Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.
Writer Carvell Wallace on past pain and forgiveness: Letting go is 'always available'
by Tonya Mosley
Wallace is known for his celebrity profiles, but his new memoir, Another Word For Love, is about his own life, growing up unhoused, Black and queer, and getting his start as a writer at the age of 40.
For Key And Peele, Biracial Roots Bestow Special Comedic 'Power'
Comics Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele satirize people of all races on their Comedy Central sketch show. Originally broadcast Nov. 20, 2013.
'The End of the Tour' Offers A Hint Of David Foster Wallace's Inner Struggle
by David Edelstein
A new film revisits a five-day interview that took place between writer David Foster Wallace and a reporter for Rolling Stone in 1996. Critic David Edelstein calls it a "very good movie."
Ashley Monroe's 'Blade' Blends Country Sentiment And Delicate Phrasings
by Ken Tucker
Rock critic Ken Tucker says the third studio album from country star Ashley Monroe "is a collection of deceptively pretty songs that cohere as a strong, serious piece of work."
'Buzzin' The Blues' Revisits The Declarative Harmonica Style Of Slim Harpo
by Ed Ward
Born in Baton Rouge in 1924, the blues musician known as Slim Harpo influenced rock bands like the Rolling Stones, the Kinks and Pink Floyd. Rock Historian Ed Ward shares Harpo's story.
'Call Me Lucky': A Documentary Of Friendship, Childhood Abuse And Survival
Barry Crimmins mentored Bobcat Goldthwait when they were up-and-coming comics in the '80s. A film directed by Goldthwait details their relationship — and the sexual abuse Crimmins suffered as a child.
New Release Features Jazz Flutist Sam Most's 'Breathy, Punchy Sound'
by Kevin Whitehead
From the Attic of My Mind is a batch of reissues drawn from the old Xanadu catalog of Sam Most recordings. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the late flutist makes "every note in a fast phrase pop out."
'Fresh Air' Remembers 'Billy Bathgate' Author E. L. Doctorow
Doctorow, who died Tuesday at the age of 84, was the author of dozens of novels, many of which combined fictional characters and real people in a historical context. Originally broadcast in 1989.
'Fresh Air' Remembers Broadcast News Pioneer Marlene Sanders
Reporter and newscaster Sanders died Tuesday at the age of 84. In 1964, she made broadcast history when she was the first woman to anchor a network evening newscast. Originally broadcast in 1988.
Rediscovering The Thrill Of George Balanchine's New York City Ballet
by Lloyd Schwartz
Lloyd Schwartz discusses the timeless appeal of the late choreographer George Balanchine. "[He] was our Shakespeare. ... watching a Balanchine ballet is like watching music come alive," he says.