Showing results by author "Terry Gross" in All Categories

Jazz bassist Ron Carter and filmmaker Burr Steers on this edition of Fresh Air. Ron Carter has more than two thousand recordings to his credit. From 1963-1968 he was part of the Miles Davis Quintet with Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, and Wayne Shorter. Over the years, he's played with Randy Weston, Herbie Mann, Betty Carter, Eric Dolphy, Sony Rollins, McCoy Tyner and others.

Investigative journalist Robert Bryce and remembering labor activist Anthony Mazzochi on this edition of Fresh Air. Robert Bryce'sHis new book is Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego and the Death of Enron. It's a gossipy, irreverent analysis of the Enron scandal.

Journalist Jonathan Landay and former White House Director of Counterterrorism Daniel Benjamin on this edition of Fresh Air. Jonathan Landay co-wrote an article called "Officials' Private Doubts on Iraq War. The piece appeared yesterday in newspapers owned by the Knight-Ridder-Tribune News Service, including the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Hear journalist Scott Shane and author Tara McKelvey, on this edition of Fresh Air. Scott Shane has been writing about terrorism and the CIA's interrogation techniques for The New York Times. His most recent article is about how the U.S. has adopted techniques once used by the Soviets: "Soviet-Style Torture Becomes Interrogation" (June 3, 2007). Then, Tara McKelvey, the author of Monstering: Inside America's Policy of Secret Interrogations and Torture in the Terror War.

Hear journalist Laura Rozen, food and wine columnist Russ Parsons, and jazz critic Kevin Whitehead on this edition of Fresh Air. Laura Rozen reports on national security and foreign policy from Washington, D.C., as a senior correspondent for The American Prospect and a contributor to the Washington Monthly, the Boston Globe, The Economist, the Forward, USA Today, Wired, and other publications.

Hear journalist Jeff Goodell and film critic Jon Powers, on this edition of Fresh Air. Jeff Goodell's book Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future is now out in paperback. Goodell says we are more dependent on coal than ever.

Hear guitarist and vocalist Jack White and drummer Meg White of the band the White Stripes, film critic David Edelstein, and actor Brian Cox on this edition of Fresh Air. The White Stripes' new album is called Icky Thump. It's their sixth release. The duo has tried to keep their relationship a mystery, claiming to be, variously, brother and sister or husband and wife.

Hear British musician Jarvis Cocker, book critic Maureen Corrigan, and jazz critic Kevin Whitehead, on this edition of Fresh Air. Jarvis Cocker has just released The Jarvis Cocker Album, his first solo effort. Cocker founded his band Pulp at age 15. Cocker made headlines in 1996 when he stormed the stage in protest at a Michael Jackson concert in London at the BRIT awards.

Hear actor, comedian, producer, and writer Denis Leary, and recording artist Michael Hearst, on this edition of Fresh Air. Leary's show Rescue Me on FX begins its fourth season next week. He plays the highly dysfunctional yet macho firefighter Tommy Gavin. Leary also starred in the short-lived but critically acclaimed ABC comedy series, The Job. And he's known for his work in films such as The Thomas Crown Affair and The Ref.

Hear teachers Frank Burd and Ed Klein, and rock critic Ken Tucker on this edition of Fresh Air. Frank Burd and Ed Klein are Philadelphia public school teachers who were attacked on the job. They talk about the difficulties of teaching in inner-city schools.

Hear journalist Tim Weiner, director/writer Brad Bird, comedian/actor Patton Oswalt, and classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz on this edition of Fresh Air. Tim Weiner's new book is Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times correspondent did extensive archival research and conducted interviews with CIA insiders, including former chiefs Richard Helms and Stansfield Turner.

Hear journalist Linda Greenhouse and rock historian Ed Ward on this edition of Fresh Air. Greenhouse, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times, will tell us about the current Supreme Court, including issues facing the court and cases coming up in the future. She's been covering the court since 1978. Then, rock historian Ed Ward profiles songwriter Doc Pomus (1925-1991). Born Jerome Solon Felder, he wrote hits for Ray Charles and Elvis Presley.

Hear singer Frankie Valli and comedian and actor Patton Oswalt on this edition of Fresh Air. There's a new four-CD box set of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons called Jersey Boys. Valli helped bridge 50s doo-wop and 60s rock-and-roll with two dozen top 40 hits, including "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Sherry", and "Walk Like a Man". Jersey Boys is also the name of a Tony award winning Broadway musical based on the lives of the Four Seasons.

Hear singer Mary Weiss and singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka on this edition of Fresh Air. Weiss first found fame as a member of the Shangri-Las, with hits like "Leader of the Pack", "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", and "Give Him a Great Big Kiss". In March of this year, she recorded her first album of new material since 1965. It's called Dangerous Game.

Hear David Chase, the creator and executive producer of the HBO hit series The Sopranos, and film critic David Edelstein, on this edition of Fresh Air. The last gasp of The Sopranos is Sunday night, when the final episode of its seven-year run is broadcast. (Original Airdate: 6/22/2000) Then, David Edelstein reviews Ocean's 13.

Hear writer and professor Carol Muske-Dukes and British singer-songwriter Bryan Ferry on this edition of Fresh Air. Muske-Dukes' new novel is Channeling Mark Twain. Fellow author Mary Karr described the book as "a riveting story about women in prison, with language that scorches the page and characters you won't be able to live without...She's given us a true hero in Polly, who's [as] unforgettable as Huck Finn."

Hear Middle East Ambassador Dennis Ross and rock critic Ken Tucker on this edition of Fresh Air. Dennis Ross served as US envoy to the Middle East from 1988 to 2001, during the elder Bush and Clinton administrations. His new book is Statecraft: How to Restore America's Standing in the World. Ross is the Counselor and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Hear United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, book critic Maureen Corrigan, and rock critic Ken Tucker, on this edition of Fresh Air. From 1996 to 2000 Louise Arbour, a Canadian, was chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. She indicted former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Hear film director Guillermo Del Toro and film critic David Edelstein, on this edition of Fresh Air. Guillermo Del Toro grew up in Mexico. His film Pan's Labyrinth (which he wrote and directed) won three Academy Awards. It's now out on DVD. He also wrote and directed the films Cronos, Hellboy, and The Devil's Backbone, and directed the films Blade II and Mimic.

Hear shock-rock icon Alice Cooper, on this edition of Fresh Air. During his heyday in the early 1970s, Alice Cooper appeared on stage dressed like a ghoul, with a gaunt face and mascara streaked eyes, and performed cartoonish, violent stunts. His hits included "I'm Eighteen", "School's Out", and "Welcome to My Nightmare".