
55 episodes

Fresh Air Fresh Air
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- Arts
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4.5 • 294 Ratings
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Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.
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Best Of: Rosie Perez / Stephen Merchant
Rosie Perez was a dancer on Soul Train, the choreographer for "the Fly Girls," the dancers on the sketch comedy show In Living Color, and she did the now-famous dance in the opening credit sequence of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. She's now co-starring in the HBO max series The Flight Attendant. We'll talk about her career and how she managed to become so successful after having been raised as a ward of the state in St. Joseph's Catholic Home for Children in New York, and later in foster care.
Maureen Corrigan reviews Hernan Diaz's new novel, Trust.
Also, we speak with comedian, writer, director and actor Stephen Merchant. With Ricky Gervais, he co-created the British comedy The Office. He has a new comedy thriller series called The Outlaws. -
Met Opera Star Anthony Roth Costanzo
A decade ago, Costanzo had surgery that threatened to destroy his singing voice. Now he stars as a gender-fluid Egyptian pharaoh in the Met Opera's production of Philip Glass' Akhnaten. He's a countertenor, meaning he sings in a high range that's associated with women's voices. He knows all about the history of countertenors and their predecessors, castrati.
Justin Chang reviews the new film Memoria, starring Tilda Swinton, which he calls a "sonic detective story." -
How Tucker Carlson Conquered Cable
The New York Times did an exhaustive survey of the Fox News hosts' broadcasts. Reporter Nicholas Confessore says Carlson's show is based on ideas that were once "caged in a dark corner of American life."
Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Trust by Hernan Diaz. -
Former Attorney General Eric Holder
Holder was America's first Black attorney general when he served in the Obama administration. He has a new book called Our Unfinished March: The Violent Past and Imperiled Future of the Vote.
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British Comedy Writer & Actor Stephen Merchant
Merchant co-created the British Office and Extras with Ricky Gervais. His new show, The Outlaws, is about people court-ordered to do community service for low-level crimes. He spoke with producer Sam Briger about what inspired the new series, his best writing advice, and how being very tall (6'7") has informed his personality.
Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new album from The Clarinet Trio. -
Rosie Perez
Raised in a convent for abandoned kids, The Flight Attendant co-star used to dream of stability and a loving home. Now that she has it, Perez says, "It's priceless." We talk with Perez about overcoming the trauma of her childhood, how a fight with Spike Lee helped land her breakthrough role in Do the Right Thing, and her brief — but impactful — time dancing on Soul Train.
Customer Reviews
Almost perfect
Fresh Air is one of my favourites, and Terry is a host to treasure. Her natural warmth, empathy, humour and curiosity are golden. I love her. The eclectic guests, reviews, incidental music - all A+.
I only wish you would edit out the links from the live show. We’re not ‘just joining’ you half-way through - it’s a podcast! The constant reminder of what we’re listening to is repetitive and irksome. Not enough to detract from five stars though.
Murdoch empire
No, democracy does not depend on the success or failure of the Murdoch empire.
It depends on people being able to disagree and debate issues and facts and come to some agreed conclusions together.
If you are saying that democracy depends on the success or failure of a conservative media outline when they are the only mainstream conservative media outlet, then I’d suggest it’s not democracy you actually want, it’s something more soon to totalitarianism.
So while I may disapprove of Fox News, I’m glad they are there providing some balance - we need balance.
Love fresh air
They managed to do celeb and real news journalism with the same integrity and desire to tell the human story