Fresh Air
Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.Subscribe to Fresh Air Plus! You'll be supporting the unique show you can't get enough of - and you can listen sponsor-free. Learn more at plus.npr.org/freshair
How The Affluent Benefit From The Poor
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond says if the top 1% of Americans paid the taxes they owed, it would raise $175 billion each year: "That is just about enough to pull everyone out of poverty." His new book is Poverty, by America.Also Ken Tucker shares three songs: Iris DeMent's "Goin' Down to Sing in Texas," Sunny War's "Love's Death Bed," and Margo Price's "Radio."
Billy Crudup
Billy Crudup stars as a fast-talking salesman — selling timeshares on the moon to frustrated earthlings — in the Apple TV+ series Hello Tomorrow! We also talk about going to rock star camp for his role in Almost Famous, his iconic Mastercard commercials, and The Morning Show.
Best Of: Memphis Drag Queen Bella DuBalle / Character Actor Clancy Brown
Memphis drag queen Bella DuBalle says the legislators behind a new Tennessee law criminalizing public drag shows don't understand the art. We talk with the native Tennessean about the law, performing for kids, and how her livelihood and safety are at risk.Maureen Corrigan reflects on 40 years of Nora Ephron's Heartburn and recommends a new comic novel. Actor Clancy Brown has been working since the 1980s and has played some memorable villains over the years in movies, including Shawshank Redemption, …
Michelle Yeoh / Adam Sandler
Michelle Yeoh made history last week, becoming the first Asian woman to win an Oscar for best actress. We'll hear our interview with Yeoh about Everything Everywhere All At Once. Yeoh has also starred in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, the Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, and Crazy Rich Asians. We'll also hear our interview with Adam Sandler. He's this year's recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Sandler talks about playing a jewelry store owner in the film …
Memphis Drag Queen Bella DuBalle Won't Be Silenced By New Law
Bella DuBalle says the legislators behind a new Tennessee law criminalizing public drag shows don't understand the art: "They think that every drag performer is doing something hypersexual or obscene." We talk with the native Tennessean about the law, performing for kids, and how her livelihood and safety are at risk. Also, Maureen Corrigan celebrates the 40th anniversary of Nora Ephron's Heartburn and shares a new comic novel, Pineapple Street.
Inside A Safety-Net Hospital That Treats The Poor And Uninsured
Many of Ricardo Nuila's patients at Houston's Ben Taub Hospital are dealing with serious illnesses as a result of not being able to access basic preventive care. His new book is The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine.
Character & Voice Actor Clancy Brown
Actor Clancy Brown has been working since the 1980s and has played some memorable villains over the years in movies, including Shawshank Redemption, Highlander and, coming out later this month, John Wick 4. But he may be best known as the voice of Mr. Krabs on the animated show Spongebob Squarepants.Kevin Whitehead revies the new jazz recording by Fred Hersch and Esperanza Spalding, and John Powers reviews the new novel Birnam Wood by Booker Prize-winner Eleanor Catton.
A Veterinarian Shares What Animals Have Taught Her
Karen Fine talks about practicing Chinese medicine and acupuncture on sick pets, what "ADR" stands for, and the mental health issues many veterinarians face. Her new book is The Other Family Doctor. Also, Ken Tucker reviews Caroline Polachek's new album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You.
Best Of: Thomas Mallon's Diaries / Life & Death In The ER
Writer Thomas Mallon talks about his diaries that were recently published in the New Yorker, titled Finding My Way– and Staying Alive — During the Aids Crisis. Mallon's latest novel, Up With the Sun, is based on the life and murder of Dick Kallman, a closeted actor in the 1950s and '60s. Critic John Powers reviews the film Return to Seoul.Also, we hear from Dr. Farzon Nahvi. He has a new memoir about his experiences in the ER, and his …
Revisiting The Genius Of Buster Keaton
We explore the subtle genius of a man often remembered for pratfalls and sight gags. Buster Keaton was a silent film star in the 1920s, but he was far more than an actor and stuntman. He conceived and directed his films, cited by some of America's leading filmmakers as inspirations. We speak with Slate film critic Dana Stevens, whose book examines Keaton's work and influence, and chronicles his colorful life. Her book, Camera Man, is now out in paperback. Justin …