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Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.
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'Deadpool & Wolverine' is a self-cannibalizing slog
by Justin Chang
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have good, thorny chemistry in this odd-couple action hero flick. But brand extension disguised as a satire of brand extension is still just ... brand extension.
Writer Shalom Auslander catalogs his lifelong battle with self-contempt in 'Feh'
by Tonya Mosley
Auslander has written for decades about growing up in a dysfunctional household within an ultra-orthodox Jewish community. The title of his latest memoir comes from the Yiddish word for "yuck."
Filmmakers profile America's economically lost generation in 'Two American Families'
by Tonya Mosley
FRONTLINE documentarians Tom Casciato and Kathleen Hughes spent decades following two working-class families who lost well-paying manufacturing jobs and then struggled to regain their way of life.
'Janet Planet' star Julianne Nicholson is proud to be a character actor
Nicholson says when strangers recognize her on the street, they're never quite sure how they know her: "They might think I sold them kittens, or I work in the ice cream shop."
50 years later, Stevie Wonder's 'First Finale' remains ripe for rediscovery
by Ken Tucker
Fulfillingness’ First Finale won the Grammy for Best Album in 1975, yet today it feels underrated — perhaps because its overall tone was more meditative than the albums immediately preceding it.
Why the weapon of choice matters in the Trump assassination attempt
by Terry Gross
The shooter who tried to assassinate the former president used an AR-15. Pulitzer-winning Washington Post reporter Todd Frankel explains why this rifle is the weapon of choice for mass shooters.
Remembering 'Chinatown' screenwriter Robert Towne
Towne, who died July 1, was nominated for an Oscar in 1974 for his screenplay for The Last Detail, and won the Academy Award in 1975 for his screenplay for Chinatown. Originally broadcast in 1988.
Remembering Martin Mull, an actor, comic, musician and painter
Mull, who died June 27, appeared in the 1970s series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and later starred in Fernwood 2 Night. David Bianculli offers an appreciation, then we revisit a 1995 interview.
Understanding the resurgence of jobs in America's 'left behind' counties
by Tonya Mosley
David Madland of the Center for American Progress says new, “good” jobs are on the rise, but many of the workers don’t realize it’s a result of Biden’s new industrial policies.
'Madoff' takes account of the biggest financial Ponzi scheme in history
by Terry Gross
Disgraced financier Bernie Madoff scammed investors out of approximately $68 billion. Journalist Richard Behar spoke to Madoff in prison more than 50 times for his book, Madoff: The Final Word.