Fresh Air from WHYY

Schedule

88.5-3

Friday

3:00 pm

88.5-1

Monday - Thursday

3:00 pm

88.3

Monday - Thursday

3:00 pm

Fresh Air opens the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.

Terry Gross hosts this multi-award-winning daily interview and features program. The veteran public radio interviewer is known for her extraordinary ability to engage guests of all dispositions. Every weekday she delights intelligent and curious listeners with revelations on contemporary societal concerns.

Find more information about Fresh Air.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Stephen Colbert: A 'Company' Man On Broadway

The political satirist and comedian talks about his Broadway performance (and performance anxieties) and about his recent segments on The Colbert Report featuring Sarah Palin and Anthony Weiner.

South Park Creators Talk 'Book Of Mormon'

Trey Parker and Matt Stone talk about their blasphemous, hilarious and oddly endearing Broadway hit, which led the Tony nominations field this year — and will probably go down in history as the only Broadway musical ever to combine Mormons, Uganda, filthy language and a chorus line.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Maurice Sendak: On Life, Death And Children's Lit

His latest book Bumble-ardy is a deeply imaginative tale about an orphaned pig who longs for a birthday party. Sendak, who is 83, wrote and illustrated the book while caring for his longtime partner, who died of cancer in 2007. "I did Bumble-ardy to save myself," Sendak says. "I did not want to die with him."

Buddying Up To 'Follies' Star Danny Burstein

Burstein has played a wide range of roles, from casino owner Lolly Steinman in HBO's Boardwalk Empire, to his current role as Buddy Plummer in the Broadway revival of Follies. He talks about his lengthy career on stage, screen and television.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

David Carr: A Media Omnivore Discusses His Diet

David Carr, who writes the Media Equation column for The New York Times, says that despite cuts, the future of journalism has never looked brighter. "I look at my backpack that is sitting here and it contains more journalistic firepower than the entire newsroom that I walked into 30-40 years ago," he says.

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings: The Fresh Air Interview

Welch and Rawlings perform an in-studio concert featuring several songs from The Harrow and the Harvest, and talk about many of the lyrics they've written over the years.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Margo Martindale: A 'Justified' Backwoods Matriarch

Margo Martindale plays Mags Bennett, the leader of a law-defying Appalachian family in the FX series Justified. The Emmy-nominated actress talks about playing Mags — as well as her other roles in Paris, Je T'Aime and Million Dollar Baby.

Aaron Paul: Playing Bad On 'Breaking Bad'

Student-turned-drug dealer Jesse Pinkman was supposed to die in the first season of the AMC drama. But the writers decided the chemistry between high school teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul) was too good to let go.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Waits: Paying Homage To Outcasts On 'Bad As Me'

The darkness of Tom Waits' lyrics is accentuated by the rumble and rasp of his voice, which sounded old even when he was young. On Bad As Me, Waits reflects on loneliness, life, death and heartbreak. Here, he talks to Terry Gross about performing, being a father and writing his haunting melodies.

Jimmy Fallon's 'Thank You Notes' For Everything

Fallon is thankful for slow walkers, people named Lloyd and the word "moist." The comedian and host of Late Night collects more than 100 nuggets of gratitude in his book called Thank You Notes. He talks with Terry Gross about giving thanks and doing impressions.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Fresh Air Weekend: Trent Reznor, Elmo

The man behind Nine Inch Nails discusses composing film music, his early days making music in Cleveland and his music. Also, Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo,talks about performing with Jim Henson, and creating a fun, educational experience for preschool-aged children.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Singer Darrell Scott Reflects On His Father's Death

Country singer-songwriter Darrell Scott grew up performing with his father, Wayne. Last month, Darrell was in Texas in between gigs when he learned that his father had died in a car accident. Here, he reflects on his father's life and death, and reads a poem he wrote about his dad.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Flicks, Picked (Redux): Edelstein's 2011 Top 10 Films

From a white-knuckle Wall Street chronicle to a modernized Shakespearean war story, the films on David Edelstein's best-of-the-year list tell solid stories new and old.

Hugh Martin's 'Hidden Treasures' Explored

Martin wrote "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" for Judy Garland's 1944 movie Meet Me in St. Louis, along with dozens of other songs for MGM and Broadway musicals. His career is celebrated on a new CD and 88-page booklet with essays by Stephen Sondheim and Michael Feinstein.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

El Rego: A Singer From Benin With Soul And Funk

For many years, the search for unknown or forgotten soul singers has dug deeply into music archives. But surprises still turn up. Music critic Milo Miles says this year's best discovery is a West African singer and bandleader named El Rego.

Pages

Arts & Culture

NPR

China Builds Museums ... But Will The Visitors Come?

China is on a spree to build world-class museums and has opened about 100 of them annually in recent years. Two of the biggest opened on the same day last fall on opposite banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River. But filling these museums — with both art and visitors — is proving more challenging.

Food

NPR

African Cities Test The Limits Of Living With Livestock

Hipsters may just be discovering the joys of backyard chickens, but in African megacities, people have been bringing their animals into the slums with them for decades. That's creating a new ecosystem of animals and huge numbers of people living closely together like never before.

Politics

NPR

Oklahoma's GOP Senators Find Themselves In Tornado Aid Bind

Sens. Tom Coburn and James Inhofe have become the faces of pushback on federal emergency spending. Now the deadly and devastating tornado in their home state has put them in an awkward position.

Technology

NPR

Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming?

Architects have come up with spectacular concepts for vertical farms that would grow crops in city skyscrapers. But many horticulturists think the future of vertical farming isn't in skyscrapers but rather, in large, indoor warehouses lit up magenta by super-efficient LEDs.

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Fresh Air from WHYY

Arts & Culture

China Builds Museums ... But Will The Visitors Come?

Food

African Cities Test The Limits Of Living With Livestock

Politics

Oklahoma's GOP Senators Find Themselves In Tornado Aid Bind

Technology

Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming?

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