Fresh Air : NPR

Veteran Political Reporter: Trump White House Is 'Different In Almost Every Way'

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 14:22:32 -0400

New York Times correspondent Peter Baker has covered the last four presidents. He says President Trump has crossed so many boundaries that "it's easy to become inured to it."

JD Allen Goes Free Form And Improvisational On 'Radio Flyer'

Wed, 26 Jul 2017 13:45:09 -0400

Tenor saxophonist JD Allen has been leading a group with the same musicians for 10 years now. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the quartet's familiarity helps it hit its groove on Radio Flyer.

Looking Back At The Most Powerful Earthquake Ever To Strike North America

Wed, 26 Jul 2017 13:45:09 -0400

Science writer Henry Fountain says the deadly quake that shook Alaska in 1964 was so loud some thought it was the beginning of World War III. His new book is The Great Quake.

New Chester Himes Biography Reveals A Life As Wild As Any Detective Story

Wed, 26 Jul 2017 13:45:09 -0400

Lawrence P. Jackson's biography tracks the writer's course from prison to published novelist. Critic Maureen Corrigan says Himes' life story is well worth reading.

Comic Jessica Williams On 'The Daily Show' And Learning To 'Never Be Average'

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 15:10:00 -0400

Williams joined The Daily Show when she was 22. She says, "I was younger and I was black and I was a woman, so ... I'm like, I have something to prove." She now stars in The Incredible Jessica James.

The Enduring Legacy Of Jane Austen's 'Truth Universally Acknowledged'

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 14:09:00 -0400

Linguist Geoff Nunberg describes the opening sentence to Pride and Prejudice as a "masterpiece of indirection" that is frequently repurposed, but whose irony is never matched.

Good Music Is The Best Revenge On Waxahatchee's 'Out In The Storm'

Mon, 24 Jul 2017 13:45:48 -0400

Katie Crutchfield, who performs under the name Waxahatchee, releases energy and emotion with pinpoint precision on her new album. Critic Ken Tucker has a review.

Inside The Global Seed Vault, Where The History And Future Of Agriculture Is Stored

Mon, 24 Jul 2017 13:45:48 -0400

Seeds on Ice author Cary Fowler describes the underground tunnel near the North Pole, which stores and protects a collection of 933,000 samples of different, unique crop varieties.

Fresh Air Weekend: Billy Bragg On Skiffle; 'Crime And Punishment In Black America'

Sat, 22 Jul 2017 09:00:00 -0400

Bragg describes skiffle, the music movement that brought guitar to British radio. James Forman Jr. explains how black Leaders unwittingly contributed to the era of mass incarceration.

'Dunkirk' Is A Harrowing War Movie, Muddled By A Convoluted Timeline

Fri, 21 Jul 2017 14:12:26 -0400

A new film dramatizes the '40 Allied retreat from the beaches of France as the Nazis close in. Despite strong action sequences, Dunkirk relies too much on fragmented storytelling and obvious plotting.

'Awkward' And 'Insecure' Get To The Root Of Writer Issa Rae's Humor

Fri, 21 Jul 2017 14:12:26 -0400

As a self-described "awkward black girl," Rae says she often felt that she was straddling two worlds growing up. She created and stars in the HBO series Insecure. Originally broadcast Nov. 8, 2016.

Fresh Air Remembers Oscar Award-Winning Actor Martin Landau

Thu, 20 Jul 2017 13:58:54 -0400

Landau, who died Saturday, appeared in the films Crimes and Misdemeanors and Ed Wood, as well as in the 1960s TV series Mission Impossible. Originally broadcast in 1990.

The Insecurity Of America's Old And Underfunded Voting Systems

Thu, 20 Jul 2017 13:58:54 -0400

Cybersecurity reporter Kim Zetter warns that our election systems, including our voting machines, are vulnerable to hacking: "We can't rule out that elections haven't already been manipulated."

2 Smart New Novels Find Humor In Fantasies Of Escape

Thu, 20 Jul 2017 13:58:54 -0400

These terrific comic novels — The Last Laugh by Lynn Freed and Who Is Rich? by Matthew Klam — will have you laughing at the many ways we all try to run away from the realities of life.

Billy Bragg On Skiffle, The Movement That Brought Guitar To British Radio

Wed, 19 Jul 2017 15:13:00 -0400

The singer describes skiffle as "a bunch of British school boys in the mid '50s playing Lead Belly's repertoire ... on acoustic guitars." Bragg's new book is Roots, Radicals And Rockers.

Comments (0) - Read and Add your own Comments