Fresh Air

Like a number of his characters, Booker Prize-winning novelist Douglas Stuart grew up working class and queer in Glasgow. He went on to have a career in fashion, which plays into his latest novel, John of John . “It's hard to tell people about grief. It’s hard to talk to people about poverty... and so I’d got very used to the silence in my own life, and my writing is the only thing that allows me...

Flea co-founded the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1982. The bass/trumpet player spoke with Terry Gross about how his music and his life have changed. “Thank God I've changed. I was a lunatic. I was 19 going on 10.” He has a new solo jazz album called ‘Honora.’  Also, we’ll hear from Nick Offerman. He stars in the new series ‘Margo's Got Money Troubles,' about a bright college freshman who gets pregnant...

We remember conductor, composer and musician Michael Tilson Thomas, who died April 22 at age 81. He was a longtime music director of The San Francisco Symphony, known for his innovation, his ability to translate classical music for the general public, and for fostering contemporary music. He founded the New World Symphony for young players. He got his musical inheritance from his grandparents, who...

‘Baby Reindeer’ was an unexpected hit on Netflix in 2024. Now its creator and star is back with ‘Half Man,’ an HBO series about two boys who become brothers after their mothers fall in love in 1980s Scotland. Gadd spoke with Tonya Mosley about exploring toxic masculinity, becoming famous overnight, and bombing stand-up sets.  Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan recommends three playful novels: ‘Yes...

‘New Yorker’ staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert says EPA chief Lee Zeldin has rescinded regulations, cut or eliminated departments and terminated the jobs of many scientists. Trump calls Zeldin "our secret weapon." The Pulitzer Prize-winning environmental journalist spoke with Terry Gross.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have sold tens of millions of albums and taken home multiple Grammy Awards. Now in his 60s, more than four decades after that band formed, Flea is releasing his first solo album. ‘Honora’ is a jazz album that connects back to his childhood. The legendary bassist spoke with NPR’s Terry Gross about some of his wild antics, his “blood bond” with his band, and finding beauty...

Best known for his role as Ron Swanson on ‘Parks and Recreation,’ Nick Offerman plays a former professional wrestler reconnecting with his estranged daughter in ‘Margo's Got Money Troubles.’ He spoke with producer Ann Marie Baldonado about transforming into a wrestler, his ‘Parks’ group chat, and advice for young woodworkers.  Also, John Powers reviews ‘Big Mistakes,’ starring Dan Levy on Netflix....

Malala Yousafzai was 15 when a Taliban gunman shot her for advocating for girls' education in her native Pakistan. She understood that she was a target. “I had pictured it many times that this could happen. I had pictured it at school. I had pictured it in my school bus. I knew that the Taliban could do anything,” she told Terry Gross. Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize when she was just 17 years...

‘Schmigadoon!’ is now on Broadway. Adapted from the Apple TV series that lovingly satirized musicals of the ‘40s and ‘50s, we’ll hear from the co-creator, co-writer and songwriter of the series, Cinco Paul, who also wrote the book and songs for the Broadway show. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2021.  Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews ‘Blue Heron.’  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our...

In ‘The Secret War Against Hate,’ historian Steven J. Ross details the racist, anti-Semitic groups that sprung up after WWII, in the later half of the 20th century — and the spy network that worked to bring them to justice. He spoke with Terry Gross about that, and how it connects to the Dept. of Justice’s recent indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab...

A former pro-wrestling executive, Linda McMahon is now the Education Secretary Trump tasked with abolishing her agency. ‘New Yorker’ staff writer Zach Helfand explains how her WWE experience led her to this role. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Oscar Isaac stars in season 2 of the Emmy-winning Netflix series ‘Beef,’ which is an anthology about the unexpected consequences of everyday conflict. Isaac plays Josh, the manager of an upscale Los Angeles country club, whose life is unraveling. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about the series, his friendship with ‘Frankenstein’ filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, and being a “‘vulture” of his own life.  Al...

Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai spoke with Terry Gross about bravery, marriage, and defying cultural norms. She was 15 when a Taliban gunman shot her, in response to her advocacy for girls’ education. “When I look back, I'm like, yes, that was a crazy thing that I did. I put my life at risk. But, at the time, what scared me more was a life without an education as a girl. It terrified me.”  See pcm...

Amanda Peet is in the new film ‘Fantasy Life’ and the series ‘Your Friends & Neighbors.’ In a recent piece in ‘The New Yorker,’ she wrote about being diagnosed with breast cancer while both of her parents were in hospice. “I didn’t really have that ‘why me?’ thing. Maybe because I am Jewish and am always waiting for that other shoe to drop. In this case it was three shoes,” she told Terry Gross. ...

We celebrate the 80th birthday of the filmmaker known as ‘The Pope of Trash’ and ‘The Prince of Puke,’ John Waters. He's spent a career violating taboos and pushing boundaries. His films include the cult classic ‘Pink Flamingos’ and the relatively mainstream ‘Hairspray,’ which was adapted into a hit Broadway musical. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2014 and 2019.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information...

Israeli Maoz Inon's parents were killed by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks. Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah's brother died after being tortured in an Israeli military prison. Their new book, ‘The Future Is Peace,’ chronicles their eight day drive across Israel and Palestine, through checkpoints, holy sites, refugee camps, and separation walls.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and u...

Amanda Peet is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Except last year there seemed to be three different shoes, as she faced her parents' deaths and a breast cancer diagnosis. Peet spoke with Terry Gross about her “ Season of Ativan ,” navigating middle age in Hollywood, and her memories of Diane Keaton from the set of ‘Something’s Gotta Give.’ Peet stars in the new film ‘Fantasy Life’ and in...

The war entered a new phase when President Trump began a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace explains what this means. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

In a new book, Harvard professor Namwali Serpell makes the case that we have been reading one of the most celebrated writers in American history all wrong. ‘On Morrison’ is a deep dive into the Nobel Laureate’s complete body of work — her 11 novels, plays, and criticism. Serpell has been teaching Morrison for nearly two decades, and she says no matter how many times she returns to the work, she st...

Arsenio Hall grew up in Cleveland dreaming of being the next Johnny Carson – kind of. “I wanted to do this show that didn't exist when I was a kid, and I knew the talent was out there.” Hall spoke with Tonya Mosley about his groundbreaking talk show, ‘The Arsenio Hall Show,’ and why he decided to end it, despite its massive success.  Before he was a comic, producer and the “roastmaster,” Jeff Ross...

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist St. Vincent is known for her powerful guitar riffs and dark, poetic songs. Her early influences were Nirvana and David Bowie. “I've always felt like gender and identity were a performance. I've been aware of that since I was a young child and learning how to code switch growing up in Texas,” she told Terry Gross in 2024. She's backed by an orchestra at London’s Ro...

Dr. Mary Fariba Afsari's book, ‘Labor,’ is a portrait of reproductive healthcare in post-Dobbs America, serving a community in Oregon with an RV clinic. She also talks about her Iranian heritage and her grandmother's death from an illegal abortion.  Also, Ken Tucker reviews ‘After the Flood,’ by Robert Polito, a book about Bob Dylan’s past 30 years.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our c...

In 2020, writer Annabelle Gurwitch went to urgent care for a COVID-19 test and learned she had stage 4 lung cancer. She writes about life as a "cancer slacker" in her memoir, ‘The End of My Life is Killing Me.’ The humorist spoke with Terry Gross about facing her mortality, divorce, and going on a tour with her boyfriend and a young heavy metal band. Also, John Powers reviews the Nordic noir serie...

Known for his ruthless celebrity roasts, Ross turns inward in his Netflix special, ‘Take a Banana for the Ride,’ which details the loss of his parents and grandfather. The comic spoke with Terry Gross about working at his family’s catering business, his breakthrough ‘Letterman’ set, and living with alopecia. And, upon Terry’s request, he roasts her. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our co...

Hall grew up in Cleveland dreaming of being the next Johnny Carson. He got close – closer than anyone expected – and then he walked away. Thirty years later, he's finally telling the full story in a new memoir. “I wanted to do this show that didn't exist when I was a kid and I knew the talent was out there,” he tells Tonya Mosley. I found Bruno Mars and put him on the show when he was two feet tal...