'The Shrouds' introduces a new stage of grief: Watching your loved one decompose
David Cronenberg's thriller centers on an unusual technology that allows people to watch their loved ones decompose in real time. The Shrouds is both deeply morbid and disarmingly funny.
Fresh Air's summer music interviews: Keith Richards
In 2010, Richards recounted how he woke up just long enough to record the famous opening riff of "Satisfaction" on a cassette player he'd placed next to his bed: "I actually dreamt the damned thing."
Colson Whitehead returns to his home turf with 'Harlem Shuffle'
Whitehead says his novel was inspired by his love of heist movies. The story centers on a furniture store owner who has a side hustle trafficking in stolen goods. Originally broadcast Sept. 15, 2021.
How the ultrawealthy devise ways to not pay their share of taxes
Journalist Jesse Eisinger says a trove of IRS data acquired by ProPublica shows that many of America's billionaires avoid paying any taxes — sometimes by claiming big deductions from posh hobbies.
This reissue proves Roger Miller was more than just a novelty act
Best known for novelty songs like "King of the Road," Miller was also a serious songwriter who wrote ballads for artists such as Ray Price. Miller's '70 album A Trip in the Country is newly available.
'Danger Zone' author warns of growing tension between China and the U.S.
China scholar Michael Beckley says China is engaged in the largest military buildup since World War II, and is being increasingly aggressive with its Asian neighbors and with the U.S.
Comic Mo Amer draws on his Palestinian and Texan roots in a new Netflix series
Amer grew up in Kuwait, where he enjoyed a comfortable life — until he was 9, and the first Gulf War forced his family to flee to the U.S. in 1991. His new series is Mo.
New quartet album by jazz drummer Billy Drummond is a treat
On Valse Sinistre, Drummond's ride-cymbal beat is lively, varied and full of passing cross-rhythms — the sound of a musician fully engaged and in the habit of attentive listening.
This former GOP hatchet man didn't support Trump — but still enabled him
As a Republican operative, Tim Miller worked with extreme right-wing media outlets and fed the populist outrage that helped radicalize much of the GOP voter base. His new book is Why We Did It.
Loudon Wainwright III goes back to the basics on 'Lifetime Achievement'
The singer-songwriter is known for his intensely autobiographical writing. When Wainwright turned 75 recently, he decided to make an album about trying — and mostly failing — to age gracefully.