George Clooney says the press has a duty to 'always question authority'
In 2005, Clooney spoke about his Oscar-nominated film, Good Night, and Good Luck, which he co-wrote, directed and appeared in. Now he's up for a Tony for his role in the Broadway adaptation.
Two Tenors Inspired By A Saxophone Colossus
Fresh Air critic Kevin Whitehead reviews two albums by Thelonious Monk jazz competition winners: Melissa Aldana and Joshua Redman.
A Scientist's Mission To Break The Itch-Scratch Cycle
Dr. Gil Yosipovitch is a leading scientist in the field of itch. He says he hopes to gain more respect for the debilitating power of chronic itch — and to get more doctors on the search for a cure.
How 'The Knick' Creators Capture Turn-Of-The-Century Operating Scenes
The drama is set in a New York hospital in 1900, when surgeons were developing new techniques. Series creators Jack Amiel and Michael Begler and medical historian Stanley Burns talk about the show.
'This Is A Congress That's Really Doing Nothing,' Says NYT Reporter
Congressional reporter Jonathan Weisman gives his take on the 113th Congress, including how House Speaker John Boehner has little sway, and business in the Senate has virtually ground to a halt.
In The Irish Film 'Calvary,' A Priest's Crisis Of Faith Is Weirdly Jokey
John Michael McDonagh's new movie stars Brendan Gleeson as a priest who must eventually face off against a killer. It's excruciatingly obvious and inept, but Gleeson brings it alive.
At 74, Outlaw Billy Joe Shaver Is Still An Outlier
Billie Joe Shaver has just released his first new studio album in six years, called Long in the Tooth.
Jaki Byard, A Post-Bebop Pianist Who Was A Master Of Stride Piano
On The Late Show, a set of previously unheard solo music from 1979, the jazz pianist employs techniques like suspenseful dropouts. He had a rare ability to sound archaic — and way ahead of his time.
For Novelist Jonathan Lethem, Radicalism Runs In The Family
His new book, Dissident Gardens, follows three generations of an activist family. The book is fiction, but its characters were inspired by Lethem's own story. Originally broadcast Sept. 9, 2013.