Showing results by author "Terry Gross" in All Categories

Political satirist Bill Maher on this edition of Fresh Air. He's just published When you ride ALONE you ride with bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism.

Musicians Joe Hunter and Jack Ashford on this edition of Fresh Air. Joe Hunter (keyboards) and Jack Ashford (vibes and tambourine) were part of the group of musicians known as the Funk Brothers, whose sound defined Motown in the 1960s and '70s. They worked with such legendary performers as Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, and many more.

Host of NPR's The Tavis Smiley show, Tavis Smiley and the head of Afghanistan's Human Rights Commission, Dr. Sima Samar on this edition of Fresh Air. Tavis Smiley is the author of the new book Keeping the Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing, and Hope from Black America. The book is a collection of personal narratives by ordinary African Americans.

Professor Charles Kupchan and TV host and writer Ruby Wax on this edition of Fresh Air. Charles Kupchan's new book, "The End of the American Era: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Geopolitics of the Twenty-First Century, Kupchan argues that the era of American dominance may be coming to an end; this demise will not be brought on by the Islamic world or China but from an integrated Europe.

Epidemiologist and one of the world's leading experts on Alzheimer's disease, David Snowdon, on this archive edition of Fresh Air. In 1986 Snowdon began what he calls the Nun Study, following a group of aging nuns to better understand why some of the sisters were able to age gracefully, retaining their mental faculties, and others were not.

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis on this edition of Fresh Air. He's just released Footsteps of Our Fathers, the debut release on the artist's own Marsalis Music label. In the nearly two decades that he has released solo albums, he's won two Grammy Awards and was nominated for a third in 1995. He was the first band leader for Jay Leno's The Tonight Show and appeared on the show from 1992-1995.

TV host Tom Arnold and journalist Ellen Ruppel Shell on this edition of Fresh Air. Tom Arnold hosts FOX television's The Best Damn Sports Show Period. Arnold is probably best known for his marriage to Roseanne Barr. He was a writer, actor and executive producer on Roseanne, and starred in three TV shows of his own including The Jackie Thomas Show.

Writer David Sedaris and actor Alan Cumming, on this edition of Fresh Air. Sedaris is best known for his contributing work with public radio's This American Life. He's written three books of essays, Barrel Fever, Naked, and his newest Me Talk Pretty One Day which was just released in paperback. Scottish actor Alan Cumming co-wrote, co-directed, and is co-starring in the new film The Anniversary Party, along with Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Mosquito expert Andrew Spielman and actor Jonathan Pryce on this edition of Fresh Air. Spielman is one of the world's leading experts on mosquitoes. He's just co-written a book, Mosquito: A Natural History of Our Most Persistent and Deadly Foe. He answers why mosquito bites itch and how the mosquito transmits deadly diseases. Spielman is a professor at Harvard University. Stage and screen actor Jonathan Pryce plays Gustav Mahler in the new film Bride of the Wind.

Deputy editor-in-chief of the Columbian newspaper El Tiempo, Enrique Santos Calderon, and actress Christina Ricci on this edition of Fresh Air. El Tiempo is one of Columbia's leading dailies. Calderon will talk about putting out a newspaper under the threat of kidnapping, torture, or death from leftist guerillas and right wing paramilitary groups. In Columbia, more journalists have been killed in the past five years than in any other country.

Boston Globe reporters Walter Robinson and Mike Rezendes and humarn rights leader Jeri Laber on this edition of Fresh Air. They're part of the investigative staff that broke the story of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The staff has written a new book about the scandal called Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church. In January of 2002, the Globe published a two-part series revealing the details of a decades-long cover-up by the Boston Archdiocese.

South African journalist John Matisonn and psychologist Mary Pipher on this archive edition of Fresh Air. Matisonn is white and grew up in the suburbs in Johannesburg. His grandparents emigrated to South Africa at the turn of the century. Matisonn covered South Africa from 1986 to 1991 for NPR and worked in Washington, D.C. He's now the head of elections for the South Africa Broadcasting Company, SABC, (which before the end of apartheid, broadcast purely government propaganda).

Dancer/choreographer Mark Morris on this edition of Fresh Air. Early in his career, Morris performed with a variety of companies. He then founded the Mark Morris Dance Group in 1980, creating over 90 works for the troupe. He has also staged over a dozen commissions for other ballet companies, including the San Francisco Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and the American Ballet Theatre.

Psychologist Daniel Schacter and journalist Michela Wrong on this edition of Fresh Air. Schacter is the author of the new book The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers. The book looks at memory loss and age, arguing that gaps in memory are normal if not necessary to a sharp mind. He's a professor of psychology at Harvard University. Wrong is the author of the new book In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobutu's Congo.

Stand up comics Ahmed Ahmed and Maz Jobrani and Pakistani dancer Sheema Kermani on this edition of Fresh Air. Ahmed is Egyptian-American, and Jobrani is Iranian-American. They've changed their routines since September 11th, cracking jokes about attending flight school and the like. Both have had small parts as terrorists in action films. Jobrani was in a Chuck Norris film and Ahmed was Terrorist #4 in Executive Decision. They live in Los Angeles.

Science writer Douglas Starr on this edition of Fresh Air. His book, Blood: An Epic History of Medicine and Commerce, inspired the upcoming PBS series Red Gold: The Epic Story of Blood. The four-part production premieres June 23, 2002. Starr is co-director of the Knight Center for Science and Medical Journalism at Boston University. Starr has contributed to many publications including Time, Sports Illustrated, The Los Angeles Times and Smithsonian magazine.

Actress Jodie Foster on this edition of Fresh Air. Jodie Foster produced and acts in the new film The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys. Foster has won two Oscars for performances in The Silence of the Lambs and The Accused. She was also nominated for her work in Taxi Driver and Nell. She's also served as producer or director on numerous films. (Broadcast Date: June 17, 2002)

National security expert Loch Johnson and Reverend Roy Hawthorne on this edition of Fresh Air. Loch Johnson's written several books about intelligence and the trade-off of personal freedom, including Bombs, Bugs, Drugs and Thugs: Intelligence and America's Quest for Security. Johnson is a professor of political science at the University of Georgia. He has served on several US Senate committees on Intelligence. Reverend Roy Hawthorne is one of the original windtalkers.

Photographer and reporter Scott Peterson and psychologist Robert Jay Lifton on this edition of Fresh Air. Scott Peterson of the Christian Science Monitor has been covering the war on terrorism since the September 11th attacks. He is also the paper's Moscow Bureau Chief, and their former Middle East Correspondent. Peterson recently attended a training camp for journalists to learn how to deal with kidnappers and gunmen. He was also a friend of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl.

Directors Chris and Paul Weitz on this edition of Fresh Air. Their new film, About a Boy, is based on the novel by Nick Hornby and plays in theaters now. The Weitz brothers, born to fashion designer John Weitz and Oscar nominated actress Susan Kohner, first became famous for directing the 1999 teen comedy, American Pie. They also wrote the screenplay for the animated movie Antz and directed the Chris Rock movie Down to Earth.