a prolific songwriter who also worked on films and musicals. He discusses highlights from his career and explains how melodies inspire the lyrics he writes.
(1.) GEORGE NIERENBERG directed a new documentary called No Maps on My Taps, which strives to capture the history of jazz and tap dancers. He and veteran dancer SANDMAN SIMS talk about the style's evolution.
(1.) Part one of Terry Gross's interview with G. GORDON LIDDY, whose autobiography Will was just released. He shares his opinions on civil disobedience and when it is acceptable for government officials to act outside the law.
(1.) JOHN DEAN served as White House Counsel during the Nixon administration. He later served time for his involvement in the cover-up of the Watergate scandal. He has since pursued a career as a writer, away from the world of politics. Terry Gross invites WUHY reporter RALPH FLOOD to join in the conversation.
(1.) Writer EDMUND WHITE has a new book called States of Desires, which looks at gay communities across the U.S. He tells Terry Gross about the social and sexual conditions of gay men, including why promiscuity and S&M play such a prominent role.
(1.) IAN MCHARG is a Scottish-born landscape architect who currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. He discusses the environmental concerns that go into the planning of his projects.
(1.) MORGAN SIBBETT is a Quaker in the Philadelphia area who advocates for the right of individuals facing terminal illness to commit rational suicide. He recently allowed a friend with Parkinson's to end his own life in Sibbett's house. Morgan and his wife JOHANNA SIBBETT have since made clear to each other that they would also consider suicide under similar circumstances.
(1.) Reporter ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE has co-written a spy novel called The Spike, which draws on his knowledge of how intelligence agencies sometimes recruit journalists.
(1.) SIDNEY BLUMENTHAL's new book is called The Permanent Campaign. He argues that the political system is changing, steered more by the careful guidance of political and media consultants rather than party leadership -- a process that continues even after the election. He joins Fresh Air discuss how this new trend affects who is and is not a viable candidate for elected office, and how it weakens the political parties and the primary system.
(1.) Author JOHN RECHY has a new novel called Rushes. Rechy's literary career has focused squarely on the sexual practices of gay men. He argues that homosexual liberation depends on the championing of a sexuality distinct from that of straight culture. He believes promiscuity is a radical act, but remains critical of sadomasochism. (2.) Writer and feminist thinker ELIZABETH JANEWAY conceives of power as a process which continually divides men and women while disenfranchising the latter. Her new book, The Power of Weak, explores this idea. She considers how both the women's movement and legislative action could work to empower women worldwide.
(1.) Writer, academic and activist TODD GITLIN has a new book called The Whole World is Watching, which examines how mass media reported antiwar movements in the 1960s. In 1963 and '64 Gitlin served as president of the Students for a Democratic Society, or SDS, a group on which he focuses in the book.
(1.) An in-studio performance with Gambian folk musician BAI KONTE. Joining him is his son, fellow kora player DEMBO KONTE, and musicians and anthropologists MARC PEVAR and SUSAN PEVAR, who studied with Bai Konte. The filmmaker OLIVER FRANKLIN, who made a movie about the featured guest, joins the group to share his impressions folk music's role in Gambian culture.
(1.) LESTER BANGS is a prominent rock critic whose newest book, Blondie, examines the career of the post-punk band of the same name. He explains how the power of rock music lies in its simplicity: anyone can pick up a guitar and create something with real emotion.
(1.) Jazz pianist MCCOY TYNER grew up in Philadelphia before joining John Coltrane's groundbreaking quartet. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his continual development as a musician and the influence he's had on a new generation of pianists.
(1.) Randy Weston is a jazz pianist and composer. He travels and performs extensively in Africa, and African influences infuse his music. He is playing a rare American concert in Philadelphia. (2.) Mark Kramer is the author of the book "Three Farms: Making Milk, Meat And Money from the American Soil." Kramer joins the show to discuss the American agricultural and livestock industries and their effects on the environment and small farms.
(1.) Vernel Bagneris is a playwright, actor, and dancer. He wrote, directed, and acts in the musical "One Mo' Time," now playing in Philadelphia. The musical is set in 1920s' New Orleans and draws heavily on the jazz from that time and place. It centers around a touring group of vaudevillians performing at the segregated Lyric Theater. Bagneris describes it as a "piece on Black theater history." He joins the show to discuss the musical, the black vaudeville circuit, black face, and the benefits of live performance.
(1.) Guitarist and composer Dave Van Ronk discusses folk music, his jazz and blues influences, and the folk scene of the 1960s.
(1.) Calvin Tomkins is a writer and art critic for the New Yorker. His latest work, "Off the Wall: Robert Rauschenberg and the Art World of Our Time," is a biography of both Rauschenberg and the American visual arts of the 1940s-1970s.
(1.) John Fahey, blues guitarist, discusses his career and brings in his guitar to play a few songs in the studio. (2.) Dr. Walter Lear, President of the Institute of Social Medicine and Community Health, and Professor Jose Arias, a professor of economics and former El Salvadorian Minister of Agriculture, join the show to discuss the political situation in El Salvador. (INTERVIEW BY RALPH FLOOD)
(1.) Philadelphian pianists, Peter Scheiner, Uri Caine, and Dave Posmontier have been playing in the area for years. They discuss the Philadelphia jazz scene and the life of working musicians. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) Ruth Kobart is an actress. She joins the show to discuss her current roles as Miss Hannigan in the musical "Annie," now playing in Philadelphia at the Forrest Theater. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER) (2.) Actor, Herschel Bernardi currently stars as Tavia in a production of "Fiddler on the Roof," currently playing at the Academy of Music. He joins the show to discuss his career in theater, film, and television. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) Philadelphia pianist and "friend of Fresh Air" Bruce Mills joins the show to discuss his career as a blind jazz pianist and to perform an in-studio concert at Fresh Air's new studio.
(1.) Harris Wofford was Special Assistant to President John F. Kennedy for Civil Rights, the Assistant Director of the Peace Corps, a lawyer for Martin Luther King, Jr., and president of Bryn Mawr University. He currently practices law in Philadelphia. His new book is "Of Kennedys and Kings: Making Sense of the Sixties." He joins the show to discuss the leadership styles of three SIxties' figures: John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. (2.) G. Gordon Liddy orchestrated the Watergate break-in. After serving four-and-a-half years of his prison sentence, he joins the show to discuss his book "Will" and his role in the crime. (PARTIAL INTERVIEW)
(1.) Ann Rule was a writer for True Crime magazine when she was assigned a story about a serial killer who turned out to be a former acquaintance of Rule's. Rule worked with Ted Bundy at a suicide prevention center. Her account of Bundy's crime and her time working with him is called "The Stranger Beside Me."
(1.) Vernel Bagneris is a playwright, actor, and dancer. He wrote, directed, and acts in the musical "One Mo' Time," now playing in Philadelphia. The musical is set in 1920s' New Orleans and draws heavily on the jazz from that time and place. It centers around a touring group of vaudevillians performing at the segregated Lyric Theater. Bagneris describes it as a "piece on Black theater history." Bagneris and pianist Morten Larsen give an in-studio concert sharing music from the show's time period.
(1.) Holly Near is a folk musician, actress, and activist. He joins the show to discuss her life career, and politics. (2.) Irving Stone who writes biographical novels joins the show to discuss his novels and their adaptations. His latest book "Origin" is about Charles Darwin.
(1.) Ruth, June, and Anita Pointer, who sing together as the The Pointer Sisters, used to sing mostly big band tunes with complicated harmonies. They join the show to discuss their influences and new musical direction. Their new album is "Special Things."
(1.) Wes Craven discusses violence in motion pictures and his film "The Last House on the Left."
(1.) Bill Evans, jazz pianist, died yesterday at the age of 51. Contributor Francis Davis, host of Fresh Air's "interval," a segment on out-of-print jazz, joins the show to pay tribute to Evans. (2.) Mike Frisch, a professor of History at the University of Buffalo, currently working at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses oral history. Frisch spoke with Fresh Air contributor Charles Hardy. (INTERVIEW BY CHARLES HARDY)
(1.) GARY BRIDGES (WYSP), DAVID DYE (WIOQ), and MICHAEL PICOZZI (WMMR) are disc jockeys. They join the show to discuss rock radio, the music business, and the life of a d.j.
(1.) Painter JAMIE WYETH is the son of painter Andrew Wyeth and the grandson of painter and illustrator N. C. Wyeth. The youngest Wyeth is known for his work inspired by Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, the Brandywine River, and Maine, as well as his portraits. The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is celebrating its 175th anniversary, and its closing exhibit showcases Wyeth's work.
(1.) Actress MARY STUART has starred as "Joanne" on the television soap opera "Search For Tomorrow" since 1951. Stuart's autobiography is titled "Both of Me." Stuart joins the show to discuss her career and life.
(1.) LESLIE UGGAMS is an actress and singer known for her roles in the television miniseries "Roots" and "Backstairs at the White House" and the t.v. show "Sing Along with Mitch." She is also well-known for work in musicals and on Broadway. Uggams discusses her career and life including being a child actor, a member of a youth gang, and singing versus acting. Uggams is currently performing in Philadelphia.
(1.)EVELYN KAYE is a Jewish woman married to a Methodist and author of the book "Cross-Currents: Children, Families & Religion." REVEREND RALPH MOORE is an Episcopal priest and the director of the Christian Association at the University of Pennsylvania. RABBI MAYER SELEKMAN is a rabbi at Temple Shalom in Broomall, Pennsylvania. They join the show for a panel discussion on interfaith marriage.
(1.) PETER NERO is a composer, conductor, and pianist. He is currently conducting the Philly Pops Orchestra, in a show called "Uptown, Downtown." (2.) Morning Edition's Heather Dembert interviews flutist JEAN-PIERRE RAMPAL. Originally broadcast on "Morning Edition." (3.) Film critic BILL VAN WERT joins the show with a review of the film "Rockers."
(1.) Former Saturday Night Live writers AL FRANKEN and TOM DAVIS are touring the country with their own show. They join Fresh Air to discuss comedy and writing.
(1.) Film critic AMOS VOGEL is a journalist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of "Film as a Subversive Art." His new television series "Reel Philadelphia: An Unusual Film Series" will highlight Philadelphian filmmakers.
(1.) Composer and pianist RAY BRYANT is currently performing in Philadelphia. A native of the city, he got his start at the Blue Note club. He joins the show to discuss his career in jazz.
(1.) CLARK DELEON is the writer of the "Scene" column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. DeLeon joins the show to discuss his work as a columnist reporting on "unusual happenings" in the city. (2.) DR. JOHN MORRISON is a professor of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania. He has recently completed a study about the effects of racism on whites. He joins the show to discuss his work.
(1.) TIM O'BRIEN is a novelist whose works often deal with the Vietnam War. His most recent novel was "Going after Cacciato," about a soldier in the war. O'Brien is currently guest lecturing at Temple University. He joins the show to discuss Vietnam, writing, and his work-in-progress "The Nuclear Age."
(1.) GARY BRIDGES (WYSP), DAVID DYE (WIOQ), and MICHAEL PICOZZI (WMMR) are disc jockeys. They join the show to discuss rock, rock radio, and to answer listener calls.
(1.) AL MALMFELT is the current head of the Theatre of the Living Arts (TLA) cinema on South Street in Philadelphia. The theater was recently threatened with closure in order for Steven Starr to build a nightclub. The TLA has escaped that fate for now. Malmfelt discusses the cinema's founding and current situation, as well as doing business on South Street. (2.) PATRICIA STEWART is on the faculty of the Philadelphia College of Art and Moore College of Art. She will be providing commentary on an upcoming "sculpture jog," which is part of the efforts of local art colleges to highlight the outdoor art in the city. Stewart discuses Philadelphia's public art and the "sculpture jog." (3.) JANE and MICHAEL STERN are the authors of "Roadfood," a guidebook which reviews inexpensive restaurants within ten miles of highways. They join the show to discuss car travel and road trips.
(1.) HELEN CALDICOTT is a pediatrician and the president of Physicians for Social Responsibility. The Australian is a leading figure in the fight against nuclear war and the nuclear arms race. The activist joins the show to discuss the dangers of nuclear weapons here and abroad, and to answer listener calls.
(1.) TEPILIT OLE SAITOTI is a Maasai warrior and conservationist who was the subject of the film "Man of Serengetti." After the film, the Kenyan earned a degree in creative writing in the U. S. He joins the show to discuss his new book of photography with Carol Beckwith, "Maasai."
(1.) GRACE PALEY is a short story writer who has had several volumes of her work published. Paley is also known as a feminist and peace activist. She is in Philadelphia to guest lecture at Temple University. She joins the show to discuss her work.
(1.) DR. ALAN BECK was formerly the director of the Bureau of Animal Affairs in New York, where he helped draft that city's "pooper scooper" law. A similar was recently passed in Philadelphia. Beck currently works at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary School where he heads the Center for Interaction of Animals and Society. He has researched pet/owner relationships and stray dogs and their effect on people, including the homeless. He joins the show to discuss the new law and human-animal relationships.
(1.) JAN and STAN BERENSTAIN are the creators of the "Berenstain Bears" and the writers and illustrators of the children's books about the bear family. They have been creating animated holiday specials about the Berenstains for NBC, including an upcoming Thanksgiving special. Their most recent Berenstain Bears book, "Bears Christmas Tree," is an adaptation of their animated Christmas special. They have also written a new book geared towards parents, "How to Teach Your Children About Sex Without Making a Fool of Yourself." (2.) Activist DICK GREGORY recently gave a speech for the Ford Hall Forum that was recorded by NPR. Today, Fresh Air will play an excerpt of that speech, on the subject "Are Minorities Really Powerless?" The topics addressed in the excerpt are the 1980 presidential election, Gregory's distaste for the concept of "voting for the lessor of two evils," and the "choicelessness" the common voter feels. The speech was given prior to the election.
(1.) JERRE MANGIONE is an author and the director of Creative Writing at the University of Pennsylvania. His newest book is "An Ethnic at Large: A Memoir of America in the Thirties and Forties." He's currently writing a book about Italian-Americans. He joins the show to discuss the recent enforcement of an IRS regulation that requires that publishers destroy or remainder their back-stock in order to take certain deductions. Mangione's book "The Dream and the Deal" nearly faced that fate. (2.) Film critic BILL VAN WERT joins the show for a review of the film "The Stunt Man."
(1.) Writer JOSEF SKVORECKY joins the show to describe his fiction, jazz, and growing up in Czechoslovakia.
(1.) TERRY ROBINSON was a physical trainer to the stars, working at MGM. He was Mario Lanza's trainer and close friend. He has recently written a biography of the tenor "Lanza, His Tragic Life."
(1.) Writer and humorist ROY BLOUNT's new book is "Crackers," a book of "impressions" about Southerners, Northerners, Jimmy Carter, and a fictional Carter family. Blount joins the show to talk about his book, Carter, the 1980 election, and the current political climate.
(1.) MINNIE PEARL is a country comedian and star of the Grand Ole Opry. She joins the show to discuss her life, career, and new memoir, "Minnie Pearl, an Autobiography." (2.) MADELON BEDELL has just published the first in a two-volume biography of "Little Women" writer Louisa May Alcott and the Alcott family, "The Alcotts: Biography of a Family." She discusses not only the Alcotts, but also the social movements and philosophies that surrounded the family.
(1.) Film critic LEONARD MALTIN has two new releases. The first is an updated and revised edition of his "T.V. Movies," an index of films shown on television. The second is about silent cartoons and animations and is titled "Of Mice and Magic." He joins the show to discuss both.
(1.) Italian journalist and novelist ORIANA FALLACI is known for her interviews with controversial political figures. Her latest work is about her former lover Alexandros Panagoulis, infamous for an attempt to assassinate a Greek dictator. Her book "A Man" covers his life and torture in prison, his enemies, and his death, which she believes to be a politically motivated murder. The book is partly fictionalized.
(1.) ANGELA LANSBURY is an actress who is currently starring in the tour of "Sweeney Todd," playing now in Philadelphia. "Sweeney Todd" is a musical with music by Stephen Sondheim based on the legend of "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," a barber whose quest for revenge leads to murder. Lansbury stars as his accomplice, and won a Tony for the role. She joins the show to discuss the musical and working with Sondheim, singing, and acting.
(1.) REBECCA SINKLER is the editor of the Sunday Book Page at the Philadelphia Inquirer. She recently published an article about the best books of 1980. Sinkler joins the show to discuss the trends of the year (a merging of fact and fiction, biography, and historical fiction), as well as putting together the newspaper page.
(1.) JOE KLEIN has written a biography of folk musician Woody Guthrie. He joins the show to discuss Guthrie's life, career, and family. His book is titled "Woody Guthrie: A Life."
(1.) GEORGE HEARN is an actor currently starring in the tour of "Sweeney Todd," playing now in Philadelphia. "Sweeney Todd" is a musical with music by Stephen Sondheim based on the legend of "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," a barber whose quest for revenge leads to murder. Hearn plays the title role. He joins the show to discuss the musical, playing Sweeney Todd, and his career in theater, television, and film. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER).
(1.) CARLOS FUENTES is writer whose work often deals with Mexican history. His most famous work is the novel "The Death of Artemio Cruz," and he's recently published a collection of short stories, "Burnt Water." Fuentes has worked as a diplomat, and is also a professor. He is known for his left-of-center politics and criticism of U. S. intervention in Latin America. He joins the show to describe his career, life, and Mexico.
(1.) MERCER ELLINGTON is a trumpeter, composer, and band leader. He is also the son of jazz legend Duke Ellington. Mercer Ellington is the conductor for the musical based on Duke Ellington's work, "Sophisticated Ladies." Mercer Ellington joins the show to discuss the musical and his father.
(1.) BRUCE MILLS is a pianist based in New Jersey. He has played several times on Fresh Air. He joins the show for an in-studio concert of Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year music.
(1.) GENE LONDON is known to Philadelphians as the host of the long-running children's program "Cartoon Corners General Store." London is also an expert on animation and the only person authorized to speak on behalf of Disney animation. His current passion is costume collecting and costume design. He focuses particularly on Hollywood costumes which is the focus of a lecture and film series London will host at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER).
(1.) STEVEN FELD is a ethnomusicologist who teaches sound communication at the University of Pennsylvania. Ethnomusicology combines anthropology and music theory, and attempts to learn about culture through music. Feld is also a jazz musician who has incorporated the genre into his work. His work has taken him to Papua New Guinea, where he studied the Kaluli tribe, and the Southwestern United States. He joins the show to discuss his work. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER.)
(1.) DESMOND RYAN is the film critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, ERNIE SCHIER is the film critic for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, and BILL VAN WERT is Fresh Air's film critic. They join the show to discuss their top ten lists for the best and worst films of 1980.
(1.) GARRETT BROWN is a cinematographer and the inventor of the Steadicam. He won an Academy Award for his invention in 1978. He joins the show to discuss the films he's worked on.
(1.) Trumpeter and cornet player NAT ADDERLEY is the son of a jazz musician and the brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. Adderley joins the show to discuss his musical journey, career, and the current state of jazz.
(1.) GENE LONDON is known to Philadelphians as the host of the long-running children's program "Cartoon Corners General Store." London is also an expert on animation and the only person authorized to speak on behalf of Disney animation. His current passion is costume collecting and costume design. He focuses particularly on Hollywood costumes which is the focus of a lecture and film series London is hosting at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He joins the show to share some of the stories related about the film "The Wizard of Oz" at the latest lecture in the series.
(1.) JIM QUINN is a journalist and writer who is currently the restaurant critic for New York's SoHo News. He is also known for his writings on language and the Philadelphia dialect. His new book "American Tongue in Cheek: A Populist Guide to Our Language," promises to defend all the language errors "you want to stamp out." He joins the show to discuss language and answer listener calls.
(1.) DEIRDRE BAIR is known for her biography of playwright Samuel Beckett, "Samuel Beckett: A Biography." She is now the "designated" (not "official") biographer for Simone de Beauvoir. She recently interviewed de Beauvoir in France, and joins the show to discuss their conversation.
(1.) Republican ARLEN SPECTER was recently elected as an U. S. senator for the state of Pennsylvania. His political career began when he moved to Philadelphia in the 1950s. He has been the District Attorney of Philadelphia and the Assistant Counsel to the Warren Commission. He joins the show to discuss his plans for the state in the next six years and to answer user calls.
(1.) BILL EISENHUTH and PAM KILLMAN of Philadelphia's Advocates for the Mentally Disabled, and LIZ ROBINSON, of the People's Emergency Center, join the show to discuss the homelessness and homeless people in Philadelphia and across the country.
(1.) Author and independent filmmaker KENNETH ANGER joins the show to discuss his work as a director and writer, his spiritual beliefs, and selling his Nazi memorabilia to Keith Richards. His latest films are "Scorpio Rising" (about biker culture) and "Lucifer Rising" (based on the works of Aleister Crowley). His most famous book is "Hollywood Babylon."
(1.) LOUIS L'AMOUR is known as the "most famous obscure novelist." He has written 79 novels, mostly westerns. His novels have also been adapted into films such as "Hondo." L'Amour's latest novel is "Comstock Lode." He joins the show to discuss his work, western novels and films, the relationship between Native Americans and western settlers, and what he sees for the future.
(1.) MILTON GLASER is a graphic designer who is known for his magazine designs, magazine and record jacket covers, posters, and more. His work is highly influential, and he was worked with New York Magazine, Esquire, and the Village Voice. He is also known for his poster of Bob Dylan which was distributed with Dylan's greatest hits collection. In recent years he's created his own design firm, worked with grocery stores, and helped design Sesame Place. He joins the show to discuss his work and the field of graphic design.
(1.) PHILIP FONER is the foremost historian on the labor movement in the U. S. He is the author of over eighty works, including a four volume history of the American labor movement, "Organized Labor and the Black Worker," and "Women and the American Labor Movement," the second volume of which was recently published. He is currently a visiting professor at Rutgers University.
(1.) Activist and Pennsylvania State Senator MILTON STREET delivers a talk about the inner city, gentrification, Philadelphia politics and its racial aspects, and his experiences as an activist.
(1.) BUCKMINSTER "BUCKY" FULLER is a philosopher, architect, and inventor. His newest work "Critical Path" will be published in April. The book traces what Fuller calls "the greatest crisis in the history of the human race," not scarcity of resources, but human selfishness. He joins the show to discuss his work and philosophy.
(1.) Poet DAN HOFFMAN joins the show to discuss his poem "Brotherly Love," a long poem about William Penn and his vision for the United States. The poem focuses on Penn's treaty with the Native Americans in the area that would become Pennsylvania. Hoffman is the former Poet Laureate of the U. S. and currently works at the University of Pennsylvania.
(1.) Author and screenwriter TERRY SOUTHERN joins the show to discuss writing "Dr. Strangelove," "Easy Rider," and "Barbarella."
(1.) ANTHONY JACKSON is a lawyer who wrote the chapter on the criminal justice system for the Urban League's report "State of Black Philadelphia." For three years, Jackson was the Director of the Police Project at the Public Interest Law Center. He joins the show to discuss race relations and justice in Philadelphia and the entire country. (2.) BOBBY SEALE was one of the co-founders of the Black Panther Party, who was part of the "Chicago Eight," where he was eventually severed from the group's trial. Seale currently works in Washington D.C. where he has started an advocacy group, Advocates Scene, and also offers a self-help program. Seale discusses his past work and how he sees the future of African Americans. (3.) Critic John Szwed reviews a new collection of old Lennie Tristano recordings, "Lennie Tristano, Requiem." Lennie Tristano is a jazz pianist. (PARTIAL AUDIO)
(1.) Historian PHILIP FONER joins the show again to discuss Black history in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Foner is the foremost historian on the labor movement in the U. S. He is the author of over eighty works, including a four volume history of the American labor movement, "Organized Labor and the Black Worker," and "Women and the American Labor Movement," the second volume of which was recently published. He is currently a visiting professor at Rutgers University. Foner's other works on African Americans include "The Life and Writings of Frederick Douglass" and "Essays in African American History."
(1.) HELEN CALDICOTT is a pediatrician and the president of Physicians for Social Responsibility. The Australian is a leading figure in the fight against nuclear war and the nuclear arms race. She views nuclear arms as a health issue, and has left her job as a pediatrician to devote her time to advocating for nuclear disarmament. She has recently formed the Women's Party for Survival and is planning a march on Mother's Day.
(1.) RONEE BLAKELY is an actress, singer, and pianist. She is best known for her role in the Robert Altman film "Nashville." In the film, her character, a country music star is assassinated. Many have referenced the scene of her death in discussing the murder of John Lennon. Blakely has also worked with Bob Dylan with the Rolling Thunder Review and on the film "Renaldo and Clara." She describes her personal style as "new wave country." She joins the show to discuss her career.
(1.) BOBBY SHORT is a singer and pianist who is known for keeping the tradition of the American Songbook alive. He has recently gained fame amongst a new audience for his work in television commercials. He joins the show to discuss American composers such as the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Cy Coleman, Rodgers and Hart, Burt Bacarach, and Stephen Sondheim.
(1.) SHEILA JORDAN is a jazz singer. Rather than make music she doesn't agree with, Jordan has kept her "day job" as a typist for her entire career. That might be changing as more people become aware of her work. She joins the show to discuss her life and career.
(1.) ROBERT EDGAR is a United States Representative for Delaware County. He is one of the few liberal Democrats who survived the 1980 election. Edgar is the chair of the Northeast-Midwest Coalition and was part of the fact finding mission to El Salvador. He is also a Methodist minister who was once a pastor. He joins the show to discuss the Reagan administration, the role of money and the media in politics, the "moral majority," and working in Congress. He will also answer listener questions.
(1.) REVEREND RALPH MOORE is an Episcopal priest and the director of the Christian Association at the University of Pennsylvania. DR. JULIAN SLOWINSKI is a psychologist and former Benedictine monk and theologian. They join the show to discuss the events in Jonestown and the radio documentary on the subject, "Father Cares," which was aired by NPR. They also answer listener calls.
(1.)Novelist RICHARD PRICE is the author of "Bloodbrothers," "The Wanderers," and "Ladies' Man." All of his novels have been or will be made into films. Price joins the show to discuss his work.
(1.) Country musician KINKY FRIEDMAN is know by some as "Texas Jew Boy." His songs, including "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore" and "Ride 'Em Jew Boy," often have anti-semitic, racist, and sexist lyrics. While some take the lyrics seriously, others appreciate the satire. He joins the show to discuss his work.
(1.) LIV ULLMANN gained fame as an actress in Ingmar Bergman films. Recently, her work has involved traveling around the world and fundraising as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. Bergman has just completed a tour of East Africa. Ullman has also directed a sequence in the film "Acts of Love."
(1.) Novelist JOYCE CAROL OATES delivers a talk at the Free Library of Philadelphia on the topic of "Women in Twentieth Century Literature." Oates traces women in the imaginations male writers of the era including John Updike, William Faulkner, Norman Mailor, William Styron, and D. H. Lawrence.
(1.) OLIVER LAKE is a jazz and funk saxophonist and composer. He is in town to play a concert with his newest band Jump. Lake joins the show to discuss his career, the music industry, and what it means to be considered an avant-garde musician.
(1.) BRITT EKLAND is an actress almost as well known for her private life as her professional. Her new memoir "True Britt" dishes on both, including her relationships with Peter Sellers and Rod Stewart.
(1.) MICHAEL ARLEN is the television critic for The New Yorker. Arlen is also a writer. His latest is "The Camera Age," a collection of essays, and his book "Thirty Seconds" was recently released in paperback. He joins the show to discuss his work, television as a form of visual communication, his opinion on its "dangers,"an the perception of the medium as low brow.
(1.) LARRY GROSS is an academic and professor of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. The focus of his research is largely television. He delivers a talk on violence in the medium. (2). DEIRDRE ENGLISH is a journalist. She delivers a talk on violence and women in pornography and television.
(1.) Folk singer and composer TOM PAXTON is known for his work as a musician in the Greenwich Village of the 1960s, where many of his songs became standards at the clubs in the area. His latest album is "The Paxton Report," and is full of topical songs about such subjects as nuclear power and the ERA. Paxton also brings his guitar for an in-studio concert.
(1.) MAURICE SENDAK is well-known for his children's books, including "Where the Wild Things Are," despite the fact that he grew up with a hatred for "kiddies' books." Sendak writes and illustrates his own work and has won many awards. Some find Sendak's work too scary for children. His latest book is "Outside Over There," in which a child is kidnapped by goblins. Items from Sendak's collection of toys and illustrations (including an extensive collection of Mickey Mouse items) will be shared with the public in the show "Maurice Sendak: The Artist's Collection of Children's Toys, Photos, and Illustrations" at the Rosenbach Gallery.
(1.) Producer, writer, and composer RALPH ALLEN is one of the writers of the book for "Sugar Babies," the latest hit musical on Broadway. Allen joins the show to discuss musical theater, burlesque, vaudeville, and music.
(1.) MICHAEL HARRINGTON is the Chair of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC), the "left" portion of the Democratic Party. The group's goals include national healthcare, full employment, and more control of corporate policies. Harrington has been an activist his entire career, and his book "The Other America," was essential in pushing Presidents Kennedy and Johnson in creating anti-poverty agendas. His new book is "Decade of Decision."
(1.) SUSAN STRASBERG is an actress and the daughter of Lee Strasberg the director of The Actor's Studio who trained such actors as Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Marilyn Monroe in what came to be known as "method acting." Susan Strasberg made her acting debut at 17 as Anne Frank in a Broadway production of "The Diary of Anne Frank." Strasberg has recently written her memoirs, "Bittersweet," which discuss growing up in her eccentric family, her love affairs with figures such as Richard Burton and Warren Beatty, and her daughter, who was born with a congenital heart defect. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) ELLEN WILLIS is a writer for the the New Yorker. Her collection of essays, "Beginning to See the Light: Pieces of a Decade," covers many of the social and political issues of the last ten years. Feminism, rock music, 60s counter-culture and the backlash against it, the changing definitions of "family" amongst the left, religion, and abortion are covered. She also discovers her reconsidering of Judaism and God in general, after a her brother became Orthodox. She joins the show to discuss the book and its subjects.
(1.) Film director MARTIN SCORSESE delivering a commencement speech this year at the University of Pennsylvania. He discusses what he has discovered through and learned from movies and his belief in "integral education."
(1.) HARRY RIGBY and TERRY KRAMER are co-producers of the burlesque musical revue "Sugar Babies." Rigby co-conceived the show with theater historian Ralph Allen, and is known as the producer who brought revivals back to Broadway. Kramer is known for producing a number of plays, including "I Love My Wife" and "Knock, Knock." Her mother was also a theater producer. "Sugar Babies" is back in Philadelphia with its original stars, film legends Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller.
(1.) MICHAEL HASHIM is the alto-saxophonist for the Widespread Depression Orchestra, known for the arrangements of 1930s and 1940s jazz. He joins the show to discuss his influences and the music and inner-workings of the Orchestra. The band will be changing its name to The Widespread Jazz Orchestra.
(1.) Consumer advocate MAX WEINER is the founder of CEPA, the Consumer Education Protection Association, which he began in 1965. He is also the founder of the Consumer Party, which became a ballot status party in 1976, and has since fielded candidates in mayoral and other local elections, making it Philadelphia's "third party." Weiner advocates against rate hikes in public works, and is currently fighting against a proposed {dollar}89 million PGW rate hike, and the recent proposal to increase SEPTA fares. Weiner has also worked as a teacher, an accountant, and a broker. He joins the show to discuss the need for consumers to organize and demand the same attention the business class does. (2.) SHERE HITE is a sex educator and feminist who is the author of "The Hite Report: A Nationwide Study on Female Sexuality." She recently wrote the follow-up, "The Hite Report On Male Sexuality." In the introduction to the report, Hite states that intercourse is both a "beautiful" and "oppressive" act. This segment contains frank discussion of sexual attitudes and practices. (PARTIAL INTERVIEW)
(1.) NATHAN PRITIKIN is a nutritionist who has developed what he believes to be the ideal diet. For optimal health, he recommends cutting out dairy, reducing fat and protein, and focusing on unprocessed plant foods. He also stresses the importance of exercise as a way of combatting obesity and heart disease.
(1.) SHELDON HACKNEY is the new president of the University of Pennsylvania. A native of Alabama, he explains how he hopes to steer the university toward greater community engagement within the city, as well as the role higher education plays in the intellectual and social development of young people.
(1.) Anthropologist DAVID FEINGOLD has spent much of his career researching the opium trade originating in Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle. He recently spent time in Burma's Shan States, where much of the poppy needed for the drug is grown. He shares his findings on what motivates drug producers and what impact, if any, Burmese and U.S. drug policies have on trafficking.
(1.) A panel discussion and in-studio performance featuring Aboriginal Australian musicians and ethnomusicologists.
(1.) Folk fiddler JOHNNY CUNNINGHAM joined the internationally-beloved band Silly Wizards when he was a teenager. He joins Fresh Air to explain his uniquely Scottish approach to his instrument, and to perform several traditional songs.
(1.) Historian ERIK BARNOUW returns to Fresh Air to talk about this history of magic in film. He argues that portrayals of magic in early cinema led to the decline of live magic shows. He also considers how the changing culture of television broadcasting, especially in light viewer demands, the pressure of sponsors to air certain kinds of content, and developing cable technologies.
(1.) LLOYD ALEXANDER has written several fantasy novels for children, including his latest, Westmark. He joins Fresh Air to talk about what makes a story compelling, honest, and enduring.
(1.) Philadelphia judge WILLIAM MARUTANI is a U.S.-born Japanese-American citizen who was forcibly relocated along with his family during World War II. He discusses the history of Japanese internment and the dehumanizing toll anti-Asian racism had on Japanese-American communities. (2.) Jazz pianist MCCOY TYNER grew up in Philadelphia before joining John Coltrane's groundbreaking quartet. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his continual development as a musician and the influence he's had on a new generation of pianists (REBROADCAST FROM 07.11.1980). (3.) Fresh Air broadcasts part of an ongoing series about the 1979 French Jazz Festival which was produced by the Newark, NJ-based station WGBO. In between clips of notable performances is an interview with jazz trumpeter WARREN VACHE. (4.) Jazz critic FRANCIS DAVIS discuses the life and music of singer Billie Holiday in his regular feature, "Interval." (REBROADCAST)
(1.) Cinematographer GARRETT BROWN's Steadicam is increasingly being deployed in thriller and horror films because of its ability to capture effective point-of-view shots. A Philadelphia native, Brown returns to Fresh Air to discuss recent movies he's worked on like Blow Out and Wolfen.
(1.) Jazz critic GARY GIDDENS has recently released a new collection of his writings calling Riding on a Blue Note. A regular contributor to the Village Voice, he talks about his appreciation for different genres like pop vocals, European jazz, and avant-garde jazz.
(1.) MARTIN WILLIAMS is best known as a jazz critic. His most recent book is about pioneering filmmaker D.W. Griffith, who directed the groundbreaking movies Birth of a Nation and Intolerance. Williams argues that Griffith developed or refined the standard vocabulary for cinematic storytelling still in use today.
(1.) Presidential candidate and chairman of the Communist Party of the United States of America GUS HALL considers the suspicion and fear of communists both within labor unions and mainstream society. He also takes a critical and historical look at the current state of the Soviet Union and the actions of the repressive Stalin regime. (2.) Historian PHILIP FONER joins Fresh Air to explain the unique ways communism has been deployed in the U.S., the Soviet Union, Maoist China, and parts of Europe.
(1.) Anthropologist DAVID FEINGOLD has appeared on Fresh Air several times before to share his expertise on the international drug trade, particularly the production of opium in Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle. PETER BOURNE served as an advisor in the Carter administration and currently works for the United Nations. Feingold and Bourne debate their vision of how to reduce drug trafficking through international cooperation and domestic policy changes.
(1.) Labor historian PHILIP FONER returns to Fresh Air to discuss the ongoing PATCO strike of air traffic controllers and the animosity they're facing from the Reagan administration and certain segments of the public. Foner sees this as part of a larger erosion of organized labor's powers, particularly among government employees.
(1.) Fresh Air film critic BILL VAN WERT joins Terry Gross to share his opinions on the new movie Take This Job and Shove It! (2.) Alto saxophonist PHIL WOODS studied classically and Julliard, as well as privately with Lennie Tristano. A gigging musician, studio player, and teacher, Woods considers how formal jazz instruction and changing musical tastes in younger musicians are steering the genre's evolution.
(1.) Texas-based blues guitarist JOHNNY COPELAND has a new album called Copeland Special. He and Terry Gross listen to several tracks and talk about the Copeland's development as a musician and songwriter.
(1.) Humor writer FRAN LEBOWITZ has a new collection of essays called Social Studies, in which she lampoons the publishing industry and contemporary obsessions with health and fitness. The interview is briefly interrupted with an NPR broadcast of President Reagan's press conference announcing the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
(1.) Comedian DAVID LETTERMAN's eponymous daytime television show developed a cult following before it was canceled last year. He is now gaining exposure subbing for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show.
(1.) GARSON KANIN's book, Together Again, looks at iconic pairings of actors and actresses in classic Hollywood films. Kanin believes the stars in a given team had deep personal and professional respect for each other, which led to their onscreen chemistry.
(1.) The new book Shock Value by director JOHN WATERS focuses on how he made a career reveling in bad taste. His movie Pink Flamingos, which was released eight years ago, still generates controversy for its scatological closing scene featuring drag queen Divine. Waters' new movie, Polyester, stars many actors who've appeared in his previous films.
(1.) Pianist and composer HEATH ALLEN's song cycle Report on a Castaway, which features the poetry of Bertholt Brecht, is currently being performed in Philadelphia. He has also been working with the West Philadelphia-based Cavalry United Methodist Church to write new liturgies for their services.
(1.) Jazz bassist MAJOR HOLLEY has recorded with myriad musicians in the United States, but has never had one of his own albums released domestically. Known for his virtuosic technique and his habit of singing along to his own playing, he joins to Fresh Air to demonstrate how he approaches his instrument.
(1.) Painter ALICE NEEL shares her perspectives on what makes a good portrait--one that goes beyond straight representation. (2.) BARBARA GARSON is a writer and activist concerned with the conditions of American workers. She has witnessed a rise in assembly-line methods in both factories and office settings, and discusses how these conditions affect the attitudes and behaviors of employees young and old.
(1.) Peace activist and clergyman WILLIAM SLOAN COFFIN rose to prominence through his protests of the Vietnam War. He now organizes against the nuclear arms race. The church he leads in New York City makes a point of welcoming local African American and Hispanic communities, gays and lesbians, and the poor.
(1.) Democratic senator PAUL TSONGAS re-evaulates the political viability of liberalism in his new book, The Road From Here. He puts forth an ideology of "compassionate realism," which seeks to protect workers and disadvantaged communities while at the same time acknowledging the U.S.'s finite economic resources.
(1.) E.L. DOCTOROW has published several novels set in different times in American history. He often uses real-life historical figures as major characters in his book to better ground the narrative in a given era. He says his work as an editor helped him develop and refine his prose writing.
(1.) South Philadelphia-born painter SIDNEY GOODMAN has chosen to champion realism over abstraction in his work. He joins Fresh Air to talk about what makes for a compelling subject in his work.
(1.) A Prairie Home Companion host GARRISON KEILLOR discusses the success of his lauded public radio program, his writing process, and how he brings to bear his midwestern background on his work.
(1.) Swedish-born actress VIVECA LINDFORS has a new memoir in which she explores her move to Hollywood, the development of her craft, and the state of women in the motion picture industry. While reflecting on her successful career, she points out that aging actresses are offered fewer jobs.
(1.) Writer and scholar JERRE MANGIONE's enduring memoir Mount Allegro--which had been marketed as both a novel and a book for teens in past decades--has just been republished by a university press. He delves deep into his identity and experiences as an Italian American. (2.) DAVID EYGES is a classically-trained musician and one of the few cellists working in jazz today. With so little music in the genre written for his instrument, he records and performs his own compositions with a number of dedicated collaborators, including Philadelphia-based saxophonist Byard Lancaster.
(1.) Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman BOB EDGAR joins Fresh Air to discuss his hopes for liberal policies under the Reagan administration.
(1.) Pianist HOYLE OSBORNE and singer and guitarist JANE VOSS take their songs and songwriting cues from vaudeville traditions. The musical duo perform a number of songs from their repertoire in-studio.
(1.) Anthropologist SHEILA KITZINGER has written several books on prepared childbirth, which incorporates practices from around the world and encourages active participation of the parent during the actual birth. She also teaches classes on the subject. Fresh Air's host Terry Gross invites listeners to call in with their questions.
(1.) Poet MAYA ANGELOU's latest volume in her series of autobiographical books is called The Heart of a Woman. She discusses the challenges of raising her son while singing for a living and working in the African American civil rights movement.
(1.) Feminist pioneer BETTY FRIEDAN discusses the future of the feminist movement, which she believes needs to focus on greater worker protections which will enable women to better balance their home and work lives. While she advocates for safe and legal access to abortion, she believes sexual liberation, particularly for lesbians, is a separate civil rights issue.
(1.) RICHARD ELMAN is a poet who decided to work as a reporter in Nicaragua during the 1979 revolution. He chronicles his experiences in a new book called Cocktails at Somoza's. He is also notable for writing the novelization of the movie Taxi Driver.
(1.) Black power activist BOBBY SEALE joins Fresh Air to talk about the history of the Black Panther Party, as well his trial as part of the Chicago Eight. He speaks with callers about the Panthers' relationship with white leftist groups like the Weathermen and SDS, as well as the path forward for African American civil rights.
(1.) ED KOREN is an illustrator and magazine cartoonist. Best known for his work in The New Yorker and The Nation, he is a chronicler of middle-class New York City, documenting the humorous, mundane, and frustrating aspects of everyday life.
(1.) Philadelphia-based writer MARGARET ROBINSON's debut novel is called Arrivals & Departures. Her short stories and criticism have appeared in a number of local and national publications. (2.) Researchers KATHERINE WHITLOCK and REGINA PHEIFFER are currently writing a book about fertility awareness, a process by which women can determine how likely they are to conceive based on various biological signs. They see fertility awareness as both a benefit to women hoping to conceive and those seeking to avoid pregnancy.
(1.) Comedian, TV host and accomplished pianist STEVE ALLEN has a new book called Funny People, about some of his favorite comedians. He talks about his career in entertainment and performs several original songs and instrumental compositions.
(1.) Reverend MICHAEL DOYLE is a priest and political activist based in Camden, New Jersey. Best known for his anti-war activities in the 1970s, he now works through his church to help alleviate poverty in his city. Doyle recently returned from a trip to Northern Ireland, and shares his impressions of the political and religious tensions there.
(1.) Author CHAIM POTOK returns to Fresh Air to talk about his new novel, The Book of Lights. Potok's own experience as an Army chaplain during the Korean War, as well as his Jewish faith, greatly informed the book. He credits his time overseas with cultivating a greater understanding of and appreciation for Eastern culture.
(1.) Middleweight boxing legend ROCKY GRAZIANO has a new memoir out called Somebody Down Here Likes Me, Too, which was co-authored by RALPH CORSEL. They discuss Graziano's storied career both in and out of the ring.
(1.) SAM DOCKERY didn't start playing piano until he was 19. Since then, the Camden, New Jersey-based musician has become an in-demand figure in the jazz scene. He performs in front of a live studio audience and talks about his approach to the piano as both a solo performer and a member of a band.
(1.) BOB DOROUGH is a pianist, singer and songwriter acclaimed for his witty lyrics and distinctive vocal style. He joins Fresh Air to perform his songs and talk about his career in jazz.
(1.) DENNIS BRUTUS is a prominent South African poet and anti-apartheid activist. He helped convince the Olympic committee to block his home country from participating in the games due to the latter's racist policies. Now living in the United States, Brutus has recently been found deportable by the courts, and faces an uncertain future.
(1.) Historian PHILIP FONER recently returned from a stay in China, where he lectured on recent American history, with a strong focus on labor, women's, and black civil rights movements. He reflects on the cultural differences between the U.S. and China, and considers the social conditions which positively and negatively affect daily life in the communist country.
(1.) LYS SYMONETTE worked as Kurt Weill's piano accompanist until the composer's death in 1950. She continues to perform and promote his work through recordings, live performances, and collaborations with accomplished vocalists.
(1.) Pianist and Kurt Weill assistant LYS SYMONETTE in a live performance of the late composer's works.
(1.) Writer DICK GOLDBERG has found success in his off-Broadway play, Family Business. It is currently being adapted into a made-for-TV movie on PBS. (2.) Historian PHILIP FONER returns to Fresh Air to discuss his new book, a collection of writing by the labor activist and socialist Kate Richards O'Hare, whose important legacy has been often overlooked.
(1.) DOUGLAS ADAMS' new book, A Restaurant at the End of the Universe, is a sequel to his popular novel A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He has adapted the latter book for radio and talks about how each format alters his approach to storytelling.
(1.) Tenor saxophonist AL COHN's most recent accomplishment is the release of his new album Nonpareil. In addition to his nearly four-decade-long career in jazz, Cohn has arranged music for a number of television programs.
(1.) JOHN MOLLOY has published a series of books about dressing for success. He argues that, in order to receive better treatment and opportunities, men and women alike should project an image of upper-middle class grooming and education. (2.) SNCC photographer DANNY LYON also works as a documentary filmmaker. He looks back on his career in the civil rights movement, the politics of documentary movies, and his ambivalence about living in New York City.
(1.) DAVID BRADLEY is a novelist who writes about the African American experience. His new, award-winning book is called The Chaneysville Incident, which explores how the history of slavery affects a black historian several generations later. A Temple University professor, Bradley is currently involved in efforts to organize writers in Philadelphia.
(1.) GARRISON KEILLOR has a new collection of short stories called Happy to Be Here. Fans of his wildly popular public radio program, A Prairie Home Companion, call into Fresh Air with their questions about his career.
(1.) PAUL THEROUX's new novel Mosquito Coast is about a man who moves his family to Honduras to escape what he believes to be the bankruptcy of American culture. Theroux, who has also published several books of travel writing, is interested in why people choose to uproot themselves, either by traveling or emigrating to a new country.
(1.) GEORGE WEIN is a concert promoter who founded the Newport Jazz Festival. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the Festival's legacy and the state of jazz today.
(1.) Film producer MICHAEL WAYNE and actor PATRICK WAYNE are the sons of the celebrated actor John Wayne. On the occasion of the production of a commemorative gun honoring their father's life, they join Fresh Air to talk about the elder Wayne's career, his approach to fatherhood, and his views on the roles of men and women.
(1.) In light of changing laws dictating the funding of public broadcasting, the Philadelphia-based television station WHYY will begin experimenting with running commercial advertisements as an additional revenue source. Station president and general manager JIM KARAYN answers the Fresh Air listeners' questions. (2.) Writer LAWRENCE WESCHLER reports on Poland's recent labor movements, as well as the impact they've had internationally, in his book Solidarity.
(1.) Film, television and stage actress MELANIE MAYRON discusses how each of her roles has led to more challenging and rewarding work. Her newest film, Missing, is directed by Costa-Gravas.
(1.) Obstetrician gynecologists JANE HODGSON and ED SULLIVAN debate the ethics of abortion. Hodgson has worked as an abortion rights activist for decades and has performed or overseen the procedure thousands of times. Sullivan practices medicine in Media, Pennsylvania, and believes there are alternative treatments to problem pregnancies which do not result in the termination of a fetus.
(1.) MARILYN MOATS KENNEDY advises Fresh Air listeners on how to negotiate for the best salaries in their workplace, especially in light of the current recession and corporate culture. Her new book, Salary Strategies, was recently published by Rawson, Wade.
(1.) ROBERT RODALE took over for his father as the head of Rodale Press, which publishes a number of magazines that promote healthy living and eating. He funds a number of research projects which aim to develop more environmentally-sustainable ways of producing natural foods.
(1.) Singer and guitar player JOHN SEBASTIAN once fronted the band The Lovin' Spoonful. Now he is adapting E.B. White's novel Charlotte's Web as a musical. He shares his thoughts on the record industry today and his performance at Woodstock. Sebastian also plays a number of original and classic songs on air.
(1.) RITA MAE BROWN has a new novel called Southern Discomfort about class divisions in Alabama. She has begun a new phase in her career as a television writer and is deeply invested in the visibility of gay people in popular culture.
(1.) CONNIE FRANCIS is a pop singer who took a seven-year break from her career. She recently revealed that she is a rape survivor, and that that trauma prompted her extended hiatus. She talks about how she endured the aftermath of that experience and found her voice again.
(1.) Former baseball umpire and current NBC sports commentator RON LUCIANO has a new book about his career called The Umpire Strikes Back.
(1.) Activist FALAKA FATAH is the co-founder of Umoja House, an organization that currently runs 21 house on North Fraser Street in Northwest Philadelphia serving gang members and street kids. The program began when Fattah and her husband, David, invited a gang to live with them after discovering their son, Robin, had joined. The Fattahs work with gangs led to a city wide meeting and truce among Philadelphia gangs. Their new project is "Boys Town," which will serve ex-offenders. Fattah joins the show to discuss strategies for reaching youth in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
(1.) VICTOR NAVASKY has written a book about Hollywood blacklisting during the era of McCarthyism. As the editor of The Nation, he is a keep observer of American politics, interested in how the current state of both the left and right. He also is concerned with First Amendment rights as they pertain to journalists and copyright laws.
(1.) HAZEL HENDERSON is a largely self-taught, British-born economist. She notes that the Industrial Revolution was based on an unprecedented depletion of natural resources, and that the only realistic path forward is for countries and businesses to embrace solar energy and sustainable industry -- actions largely incompatible with the policies of the Reagan administration.
(1.) RANDY SHILTS is one of the few prominent, openly gay journalists working today. He has recently published a book called The Mayor of Castor street, which features a comprehensive history of the barrier-breaking politician Harvey Milk, who served as San Francisco's mayor until his assassination in 1978.
(1.) SUSAN STAMBERG is the co-host of NPR's news magazine All Things Considered, which celebrates 11 years on the air. Stamberg has just released a new book called Every Night at Five, in which she details what it's like to work on the show, the unique experiences of women journalists in the news business, and what it takes to become a great interviewer.
(1.) Covert Action, a report by Danny Miller, begins with an interview with KENNETH LAWRENCE, a regular contributor to the Covert Action Information Bulletin, a magazine published around five times a year in Washington, D. C., which covers the actions of the C. I. A. The publication is known for its "Naming Names" feature which reveals the name of C. I. A. agents. Covert Action claims that the information in the column is unclassified or of agents who are no longer working. However, they have suspended the column due to pending legislation. Lawrence is a reporter known for his investigations into the F. B. I.'s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER) (2.) Covert Action, a report by Danny Miller, continues with an interview with STEPHEN ROSENFELD, an editorial writer for the Washington Post. He joins the show to offer another perspective on the situation, and gives his opinion on both the actions of the Covert Action Information Bulletin and the legislation proposed to end them, the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER) (3.) Critic Francis Davis joins us for the weekly program "Interval," in which he looks at new jazz releases. Today Davis reviews "We Want Miles" by jazz legend Miles Davis, and "The Great Pretender" by trumpeter Lester Bowie.
(1.) DIAN FOSSEY is an animal researcher who has devoted much of her career to studying and living among the mountain gorilla, a species that lives in a small region on the border of Rwanda and Uganda. Her research has led to some fascinating insights into animal behavior, but also revealed a troubling history of poaching in central Africa.
(1.) ROBERT INDIANA is best known to Philadelphians for his LOVE statue in Center City. His work has run the gamut from literary painting to pop art sculpture. Many of his recent projects feature numbers or short words rendered in vibrant colors. He now lives in Maine.
(1.) ADELAIDE TAMBO is an anti-apartheid activist from South Africa who lives in exile in England. She is particularly concerned with how racism affects black women and children. She joins Fresh Air to talk about her role in Black liberation movements abroad, and highlights the contributions of other South African women like Winnie Mandela, wife of the jailed political leader Nelson Mandela.
(1.) EZEKIEL MPHAHLELE has written extensively about his experiences in and exiled from his home country of South Africa. Known for his politically-minded fiction, poetry and criticism, Mphahlele has also taught at several universities worldwide, including the University of Pennsylvania. He has recently returned to South Africa, even with apartheid still in place, where he continues his work as a college professor.
(1.) Musician and composer DAVID EYGES is one of the few jazz cello players. In recent years, he has worked with Philadelphia saxophonist Byard Lancaster, with whom he recorded the album "The Arrow." The duo has now become a trio with the addition of Philadelphia drummer Sunny Murray. The group recently released the album "Crossroads." Eyges' music is part of a trend of blurring the lines between jazz and classical music.
(1.) JOHN COATES recorded his first jazz piano album when he was seventeen. He has gained a national following despite the fact that he rarely performs outside the Delaware Water Gap. Most of his albums have been released by the Omnisound label. Coates performs songs from each of them in an in-studio concert.
(1.) Pop culture critic CHARLES HARDY discusses the impact newspaper advice columns had on American women. He broadcasts a lecture by historian DEBORAH HERMAN, in which she looks at six months' worth of Dear Abby columns in the 1950s as a way of understanding marriage in that decade. (2.) MARGO HOWARD is the daughter of Ann Landers, who writes the Dear Abby column. Howard has written a book about her mother called Eppie, in which she discusses what it was like to grow up with the popular advice columnist.
(1.) DICK GREGORY is a politically-minded, African-American comedian who works to raise awareness for causes like civil rights, anti-nuclear proliferation, and greater legal protections for women. He is currently on a hunger strike in support of the Equal Rights Amendment.
(1.) ANDREW TOBIAS is a financial writer who explores the history of the insurance industry in the United States in his new book, The Invisible Bankers. He says there is much of interest in what many consider to be a dull topic. He talks about the myriad and conflicting state-by-state laws governing the industry and his take on how consumers can determine what policies best suit their needs.
(1.) Television journalist ROBERT MACNEIL cohosts the PBS news program The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour. He has a new book called The Right Place at the Right Time. He joins Fresh Air to talk about how, despite his unabashed liberal perspective, he cultivates an objective journalistic position on his show through copious research and careful selection of guests.
(1.) Bass player JYMIE MERRITT is a Philadelphia-based jazz musician who was recruited by drummer Art Blakey while Merritt was playing in a rock and roll band. He joins Fresh Air to talk about how he got his start on the instrument and how he keeps his playing fresh.
(1.) Journalist ROGER ANGELL discuss the state of baseball and sportswriting in his new book, Late Innings, which features work first published in his New Yorker column, The Sporting Life.
(1.) MATTHEW LESKO is a business consultant who helps individuals and institutions navigate the labyrinthine world of government funding. He also offers advice on NPR's Morning Edition, in a column in Good Housekeeping and in his new book, Getting Yours. (2.) BILL IRWIN incorporates his training as a clown in the vaudeville tradition into more experimental dance forms. His eclectic influences, coupled with a newfound interest in ballet, are featured in his dance piece called Regard of Flight.
(1.) Puerto Rican artist RAPHAEL FERRER has public art featured in the Bronx and Philadelphia. Largely self-taught, he gave up a burgeoning career as a latin jazz drummer to pursue sculpture and painting. (2.) Folk singer ROSALIE SORRELS made her living as a performing musician in the wake of a divorce. She joins Fresh Air to discuss how she chooses the songs in her repertoire and perform several of them a cappella.
(1.) WASHBOARD SLIM and HORACE "SPOONS" WILLIAMS take their names from the traditional instruments they play. After working as traveling musicians, they've made a permanent home in Philadelphia. The two perform songs from their repertoire for Fresh Air.
(1.) Tenor saxophonist, bass clarinetist and composer CHICO FREEMAN spent his formative years in Chicago, where he earned a master's degree in theory and composition from Governor State University. He also worked with the jazz collective the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. Now based in New York, he has a new album titled Destiny's Dance.
(1.) MILT HINTON's first solo photography show is now being featured at the Cava Gallery in Philadelphia. Best known for his work as a jazz and session musician, Hinton's photos document candid moments in the lives of iconic jazz figures. His work also portrays how touring African American jazz musicians experienced segregation in the American South.
(1.) Artist RED GROOMS has a new public sculpture called Philadelphia Cornucopia, which incorporates exaggerated portrayals of notable figures from early American history. Fascinated by the unique cultures that arise from cities, he has also made public art for New York and Minneapolis. In addition to sculpture, Grooms is known for his films and his staging of happenings in the 1960s.
(1.) Folk singer ROSALIE SORRELS made her living as a performing musician in the wake of a divorce. She joins Fresh Air to discuss how she chooses the songs in her repertoire and perform several of them a cappella. She is also helping raise money to help fund an investigation of a string of murders in her home town of the Delaware Water Gap. (REBROADCAST FROM 06/07/82) (2.) In his regular feature Interval, jazz critic FRANCIS DAVIS reviews new albums by The Art Ensemble of Chicago and Air, two groups with roots in the Chicago-based Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
(1.) WILHELMENIA FERNANDEZ tours the world as an opera singer, but calls Philadelphia home. Best known for playing the female lead in Porgy and Bess, she recently made her film debut in the movie Diva.
(1.) Writer and rabbi CHAIM POTOK is best known for his novels. However, he served as the Secretary of the Writings Committee of the Jewish Publication Society Committee of Scholars. The group has been working since 1957 on a new translation of the Old Testament, and the third volume was just published. Potok joins the show to discuss the process of translating the scriptures and the differences from more familiar translations.
(1.) GLORIA STEINEM and PAT CARBINE co-founded the feminist magazine Ms. They discuss how they navigate the political and media spheres to work toward greater legal protections for women -- particularly via the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. By building coalitions among lawmakers, men, and women of all backgrounds and sexual orientations, they hope to steer the narrative of feminism away from the hostile and often homophobic associations it has today.
(1.) Jazz tap dancers JIMMY SLYDE and LON CHANEY are members of the group Hoofers. They join Fresh Air to talk about how their style emerged from the bop tradition, the physical demands of their art, and their efforts to keep the tradition culturally vital.
(1.) Fresh Air broadcasts a lecture by Isaac Asimov. The acclaimed science fiction writer talks about how his ideas of robotics have influenced industrial and technological innovations. He sees further innovation as the only path forward for the cultural and material survival of humanity.
(1.) The new book The Skyscraper, by New York Times architecture critic PAUL GOLDBERGER, takes a look at the economic, social, and design history of cities across the United States. His interests lie in the trajectory of American urban centers with regard to effect and funding of new development.
(1.) GAIL PRESSBERG is the director of the Middle East desk of the American Friends Service Committee. The AFSC is a peace organization that conducts studies and promotes communications between feuding parties. Pressberg is the co-author of the AFSC report "A Compassionate Peace: A Future for the Middle East." Pressberg joins the show to discuss the current war in Lebanon, the background of Arab-Israeli relations, and the recent history of the Palestinian people. Pressberg will also respond to listener calls. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) Legendary editor and publisher ROBERT GIROUX has recently tried his hand at writing. His new book is "The Book Known as 'Q': A Consideration of Shakespeare's Sonnets." Giroux calls "Q" the most mysterious work ever published, and, unlike other critics, he believes it to be an early work of Shakespeare. Giroux joins the show to discuss Shakespeare's work, life, and sexuality. Giroux also discusses some of the works and authors he has published and edited.
(1.) DONALD DRAKE is a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer whose work often focuses on medical issues. Last week the Inquirer published his seven-part series on the homeless and the mentally ill, "The Forsaken." Drake spent over a year researching the topic, and has also written a musical drama, "Crazy People," based on his research. [The series would later be short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize.] Drake joins the show to discuss street people and the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill. Drake will also answer listener calls.
(1.) Trombonist MELBA LISTON is one the few women to find success as a musician, arranger, and composer in the world of jazz. Liston has worked with artists as diverse as Dizzy Gillespie and Aretha Franklin. After spending five years living in Jamaica, Liston has returned to the United States and formed a new big band, the seventeen-piece "Melba Liston and Company."
(1.) Writer and rabbi CHAIM POTOK is best known for his novels. However, he served as the Secretary of the Writings Committee of the Jewish Publication Society Committee of Scholars. The group has been working since 1957 on a new translation of the Old Testament, and the third volume was just published. It is the first translation in 2200 years to base itself on the original Hebrew texts. Potok joined the show in June, and he's back to offer comparisons between the new translation, the King James Bible, and the 1917 Jewish Publications translation.
(1.) JUDITH MARTIN, better known as MISS MANNERS, the name under which she writes her Washington Post advice column. She also reviews theater under her own name for the Post. She's recently written "Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior." Martin joins the show to defend the importance of etiquette, discuss class relations and manners, and answer Fresh Air staff's questions on topics such as splitting the check, catching an unzipped "fly," sexism and other "-isms' in the workplace, and the perils of modern dating and marriage.
(1.) Native Philadelphian PETER LIACOURAS is the seventh president of Temple University. Prior to holding the role, he served as the Dean of Law at Temple from 1972 and has been a member of the faculty since 1963. He's also worked as Special Assistant Prosecutor in Philadelphia, and worked on a four-year study on the use and abuse if computers in the criminal justice system. He joins the show to discuss his vision for Temple, and the university's new advertising campaign. (2.) JUAN GONZALEZ has just returned to the Philadelphia Daily News after taking a year's leave to found and serve as the first president of the National Congress of Puerto Rican Rights. ENRIQUE ARROYO is the director of the Puerto Rican Congress of New Jersey. They join the show to discuss Latino issues in the Delaware Valley.
INT.1: Reporter ROBERT SAM ANSON. While a young reporter for Time Magazine in Cambodia during the Vietnam War, Anson was captured by the North Vietnamese and their allies in the Khmer Rouge. He's written a book about that experience, but also about Time's reporting of the war. For much of the war, according to Anson, Time's hawkish stance compromised the work of its reporters, himself included. Anson's earlier books include "They've Killed the President!": The Search for the Murderers of John F. Kennedy, and Best Intentions: The Education and Killing of Edmund Perry. REV.1: Rock and roll historian ED WARD profiles Memphis soul musician and producer WILLIE MITCHELL. Mitchell was a trumpeter whose own tastes ran to jazz and soul. But Mitchell enjoyed his greatest success as a producer and talent scout. He launched the careers of Al Green, Ann Peebles and O.V.Wright. INT.2: Computer animator JOHN LASSETER. His film "Tin Toy" won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. An earlier work, "Luxo Jr.," which brought to life a small fry Luxo lamp, was also nominated for an Academy Award for animation. Lasseter is the head animator at Pixar, the computer animation company that grew out of the computer graphics division of George Lucas's Lucasfilm. Lassetter also designed and animated the stained glass knight in Steven Spielberg's 1985 film "Young Sherlock Holmes." (Rebroadcast. Originally broadcast on Tuesday, May 23, 1989.) REV.2: Book Critic JOHN LEONARD reviews a posthumous collection of essays by writer BRUCE CHATWIN. The collection is titled What Am I Doing Here? Chatwin, who wrote extensively about his world travels and the collisions of cultures, died last year from a Chinese fungus that infected him on one of his trips.
(1.) JOHN CAGE is an avant-garde musician known for his "chance compositions," which use "found" sounds. His music mixes Eastern philosophy with Western high-technology. Cage is also an expert on mushrooms. In celebration of his birthday, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is putting on an exhibition of his scores, "John Cage: Scores & Prints." Cage joins the show to discuss his art and philosophy.
(1.) Poet, playwright, and novelist NTOZAKE SHANGE is best known for her choreo-poem "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf," which has been adapted for public television. Her first novel, "Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo" has just been published. It follows three sisters whose weaver mother named them after vivid dyes. The novel mixes poems, spells, potions, and recipes, and explores the territories and choices of modern Black women.
(1.) WILLIAM MURRAY is the son of atheist crusader Madalyn Murray O'Hair, whom the family considered "the most hated woman in America." At the age of 14, Murray was the plaintiff in a Supreme Court case his mother filed to remove prayer from the Baltimore Public Schools. Murray experienced a difficult relationship with Murray O'Hair, who terrorized him as child. As an adult, Murray converted to Christianity and hasn't spoken to his mother since 1977. His new book is "My Life Without God."
(1.) GEOFFREY STOKES has been a staff writer for The Village Voice since 1973. He is the editor of the "New Village Voice Anthology," a collection of articles from the newspapers from 1956-1980. Stokes joins the show to discuss the Anthology and the Voice's history.
(1.) HANS BETHE won the 1967 Nobel Prize for Physics for determining the nuclear processes that power the sun and stars. Bethe was also involved in the creation of the atom and hydrogen bombs at the Los Alamos project during World War II. Bethe is now an activist for a nuclear freeze, and co-authored a New York Times op-ed on the topic. He joins the show to discuss the development and future of nuclear arms.
(1.) PAUL ZIMMERMAN is the screenwriter of the upcoming film "The King of Comedy," directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro and Jerry Lee Lewis. Zimmerman was previously the movies editor for Newsweek and has written several books. ZImmerman is based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and has become active in the Bucks Alliance for Nuclear Disarmament (B.A.N.D.). The group has invited Helen Caldicott of Physicians for Social Responsibility to speak at a local event.
(1.) ELDRIDGE CLEAVER was active in the Black Panther Party in the 1960s and early 1970s. He fled the country after his involvement in a shootout with Oakland Police and returned in 1975. Cleaver served 9 months in jail before being released, and he finishes his last day of parole today. He joins the show to discuss what has happened since his return, including his political involvement (which has become more conservative) and return to Christianity.
(1.) ROBERT A. HARRIS is the producer, and along with Kevin Brownlow, one of the reconstructionists of the 1927 French silent film "Napoleon." The film used techniques such as montage, "poly-vision," and rapid edits. Harris and Brownlow tracked down missing footage across England, France, and the United States. Harris is the head of Image Film Archive, a film distribution company. Harris joins the show to discuss the film and the efforts to reconstruct it.
(1.) NOAM CHOMSKY's linguistic theories revolutionized the field, and he is also known as a political radical. He has written many works of social, political, and economic analysis, and his latest work "Towards a New Cold War," consists of essays tracing the evolution of American foreign policy and ideology since the 1970s. A new collection of his essays called "Radical Priorities," has also been released. Chomsky, who grew up in the area, is in Philadelphia to deliver a talk on the relations between the United States and Israel.
(1.) PAUL FUSSELL is an academic who has written several works of cultural history and literary criticism. His is particularly interested in the writing, photography, and art produced during World War II. His latest collection of essays is "The Boy Scout Handbook and Other Observations." (2.) Painter NEIL WELLIVER is known as "neoimpressionist" and for his landscapes of the Maine countryside. He divides his time between Maine and Philadelphia where he works at the University of Pennsylvania. The Institute of Contemporary Art at the University is hosting a exhibition of his work, "Neil Welliver: Painting 1966-1980."
(1.) JESSICA SAVITCH is one of the most prominent women journalists on broadcast television. She began her career as a Philadelphia newscaster. Her autobiography "Anchorwoman" discusses how she made her career in a male dominated industry. She joins the show to discuss journalism and women.
(1.) JULES FEIFFER is a cartoonist known for satirizing the middle class, politicians, and sexual attitudes in his comic strip "Feiffer.". He began his career at The Village Voice and is now syndicated nationally. Feiffer has also written several screenplays, including "Little Murders." A new collection of his work "Jules Feiffer's America: From Eisenhower to Reagan."
(1.) DONALD BOGLE is an author, film critic, and staff writer for Ebony, who wrote "Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks; An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films." Bogle, who also works as a story editor for Otto Preminger, has recently released "Brown Sugar: Eight Years of America's Black Female Superstars." He joins the show to discuss film images of African Americans and the role of race in the motion picture industry.
(1.) University of Pennsylvania folklorist HENRY GLASSIE has been the last ten years studying the Northern Irish community of Ballymenone. Glassie sees the conflict and history of this community as a microcosm of Ireland's at large, and says he wanted to present the "workaday reality" of average people. His study has been compiled into the book "Passing the Time in Ballymenone: Culture and History of an Ulster Community," and contains stories, songs, and Glassie's own descriptions and analyses. A companion volume, "Irish Folk History: Tales From the North," contains transcriptions of songs and stories from the community.
(1.) Film critics GENE SISKEL and ROGER EBERT come from two competing Chicago newspapers, but teamed up for the hit PBS show "Sneak Previews," which won an Emmy in 1979. The two have recently left PBS for a new, nationally-syndicated show. "At the Movies."
(1.) Philadelphian JOHN ZACHERLE (ZACHERLY) is the exemplar of the horror movie show host. He plays the character of "Roland" (pronounced "Ro-LAND) on his television show "Shock Theater." He not only introduces the films he plays, he also adds in cut-aways that often mock the movie or the genre itself. Zacherle is also had a top-ten hit with the novelty song "Dinner with Drac." Zacherle will join the Philadelphia Pops for a performance of "The Raven" this weekend. (2.) Fresh Air arts critic Judy Stein shares upcoming arts events in Philadelphia and reviews the New Expressionist show of painting and photography, "The Raw Edge," at the Cheltenham Arts Center, as well the show of Post-Modern prints, "The New Image" at the Association of American Artists Gallery.
(1.) LARRY KING is the host of the radio talk show "The Larry King Show." The late-night program features guest interviews and listener calls and is aired between midnight and five thirty. He's recently written the memoir "Larry King." He will be airing his show live from Philadelphia this week.
(1.) In 1952 jazz singer CLEO LAINE joined The JOHN DANKWORTH Band; in 1958, she and Dankworth married. They continue their collaboration: Dankworth produces and arranges Laine's albums and manages her career. Their latest effort is the album "Smilin' Through," which features Dudley Moore on piano. The English couple began touring the United States and Canada in the 1970s and Laine has sung in many prestigious venues. Dankworth has also written the scores for several films. The two are in town to perform at the Valley Forge Music Fair.
(1.) Pianist KENNY BARRON is part of the band Sphere. One of the group's largest influences and inspirations is Thelonious Monk whose work is featured on their newest and first album "Four in One." Native Philadelphian Barron has also recently released two solo albums "Kenny Barron at the Piano" and "Golden Lotus."Barron also teaches music at Rutgers. Sphere will perform at the Afro-American Museum.
(1.) Cello player DAVID EYGES and saxophonist BYARD LANCASTER have been playing together since 1979. Eyges is trained and classical and chamber music, but has added jazz to his repertoire. Lancaster is a native Philadelphia who was played with many jazz legends. He also plays in the band Philly Funk. Eyges and Lancaster released the album "The Arrow" as a duo, and with, Sunny Murray, the album "Crossroads" as the David Eyges Trio. The trio will begin a residency at the Painted Bride Arts Center. The pair join the show to perform live and discuss their approach to composition and improvisation.
(1.) Cello player DAVID EYGES and saxophonist BYARD LANCASTER have been playing together since 1979. Eyges is trained and classical and chamber music, but has added jazz to his repertoire. Lancaster is a native Philadelphia who was played with many jazz legends. He also plays in the band Philly Funk. Eyges and Lancaster released the album "The Arrow" as a duo, and with, Sunny Murray, the album "Crossroads" as the David Eyges Trio. The trio will begin a residency at the Painted Bride Arts Center. The pair join the show to perform live and discuss their approach to composition and improvisation. In this segment of the interview, Eyges and Lancaster will also answer questions from listeners who call in.
(1.) Civil liberties lawyer ALAN DERSHOWITZ is known as a defender of free speech and an advocate for the right to a passionate defense. Dershowitz has defended many controversial figures and is currently involved in the Claus von Bulow and Jack Henry Abbott cases. He has been a professor at Harvard Law School since the age of twenty-eight. His new book is "The Best Defense."
(1.) HELEN GURLEY BROWN is the editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine. She says that her newest book, "Having it All," is aimed at "mouse burgers" or, women of plain appearance. She defends beauty standards and claims that all women can develop themselves through fashion, makeup, exercise, and even plastic surgery.
(1.) MIMI POND is the author and illustrator of the new book "The Valley Girls' Guide to Life," which she researched by spending time in the mall with Californian junior high students. Pond is a cartoonist whose strip "Mimi Pond's Famous Waitress School" appears regularly in The National Lampoon. (2.) Poet and performer LANE KIYOMI NISHIKAWA will be performing his one-man show about being Japanese-American "Life in the Fast Lane: Requiem for a Sansei Poet" in Philadelphia. The show contains stories and poems based on his life in Hawaii and San Francisco. He joins the show to discuss his work and life and perform selections from the show.
(1.) FRANK SAUNDERS worked as the chauffeur for Joseph and Rose Kennedy from 1961 until after Joseph Kennedy's death. He lived in a cottage on their Hyannisport estate, and performed many duties for them beyond his title. He's written a book about his time with the Kennedys, "Torn Lace Curtain." (2.) EDIE MASSEY is an actress known for her eccentric roles in John Waters' films. She has appeared in "Pink Flamingos" "Multiple Maniacs," and "Polyester." She was discovered by the director in a Baltimore bar, and she also runs a thrift store, "Edith's Shopping Bag," in the city. Massey also heads a punk act and is performing in Philadelphia tonight. She plays a mixture of Connie Francis and Four Seasons' songs, as well as originals.
(1.) BEN KRASS of the Krass Brothers clothing store and ARON LEVIN of Aron Levin Galleries are businessmen known in Delaware County for their television commercials. They join the show to discuss why they chose to create their own television advertisements, and how the ads have effected their businesses and images.
(1.) TONY BENNETT is one of the foremost interpreters of American popular songs. Bennett will perform with the Count Basie Orchestra at the Valley Forge Music Fair next week. He joins the show to discuss his music, his career, and the music industry of the past and present. (2.) DANIEL FORD is the former Executive Director of the Union of Concerned Scientists. He led a ten year investigation into the nuclear industry and its relationship with the Atomic Energy Commission. Ford discovered that the regulatory agency saw itself as an industry partner and suppressed damaging reports. His report has been published in the book "The Cult of the Atom: The Secret Papers of the Atomic Energy Commission." (PARTIAL INTERVIEW)
(1.) Film critic LEONARD MALTIN has been writing about films since he was 17 years old. The 1983-1984 edition of his guide "T.V. Movies," which gives "capsule" reviews of films airing on television, has just been published. This year's edition has 15,000 movies and also reviews made-for-television movies. Maltin has written several books about film and is the film critic for Entertainment Tonight. Maltin will answer listener calls about movies.
(1.) MILO O'SHEA is an Irish actor currently starring as a priest in "Mass Appeal" at the Walnut Street Theater. He played the same role on Broadway for which he won several awards and was nominated for a Tony award. O'Shea has appeared in numerous films and plays. He will appear with Paul Newman in the upcoming film "The Verdict."
(1.) PETER MAX is an artists whose "psychedelic" posters and graphics were popular in the 1960s and early 1970s, and he designed the appearance of the film "Yellow Submarine." He switched to painting in the mid-1970s, and his recent paintings of the Statue of Liberty were featured in Reagan's White House. A retrospective of his paintings, drawings, lithographs and etchings will open at the Hallowell Gallery in Conshohocken. (2.) THOMAS KENEALLY recently won the prestigious Booker prize for his novel "Schindler's List." The novel tells the story of German Industrialist Oskar Schindler who, in World War II, created "benign" work and concentration camps. The Australian novelist has published several novels, including "The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith," which has been made into a film.
(1.) JULIAN "WINNIE" WINSTON is best known as as a pedal steel guitarist who builds whose own instruments. He also works as a professor of design at the Philadelphia College of the Arts. In this interview, Winston, whose nickname is "Winnie," discusses another field of interest: homeopathy. Winston first experienced homeopathic medicine as a patient, and began to research it for himself. He has spent a year traveling around the country interviewing homeopathic practitioners. Winston is on the faculty of the National Center for Instruction in Homeopathy in Millersville, Pa.
(1.) TOM SHALES is the film critic for NPR and a television critic and t.v. editor at the Washington Post. His column is syndicated in nearly 150 newspapers, including the Philadelphia Daily News. A collection of Shales' t.v. columns from 1974-1982, "On the Air," has just been published.
(1.) ANN BEUF is a sociologist who studies the social and psychological lives of those with illnesses. She has researched the lives of hospitalized children and the psychology of vitiligo patients. Beuf was formerly the director of Womens' Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and currently teaches at Penn and Cedar Crest College. She will travel to New Zealand next year on a Fullbright Scholarship. Beuf recently traveled to China to study their medical system, she will discuss her findings as well as her research into anorexia patients in this interview.
(1.) VINE DELORIA is a Native American activist and writer. The member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe joins the show to discuss Native American politics and society.
(1.) Journalist DAVID HALBERSTAM is best known for his work on the Vietnam War for such publications as the New York Times. Unlike many journalists, Halberstam reported from the countryside. Halberstam delivers a talk on television and contemporary politics as a SPEC (Social Planning and Events Committee) Connaissance Speaker at the University of Pennsylvania.
(1.) Journalist DAVID HALBERSTAM is best known for his work on the Vietnam War for such publications as the New York Times. Unlike many journalists, Halberstam reported from the countryside. Halberstam delivers a talk on television and contemporary politics as a SPEC (Social Planning and Events Committee) Connaissance Speaker at the University of Pennsylvania.
(1.) Jazz singer PHYLLIS HYMAN was in the original Broadway cast of "Sophisticated Ladies," a musical revue of Duke Ellington's work, along with Gregory Hines and Judith Jamison. Hyman is featured on McCoy Tyner's new album is "Looking Out" and is in town to perform. Hyman discusses the show, her career, and writing jingles for television commercials.
(1.) STANLEY CROUCH is a jazz critic and Village Voice columnist who regularly writes about jazz, theater, and black issues and politics. Crouch is also a drummer who has recorded with several jazz bands. He is in Philadelphia to speak at a jazz forum and concert.
(1.) Novelist EDMUND WHITE's newest work, "A Boy's Own Story," follows a young gay man growing up in the midwest in the 1950s. The novel has some autobiographical elements. White joins the show to discuss his life, growing up as a homosexual person, and his novel.
(1.) MARGE PIERCY is a novelist. Her new book is titled "Braided Lives."
(1.) Blues and bluegrass musician DAVID BROMBERG worked as a side member in many jazz and folk bands before striking out as a solo act. Bromberg is a multi-instrumentalist, who focuses on the guitar. He joins the show to discuss his career and play live. (INTERVIEW BY Bob Carlin)
(1.) DIVINE is an actor known for acting in drag in JOHN WATERS' films. Divine has developed a club act which will play in Philadelphia and is publishing a paper-doll book. Divine's drag persona was developed with director and writer John Waters. A retrospective of Waters' films is currently playing in Philadelphia. The two join the show to discuss their careers, lives, and the public's reaction to their boundary-pushing films.
(1.) WALTER S. KENTON spent seventeen years working in the insurance industry as a salesperson, manager, and broker before deciding he could no longer work in the industry in 1980. Kenton has written a book about what he calls insurance companies' "deceitful" sales tactics, "How Life Insurance Companies Rob You and What You Can Do About It." (2.) Son of Duke Ellington, composer and musician MERCER ELLINGTON is the conductor of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The Orchestra will join Peter Nero and the Philly Pops for a pair of concerts of Duke Ellington's work, including a symphony, "The Three Black Kings / Les Trois Rois Noirs," finished by Mercer Ellington after his father's death.
(1.) VUKAN VUCHIC is one of the world's leading experts in urban transportation, and is a professor of Civil and Urban Engineering Transportation at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of the book "Public Transportation Systems and Technology," and, in 1982, won the first Dr. Friedrich Lehner Medal, which is awarded to those who have devoted their lives to public transportation. Vuchic joins the show to discuss SEPTA's recent cutbacks on commuter lines, the state of public transportation, automobile traffic flows, pedestrians, and the future of transportation in Philadelphia. Vuchic will also answer listener calls.
(1.) Film and television critic Bill Van Wert joins Terry Gross to discuss and review the new film with James Caan, Sally Field, and Jeff Bridges, "Kiss Me Goodbye." (PARTIAL INTERVIEW) (2.) Documentarian BOB MUGGE's new film "Black Wax" is a performance documentary with poet and activist Gil Scott-Heron. The film documents performances by Scott-Heron, including some with wax figures. Mugge's previous film "Amateur Night at City Hall," was a documentary about Frank Rizzo.
(1.) Willy Perryman, better known as PIANO RED, is a pianist who has been playing the blues and boogie woogie since the 1920s when he got his start playing rent parties in Georgia. Piano Red also hosted a live radio show on WAOK in Atlanta where he was known as "Dr. Feelgood." He began touring internationally in the 1970s and is in town to play several concerts. (2.) LES BLANK is one of the filmmakers who directed the documentary "Burden of Dreams," which will be playing at the International House in Philadelphia. The documentary is about the making of Werner Herzog's fictional film "Fitzcarraldo," which chronicles an Irishman trying to build an opera house in the Amazonian jungle. This interview originally aired on Michael Goodwin's radio program about film on Pacifica Radio Station KPFA in Berkeley. (INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL GOODWIN) (3.) On this edition of "Interval," Francis Davis finishes his series on the best jazz recordings of 1982 with his top ten list of "mainstream" jazz albums: 1. Sarah Vaughan, Crazy and Mixed Up."2. Alberta Hunter, "The Glory of Alberta Hunter."3. Wynton Marsalis, "Wynton Marsalis."4. George Adams and Don Pullen, "Melodic Excursions."5. Chet Baker and Lee Konitz, "In Concert."6. Mel Lewis and Bob Brookmeyer, "Make Me Smile and Other New Works."7. Joanne Brackeen Trio, "Special Identity."8. Jaki Byard, "To Them, To Us."9. Kenny Barron, "Kenny Barron at the Piano."10. Sphere, "Four in One."
(1.) Singer and lyricist PEGGY KING was well known in the 1950s, especially for her appearances on television variety programs, such as the Mel Torme Show. She left the business to raise her children in Philadelphia, but has returned to performance. King will perform with the Philly Pops, singing a Johnny Mercer set.
(1.) Composer JOHN KANDER and lyricist FRED EBB are one the most popular songwriting teams in the country. They wrote the music for Broadway shows such as "Cabaret," "Chicago," and "Woman of the Year." They've also composed the music for movies such as "Funny Lady" and "New York, New York." Their song of the same name from the latter film became a hit when sung by Frank Sinatra. Their new musical, "Zorba," stars Anthony Quinn.
(1.) Drummer RONALD SHANNON JACKSON has worked with jazz legends such as Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler, and Ornette Coleman during his Harmolodics period. Jackson's new album is "Man Dance." (2.) Film critic Bill Van Wert reviews the film "Sophie's Choice," starring Meryl Streep. (PARTIAL REVIEW)
(1.) Poet NIKKI GIOVANNI joins the show to discuss her latest work "Those Who Ride the Night Winds," the life of a poet, African American poets, rap, and women poets.
(1.) There have been many changes in Philadelphia since the 1950s: the renovation of Society Hill, the Chestnut Street Transit Way, Penn Center, Galleries 1 and 2, and Penn's Landing. BARBARA KAPLAN is the current Executive Director of the Philadelphia Planning Commission. Prior to attaining the role, she served for eight-and-a-half years on the commission in various roles, and for planning agencies in Dallas/Fort Worth, San Diego, and Los Angeles. ED BACON held the same role as Kaplan from 1949-1970, and his tenure was so impressive that he is known as the "Father of Modern Philadelphia." He was behind the renovation of Penn Center and Penn's Landing, and the development of Society Hill and Market Street East. Bacon is also the author of the book "Design of Cities," a book which has influences architects and designers. The two join the show to discuss the current state of the City and development plans for the future, including proposals for a new Convention Center and a symphony hall on Broad Street. Kaplan and Bacon will also answer respond to listener questions and comments.
(1.) JOYCE JOHNSON became a part of the circle known as the Beat writers: Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac, when she broke away from her middle class Jewish family life and joined the bohemian Greenwich Village crowd. Johnson met Kerouac in 1957 and was in a romantic relationship with him for two years. Her new memoir, "Minor Characters," discusses not only her experiences but also the role of women in the Beat generation. Johnson is also an editor and novelist.
(1.) Dr. WALTER LEAR is the founder and co-chair of the National Gay Health Coalition, the former state Health Commissioner, for Southeast Pennsylvania and the president and founder of the Institute of Social Medicine and Community Health in West Philadelphia. Dr. NICK IFFT is the secretary of Philadelphia Health Professionals for Human Rights (an organization of gay and lesbian physicians and dentists), the coordinator of the Philadelphia A.I.D.S. Task Force, and a general practitioner at South East Health Center in Philadelphia. The doctors join the show to discuss A.I.D.S. (speculation about its cause, its symptoms, and medical effects) and its effects on the gay community.
(1.) MARITA GOLDEN became part of a group of black radicals as student at American University in Washington, D.C. After graduating from the Columbia School of Journalism, Golden married a Nigerian and moved to Nigeria with him. Golden was shocked by the role of women and wives in the country, which she found stifling. Taking her son with her, Golden left her husband and returned to the United States. She discuss her life and experiences in her memoir "Migrations of the Heart."
(1.) Pianist and composer PHILIP GLASS is known for his avant-garde "minimalist" music. Glass was trained classically at Juliard and in Paris. Glass discusses his album "Music With Changing Parts."
(1.) ALICE NEEL is a painter known for her portraits and nudes. Neel was born in 1900 in the Main Line and studied at the Philadelphia School for Design for Women, later Moore College of Art. Neel's work is featured in an exhibit at the Philadelphia College of Art, focusing on women artists whose work appears in the archives of the Women's Interart Center in New York. She discusses her life and career as a woman artist.
(1.) PETER BOGDANOVICH is a screenwriter, director, and producer, whose movies include "The Last Picture Show," "What's Up Doc?," and "Paper Moon." He got his start working for Roger Corman. Bogdanovich is also a critic and journalist, who has written for the Village Voice and Esquire, and also an author of several books about U.S. film directors. His latest film is a romantic comedy titled "They All Laughed," and Bogdanovich is currently distributing it himself through his company Moon Pictures.
(1.) STAN MACK's cartoon strip "Stan Mack's Real Life Funnies," has run in the Village Voice since 1974. The strip comes with the guarantee "all dialogue reported verbatim," and consists of absurd conversations overheard by Mack. Mack began his career as an art director at The New York Tribune and The New York Times. Mack's new book "In Search of the G-Spot" is a collection of "sex spoof jokes."
(1.) SEYMOUR SHUBIN is a novelist whose previous work "Anyone's My Name," was a best seller. Shubin is the former managing editor of Official Detective Stories, and has written for medical and psychological journalists. His new novel, "The Captain," is a suspense story that explores the anger and resentment a retired detective living in a nursing home feels towards the nurses, doctors, and the family members who put him there. The novel has been nominated for an Edgar Award. (2.) Gerontologist ROY WALFORD is currently researching the aging process and how to extend life expectancy. His new book "Maximum Life Span," explores the theory he is currently developing on using caloric restriction, or what Walford calls "under nutrition," to extend life expectancy. Walford has been on the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) since 1954, and has won many awards for his research and work.
(1.) Poet GWENDOLYN BROOKS was, in 1954, the first black person to receive the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Brooks has written over fifteen books, her poetry has been widely anthologized, and has received over forty honorary doctorates. Brooks is also the Poet Laureate of Illinois. Brooks is in the are to deliver the "Marion Moore Poetry Reading" at Bryn Mawr College. Brooks discusses her career and reads some of her poetry.
(1.) MICHAEL DIBERARDINIS is an organizer with the Kensington Joint Action Council (KJAC), an community group that attempts to unite Whites, Blacks, and Latinx to tackle neighborhood problems. DiBerardinis joins the show to discuss conditions, racial relations, and politics in the neighborhood. (INTERVIEW BY DAVE DAVIES)
(1.) NORMAN MAILER is a journalist, novelist, and essayist whose latest novel is "Ancient Evenings." Mailer delivers a talk on "The Problem of Writing" at the University of Pennsylvania.
(1.) JOHN ROCKWELL is the music critic for The New York Times. He believes critics should take (almost) all genres of music equally, and was one the first critics to cover "vernacular music." Rockwell has written the book "All American Music." Rockwell discusses his taste in music (including his beginnings in classical music), journalism, and shares records with Fresh Air.
(1.) "Seaview" is TOBY OLSON's second novel, and has been nominated for a Penn/Faulkner Award. The novel follows a golf hustler and dying woman who travel across the U. S. Olson is also well known as a poet, especially in the Philadelphia where he is an active member of the "poetry scene." Olson teaches at Temple University where he is developing a Master's degree program in creative writing.
(1.) Coloratura soprano ROBERTA PETERS made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1950, and has sung there every seasons since. Peters has performed in China and the U.S.S.R. Peters joins the show to discuss her life, career, and the current state of opera.
(1.) CHARLIE HADEN is one of the foremost bass players in contemporary jazz. In the 1950s Haden was a part of the first Ornette Coleman Quartet, which was the center of a jazz revolution. He has been involved with both avant-garde and mainstream jazz ever since. In the 1960s he formed the Liberation Music Orchestra, whose pointed political references were controversial. Haden has recently re-formed the Orchestra and also plays with the band Old and New Dreams, made-up of Coleman alumni. He has also recently recorded an album with Denny Zeitlin. Haden joins the show to discuss his roots in country music, working with Coleman, and his career in jazz.
(1.) MARGARET ATWOOD is a novelist and poet whose female protagonists have attracted women readers. Atwood considers herself a feminist writer and joins the show to discuss her life, career, and the women's movement. Her latest work is a collection of short stories titled "Dancing Girls."
(1.) STANLEY TIGERMAN is a Chicago-based architect known as the "enfant terrible" of midwestern architecture. Although he studied with Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, but in 1976 he decided to break with the Chicago School of architecture and declared he had done his last serious piece. In the same year, he was part of the "Chicago 7," a group of architects who organized a "guerrilla" alternative to the "100 Years of Chicago Architecture" show. Since then, Tigerman has incorporated wit in humor in his work. His buildings include "Daisy House," in the shape of a penis, "Kosher Kitchen for a Jewish American Princess," "Hot Dog House," and "House with a Pompadour." In 1983, he won the American Institute of Architect's Honor Award for his design for the Illinois Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Tigerman heads his own firm and is a professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago. HIs latest book is "Verses."
(1.) ROGER "JIM" MCGUINN was the leader of the folk-rock group The Byrds whose hits include "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn, Turn, Turn." McGuinn is the one constant member of the group which has gone several personnel changes, including the departures of David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Gram Parsons. McGuinn has also released several solo albums. McGuinn brings his guitar to the studio to share both Byrd hits and new music.
(1.) PAUL ZIMMERMAN is the screenwriter of the film "The King of Comedy," directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro and Jerry Lewis. Zimmerman was previously the movies editor for Newsweek and has written several books. ZImmerman is based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and is active in the Bucks Alliance for Nuclear Disarmament (B.A.N.D.). Now that "The King of Comedy," has been released, Zimmerman returns to Fresh Air to discuss the film.
(1.) Historian ALLAN BÉRUBÉ has been researching gays and lesbians during World War II, particularly gay men in the military. Bérubé began the research for the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay History Project, an oral history which collected stories from older gays and lesbians about life "pre-Stonewall." Bérubé's work was the covered in the Mother Jones article "Coming Out Under Fire."
(1.) "Populist gourmet" CALVIN TRILLIN is a journalist, humorist, and food writer. His latest work is "Third Helpings." He joins the show to discuss his work and contemporary food culture.
(1.) Philadelphian RASHIED ALI is a drummer known for his involvement with "free jazz" and other avant-garde jazz. Ali also played for John Coltrane. Ali joins the show to discuss his life and career.
(1.) SUSAN SEIDELMAN is the producer and director of the film "Smithereens," which will open at the TLA this week. The movie follows a young women who, despite her lack of musical talent, dreams of becoming a New Wave star. The film co-stars punk musician Richard Hell. "Smithereens" was the first independent film entered into competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Seidelman is from Abington, and will be at the TLA opening.
(1.) Novelist RITA MAE BROWN's newest novel "Sudden Death" is set in the world of women's professional tennis. Brown herself was a tennis player before becoming a writer. The novel also deals with the issue of lesbian athletes in the sport. Brown joins the show to discuss the novel and the sport.
(1.) MALCOLM FORBES is the owner, chairman, and editor-in-chief of Forbes Magazine, whose slogan is "Forbes: The Capitalist's Tool." The company was founded by Forbes's father, and Forbes joined the staff in 1947, and was promoted after his father's death in 1954. The firm remains a family business--two of Forbes's sons work for the magazine. Forbes is also known for his wealth and extravagant hobbies such as hot-air ballooning (he was the first to travel coast-to-coast in one), motorcycling, and collecting art and toy soldiers. Forbes is in Philadelphia to deliver a talk at a World Affairs Council dinner.
(1.) Jazz pianist BOB NELOMS joins the show to discuss his early career as the house pianist for Motown Records. Neloms worked with artists such as The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and Mary Wells. He can be heard on such Motown hits as "Dancing in the Streets," "You've Really Got A Hold On Me," "Baby Love," and "Heat Wave." Neloms will also discuss his career in jazz and his time working for Charlie Mingus. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) TONY BENNETT is one of the foremost interpreters of the American songbook, and he has continued to record classics despite pressure to "give up the old stuff." Bennett joins the show to share and discuss recordings that span his entire career, including discussion of composers such as the Gershwins, Johnny Mercer, Count Basie, and Rodgers and Hart. (2.) On this edition of "Hearing Secret Harmonies," rock critic Ken Tucker will review the television special "Motown: Yesterday, Today, Forever," and share some the music "you didn't hear on the special."
(1.) Jazz pianist and composer MCCOY TYNER grew up in West Philadelphia. In his early career, he worked as John Coltrane's pianist and recorded over twenty albums with the legend. Tyner has been recording on his own since 1965, and his influence is clear in the style of younger players. Tyner will perform and attend a concert in his honor at the upcoming Cool Jazz Festival.
(1.) JOHN ZOGBY is the National Field Representative of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. The organization was founded in 1980 and opposes discrimination, ethnic slurs, and racism directed against Arabs. The group has protested advertisements, newspaper cartoons, and press coverage, and has lobbied Congress regarding Israel's invasion of Lebanon. Zogby is of Lebanese descent, and lives in Central New York, where he is involved in local politics and worked as a professor of political science and history. Zogby says that Arabs are "the last ethnic group it's legitimate to pick on in America." He joins the show to discuss the dual image of Arabs in the United States and how this effects American foreign policy. Zogby will also respond to listener calls.
(1.) JOHN G. ADAMS became the Counselor of the Army in 1953 and had to work as the liaison to Joseph McCarthy. His experience with McCarthy turned his indifference towards the Senator to active resistance. When McCarthy threatened members of the Army in 1954, Adams leaked documents that revealed McCarthy's illegal harassment of Adams. This led to the televised "Army-McCarthy Hearings." Adams has written a new book about this period and his experiences, "Without Precedent: The Story of the Death of McCarthyism."
(1.) PETER TORK was the guitarist and keyboardist of The Monkees, and band put together for a 1960s television program of the same name. Tork currently performs solo as well as part of his band the Peter Tork Project. Tork joins the show to discuss being a Monkee and his career since the band's demise.
(1.) Tenor saxophonist and composer ARCHIE SHEPP is known for his radical jazz and his radical politics. His recent work has emphasized interpreting the traditions from which his playing and writing is derived, including a blues and spiritual album with Horace Parlan and a tribute album to Charlie Parker "Looking at Bird." His latest album is "Mama Rose." Shepp is also a playwright, poet, and professor. Shepp moved to Philadelphia at the age of 7, and will perform a concert with McCoy Tyner at the Cool Jazz Festival.
(1.) Psychologist TIMOTHY LEARY is the father of the psychedelic movement of the 1960s and its experiments with mind-altering drugs. In 1960, Leary joined the faculty of Harvard at the Center for Personality Research, where he analyzed the effects of psychedelics and personality. As part of his research, introduced L.S.D. and other psychedelic drugs to many, and also used them himself. Leary was eventually asked to leave the university, and later served time in jail on drug charges. After his release, Leary went a tour debating one of his nemeses, G. Gordon Liddy. Leary has written a new autobiography "Flashbacks," and joins the show to discuss his life and philosophy.
(1.) Husband and wife JANE STERN and MICHAEL STERN spend much of their time on the road in search of good food and Americana. They have written several books about their travels including "Road Food" and "Horror Holiday." Their latest work "Goodfood" is about regional cuisine around the United States. Jane and Michael Stern will discuss Philadelphia and Middle-Atlantic cuisine and respond to listener calls.
(1.) Legendary ballerina MARGOT FONTEYN was a member of The Royal Ballet and danced professionally for an exceptionally long time. She has danced with partners such as Rudolf Nureyev. Fonteyn will host a series on public television "The Magic of Dance." Fonteyn joins the show to discuss her life, career, and contemporary ballet.
(1.) CAL THOMAS is the Vice-President for Communications of the Moral Majority. The Moral Majority was funded by Jerry Falwell and a coalition of pastors, priests, and rabbis in June of 1979. Thomas describes the group as a political organization dedicated to addressing the "erosion of traditional values" and the social problems the group believes results from the abandonment of "Judeo-Christian values." Thomas writes the group's daily radio commentary, material for its monthly newspaper, and serves as a spokesman for the organization. His new book is "Book Burning." Thomas joins the show to discuss the group's values and its stance on women's rights, gays and lesbians, and abortion.
(1.) JOHN D'EMILIO is an Assistant Professor of American History at the University of North Carolina. His latest book, "Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities," is an historical analysis of the creation of gay activism from 1940-1970. The book looks at how World War II helped create a gay community, the politics and organizing styles of early homophile groups, such as the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis, and the impact of the civil rights movement, student activism, and feminism on gays. D'Emilio joins the show to discuss his research and conclusions.
(1.) SIGI SHAPIRO is the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, a coalition of 25 groups representing 70,000 Pennsylvanians. Shapiro joins the show how she became an activist in the disable rights movement and some of the current issues she is organizing around.
(1.) BILL BRADLEY is a United States Senator from New Jersey. Bradley started his career as a professional basketball player and was sworn-in as the Senate's youngest member in 1979. Bradley has served on the Energy and Finance Committees, co-sponsored the Fair Tax Bill, been one of the architects of the windfall profits tax on oil, and brought a contract to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Bradley is currently seeking Medicare reforms. Bradley joins the show to discuss his belief and legislative ideas; he will also respond to listener calls.
(1.) GEORGE JOSEPH KRESGE , also known as "The Amazing Kreskin," is a popular mentalist. Kresge will perform at the Fantasy Film Expo this weekend.
(1.) SEYMOUR HERSH is an investigative journalist known in part for breaking the story of the My Lai Massacre for which he received a 1970 Pulitzer Prize. Hersh also won Polk Awards in 1969, 1973, 1974, and 1981. Hersh is currently the national correspondent for The Atlantic, and his new book is "The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House." The book studies Kissinger's use and abuse of power during his international negotiations and his power plays within the Nixon administration. Hersh joins the show to discuss his book and career.
(1.) Poet and performer LANE KIYOMI NISHIKAWA will be performing his one-man show about being Asian American "Life in the Fast Lane: Requiem for a Sansei Poet" in Philadelphia. The show contains stories and poems based on his life in Hawaii and San Francisco. He joins the show to discuss his work and life and perform selections from the show. (REBROADCAST OF NOVEMBER 2, 1982).
(1.) WILLIAM SCHIMMEL is the accordionist for the Tango Project, and disagrees with those who malign the instrument and the dance/music. Schimmel has written a tango mass for accordion, conducted and performed in the Joseph Papp production of the "Three-Penny Opera," and composed the musical "Kill." Schimmel lives in New York and commutes to Philadelphia where he is the dean of the New Power School of Music. Schimmel is working with Tom Waits on a show called "Frank's Wild Years." He joins the show to discuss his career and has brought his accordion to the studio.
(1.) CHRISTOPHER CERF writes songs for the children's television program Sesame Street. He wrote and performed the bulk of the music on the new album, Born to Add, which features songs from the show.
(1.) MYRLIE EVERS was married to fellow civil rights worker Medgar Evers, who was assassinated in 1963. Her book about her late husband, For Us the Living, was recently adapted into a made-for-TV movie. She served as a consultant on set. She talks about how the experience of racism in Mississippi inspired her and her husband's activism.
(1.) Early in his career, trombonist AL GREY was hired by bandleader Count Basie as a featured soloist. As he continues to stay active in the the jazz scene, Grey's musical achievements are now being recognized by his hometown of Pottstown, Pennsylvania.
(1.) RAY FIELDING develops special effects for Francis Ford Coppola. He is also an accomplished film scholar. Fielding joins Fresh Air to discuss the unique challenges he and the director faced while making One from the Heart and Apocalypse Now.
(1.) TRACY NELSON was the lead singer of the Berkeley-based rock group Mother Earth. Now a solo artist in Nashville, she has been broadening her horizons by performing and recording music influenced by R&B and country.
(1.) Researcher and psychotherapist MYRON SHARAF has written a book about a his teacher and colleague Wilhelm Reich called Fury on Earth. Sharaf details Reich's early work with Freud, his political activism in 1930s Germany, and his research on the orgone, a term he coined for an essential biological energy.
(1.) Philadelphia-based new wave band Suburban Wives Club features REESA MARCHETTI on guitar, CHERIE RUMBOL on bass, and ANN FRANCIS on drums. As an all-woman band, they inject a healthy dose of irony into their songs about the femininity and the female experience. (2.) TONY AUTH is the political cartoonist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He recently illustrated a children's book called That Game from Outer Space.
(1.) Clarinetist and jazz club owner BILLY KRETCHMER's Philadelphia establishment was a hub for musicians in the area until the 1960s, after health issues forced Kretchmer to stop playing. He looks back fondly on his career as he prepares for his first public performance in 17 years.
(1.) BETTY WHITE is a television actress who portrayed the sardonic and sex-obsessed television show host Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She also serves on the boards of several animal welfare groups, and has written a new book about the relationship between pets and their owners.
(1.) Journalist FRED KAPLAN's new book is called "The Wizards of Armageddon." By looking at declassified documents, Kaplan examines the changing nature of the United States' nuclear arms policies. He cites the influence of rivalries between the Air Force and Navy, think tanks, and political strategists, all of whom have contributed to a more abstract, theoretical perspective on the potential for nuclear war.
(1.) Philadelphia Archdiocese Monsignor JOHN PATRICK FOLEY and Temple University professor LEONARD SWIDLER discuss the popularity of Pope John Paul II. They consider his focus on human rights, his traditional doctrinal positions, and how his opposition to the ordination of women and birth control could have a negative effect on women in the church.
(1.) In his new book But Never Eat Out on a Saturday Night, Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine food critic JIM QUINN shares his tips for diners on how to find the best restaurant experience.
(1.) DIAN FOSSEY has a new book called Gorillas in the Mist, about her research of the animals in central Africa. She returns to Fresh Air to talk more about the behavior of gorillas in their natural environment and her interactions with specific gorilla communities.
(1.) Folk singer MICHAEL COONEY is releasing four new LPs this year and continues to tour after two decades on the road. In addition to performing original and traditional songs, he often appears on the television show Sesame Street to play music for children. (INTERVIEW BY ???)
(1.) MICHAEL GRAVES' early work drew heavily from modern architecture pioneer Le Corbusier. Over time, Graves sought to incorporate more figurative, accessible gestures into his own architectural vocabulary. At once much lauded and much criticized, he continues to develop a style which evokes nature and signals a greater continuity with past traditions. In addition to his work as an architect and professor, Graves has designed a luxury bag for Bloomingdale's.
(1.) HOLLY NEAR and RONNIE GILBERT performed politically-charged folk music together until they were blacklisted in the 1950s. Now reunited, they continue to sing songs about workers' rights, the women's movement, and other liberation struggles around the world. (REBROADCAST FROM ??/??/1982)
(1.) Fatal Vision, the new book by writer and journalist JOE MCGINNISS, explores the investigation and eventual conviction of Jeffrey MacDonald, a Green Beret and doctor found guilty of murdering his daughters and pregnant wife. In exchange for a percentage of the book's royalties, MacDonald gave McGinniss a significant amount of access to his life, even allowing the writer to live with him during the trial.
(1.) The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's recent takeover of regional rail outside Philadelphia city limits stirred controversy, reduced ridership, and led to a worker strike. SEPTA General Manager DAVID GUNN and consultant and University of Pennsylvania professor VUKAN VUCHIK discuss how to improve the system and increase rider trust.
(1.) In the first of a four-part series on religion in America called On This Side of Paradise, WHYY reporter MAEVE MCGOWAN reports on adults who found spiritual fulfillment in Evangelical and other Protestant communities and faith traditions. (2.) Two of the religious leaders featured in On This Side of Paradise join Fresh Air to answer callers' questions about faith and doctrine. BRAD ALLISON is a pastor at Philadelphia's Tenth Presbyterian Church who embraces an Evangelical outlook. JOHN GORDON is the chaplain at Albright College, and has eschewed fundamentalism for what he describes as a "reasonable" interpretation of the Bible.
(1.) Writer BARBARA EHRENREICH's new book, The Hearts of Men, explores the changing nature of gender roles in marriage from the 1950s onwards. She connects the increase in middle class women entering the workforce with a growing disdain on the part of men toward traditional family structures, which some believe limit their economic and sexual agency. Ehrenreich finds evidence of this trend in the popularity of Playboy Magazine and the cultural rise of the male-dominated Beat movement.
(1.) ROBERT M. YOUNG is a filmmaker whose work focuses on injustices committed against the poor and other marginalized groups. He has a new movie forthcoming called The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER).
(1.) PETRA KELLY is a founding member of West Germany's Green party who is in Philadelphia to speak against NATO's presence in her country. She joins Fresh Air to discuss the efficacy of nonviolence, which her party embraces, feminism, and workers' rights.
(1.) Dr. SIDNEY WOLFE cofounded the the Health Research Group with Ralph Nader. That organization recently published a book called Over the Counter Pills that Don't Work, which, building on an ongoing FDA study, argues that many nonprescription drugs are either ineffective or unsafe. Wolfe advocates for the use of generic products, which typically have fewer ingredients, and the abstention from medicine to treat certain conditions like sleeplessness and some cold symptoms.
(1.) Advertising legend DAVID OGILVY has a new book called Ogilvy on Advertising. The creator of several successful campaigns, he eschews jingles, celebrity endorsements, and invasive television commercials in favor of informative and engaging ads. He lives in France.
(1.) JULIA CHILD's cookbooks and television shows brought French food and techniques to American audiences. She got her start later in life while living in Paris, where she both trained as a chef and taught aspiring cooks. A new TV show, Dinner at Julia's, premieres soon.
(1.) Filmmaker SCOTT B heads the production company B Movies with his wife Beth B. Taking cues from both art movies and low-budget features, they've made their first 16mm film called Vortex, a New Wave-inspired detective movie starring punk singer Lydia Lunch.
(1.) ERIC GREGG is one of the few African American umpires in Major League Baseball. He says he enjoys the job security that comes with his position -- professional players typically retire after 4-6 years, while Gregg anticipates being in the game until his 50s. He talks to Fresh Air's Terry Gross about why more African Americans aren't pursuing umpire careers, his famous weight loss, and the skills needed to make good judgements on the field.
(1.) Part two of a series on religion in the U.S. called On This Side of Paradise. Narrated by ANTHONY MATTEO, this segment examines the growing secularism of American Jews, the persistence of antisemitism, and the push among some to preserve and strengthen religious practices and traditions. (2.) JEFFREY DEKRO is a member of several Jewish organization which promote a liberal, feminist, and social-justice-focused agenda. PHYLLIS TAYLOR, who identifies as both a Quaker and a Jew, is a working nurse in the Philadelphia area active in hospice care. They discuss their religious and political convictions with Fresh Air callers.
(1.) GEORGE NELSON is a designer for the Herman Miller firm. He was instrumental in the conception of a new show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which features furniture and appliances.
(1.) LAURIE ANDERSON's art incorporates text, sound and performance. She lives in New York City and has a forthcoming record on Warner.
(1.) Part three of WHYY's feature on religion in the US. Narrated by ANTHONY MATTEO, this installment looks at the evolution of the Nation of Islam, and how the impact of that organization contributed to the growth of practicing Muslims in the African American community. (2.) Philadelphia-based Imam SHAMSUD-DIN ALI answers questions about his faith from Fresh Air listeners.
(1.) DOUG MARSH is a rock critic whose latest book is titled Before I Get Old: The Story of the Who. He uses the band as a lens through which to examine the trappings of rock stardom, from the adoption of public personas to the need to create increasingly more extreme concert experiences.
(1.) JOE NATHAN is an educator whose vision for effective public schools includes greater teacher autonomy and student input, reduced workloads for faculty, and administrators who more thoughtfully and consistently apply policies. His new book is titled Free to Teach.
(1.) PEGGY KING stopped singing professionally in 1960 to raise a family. She has begun recording and performing again, now collaborating with pianist MIKE ABENE. The two join Fresh Air for an in-studio concert.
(1.) RED BARBER is a New York-based sports broadcaster who bore witness to the desegregation of baseball with the recruitment of legendary player Jackie Robinson. Barber looks back on that time in his book 1947.
(1.) Feminist journalist GLORIA STEINEM returns to Fresh Air to discuss her new book, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, which collects essays from 1963 to the present day.
(1.) NAT HENTOFF is a music critic and political commentator who writes from a civil libertarian perspective. In a lecture broadcast by Fresh Air, he warns of the rise of more intrusive methods of law enforcement, fueled in part by the greater accessibility of computerized personal data.
(1.) Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) founder James Farmer later served in the Nixon administration, but resigned in frustration. As a civil rights leader, he helped organize the 1961 Freedom Rides. Farmer recalls the role of CORE in relation to other civil rights groups like SNCC, which later expelled white activists, and more militant figures like Malcom X.
(1.) Cartoonist MARK ALAN STAMATY's research for his satirical comic strip Washingtoon gave him unique insights into the political culture of Washington, DC. An anthology of the ongoing series has recently been published by Congdon & Weed.
(1.) ALWIN NIKOLAIS is a modern dance choreographer whose work downplays eroticism to highlight the purely aesthetic qualities of bodies in motion.
(1.) DEBORAH SPUNGEN describes her daughter Nancy as having a troubled childhood and self-destructive tendencies. Nancy later had a relationship with the Sex Pistols' bass player Sid Vicious, and allegedly died by his hand. Deborah Spungen recalls her daughter's life and death in a new memoir, And I Don't Want to Live This Life.
(1.) In his new book Class, historian PAUL FUSSEL examines social and economic stratification in the United States. He identifies nine separate categories, which he defines not only by financial status, but also in modes of dress and patterns of consumption. Contrary to popular belief, Fussel believes that social mobility is largely a myth, and that most people will stay in the class they were born into.
(1.) Photographer EVE ARNOLD has a new book called In America, which documents the lives of people from different backgrounds in the United States. She lives in England.
(1.) RALPH NADER is a consumer rights activist who pays special attention to the automobile industry. Fresh Air broadcasts a lecture he gave at the Philadelphia Museum of Art about how product design often trumps function and safety.
(1.) ESTHER ROLLE is an African American stage and television actress. Troubled by the paucity of roles available for black women, she is ambivalent about some of the parts she's accepted throughout her career, including the maid Florida Evans in the TV show Maude. Rolle has returned to the stage in a production of Carson McCullers' The Member of the Wedding.
(1.) JAMES LINCOLN COLLIER has written a new, critical biography of legendary jazz singer and trumpet Louis Armstrong titled Louis Armstrong, An American Genius. The book details the musician's early life and how he navigated racially-segregated entertainment circuits to build his career.
(1.) Author JACK CHAMBERS has written a book about trumpeter Miles Davis called MILESTONES, which focuses on the early life and musical development of the jazz legend. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) Philadelphia mayor-elect WILSON GOODE will be the first African American mayor in the city's history. He joins Fresh Air to discuss how he plans to lead Philadelphia, build strong political coalitions, and improve city services. (INTERVIEW BY TIA O'BRIEN).
(1.) OSSIE DAVIS and RUBY DEE have been married since 1948. They are both working actors who strive to promote the work of fellow African American writers and performers. They were also active in the civil rights movement and developed friendships with leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcom X.
(1.) PAT WILLIAMS is the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team. BILL LYON is a Philadelphia-based sport columnist. They have co-authored a book called We Owed You One, about the team's struggles and recent success.
(1.) Civil rights leader JESSE JACKSON is a Democratic Party presidential candidate, and only the second African American to run for that office. Despite doubts that he has the broad appeal needed to defeat Ronald Reagan, Jackson continues to build strong coalitions among racial minorities and the economically disadvantaged. (INTERVIEW BY ???)
(1.) W.D. EHRHART and JAN BARRY are veterans who write and publish poetry about the Vietnam War. Their work both pays tribute to those who served and criticizes the policies which led the U.S into war.
(1.) Poet Etheridge Knight began writing poetry in prison, where he was serving a sentence for robbery. While his difficult experiences inspire his work, Knight believes that art is ultimately rooted in love. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) STEVEN FELD is an ethnomusicologist who studies indigenous communities in the rain forests of New Guinea. He recently learned of one group that uses sound and song as integral parts of their language. These tools are so deeply woven into the community's culture that the group makes no distinction between music and speech. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) William Marutani is Common Police Court judge in Philadelphia. Marutani was held in a internment camp for Japanese people during World War II. He discusses judgeship and some of his most famous cases.
(1.) Composer GEORGE ROCHBERG discusses his work.
(1.) JANE IRA BLOOM is a jazz soprano saxophonist and composer. Her most recent album is "Mighty Lights." She joins the show to discuss her choice in instruments as a child, working as a woman in the jazz industry, and branching out into producing her own music.
(1.) GODFREY REGGIO is an experimental filmmaker whose work makes uses of montage and sound. His first film, a documentary, "Koyaanisqatsi," derives its title from the Hopi word meaning "unbalanced life." The film manipulates images of cityscapes, and Reggio describes it as showing "the beauty of the beast." The film's music is composed by Philip Glass. Reggio intends the documentary to produce a mind-opening experience for the viewer through the fusion of music and image--to be inspiration, not entertainment.
(1.) DR. MARY STEICHEN CALDERONE is known for her groundbreaking work in reproductive health and sexual education in public schools. Calderone attended medical school later in life, and from 1953-1964 was the Medical Director of Planned Parenthood. In 1965 Calderone founded Sex Information and Education Council in the United States (SIECUS), an organization devoted to establishing sexuality as a part of physical and mental health. Calderone delivers a talk on her life and career.
(1.) Activist and journalist SUSAN BROWNMILLER is known for her seminal work "Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape," one of the first to make the assertion that rape is about violence and not lust. Her new book os "Femininity." The book examines the aesthetic of femininity, explores it origins, and suggests its implications for women. Brownmiller describes femininity as a competitive survival strategy. Brownmiller is also the co-founder of Women Against Pornography.
(1.) Jazz trumpeter and composer OLU DARA describes his music as "rhythmic fusion," and is the leader of the Okra Orchestra. His live shows are unusual among jazz concerts due to their dancing audiences. Dara joins the show to discuss his life, career, and contemporary jazz.
(1.) Activist ELEANOR SMEAL was the president of the National Organization for Women (NOW) from 1977-1982. She is also the author of "Why and How Women Will Elect the Next President." Smeal's book examines the political "gender gap," women's political issues, organizing women, getting out the vote, and women running for election. Smeal joins the show to discuss the women's movement and the upcoming election in which Smeal endorses Walter Mondale.
(1.) JUDY BLUME's novels for young adults such "Forever," "Deenie," and "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret," have generated controversy for their frank treatment of masturbation and teen sexuality. Blume also writes adult novels. Her latest "Smart Women," is the story of two divorced women in their forties and their teenage daughters.
(1.) Activist MICHAEL HARRINGTON has been a leader of the American left for the last thirty years. In the 1950s, he was the associate editor of The Catholic Worker, a socialist, Catholic newspaper. In the 1960s, he worked with the Civil Rights movement, including joining Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Advisory Committee. He was also active in the labor movement and worked against the war in Vietnam. Harrington chaired the Socialist Party from 1968-1972, and has been the National Chair of the Democratic National Socialists of America since 1973. An early book of Harrington's, "The Other America," helped spur Presidents Kennedy and Johnson's War on Poverty. He is currently working on a new analysis of poverty to be published in August and title "The New American Poverty." His latest book is "The Politics at God's Funeral: The Spiritual Crisis of Western Civilization." He joins the show to discuss his intellectual and political work and the upcoming election.
(1.) STEVE RASH is the director of the film "The Buddy Holly Story," a bio-pic of the early rock legend starring Gary Busey. Rash is also the director of "Under the Rainbow," a story of the "Munchkin" auditions for the film "The Wizard of Oz." Rash joins the show to discuss Holly's music and life and share records and rare recordings.
(1.) Jazz legend BILLY TAYLOR is a pianist who has worked with his own trio as well as musicians such as Billie Holliday, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Charlie Mingus, Art Tatum, and Miles Davis. Taylor is also a composer whose song "I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to Be Free" became a civil rights anthem. Taylor is also known for being the guiding force between the public radio programs "Jazz Alive" and "Billy Taylor's Piano Jazz." Currently, Taylor is the editor for the arts on the CBS Sunday morning program. Taylor is the founder and director of "Jazzmobile," a program to bring jazz to schools and neighborhoods, and is a member of the National Council of the Arts. Taylor has a doctorate in music from the University of Massachusetts and his written several books. His latest is "Jazz Piano: A Jazz History." (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) Humorist and reporter CALVIN TRILLIN is staff writer for the New Yorker and a humor columnist at The Nation. Trillin recently joined the show to discuss his love of rich regional and ethnic food which he chronicled in his book "Third Helpings." His New Yorker Magazine series "U. S. Journal" ended in 1982, but a collection of 16 of his stories about murder have been collected in the book "Killings."
(1.) ROBERT TOWNSEND is the author of the 1970 bestseller "Up the Organization," and his newly revised edition of the book is called "Further Up the Organization: How to Stop Management from Stifling People and Strangling Productivity." Townsend contends that most workers are "docile, bored, and dull," and advocates a type of "non-violent guerrilla warfare," in which workers dismantle all but those aspects of organizations that serve them. Townsend is known for his tenure at Avis and also worked at Twentieth Century Fox and American Express. Townsend joins the show to discuss the importance of "participative management."
(1.) Noted playwright EDWARD ALBEE is the author of "The Zoo Story" and "Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?," which was lated adapted into an Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton film. Albee has won many awards including two Pulitzer Prizes, one in 1967 for "Delicate Balance," and one in 1975 for "Seascape."
(1.) Journalist FRED KAPLAN's latest book is "The Wizards of Armageddon," which looks at the politics of nuclear warfare and weapons. He joins the show to discuss Defense policy and the budget and the issue of nuclear war in contemporary politics. (INTERVIEW BY DAVE DAVIES)
(1.) Husband and wife CECIL WOMACK and LINDA WOMACK are songwriters who have decided to step into the limelight with their album "Love Wars." The child of a gospel singer, Cecil Womack sung with his brothers, including Bobby, as The Valentinos. Linda and Cecil met in the studio. Their album was noted by many critics in 1983. (2.) On this edition of Secret Harmonies, Ken Tucker looks at "City Slicker" by soul musician J. Blackfoot, "Doppelganger" by rock group Kid Creole and the Coconuts, fronted by August Darnell, and "Forget About the Danger Think of the Fun" by rockabilly group The Leroi Brothers. (PARTIAL REVIEW)
(1.) Clarinetist KENNY DAVERN takes a lot of inspiration from the small jazz bands of the 1920s and 1930s, although he has worked in contemporary and avant-garde jazz. Davern started playing professionally in the 1950s and has worked with many jazz legends. In the 1970s he played soprano saxophone with Bob Wilbur in the group Soprano Summit. He now plays clarinet exclusively. Davern is in town to perform, and joins the show to discuss his distaste for "Dixie Land" music, his musical influences, and career in jazz.
(1.) Jazz composer and arranger MANNY ALBAM currently teaches at Glassboro College in New Jersey in addition to taking commissions. Albam will be doing some work for the Philly Pops. A new collection of his work "Manny Albam: The Jazz Workshop," has recently been released. Albam joins the show to discus his career and share records.
(1.) PHILIP FONER is the foremost historian on the labor movement in the U. S. He is the author of over eighty works, including a four volume history of the American labor movement, "Organized Labor and the Black Worker," and "Women and the American Labor Movement." Foner's specialities include labor history, African American history, and the history of women and Socialism. Foner has recently edited a collection of speeches and writings of Irish-American labor organizer Mother Jones. Mother Jones began her career after the age of 60 in the 1890s, when she worked as a paid organizer of the United Mine Workers. She lived until the age of 100, and organized until the age of 93. Foner joins the show to discuss her life and lasting impact.
(1.) PETE DEXTER is a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News and also has a monthly column for Esquire Magazine, "Sports Scene." Dexter's first novel, "God's Pocket," is set in Philadelphia. The novel tells the story of a reporter investigating a murder committed by a construction worker. Dexter joins the show to discuss his novel, work as a journalist, and respond to listener calls.
(1.) Poet and novelist MARGE PIERCY's work often discusses feminism and leftist organizing. Her newest novel "Fly Away Home," is about a famous chef who discovers that her marriage has fallen apart.
(1.) STEPHEN SONDHEIM is a famed Broadway writer and composer. He joins the show to discuss his career in musical theater and how he writes a song. (2.) Actress ANGELA LANSBURY is well-known for her work in musical theater. She joins the show to discuss working with writer and composer Stephen Sondheim.
(1.) Composer and pianist ANTHONY DAVIS has composed jazz and "new music" work with his ten-piece ensemble Episteme, directed plays, composed orchestral suites, and taught at Yale, where he also received his B. A. in music. His latest album with his band is called "Hemispheres." Davis has written an opera, "X," based on the life of Malcolm X. The libretto was written by his cousin and Village Voice writer Thulani Davis-Jarman, and the story was written by his brother CHRISTOPHER DAVIS. Christopher Davis has worked in theater in various capacities, and has collaborated with his brother on various pieces. They join the show to discuss the opera and their prominent African American family.
(1.) EMILE DE ANTONIO is regarded as one of the most important political filmmakers of the American Left. His films include "Point of Order," about the McCarthy hearings; "Rush to Judgement," about the Warren Report; "In the Year of the Pig," about the history of Vietnam, and "Underground," where he interviewed members of the Weather Underground. One of De Antonio's biggest influences is John Cage. De Antonio is in town for an appearance at the I-House which will screen three of his films: "Milhous," a political comedy; "In the King of Prussia," about a group of anti-nuclear activists, and "Painters Painting," about the art world in New York after World War II. A new book, "Painter Painting: A Candid History of the Modern Art Scene, 1940-1970," is based on interviews conducted for the film. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) Actor, director, and choreographer MAURICE HINES comes from the famous tap-dancing family. He is the founder of the company Ballet Tap U. S. A. Hines appears in the film "Cotton Club." Hines joins the show to discuss working as a child with his father and brother, Gregory, touring Europe, learning ballet at the age of 30, the difference between "up-in-the-air," and "close-to-the-floor" tap dance, break-dancing, and the great dancers of film.
(1.) Philadelphia VINCENT PERSICHETTI is a noted composer, especially for concert band. A new work of Persechetti, "Flower Songs," will be premiered at the Academy of Music by the Philadelphia Singers. The work includes poems by e. e. cummings. Persechetti joins the show to talk about how he knew he would be a musician by the age of three and the composer's "inner ear."
(1.) Former First Lady ROSALYNN CARTER grew up in Plains, Georgia. She met her husband, Jimmy, when she was 17 and he was 20 years old. She was glad that his naval career allowed them to travel, and when they returned to Georgia after his father's death, Carter was upset. It was there, however, that she grew into a business partner in her husband's peanut farm. Carter spoke last week with Betty Ford on the topic of modern First Ladies. Carter's life before and during the presidency is discussed in her new memoir "First Lady from Plains."
(1.) Journalist and writer TOM WICKER grew up in the South. He joined the staff of the New York Times in 1960 and has worked for the paper since then. Wicker was one of the journalists covering President Kennedy's visit to Dallas in 1963, and his op-ed column "In the Nation," is nationally syndicated. Wicker has written non-fiction and fiction books. His latest novel, "Unto this Hour," is based in part on stories from his grandmother about her life in the Confederacy. The novel is set in the Civil Battle, the Second Bull Run.
(1.) Former Major League Baseball Umpire RON LUCIANO was known for his flamboyant style. His book "The Umpire Strikes Back," was a hot, and Luciano has written a follow-up "Strike Two." He shares humorous stories about his career in MLB and discusses some of the colorful characters working in the sport today.
(1.) HANKUS NETSKY is the founder and leader of the Klezmer Conservatory Band. Klezmer mixes traditional Yiddish and Israeli music with American influences. Netsky joins the show to discuss the history of the genre and to share 78-records of klezmer music from the 1920s.
(1.) MAX BERRU, JORGE COULON of the Chilean band Into-Illmani, as well as fellow Chilean musician. MIGUEL CORDOVA. They talk about their role in the New Song movement.
(1.) BELLA ABZUG's political career began as a student at Hunter College. After graduating, she attended Columbia Law School, and began to practice law. She is a founding member of Women Strike for Peace and served as the national political director for ten years. Abzug was elected to Congress in 1970, where she was the co-founder of the National Women's Political Caucus. Abzug is currently the president of Women USA, a group working to get-out-the-vote among women. Her new book is "Gender Gap: Bella Abzug's Guide to Political Power for Women." Abzug joins the show to discuss becoming a politician after being an activist, working as one of the earliest women lawyers, and women in politics.
(1.) CHUCK BARRIS is the creator and producer of over a dozen television game shows, including "The Gong Show," "The Newlywed Game," and "The Dating Game." He gained his reputation as the "manic" host of "The Gong Show." Barris has written a semi-autobiographical novel "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," in which a game show host named Chuck Barris also secretly works as a C. I. A. agent. Barris claims to have had an opportunity to work for the organization, but that he turned it down. He joins the show to discuss his career in television and writing.
(1.) STEWART HOOVER is a research scholar at the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania who specializes in the impact of communications technology on culture. In recent years, many have deemed religious television programming controversial. Many mainline church leaders fear the effect such programming will have on local churches. Hoover, along with George Gerbner, Larry Gross, Michael Morgan, and Nancy Signorielli, has just conducted a study on religious television programming. The study investigated the who the audience for the programs is, and how the programs effect their religious lives and political attitudes. Hoover joins the show to discuss the study's results.
(1.) FRED FRIENDLY joined CBS television in 1950, and eventually became president of CBS news. Friendly worked extensively with famed journalist Edward R. Murrow. He resigned from CBS in protest after executives went against his decision to telecast the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on Vietnam, and instead aired reruns. After leaving CBS, Friendly became one of the architects of public television. Friendly is currently a professor at the Columbia School of Journalism, and his written several books about history and the Constitution. His latest work is "The Constitution: A Delicate Balance," a companion piece to his public television program of the same name. The show will be rebroadcast in the fall.
(1.) Tuba player, composer, and arranger HOWARD JOHNSON has worked with jazz and rock legends. Johnson organized the band for the television show "Saturday Night Live," which he played for from 1975 to 1980. Johnson was won the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences "Most Valuable Tuba Player," for the last three years. Johnson also plays baritone saxophone and trumpet. He joins the show to discuss why he was drawn to the tuba, growing up in the South, and his career in jazz and rock.
(1.) BISHOP DESMOND TUTU is an Anglican parish priest in Soweto, South Africa. Tutu is the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, and is one of the most prominent figures in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Tutu is seen as a moderate, and does not endorse violence. He travels extensively to mobilize support for the cause. His passport has been revoked twice.
(1.) MADELAINE CARTWRIGHT worked as a teacher in Philadelphia public schools from 1959 to 1978, before moving into administration. Currently she is the principal at Blaine Elementary School, in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia, and she has spent the last five years transforming Blaine from a typical low-income school into a community that sparkles. Cartwright's staff has nominated her for the John N. Patterson Award for Excellence in Public Education. Cartwright joins the show to discuss the problems that are facing Philadelphia schools and her approach to solving them. Cartwright will also respond to listener calls.
(1.) Vietnam War veteran MICHAEL MILNE joins the show to discuss the health problems he believes were caused by his exposure to Agent Orange while working for the U. S. military. He also discusses his court case and the organizations he believed knew the dangers of Agent Orange. (2.) S. MAYNARD TURK is the Vice-President and Counsel of Hercules Incorporated, a manufacturer of Agent Orange and one the companies involved in the recent lawsuit. (3.) Vietnam veteran GEORGE EWALT and his wife SHEILA EWALT of Roxborough discuss the court case related to Agent Orange. Their daughter was born with health problems, and George suffers from nerve damage.
(1.) Legendary writer JAMES BALDWIN is the author of modern classics such as "Notes of a Native Son," "Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone," and "Go Tell It On the Mountain." Here, Baldwin delivers a lecture and has a "rap" session with students at an event at Lehigh University.
(1.) ROBERT PARKER is a writer of detective and crime novels. His latest work "Valediction" is the eleventh book in the author's "Spenser" series of novels. Parker joins the show to discuss his work and detective and crime fiction and films.
(1.) General ALEXANDER HAIG came to national prominence during the Nixon administration, where he served in several roles including as Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs and Chief of Staff. He continued working for the Ford administration, leading to his appointment as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. Haig served 18 months as the Secretary of State for President Ronald Reagan. He often clashed with the president and his staff, and resigned in 1982. His new memoir: Caveat: realism, Reaganism, and Foreign Policy," details his time in the administration.
(1.) Folk artist HOWARD FINSTER was born in 1916, but did not start painting until 1976 when he had a vision that told him to devote his life to making sacred art. Finster has been working as a preacher since the age of 16. Finster has spent 20 years working on "Paradise Garden," a two-and-a-half acre mixture of sculpture, painting, vines, vegetables, and discarded objects. "Howard Finster, Man of Visions: The Garden and Other Creations: A One Person Show" is opening at the Philadelphia Art Alliance.
(1.) LADY BORTON is an American Quaker who has done extensive aid work in Vietnam and with Vietnamese refugees. In 1980, she served as Health Administrator of Pulau Budong, the largest Vietnamese refugee camp in Malaysia. Borton describes the conditions as terrible, including, overcrowding, lack of food, and a rat infestation. Borton has a written a memoir of her time working in the camp, "Sensing the Enemy: An American Among the Boat People of Vietnam."
(1.) BOB GREENE is a journalist whose Chicago Tribune column is nationally syndicated. He also writes the "American Beat" feature for Esquire and is a contributor to the television show "Nightline." Greene has written a book chronicling the changes he experienced upon becoming a father, "Good Morning, Merry Sunshine: A Father's Journal of His Child's First Year." Greene will discuss being a working father, balancing home and family life, and respond to listener calls.
(1.) RICHARD SCHICKEL has been the film critic for Time magazine since 1973. He is also the author of several books, and has written and produced several documentaries about film for television. His new biography is "D. W. Griffith: An American Life." Schickel joins the show to discuss Griffith, film and film criticism, and journalism.
(1.) Composer and arranger GEORGE RUSSELL is in town to speak at the Philadelphia International Jazz Arts Conference. Russell began his career as a jazz drummer before devoting himself to composing. He has since become central to the development of jazz and 20th century music theory. He has developed his on theory of harmony based on jazz called the Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization. Russell has taught at the New England Conservatory of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts since 1969.
(1.) KENNY BURRELL has been one of the premier jazz guitarists since the 1950s. His new album is "Groovin' High." Burrell is in town to participate in the Philadelphia Jazz Arts Conference, where he delivered a talk on the importance of Duke Ellington. Burrell joins the show to discuss his guitar-playing brothers, his influences, and why he was Duke Ellington's favorite guitar player despite not having recorded with him.
(1.) JULIA ROBINSON is the Philadelphia Director of Housing. She began her career as an activist in the Fair Housing movement in the 1960s, when she found that she and her husband could not purchase a suburban house because they were black. Robinson has an M. A. in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania and has taught there and at Temple University. Robinson is also the head of the Mayor's Task Force on the Homeless. She joins the show to discuss housing and neighborhood issues in Philadelphia.
(1.) Acoustic jazz guitarist MARTY GROSZ began playing at the age of 13. He is the son of satiric artist George Grosz who fled Germany with his family in 1933. Grosz takes inspiration from obscure jazz and pop from the 1920s. He regularly plays with Woody Allen at Michael's Pub. Grosz is in town for the Cool Jazz Festival.
(1.) One of the largest Bram Stoker repositories is here in Philadelphia at the Rosenbach Library. English writer and professor CLIVE LEATHERDALE is in town to research Bram Stoker and vampire folklore for an upcoming book whose working title is "Dracula: The Novel and the Legend." Leatherdale is a teacher at Aberdeen University in Scotland.
(1.) BILL LEE pitched for the Boston Red Sox from 1969-1979. He was later traded to the Montreal Exos where he played until 1982. Lee, known as "Space Man," was known for hid antics and sarcastic quotes. He currently plays baseball in Canada and South America and does commentary and book reviews for the CBC. Lee has written a new memoir called "The Wrong Stuff."
(1.) PATCH ADAMS is a physician and activist who founded West Virginia's Gesunheidt! Institute, a free medical center run out of a suburban home. He seeks to provide a viable, community-based alternative to for-profit health care.
(1.) MALACHY MCCOURT and FRANK MCCOURT were born a year apart from each other in Ireland. After growing up in poverty, moving to New York, and working in manual labor, they found success in the theater and the academy. In addition to performing, Frank McCourt is a high school teacher. The brothers star in a new play called A Couple of Blaguards, which they also wrote.
(1.) Sculptor and architect MAYA LIN won a design competition for the Vietnam Veterans' War Memorial while she was still an undergraduate student at Yale. She was recently recruited to design the sets for Noa Ain's new musical, Trio.
(1.) Sculptor ISAMU NOGUCHI returns to Fresh Air on the occasion of the installation of his public artwork Bolt of Lightning, which he had first designed in the 1930s. Noguchi's style evolved over the years as he rejected his earlier training to develop his own creative approach. In the 1940s he voluntarily joined a Japanese internment camp, where he worked to improve the facilities through a variety of architectural design projects.
(1.) Pianist and composer ANTHONY DAVIS has written a new opera called X, about the life of Malcom X. Davis's musical aesthetic is steeped both in the avant-garde and jazz. He believes opera is the ultimate form of musical theater, and a vital way of telling stories.
(1.) JACK ERIC WILLIAMS is a musical theater actor who played Beadle Bamford in the original production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. Williams has written a musical of his own called Mrs. Farmer's Daughter, about actress Frances Farmer.
(1.) Pop singer PEGGY KING has released her first album since ending her self-imposed hiatus from singing, called Oh, What a Memory We Made--Tonight. It features a mix of standards and original songs. (2.) Tenor saxophonist and composer/arranger FRANK FOSTER has a Ph.D. in music and an 11 year history with Count Basie's big band. Foster makes his living as as professor while continuing to perform in the New York City area.
(1.) CLEAVON LITTLE had a starring role in the musical Purlie, whose success helped prove to mainstream audiences and producers that there was a viable market for theater works featuring predominantly-black casts. Apart from his stage roles, Little also appeared in the Mel Brooks film Blazing Saddles. He now stars in a Philadelphia-based production of Eugene O'Neill's play Emperor Jones.
(1.) DORIAN HAREWOOD is a television actor best known for his role as Simon Haley in the television series Roots. He plays Jesse Owens in a forthcoming miniseries.
(1.) TOM and RUTH are members of the Philadelphia-based support group Parents of Gays. They talk about how they dispensed with their preconceived notions of homosexuality and accepted their children for who they are. Their group counsels parents in similar situations. To preserve the anonymity of their families, all Parents of Gays members only use their first names.
(1.) MAURICE PERESS is a conductor and arranger whose latest endeavors involve the work of composer George Gershwin. Peress has arranged concert performances which feature original and restored arrangements of some of Gershwin's most recognizable pieces.
(1.) BENITA VALENTE's career in opera has taken her to France, Germany, and New York. She lives in Philadelphia, which she sees as a refuge from the hectic music hubs around the world. The soprano has made a living singing for over two decades.
(1.) Despite being raised in the Catholic Church, jazz pianist HORACE SILVER's playing and compositions are take more cues from the soulful traditions of Protestant, African American congregations. After founding the Jazz Messengers with drummer Art Blakey, Silver now heads his own band and record label.
(1.) HAL WILLNER was the music coordinator for Saturday Night Live. As a record producer, he has released two albums which pay tribute to Nino Rota, who wrote the score for Federico Fellini's film Amarcord, and jazz legend Thelonious Monk.
(1.) Writer BARBARA G. WALKER has a new book called The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, which looks at how matriarchal and otherwise woman-positive faith practices were suppressed by enduring patriarchal traditions, particularly within Christianity. (2.) MARIAN LOCKS features unknown and up-and-coming artists in her Philadelphia gallery. She understands the financial hardships working artists often face, and helps them sell their work for a fair price. (INTERVIEW BY JULIE BURSTEIN).
(1.) ORLANDO HADDAD and PATRICIA KING form the duo Minas, a Philadelphia-based musical group specializing in bossa nova. The perform several classic and original songs in-studio.
(1.) ALICE WATERS founded the restaurant Chez Panisse, which features fresh, natural, and locally-produced foods. Her focus on craft and quality ingredients has earned her nationwide acclaim.
(1.) Stage and screen actor JOEL GREY originated the role of the Master of Ceremonies in the musical and film Cabaret. He joins Fresh Air to share memories of his father, the actor and musician Mickey Katz.
(1.) DELOIS BARRETT CAMPBELL, BILLIE BARRETT GREENBEY, and RODESSA BARRETT PORTER are the three members of the gospel trio The Barrett Sisters. While they've dedicated their life to spreading their faith through song, the sisters feel a great affinity for secular soul and jazz performers of the '50s and '60s, many of whom also came from a gospel background.
(1.) Feminist, essayist, and journalist GLORIA STEINEM considers how issues raised during the presidential election affect women and minorities.
(1.) Jazz saxophonist ARCHIE SHEPP reflects on the place of jazz and black music today. (2.) Former new-wavers turned folkies, TOM GOODKIND, LAUREN AGNELLI, and BRUCE PASKOW. They play in the band the Washington Squares.
(1.) Writer and actor BILLY HAYES recalls his experiences serving time in a Turkish prison for smuggling hashish. Nine years ago, he wrote about his sentence and escape in the book Midnight Express, which was adapted into a movie. He now works as an actor in California.
(1.) Writer GERMAINE GREER has a new book called Sex and Destiny, in which she examines the impact birth control has had on women's sexuality. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Greer believes that access to contraceptives has only placed a greater emphasis on intercourse, while de-emphasizing other forms intimacy. She advocates that women explore different modes of eroticism which don't necessarily involve genital contact.
(1.) JEFFREY ARCHER was a member of England's House of Commons before he pursued a career as a best-selling novelist. His new book, First Among Equals, draws on his own political experience.
(1.) FRED ROGERS hosts the beloved children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Also an ordained Presbyterian minister, Rogers' commitment to creating engaging and educational programming began before he had children of his own.
(1.) AUGUST WILSON is a playwright and poet. His newest work, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, is now being performed in Philadelphia. (2.) LLOYD RICHARD supports American theater through his work as the Dean of the Yale School of Drama and the Head of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. He directs the current production of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
(1.) NANCY MARCHAND's career has led to several roles on Broadway and in television. She had a featured role in the Mary Tyler Moore show spinoff, Lou Grant. Marchand is now in a new production of Oliver, Oliver, returning to a role she first played nearly thirty years ago.
(1.) After working as a journalist, ARMISTEAD MAUPIN started writing serialized fiction for The Pacific Sun newspaper. The Tales of the City feature, which follows the lives of a straight woman and a gay man, eventually grew into a series of novels, the latest of which is titled Babycakes.
(1.) A pamphlet advocating pedophilia entitled "How to Have Sex with Children," which was sold in Philadelphia bookstores, has raised concerns about how to deal with sexually explicit material about children. Philadelphia Councilwoman JOAN SPECTER and ACLU member BARRY STEINHARDT join Fresh Air to discuss how best to protect children without violating free speech rights.
(1.) JONATHAN BOROFSKY is known for his idiosyncratic approach to his art, which includes sculpture, sound, portraiture, and drawings. He has incorporated the meditative act of counting from zero to infinity into his creative process. His installations reveal a preoccupation with dreams, war, and gender. An retrospective of his work will be featured at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
(1.) DOUG QUIMBY and FRANKIE QUIMBY are the husband and wife duo who form the Georgia Sea Island Singers, which works to preserve Gullah history and musical traditions.
(1.) JONATHAN MILLER writes about medicine and anatomy. He has just published a pop-up book about the reproductive system called The Facts of Life. Prior to his work as a doctor, Miller had a noteworthy career as a film and television actor, producer, and director. He was also a television critic who found little to enjoy about the medium.
(1.) DAVID GERGEN is a political and media analyst. Gergen addresses criticisms about how the Reagan administration hosts more staged events and fewer press conferences relative to past presidents.
(1.) RALPH NADER's activism has contributed to the passage of consumer protection legislation covering the automobile industry and food safety. He continues to organize private citizens in an effort to undercut corporate influence in politics.
(1.) Film critic ROGER EBERT writes for the Chicago Sun-Times, co-hosts a television show with Tribune critic Gene Siskel, and wrote the screenplay for the movie Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. A collection of his writing, A Kiss is Still a Kiss, has just been published.
(1.) MICHAEL OCHS maintains an exhaustive archive of records and photographs from throughout rock and roll's history. Materials in his collection have been used for album covers and film soundtracks, among other creative projects. He showcases some noteworthy items in a new book called Rock Archives. Ochs is also the brother of folk legend Phil Ochs, who took his own life in 1976.
(1.) For his new book, Payback, JOE KLEIN followed the lives of five Marines who served in Vietnam. He documents how they've dealt with the memories of their combat experiences, their search for steady employment, and their family lives.
(1.) STUDS TERKEL hosts the nationally-syndicated radio show The Studs Terkel Program, in which he interviews everyday Americans about their lives. He has also written several books of oral history. Terkel started his career studying law, acting, and hosting a television show. That program was canceled after Terkel was blacklisted in the 1950s. His latest book, called "The Good War," features stories of World War II veterans.
(1.) Siblings and theologians ANDREW GREELEY and MARY G. DURKIN co-wrote How to Save the Catholic Church, about the effect of post-Vatican II reforms. They believe that some traditions should have been preserved in order to foster greater cohesion amongst Church members. Greeley and Durkin also believe that Catholics must adopt more positive attitudes toward sexuality and women.
(1.) DEBORAH SPUNGEN, best known for her book And I Don't Want to Live This Life, about the murder of her daughter by punk musician Sid Vicious, co-founded the Philadelphia chapter of the support group Parents of Murdered Children. Researcher EILEEN RAINIER joins the conversation.
(1.) JOHN O'NEAL and LOUISE ANDERSON are two of the featured storytellers in a forthcoming festival hosted by Philadelphia's Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum. O'Neal cofounded the Free Southern Theater, which grew out of the 1960's civil rights movement. He developed a character named Junebug Jabbo Jones, whose monologues are based on O'Neal's participation in SNCC and his travels in the South. Anderson is an acclaimed African American storyteller who preserves folk tales and family histories.
(1.) Shortly after working on the film Raging Bull, actress THERESA SALDANA was stabbed multiple times by a stalker outsider her Hollywood home. After she recovered, she accepted an offer to play herself in a television film about the incident. The movie, called Victims for Victims, is named after a support group Saldana founded for women who have survived violent crimes.
(1.) JUDY COLLINS is a classically-trained pianist and self-taught guitarist who moved to New York City to become a folk musician. She reflects on her life as a performer.
(1.) HARVEY COX teaches at the Harvard Divinity School and has published several books about religion. His latest, Religion in the Secular City, links the resurgence of religious practices around the world with political movements on the left and right.
(1.) IRA TUCKER is a member of the gospel group The Dixie Hummingbirds. After founder James Davis retires, Tucker will take over as lead singer. (2.) James Davis's retirement from The Dixie Hummingbirds has given JOE WILLIAMS, a longtime friend of the band, the chance to become the group's newest full-time member. In the past, he sang in the gospel ensemble Sons of the Birds.
(1.) SAMMY CAHN has collaborated with several arrangers and composers to write dozens of iconic songs, including "Day by Day," "Let it Snow," and "Come Fly With Me."
(1.) Fresh Air plays several of musician JACK WALDMAN's synthesizer- and sampler-based compositions.
(1.) JACK WALDMAN is a synthesizer player and record producer who uses sampling technology to make his distinctive music. Under the name Air Force 1, he and fellow musician Elliot Sokolov produced a rap track called "See the Light, Feel the Heat," which features clips from President Reagan's speeches.
(1.) Veteran film critic JUDITH CRIST has recently adopted a more populist approach to her reviews. While suspicious of auteur theory, she is nevertheless interested in learning about a director's original intent while making a movie. With that knowledge, Crist believes she can more fairly asses the success or failure of a film. Her new book, a collection of interview with directors, is called Take 22.
(1.) JOHN ROCKWELL's new book, Sinatra, is a critical biography of the pop singer's life and career in music and movies. Rockwell is a music critic for the New York Times.
(1.) After a checkered high school career, JOE PISCOPO studied radio broadcasting in college. Later, he worked as a comedian in New York City and eventually became a cast member on Saturday Night Live. During his tenure on the show, he became known for his celebrity impressions. Piscopo now regularly appears in film and television.
(1.) JOHN EDGAR WIDEMAN is a novelist and professor based in Wyoming. His new book, Brothers and Keepers, is a about his younger brother Robby, who turned to a life in crime. Robby is now serving a life sentence for murder.
(1.) MICHAEL KOZOLL created, wrote and produced Hill Street Blues, a critically-acclaimed cop show about inner city crime. During a live event at the Pacific Film Archives, Kozoll discusses the challenges involved in getting the show on air, as well as the difficulties in fairly portraying police and minorities. (INTERVIEW BY TODD GITLIN).
(1.) TIMOTHY WHITE is a music writer whose latest book, Rock Stars, explores how blues, soul, and country artists influenced generations of rock musicians.
(1.) Actor ERIK LEE PREMINGER grew up in the burlesque theater as the son of dancer and striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee. He has written a memoir about his mother called Gypsy & Me.
(1.) NED ROREM is an American composer who has published several collections of his diaries, the latest of which is called Setting the Tone. Rorem reflects on how his artistic inspirations, homosexuality, and alcoholism have shaped his personal and professional life.
(1.) ROBERT CREELEY is a poet and professor. Over the years, he has cultivated professional and personal relationships with a wide variety of well-known artists and writers. Creeley taught at the short-lived but influential Black Mountain College, which was known for its strong focus on the arts.
(1.) Since its invention, film directors have increasingly relied on GARRETT BROWN's Steadicam. The cameraman's newest innovation is the Skycam, which allows for more precise and controlled aerial shots.
(1.) Dr. OLIVER SACKS writes about treating patients with unusual and severe neurological problems. In his new book, A Leg to Stand On, he details his own experience with disability caused by a hiking injury that damaged the nerves in one of his legs.
(1.) Alto saxophonist LEE KONITZ studied for years with jazz pianist Lennie Tristano before pursuing a career of his own. In addition to his performing and recording career, he is now a teacher-in-residence at Temple University.
(1.) LARRY RIVERS is a painter known for his nude portraits and sexually provocative works. He started pursuing art at twenty-three after giving up his burgeoning career as a jazz saxophonist.
(1.) PEGGY KING has kept a busy recording and performance schedule since ending her hiatus from singing several years ago. To mark the release of her new album of Jerome Kern songs, she joins pianist MIKE RENZI and bassist DAVID FINCK in a concert for Fresh Air listeners.
(1.) Soprano and director of the New York City Opera BEVERLY SILLS eschewed performing in Europe, choosing instead to make a career in the United States. She took a break from performing mid-career to raise her two children, both of whom were born with disabilities. At age 50, she retired from singing.
(1.) DAVID ATTENBOROUGH produces and directs nature shows for the BBC. He believes that capturing compelling footage of animal behavior depends more on a firm grasp of zoology rather than sheer patience.
(1.) JONATHAN RICHMAN is a rock singer and songwriter who fronts the band The Modern Lovers. His irreverent songs are often inspired by his travels abroad and throughout the United States.
(1.) PAT MARTINO was already an established jazz guitarist when a surgery to remove an aneurysm destroyed his memory and ability to play music. After taking several years to recuperate, he has begun once more to perform live. Martino lives in Philadelphia.
(1.) PAUL NITZE has worked for several presidential administrations to shape policies on relations with he Soviet Union, defense spending, and nuclear proliferation. He currently serves under President Reagan.
(1.) Journalist NAT HENTOFF considers the role of the press in American culture. He believes that journalists and media outlets must make themselves accessible and accountable to their audience, while at the same time resisting implicit and outright government influence.
(1.) RITA RUDNER has gained nationwide recognition for her seven seven standup performances on the David Letterman Show. She began her career as a Broadway dancer, never expecting to make a career in comedy.
(1.) Civil rights activist JAMES FARMER founded the Congress for Racial Equality, organized the Freedom Rides, and later served under the Nixon administration. His new memoir is called Lay Bare the Heart.
(1.) ROBERT KLEIN dropped out graduate school to pursue stand-up comedy. He credits his improv training at Chicago's Second City with helping him deliver strong performances, even on nights when jokes don't land.
(1.) ALEX HALEY began submitting his writing for publication after the end of his career in the Coast Guard. His books, The Autobiography of Malcom X and Roots were bestsellers and have since become essential works of African American literature.
(1.) JOHN SAYLES' films include the lesbian-themed Lianna; Return of the Secuacus 7, about 60s counterculture movements; and his latest, Brother from Another Planet, which explores racism through the lens of science fiction. He also wrote the screenplay for Roger Corman's Battle Beyond the Stars.
(1.) RICHARD STOLTZMAN is one of the few clarinet soloists who have made a career performing orchestral music. With so little written for his instrument, Soltzman transcribes much of the music he plays from pieces composed for other instruments. His touring schedule can often pose difficulties for him as a father and husband; his wife is a working violinist who also travels frequently.
(1.) In an effort to lampoon the sanctimonious attitude often associated with classical music, PETER SCHICKELE invented and writes music as P.D.Q. Bach, the fictitious, long-lost son of J.S. Bach. The imagined Bach's pieces parody and incorporate elements of a variety of musical styles as a way to appeal to a broader audience.
(1.) JOHN WATERS' cult success as an exploitation filmmaker has led to a number of mainstream accolades. The mayor of his home city of Baltimore declared February 7th John Waters Day; an Italian documentary about his life called Divine Waters will soon be screened. Waters' fascination with social outcasts and cultural taboos has led him to teach prisoners ways to channel their criminal impulses into art. His newest film is called Polyester, and features many of the actors who starred in his previous movies.
(1.) Australian singer-songwriter PETER ALLEN wrote hit songs for artists like Olivia Newton-John. An active performer, he adds a theatrical flair to his concerts.
(1.) JOE PISCOPO worked as a comedian in New York City and eventually became a cast member on Saturday Night Live. During his tenure on the show, he became known both for his celebrity impressions and several original characters.
(1.) Painter FRANK STELLA has moved through myriad styles since he found critical success in his twenties. Over two decades later, Stella is best known for his controversial abstract expressionist work, which often features simple geometric shapes and a total absence of color.
(1.) FRED ROGERS, host of the acclaimed PBS children's series "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," reflects on children, television and his own childhood.
(1.) TONY BENNETT is one of the consummate interpreters of popular song, talks about his singing style which has endured through three decades of music industry trends, and reminisces about his early career.
(1.) STUDS TERKEL hosts the nationally-syndicated radio show The Studs Terkel Program, in which he interviews everyday Americans about their lives. He has also written several books of oral history. Terkel started his career studying law, acting, and hosting a television show. That program was canceled after Terkel was blacklisted in the 1950s.
(1.) Soprano and General Director of the New York City Opera BEVERLY SILLS explains the reasons for her retirement from the stage, and discusses the ups and downs of a career she almost abandoned after the births of her two children, both of whom were born with disabilities.
(1.) Film critic ROGER EBERT Pulitzer prize winning film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, and co-host of the television program "At the Movies", surveys the movie scene and recalls his own initiation into moviegoing and reviewing.
(1.) Activist and folk singer PETE SEEGER refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Despite being blacklisted, he still made a career as a progressive musician supporting civil rights and labor movements throughout the US.
(1.) Noted playwright EDWARD ALBEE is the author of "The Zoo Story" and "Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?," which was lated adapted into an Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton film. Albee has won many awards including two Pulitzer Prizes, one in 1967 for "Delicate Balance," and one in 1975 for "Seascape."
(1.) Cinematographer GARRETT BROWN won an Oscar in 1977 for inventing the Steadicam, a movie camera which straps onto the operator'sbody and avoids the jiggling associated with hand-held cameras. His new invention, an airborne camera called the Skycam, has been used for television coverage of national sports events and in the recent film Birdy. He describes his work on The Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Fallinq in Love, and The Shining; and discusses the effect his technical innovations have already had on film.
(1.) Pianist ANDRE WATTS discusses being the product of an interracial marriage, his days as a child prodigy, and his current status as an internationally celebrated soloist.
(1.) Comedian, ROBERT KLEIN who made his national reputation with his album "Child of the 50s" (mocking atomic war drills in school and 1950s nostalgia), talks about humor in the 80s and his own style of stand-up comedy.
(1.) Director, writer, and actor JOHN SAYLES recalls what it was like writing for B-movie maven Roger Corman, and considers some of the chances he's taken as an independent feature filmmaker.
(1.) Short story writer GRACE PALEY author of The Little Disturbances of Man, Enormous Changes at the Last Minute, and Later the Same Day, reads one of her short stories, describes her evolution from poet to fiction writer, and recalls her childhood in the Bronx during the depression.
(1.) Filmmaker JOHN WATERS (Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble and Polyester) talks about his life long obsession with bad taste, his relationship with his stars Divine and Edie "The Egg Lady" Massie, and his recent work teaching film in prison.
(1.) Clarinet virtuoso RICHARD STOLTZMAN discusses his career as a soloist, his efforts to make classical music accessible to a wider audience, and the differences between playing classical music and jazz.
(1.) Lyricist SAMMY CAHN ("Until the Real Thing Comes Along", "All the way", "Come fly with me", "I fall in love too easily", "Bei Meir Bist du Schoen'', "It's magic'') talks about and sings some of his most popular songs; reminisces about writing lyrics for singers Bing Crosby, Mario Lanza, Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire; and describes the difficulties of creating the perfect rhyme.
(1.) Novelist MARY GORDON (The Company of Women and Final Payments) discusses the influences of her Catholic childhood and feminism on her work and reads from her latest novel, Men and Angels.
(1.) CYNTHIA LENNON remembers her first husband, John Lennon, and reflects on her years as a "Beatle wife".
(1.) Writer and humorist BRUCE J. FRIEDMAN compares writing books and movies; talks about his screenplays for "Splash" and "Stir Crazy"; and discusses the movie adaptation of his book The Lonely Guy. ·
(1.) Actor, writer and autobiographical monologist SPALDING GRAY describes the outcome when. he took a break from the experimental theater world to act in the movie "The Killing Fields"; and, performs an excerpt from his monologue on that subject, "Swimming to Cambodia."
(1.) Humorist and reporter CALVIN TRILLIN shares his observations on food and other American obsessions.
(1.) Avante-garde composer and philosopher JOHN CAGE explains he's committed his life to challenging our preconceptions about music.
(1.) Television critic DAVID MARC (the Village VOICE, Atlantic Magazine) looks at the rise of the s-itcom and crime and explains why these genres have never been the same since "The Beverly Hillbillies"and "77 Sunset Strip."
(1.) Civil rights leader, CORE co-founder and author JAMES FARMER recalls leading the Freedom Rides through the south, where the riders were thrown in jail while applying Ghandi's principles of nonviolent resistance.
(1.) DICK CAVETT remembers his early years in television writing jokes for Jack Paar and Johnny Carson, and shares funny and maddening stories from his own television talk shows on late night network TV, PBS and cable.
(1.) America's most celebrated cafe society singer BOBBY SHORT talks about his life from his days as a child vaudeville performer, to his long reign at New York's elegant Cafe Carlyle, where he keeps alive favorites and neglected gems by composers like Porter, Gershwin, Berlin and Coward.
(1.) Baseball great MICKEY MANTLE looks back on his career with the New York Yankees.
(1.) Artist GEORGE SEGAL, best known for his life size, white plaster cast sculptures of people; reflects on his life and work.
(1.) Journalist and author DAVID.HALBERSTAM discusses how commercialism and television are changing American sports, and looks back at his experiences reporting from Vietnam for which he won a 1964 Pulitzer Prize.
(1.) RAYMOND McNALLY, an expert on vampire lore, tells the history of the Dracula story and describes the horror of the undead, as portrayed in folklore, literature and film.
(1.) Playwright and actor WALLACE SHAWN, who co-wrote and co-starred in the film "My Dinner with Andre", discusses theater and movies.
(1.) PHIL DONAHUE discusses his popular and controversial TV talk show, and his reputation as TV's foremost male feminist.
(1.) Songwriter CY COLEMAN ("Witchcraft", "The Best is Yet to Come", and the scores for "Sweet Charity" and "Barnum") discusses the ups and downs of writing for Broadway.
(1.) CHARLIE HADEN, one of the greatest living jazz bassists, discusses his music--from singing country and western songs as a child, to playing with the original Ornette Coleman Quartet and leading his own Liberation Music Orchestra.
(1.) Gay novelist and essayist EDMUND WHITE (A Boy's Own Story, States of Desire, Travels in Gay America) shares his observations on gay life and gay literature.
(1.) GARRISON KEILLOR compares his own life with life in lake Wobegon.
(1.) MERCE CUNNINGHAM, one of the revolutionaries of modern dance, discusses his life as a dancer and choreographer.
(1.) Clarinetist and bandleader ARTIE SHAW recalls the high points of his music career, and the frustrations which precipitated his early retirement.
(1.) Tom and Dick Smothers, reunited as THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS, discuss their comedy act and their controversial TV variety show of the late 60s.
(1.) MICHAEL BENNETT, creator of Broadway's longest running show A Chorus Line, and choreographer/director of the recent Broadway hit Dreamgirls reflects on his life in theater.
(1.) ALBERT RACE SAMPLE's autobiography "Racehoss: Big Emma's Boy" describe his experiences growing up as the son of a black prostitute and gambler and one of her white clients. Sample later ended up in "Retrieve" a unit of the Texas Prison System, which Race describes as sadistic.
(1.) Composer STEVE REICH is known as a prominent "minimalist." Reich joins the show to discuss that term, his own career and influences, and whether he is the "safe" avant-garde composer.
(1.) Piano virtuso GARY GRAFFMAN discusses his life and playing changed after a mysterious ailment crippled his right hand.
(1.) Photographer JOHN PHILLIPS has documented events such as the Nazi invasion of Austria, European high society, and the Jews and Arabs in Palestine before and after the establishment of Israel as an overseas correspondent for Life magazine. Phillips was born in Algeria, grew up in France, and moved to London as a young man. Phillips has collected over 500 of his photographs and written text to create his own "photo-biography," "It Happened in Our Lifetime." (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER) (2.) On this edition of "The Record Ranch," with Bob Carlin, Carlin will share records of new-wave old-time music. (PARTIAL COMMENTARY)
(1.) Bishop DESMOND TUTU is one of the leading figures of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Tutu delivers a talk at the University of Pennsylvania.
(1). Gay icon and writer QUENTIN CRISP. Crisp is known for his autobiography "The Naked Civil Servant." The memoir recounts the social price Crisp paid for being an out and effeminate gay man. Crisp counters his critics with politeness, which is the subject of his new book "Manners from Heaven."
(1.) Trumpeter GREGORY DAVIS is a member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The band was founded to play at funerals and other events in New Orleans. The group mixes traditional New Orleans jazz with funk and bebop. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) CHUCK BARRIS discusses the world of TV game shows in whjch he created and produced The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and The Gong Show, which he also hosted.
(1.) Dr. GEORGE GERBNER is the Dean of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. Gerber and his colleagues Larry Gross, Michael Morgan, Nancy Signorielli, and sometimes Stewart Hoover have published many studies of television and its impact on society. The studies have been widely published and influential. Gerber believes that television distorts reality, and Americans, who watch a large amount of t.v. programming, are having their views on reality distorted by the medium.
(1.) NICK SPITZER is a folklorist who worked for the State of Louisiana for six years, and now works at the Smithsonian. Spitzer joins the show to discuss and share jazz music from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, with a focus on Mardi Gras music and lesser known styles of Cajun and Creole music. (INTERVIEW BY BOB CARLIN)
(1.) America's pre-eminent film critic PAULINE KAEL discusses movies and movie criticism.
(1.) NELSON GEORGE is a music writer who is the author of the best-selling "The Michael Jackson Story," and the black music editor for Billboard magazine. His latest book, "Where Did Our Love Go?," is a history of the black-owned company Motown Records. Motown employed a stable of writers, producers, singers, and studio musicians who created what became known as "the Motown sound." This soul sound appealed to both black and white audiences. George argues that that the company's move from Detroit to Los Angeles caused it to lose its sound.
(1.) Cellist, YO-YO MA, who at the age of 30 is already considered one of the world's most inspired classical musicians, discusses the maturation of his playing.
(1.) NICHOLAS PILEGGI is a journalist and contributing editor to New York Magazine who specializes in stories about organized crime. His latest book, "Wise Guy: Life in a Mafia Family," is a biography based on his interviews with former mobster Henry Hill. The book offers as insider view of organized crime.
(1.) VICTORIA BROWNWORTH is a Philadelphia-based journalist who has recently published a series of articles about juvenile prostitution. She believes that many of the children reported missing and presumed kidnapped are actually involved in juvenile prostitution after running away from abuse or being thrown out of their homes. Brownworth's articles on the subject have been published in City Paper, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Brownworth is currently writing a book on the subject, based in part on her interviews with juvenile sex workers in Philadelphia. Its working title is "Lost in America."
(1.) TAJ MAHAL is a musician known for his blues songs. Later in his career, he would incorporate African, Caribbean, and Latin influences into his music. His records appeal to blues, rock, and folk audiences, and a compilation of his work, "The Best of Taj Mahal," has recently been published. Mahal is in Philadelphia to perform at the Tower Theater.
(1.) White South African playwright ATHOL FUGARD ('Master Harold' ... and the Boys; The Blood Knot; Sizwe Bansi is Dead) confronts his dilemma as an opponent of apartheid who nonetheless stays in South Africa, because his country is the inspiration for all his writing.
(1.) JAY KERNIS is a radio producer who began at "Morning Edition" as a senior producer before rising to the position of executive producer. Kernis, along with Scott Simon, is a co-creator of the new NPR radio show "Weekend Edition." Kernis joins the show to discuss his career and his new show.
(1.) SCOTT SIMON is a longtime NPR journalist who is known as being sensitive, versatile, and excellent at writing prose. Simon has worked for "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." Simon and Jay Kernis are the co-creators of the new NPR radio program "Weekend Edition." Simon will serve as the shows host. Simon joins the show to discuss his career and the new show. (2.) JAY KERNIS is a radio producer who began at "Morning Edition" as a senior producer before rising to the position of executive producer. Kernis, along with Scott Simon, is a co-creator of the new NPR radio show "Weekend Edition." Kernis joins the show to discuss his career and his new show. (PARTIAL INTERVIEW)
(1.) DENNIS BRUTUS is an exiled South African poet. Brutus was active in the anti-apartheid movement in the country which led to his imprisonment and eventual exile. Brutus moved to the United Stated in 1970, and gained permanent residence status in 1983 after a struggle in which the U. S. attempted to deport him. Brutus joins the show to give his impressions of the South African government's proposed reforms and the current violent ant-apartheid protests in the country, as well as read several of his poems.
(1.) On this special edition of Fresh Air devoted to the AIDS Crisis, Terry Gross speaks with a 32-year-old New Jersey man who was diagnosed with the disease a year ago. Fresh Air has respected his wish to remain anonymous. (2.) HESHIE ZINMAN is a "buddy" who helps "PWAs," or Persons with AIDS, many of whom are unemployed and/or without health insurance, and who are often rejected by their families and others in society. Buddies help PWAS by doing everything from housecleaning, filling out medical forms, advocating for the person, to listening to their fears. He joins the show to discuss his work organizing on behalf of PWAs. (3.) Dr. JOHN TURNER is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University who treats many AIDS patients. Dr. ROBERT SHARRAR is an epidemiologist monitoring the spread of AIDS in Philadelphia as the Director of the Division of Disease Control at the Philadelphia Department of Health. ROGER STEPHENS is the chair of the education committee of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force and the Director of Social Work at Graduate Hospital. They join the show to discuss the medical and social aspects of AIDS, safe sex practices, and the response to AIDS in Philadelphia.
(1.) Part two of Fresh Air's interview with medical and social experts on this special edition of the show devoted to the AIDS crisis. Dr. JOHN TURNER is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University who treats many AIDS patients. Dr. ROBERT SHARRAR is an epidemiologist monitoring the spread of AIDS in Philadelphia as the Director of the Division of Disease Control at the Philadelphia Department of Health. ROGER STEPHENS is the chair of the education committee of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force and the Director of Social Work at Graduate Hospital. They join the show to discuss the medical and social aspects of AIDS, safe sex practices, and the response to AIDS in Philadelphia. Turner, Sharrar, and Stephens will also respond to listener calls.
(1.) On the second part of this special edition of Fresh Air addressing the AIDS epidemic, Terry Gross speaks with Philadelphia lawyer DAVID WEBBER, legal director of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force's Advocacy Committee and the counsel for the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force. Last year he represented a person with AIDS who was fired from his job. Webber joins the show to discuss the legal and civil liberty issues associated with the disease. (2.) LARRY GROSS is a professor of communications at the Annenberg School of Communications of the University of Pennsylvania. He studies television violence and the portrayal of women in minorities on t.v. and their effects on viewers. Gross is the co-chair of the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force and a member of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force. He joins the show to evaluate the media coverage of AIDS and how it has shaped the American public's response to the disease. (3.) WEBBER and GROSS respond to listener calls about the legal and media aspects of the AIDS crisis.
(1.) On the second part of this special edition of Fresh Air addressing the AIDS epidemic, Terry Gross speaks with writer DENNIS ALTMAN, author of the new book "AIDS in the Mind of America." One of its subjects is the impact of the disease on the gay male community. The Australian Altman has previously written about the gay movement, and worked with the Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California Medical School. Altman offers his thoughts on whether AIDS should be considered a "gay disease." (2.) The AIDS crisis has scared many people from donating or receiving blood from the Red Cross. KATHLEEN DENTON, Director of Communications for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Red Cross, says those fears are unfounded. Denton explains that a test developed last April screens for the presence of antibodies to the HTLV-III virus, which is believed to cause AIDS. All blood is screened before being added to the pool. (INTERVIEW BY AMY SALIT) (3.) Pennsylvania Representative RUSSELL LETTERMAN is part of a group of legislators who have proposed legislation to require couples applying for marriage licenses to take one of the current tests for the virus that causes AIDS. Letterman and his cohort maintain that this should be done despite the fact that current tests (including one approved yesterday) are unreliable and can only confirm exposure to the virus. Letterman joins the show to explain his position. (INTERVIEW BY AMY SALIT) (4.) Philadelphia lawyer DAVID WEBBER is the legal director of the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force's Advocacy Committee and the counsel for the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force. Last year he represented a person with AIDS who was fired from his job. Webber joins the show to discuss the legal and civil liberty issues associated with the disease.
(1.) Exiled black South African poet DENNIS BRUTUS describes his ordeal while imprisoned for his anti-apartheid organizing, and discusses his decision to sign an exit visa which prohibits him from returning.
(1.) DOUG HILL and JEFF WEINGRAD are the authors of the new book "Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live." The book chronicles the eleven year history of the show produced by Lorne Michaels. Hill has written for the New York Times and is a staff writer for T.V. Guide, and Weingrad has written for SoHo Weekly News, the New York Post, and edits the celebrity page of Women's World magazine.
(1.) KURT VONNEGUT is one of the most prominent of contemporary novelists. His work often contains paradoxes and explores ideas from his science background. Vonnegut was also a P. O. W. in Dresden during the U.S firebombing of the city, an experience that was a subject in his novel "Slaughterhouse-Five." Vonnegut's works have often been banned, and he is active in a movement of writers to defend free speech rights in the U. S. and abroad. He recently traveled abroad as a representative of the organization PEN to report on intellectual freedom in Eastern Europe. Vonnegut's latest novel is "Galapagos."
(1.) Actor ALEC GUINNESS begin acting in classic English theater in the 1930s and 1940s. After World War II, he began to appear in films, and won an Academy Award in 1957 for his work in the film "The Bridge Over the River Kwai." He is known to a new generation of viewers as Obi Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars films. Guinness has recently published a memoir "Blessings in Disguise." (PARTIAL INTERVIEW)
(1.) Canadian novelist MARGARET ATWOOD is popular in her home country and abroad. Her latest novel "The Handmaid's Tale," takes place in a future United States ruled by religious fundamentalists who assert "traditional" roles for women and force fertile women to reproduce. Atwood considers herself a feminist and is active in the writers' movement for intellectual freedom. Atwood is the President of the Canadian English-speaking section of the writers' group PEN.
(1.) GAHAN WILSON discusses his macabre cartoons, the werewolves, vampires, and monsters he draws and the irrational childhood fears he parodies. His latest work is "Gahan Wilson's America."
(1.) EMILE DE ANTONIO is regarded as one of the most important political filmmakers of the American Left. His films include "Point of Order," about the McCarthy hearings; "Rush to Judgement," about the Warren Report; "In the Year of the Pig," about the history of Vietnam, and "Underground," where he interviewed members of the Weather Underground, "Millhouse: A White Comedy," a political comedy about Richard Nixon; "In the King of Prussia," about a group of anti-nuclear activists, and "Painters Painting," about the art world in New York after World War II. He joins the show to discuss his work and career.
(1.) Poet and essayist John Ciaradi is known for his etymologies on the NPR program "Morning Edition." Ciardi joins the show to discuss his love of words and their histories.
(1.) Composer STEVE REICH, one of the fathers of minimalist music, discusses the cross-cultural influences on his work from African drumming to Jewish cantorial singing. His latest composition is "Desert Music" which features the poems of William Carlos Williams.
(1.) JERRY FALWELL is a Baptist minister who is the founder and head of Moral Majority, Incorporated, which recently created an umbrella organization, The Liberty Federation, to support an expanded political and social agenda. The group describes itself as "pro-life, pro-family, pro-moral, and pro-strong national defense." Falwell is also the founder of Thomas Rhode Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, and the founder and chancellor of Lynchburg Christian Academy, Liberty University, Liberty Baptist Seminary, and Liberty Home Bible Institute. Falwell's latest book is "If I Should Die Before I Wake," and is about his founding of the Liberty God Parents Home, designed for pregnant teens as an alternative to abortion.
(1.) ROBERT J. LIFTON is a psychiatrist and author who is a board member of the group Physicians for Social Responsibility. His works include "Indefensible Weapons: The Political and Psychological Case Against Nuclearism" and "Home from the War: Vietnam Veterans: Neither Victims Nor Executioners." His latest book, "The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and The Psychology of Genocide," investigates the capacity for human cruelty and is based on interviews with former Nazi doctors and their surviving victims.
(1.) Philadelphian and frequent guest CHAIM POTOK returns to the show. Potok is a writer known for his novels, including his first, "The Chosen," a best-seller. His latest novel, "Davita's Harp," has just been released in paperback. His fiction often looks at the interplay between religious and secular life, and Potok grew up in Hasidic community, and is a rabbi. Potok has also written non-fiction and was part of a committee of scholars that created a new translation of the Hebrew Bibile which was published in 1982 in three volumes. A new one volume edition has recently been published.
(1.) DENNIS RUSSELL DAVIES is a conductor known for his dedication to performing new music and innovative programs. Davies is the co-founder and principal conductor for the American Composers Orchestra and the conductor of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center of New York, the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Davies lives in West Germany and is about to assume the position of the General Music Director of the City of Bonn.
(1.) Reverend WILLIAM SLOANE COFFIN, one of America's most prominent and controversial ministers, reflects on his role as a peace activist and spiritual leader.
(1.) ELLIE GREENWICH is a songwriter known for her pop songs of the 1960s like "Be My Baby" and "Do Wah Diddy Diddy." Greenwich worked with composers Leiber and Stoller, producer Phil Spector, and co-wrote many of her hits with her ex-husband Jeff Barry. During much of the 1970s, Greenwich wrote, produced, and performed commercial jingles before experiencing a career resurgence in the 1980s. A revue of her songs "Leader of Pack," premiered in New York and will go on a national tour.
(1.) ABBEY LINCOLN discusses her evolution from sultry supper club singer to a jazz singer who was nearly shut out of the music industry because of her civil rights activism.
(1.) AMIRI BARAKA, formerly LeRoi Jones, is a poet, playwright, essayist, and political activist who was of the first militant black writers to emerge in the 1960s. He addresses black life, music, and politics in his writing, and his works have often been seen as shocking. "The Autobiography of LeRoi Jones," Baraka's memoir, has just been released in paperback.
(1.) ART and AARON NEVILLE are part of the New Orleans funk and rhythm and blues band The Neville Brothers. Art has been performing since 1954 when his "Mardi Gras Mambo" became a hit. The song remains a Mardi Gras standard. Aaron had a hit in 1966 with the song "Tell It Like It Is." The brothers' latest album "Neville-lization."
(1.) R. D. LAING is a psychiatrist who challenged conventional views in the 1960s with his proposal that schizophrenia was an adaptive behavior, "a sane response to an insane world," as opposed to an illness. The counterculture embraced Laing's views, but they were controversial in academic circles. In 1965, Laing formed the Philadelphia (for brotherly love, not the city) Association, an alternative treatment center for schizophrenics. His latest books are "The Voice of Experience," and "Wisdom, Madness, and Folly." The latter is an autobiography of the first half of his life.
(1.) ROBERT STONE counts promises and peoples' failure to keep them, what we chose to perceive in others and how that perception can be deceptive, and the difficulty of behaving decently as themes of his novels. He describes himself as a "writer of his times," and his work often addresses topical issues. His latest novel is "Children of Light."
(1.) Philadelphian ED HERMANCE is named as a co-conspirator in an obscenity trial in England for smuggling "obscene" materials to London's prominent gay bookstore Gay's the Word. Hermance is the co-owner of Philadelphia's Giovanni's Room, a gay and feminist bookstore, and he believes the trial represents discrimination. (2.) "The Power and the Spirit," is a documentary produced by Anne Bohlen and Celeste Wesson that examines the ban on the ordainment of women in the Catholic Church. The documentary features women who would like to become priests and women who favor more traditional roles and support the ban, as well as a bishop.
(1.) Documentarian and filmmaker FREDERICK WISEMAN's films often dissect institutions. He emphasizes that his films are biased and reflect his own point of view. He joins the show to discuss his career.
(1.) Internationally acclaimed conductor LORIN MAAZEL is in town to conduct a performance at the Spectrum. Maazel joins the show to discuss his life and career.
(1.) Comedienne PHYLLIS DILLER joins the show to describe how she got into comedy at the age of 37, after working as a housewife, reporter, copywriter, and in press relations.
(1.) Writer RICHARD PRICE discusses his urban class background which inspired the setting of his novels The Wanderers; Bloodbrothers; Ladies Man; and The Breaks. His current project is a sequel for The Hustler, directed by Martin Scorsese.
(1.) ALBERT RACE SAMPLE remembers his seven years in a sadistic Texas prison, which is the subject of his memoir "Racehoss: Big Emma's Boy."
(1.) Author and illustrator MAURICE SENDAK discusses children's literature and his own childhood.
(1.) LEON BATES was groomed for a career as a concert pianist from childhood. He joins the show to discuss his life and career. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) Poet, memoirist, and activist MAYA ANGELOU discusses her life, career, and time spent living in Ghana.
(1.) VITO RUSSO, author of The Celluloid Closet analyzes how gays have been portrayed in films.
(1.) EDWARD WILKERSON is a jazz musician and composer. He joins the show to discuss his work and career. (INTERVIEW BY DANNY MILLER)
(1.) NAT HENTOFF writes about jazz and civil liberties, but describes his profession as "being a troublemaker." Hentoff began collecting jazz records and hanging out in jazz clubs as a young adult, and later hosted a jazz radio show and edited a magazine before co-founding the Jazz Review, a journal of criticism. Hentoff currently writes a column for the Village Voice and his subjects are often the First Amendment or civil liberties, and he is a staunch defender of free speech. His latest book, "Boston Boy," is a memoir about growing up in Chicago and Boston.
(1.) Guitarist and singer MARTY GROSZ and saxophonist and clarinetist DICK MELDONIAN regale a live audience with their versions of 1920s jazz and pop tunes at the Fresh Air studio. Grosz is a one the few musicians who still play rhythm guitar, and is the son of German satiric artist George Grosz. Meldonian has played with many famous jazz musicians and singers, and has also released several of his own records. The concert was funded by the Philadelphia Foundation.
(1.) Singer-songwriter LEONARD COHEN ("Suzanne," "Bird on a Wjre") discusses his life and music.
(1.) Novelist RITA MAE BROWN is known for her lesbian and "Southern" fiction. She joins the show to discuss her family and growing up in the South. Brown's latest novel is "High Hearts."
(1.) TERRY ZWIGOFF is the director and producer of the documentary "Louie Bluie," about jazz violinist and mandolinist Howard Armstrong. Armstrong continues the tradition of black string bands in the nineteen-teens and the nineteen-twenties. Armstrong's career was revived in the nineteen-seventies on the college circuit. Zwigoff plays the cello and mandolin himself, including in cartoonist R. Crumb's band, and collects jazz records.
(1.) Guitarist and signer JANE VOSS and singer HOYLE OSBORNE play for a live audience at Fresh Air's music studio. Their style incorporates the blues, Tin Pan Alley, vaudeville, and originals. Voss and Osborne are also married and today is their tenth anniversary.
(1.) Crime reporter NICHOLAS PILEGGI, author of Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family, describes the heists and scams of a mid-level mobster.
(1.) Novelist JUDITH VIORST has written humorous books for children and for adults and is also a contributing editor to Redbook. Viorst spent years studying at the Psychoanalytic Institute in Washington, D. C. before writing her new book, "Necessary Losses." The non-fiction work's subject is coping with loss.
(1.) Frequent Fresh Air guest SPALDING GRAY takes stories about his life and anxieties and transforms them into comedic monologues he delivers in a direct fashion. His monologues include "Sex and Death to the Age of Fourteen," "A Personal History of American Theater," and "Swimming to Cambodia." His current monologue is "The Terrors of Pleasure," and it chronicles his attempts to "grow up" and experience ownership by purchasing a house in the Catskills. The house was a disaster and Gray was forced to go to Los Angeles and audition for sitcoms to pay for the repairs.
(1.) Philadelphia native and novelist MARTIN CRUZ SMITH is best known for his 1981 film "Gorky Park." Prior to that work, Cruz Smith had written about 35 genre novels under various pseudonyms. His latest novel, "Stallion Gate," is set in Los Alamos, New Mexico during the development of the atom bomb. The novel's main character is a Native American who boxes and plays jazz and is the driver and bodyguard for J. Robert Oppenheimer.
(1.) Writer GAIL SHEEHY is best-known for her book "Passages" about the predictable turns of adulthood. While in Thailand researching Cambodian children in refugee camps, Sheehy met a 12-year-old girl whom she later adopted. Her book "Spirit of Survival" alternates between Sheehy and her daughter Mohm's perspectives on the events.
(1.) Novelist KURT VONNEGUT discusses his writing, and his work defending the intellectual freedom of writers in America and abroad.
(1.) Singer PEGGY KING joins the studio to interpret the songs of Irving Berlin in honor of his recent 90th birthday. King is joined by pianist CORKY HALE and bassist DAVID FINCK.
(1.) Musician JOHN PHILLIPS was a member of the group The Mamas & The Papas, a pop-folk band that was popular in the 1960s. Phillips has recently written his autobiography "Papa John."
(1.) AVNER EISENBERG, known as "Avner the Eccentric," is a "new vaudevillian"; he uses juggling, magic, acrobatics, and clowning in his act. He also appeared in the film "Jewel of the Nile."
(1.) Like fellow Nixon administration members John Deen and G. Gordon Liddy, JOHN EHRLICHMAN was convicted of crimes relating to the Watergate scandal, and now makes a career as a writer. He joins Fresh Air to share memories of President Nixon, the fallout from Watergate, and the influence prison life had on Ehrlichman's life.
(1.) RED GROOMS started his career as a painter; later, he began to incorporate performance and three-dimensional elements into his work. He dropped out of school and moved to New York, where he established himself by opening a gallery to showcase his work alongside that of other up-and-coming artists. Grooms finds inspiration in urban landscapes of all sizes -- including the small alleyway near his Chinatown apartment.
(1.) Sir ALEC GUINESS began acting in the theater. The skills he developed onstage helped him gain recognition in films like Bridge on the River Kwai and Star Wars. Despite his success in motion pictures, he prefers the stage and a quiet life in Southern England, far from the bustle of Hollywood.
(1.) SCOTT SPENCER had literary ambitions from a young age but didn't feel he could rightfully call himself a writer until the publication of his first book, Endless Love. Known for his personal tone, first-person perspective, and themes of obsession and loss, Spencer has written a new book called Waking the Dead.
(1.) PETER GURALNICK is a music critic with a new book about his favorite genre, titled Sweet Soul Music. The rise of soul was fueled as much by the artistry of individual performers as it was by influential record companies like Motown, Atlantic and Stax.
(1.) JERRY FALWELL is an Evangelical minister whose Moral Majority organization helped propel Ronald Reagan to the presidency. A staunch conservative, Falwell seeks to influence American politics in order to protect traditional family values.
(1.) ELLIE GREENWICH was one of the few working women songwriters of the 1960s, writing hits for girl groups like "Be My Baby" and "Leader of the Pack." With the rise of rock bands who wrote their own music, she switched to writing advertising jingles in the 1970s. Now, with the resurgence of women pop stars in the 1980s, Greenwich has returned to songwriting.
(1.) RICHARD WERNICK is a composer and professor at University of Pennsylvania. Frustrated by how few works by living composers are being performed, he has collaborated with the Philadelphia Orchestra to add new music to their repertoire. To expand the audience for challenging and vital compositions, Wernick believes that new music should be presented in concert alongside the more familiar pieces from the canon.
(1.) Lawyer ALAN DERSHOWITZ believes in defending a person's constitutional rights, even if that person is unpopular or guilty of a crime. His latest book, Reversal of Fortune, details how he secured the acquittal of Claus von Bulow, who was accused of murdering his wife. Dershowitz has also been working against the Meese Report on pornography, which he believes could lead to the suppression of free speech.
(1.) ROBERT B. PARKER is a Boston-based writer whose books follow the career of a private investigator named Spenser. Parker take his inspiration from classic hard-boiled novelists like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. Parker works as a consultant for the television show Spenser for Hire, which is based on his books.
(1.) DEBORAH EISENBERG didn't begin writing until her 30s, while she made a living as a waitress. But even after publishing several short stories, she was reluctant to call herself a writer until she was able to make a living in the arts. Along with her own determination, she credits the support and encouragement of her partner, actor and writer Wallace Shawn, for her success.
(1.) GEORGE SHEARING insists he is a piano player who happens to be blind, not a blind pianist. Despite being an accomplished jazz musician, he initially had trouble finding work in his native England, either because the gigs required sight-reading, or because club owners worried about the liability of hiring a blind performer. During World War II, when many musicians served in the military, Shearing was able to secure more jobs, including performing in air raid shelters during bombings. He now lives in the United States.
(1.) ROBERT JAY LIFTON has researched Nazi doctors and survivors of the Hiroshima bombings to learn how people react and adapt to extreme situations during wartime. His books include Death in Life and the forthcoming Nazi Doctors.
(1.) PAUL RUDNICK has written a play and published several essays. His new novel, Social Disease, draws on his first-hand knowledge of Manhattan's exclusive nightclub culture.
(1.) Born Leroi Jones, poet and playwright AMIRI BARAKA has become a literary force in black arts and culture. Now an avowed socialist, he has in the past embraced bohemian culture, Islam, and black nationalism--perspectives which have all informed his often controversial work. He now lives in Newark, New Jersey, where he supports several area arts organizations.
(1.) A frequent guest to Fresh Air, poet DENNIS BRUTUS has lived in exile from his native South Africa since the 1960s. He teaches at Swarthmore College and has just accepted a post at the University of Pittsburgh. He discusses the state of emergency that South Africa's government has declared in response to recent anti-apartheid actions. (2.) Journalist ROBERT ROSENTHAL covers Africa for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He accepted the post without having much prior knowledge of the continent. During a trip to Uganda, he was arrested outside of Kampala and tortured in prison.
(1.) Journalist LINDA ELLERBEE is an accomplished television journalist who recently left NBC over a salary dispute. In addition to her effective reporting, she has distinguished herself by downplaying her physical appearance dressing casually -- in sharp contrast with other women news anchors. She joins Fresh Air to discuss the role of women in broadcast journalism, the balancing of her career and personal life, and her new memoir, And So It Goes.
(1.) Comedian PHYLLIS DILLER is open and unashamed about the extensive surgery over she's gotten over the years. Known for her jokes about marriage and her increasingly frazzled onstage persona, she began developing her act at the age of 37 -- her husband urged her to pursue comedy to help support the family financially.
(1.) Best known for his groundbreaking work as a soul singer, SOLOMON BURKE was a child preacher who remained active in the church through adulthood. Early in his music career, he released a country and western album. He continues to record and perform religiously-inflected soul music.
(1.) Writer GAIL LUMET BUCKLEY has a new book called The Hornes: An American Family, which traces her lineage as far back as the Civil War. Buckley is the daughter of acclaimed African American actress Lena Horne, and believes that her family's experiences as members of the black middle class led to unique and sometimes troubling interactions with both whites and other African Americans.
(1.) BOB GUCCIONE, JR. got his start working at Penthouse Magazine, which his father Bob Guccione ran. Guccione, Jr. was fired multiple times from the family business. But his interest in publishing grew, and he has since launched Spin, a magazine covering new rock music.
(1.) Novelist CHAIM POTOK is an ordained rabbi who grew up in a Hasidic community in New York. He later abandoned fundamentalism but still maintains a strong Jewish identity. Through his fiction, he explores different aspects of his faith, and how they related to other religious and secular traditions.
(1.) After an unsuccessful, two-decade-long run writing jazz criticism, Cleveland-based writer and file clerk HARVEY PEKAR started his autobiographical comic book series American Splendor, which has just been anthologized by Doubleday.
(1.) TAMA JANOWITZ has felt like a perpetual outsider throughout her adult life--which she believes is related to her temperament and routine as a writer. But she has recently found acceptance among a community of New York City artists, whose lives she explores in her new short story collection Slaves of New York. Andy Warhol has since purchased the film rights for several of Janowitz's stories.
(1.) ARIEL DORFMAN is a creative writer and academic with roots in Chile. His most recent publishing credits include several articles critical of the Pinochet regime.
(1.) ROBERT STONE is a novelist most often associated with Ken Kesey's Merry Band of Pranksters. He joins Fresh Air to talk about how LSD, the Vietnam War, New York City, and California all influenced his life and work.
(1.) African American writer MAYA ANGELOU lived in West Africa with her son to escape racism in the United States, but later moved to North Carolina, which she now calls home. She credits the experiences of her childhood and teen years--including singing spirituals, surviving rape, and the birth of her son when she was 17--with shaping much of her poetic sensibility. The latest in her series of autobiographical books is called All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes.
(1.) BENNY GOLSON grew up in Philadelphia. As a teenager, he honed his tenor saxophone skills during jam sessions with future jazz legends John Coltrane and Percy Keith, among others. His career has taken him around the world, performing with Art Blakey and his own ensembles. After spending several years composing and arranging music for television, he has reformed his combo with Art Farmer and returned to performing and recording jazz.
(1.) JOE NAMATH set a record for the highest paid rookie in football when he was recruited by the New York Jets in 1964. After a thirteen-year-long career as a quarterback, he now acts, runs a football camp, and recently published the book Football for Young Players and Parents.
(1.) JAN HAROLD BRUNVARD is a scholar and folklorist who has written several books about urban legends. He believes these myths reflect contemporary anxieties and biases; their basic formulas allow for endless variations, which adds to their staying power. HIs newest book is called The Mexican Pet.
(1.) Long after many of his contemporaries quit, WOODY HERMAN continued to lead a big band, despite the financial hardships associated with managing such a large ensemble. An accomplished clarinetist himself, Herman sought out, recruited, and coached exceptional musicians to join him on the road and in the studio.
(1.) Football player ROSEY GRIER began his career with the New York Giants. Having grown up in an isolated sharecropping community, he became involved with the civil rights movement after witnessing first hand discrimination against black athletes. Grier later served on Bobby Kennedy's presidential campaign, unofficially acting as the presidential candidate's bodyguard. Grier was present when Kennedy was killed.
(1.) SCOTT SPENCER found success in his novel, Endless Love, and gained new readers after it was adapted into a film. Known for his personal tone, first-person perspective, and themes of obsession and loss, Spencer has written a new book called Waking the Dead.
(1.) GEORGE SHEARING insists he is a piano player who happens to be blind, not a blind pianist. Despite being an accomplished jazz musician, he initially had trouble finding work in his native England, either because the gigs required sight-reading, or because club owners worried about the liability of hiring a blind performer. During World War II, when many musicians served in the military, Shearing was able to secure more jobs, including performing in air raid shelters during bombings. He now lives in the United States.
(1.) Writer MARITA GOLDEN believes that friendship among black women is a given, and that their bonds are necessary for their survival in the face of white culture. Her new novel, A Woman's Place, explores this theme by following the lives of three different African American women whose lives diverge as they grow older. Golden joins Fresh Air to discuss the role of media and literature in the black community, which she often sees as at odds with each other.
(1.) Jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player ART FARMER lives in Vienna, but tours the United States six months out of the year. He grew up in Phoenix and was largely self-taught on his instrument--as an adult, he took lessons to correct poor techniques he had developed. He says he enjoys the life of a jazz musician, including the frequent travel, but sometimes gets discouraged when gigs are hard to come by. He has recently reformed his Jazztet with saxophonist Benny Golson.
(1.) RITA MAE BROWN has garnered acclaim for her novels, which feature complex and likable characters who happen to be lesbians. Before becoming a writer, she participated in civil rights and feminist movements, and stared a group for gays and lesbians at New York University. She joins Fresh Air to discuss the successes and failures of radical groups of the 1960s and '70s.