
Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.

A conversation with R. Crumb, the king of underground comics
by Terry Gross
Crumb's comics were staples of 1960s counterculture. He's now the subject of a new biography. Crumb spoke to Fresh Air in 2005, and again, with his wife, fellow comic Aline Kominsky Crumb, in 2007.
Joanna Gruesome's 'Peanut Butter' Rises Above The Band's Gimmicky Name
by Ken Tucker
The Welsh band's name is a play on that of singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom. Ken Tucker likens the group's second album to a high-wire act accompanied by "furiously strummed punk-rock guitar chords."
A Critic Takes On Cannes: Highlights (And Lowlights) Of The 2015 Festival
Critic John Powers returns from the French film festival to talk about this year's new international films. Top among his picks is The Assassin, a martial arts film by director Hou Hsiao-Hsien.
Revisiting The Crystal Clarity Created By The 'Decca Sound' Revolution
by Lloyd Schwartz
In the 1940s, recording engineers perfected new sound techniques that were used in World War II — and which launched a hi-fi revolution. Lloyd Schwartz reviews the new 53-CD Decca box set.
Philip Glass On Legacy: 'The Future ... It's All Around Us'
For the composer, life is how the past and the future connect. Glass' memoir, Words Without Music, looks back on his childhood, travels and music. Originally broadcast April 6, 2015.
How 'Gatsby' Went From A Moldering Flop To A Great American Novel
In So We Read On, Maureen Corrigan looks at the story behind The Great Gatsby, from F. Scott Fitzgerald's life to the era in which it's set. Originally broadcast Sept. 8, 2014.
Letterman Signs Off, With A Heartfelt Guest-Filled Finale
by David Bianculli
Last night, after 33 years on TV as a late-night talk show host, David Letterman presented his final program. David Bianculli says Letterman's final show was a strong end to an illustrious career.