Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.
Rachel Kushner's new espionage thriller may be her coolest book yet
In Creation Lake, a hard-drinking American spy infiltrates a radical farming collective in a remote region of France. Kushner challenges readers to keep up with her and not to flinch.
'Rocky And Bullwinkle' Reboot Is Good — Just Not As Great As The Original
by David Bianculli
Critic David Bianculli describes Amazon's Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle as a slightly more stylized — though ultimately "hit and miss" — version of the classic cartoon.
Tom Wolfe: Writing Nonfiction 'Became A Great Game And A Great Experiment'
Wolfe began experimenting with nonfiction writing techniques in the 1960s. The "new journalism" pioneer and best-selling author died Monday. He spoke with Fresh Air in 1987 and 2012.
HBO's Heavy-Handed 'Fahrenheit 451' Lacks The Poetry Of Ray Bradbury's Original
by David Bianculli
Critic Dave Bianculli says that the new TV movie "dilutes and deflates" the 1953 novel it draws from. Viewers should "skip the movie, and go back and read Bradbury's book."
In Life And Fiction, Edward St. Aubyn Sheds The Weight Of His Past
by Terry Gross
St. Aubyn's semi-autobiographical novels featuring Patrick Melrose, an Englishman from a posh but monstrous family, are now the basis of a Showtime miniseries. Originally broadcast May 20, 2014.
How Trump's 'War' On The 'Deep State' Is Leading To The Dismantling Of Government
by Terry Gross
New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos says that hundreds of non-partisan civil servants, considered not loyal enough to the administration, have been marginalized or pushed out of government entirely.
Comic Tig Notaro Wants You To Know She's 'Happy To Be Here'
by Terry Gross
After her set about having cancer went viral in 2012, Notaro struggled with the perception that her stand-up was only "dark and edgy." Her new Netflix special begins streaming May 22.
He Felt He Could No Longer Be Funny, Says Robin Williams Biographer
by Terry Gross
Dave Itzkoff examines Williams' life and death in a new biography. Williams took his own life in 2014; an autopsy later revealed he had Lewy body dementia.