Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.
A new documentary checks out the many ways libraries are a 'Free For All'
By examining the value of libraries in the distant and recent past, this PBS film makes a compelling case for the importance of the American public library system today.
Singer-Songwriter Curtis Harding Drops His Guard On 'Face Your Fear'
by Ken Tucker
The Atlanta-based musician blends contrasting pop genres on his second album. Rock critic Ken Tucker says Face Your Fear reveals Harding's deep knowledge of R&B.
Ranky Tanky Builds On The Music And Culture Of Slave Descendants
Three members of Ranky Tanky perform songs from their debut album. The band's name and music derive from the tradition of slave descendants known as the Gullah. Originally broadcast Dec. 12, 2017.
'Phantom Thread' Is Deeply Weird And Marvelously Entertaining
by David Edelstein
Paul Thomas Anderson's new movie stars Daniel Day-Lewis as a British women's fashion designer in the 1950s. Critic David Edelstein says the film is an amusing portrait of artistic and marital anguish.
Remembering Jazz Singer Keely Smith
Smith, who died Saturday, was discovered by bandleader Louis Prima as a teenager. She later married Prima, and the two became a popular Las Vegas lounge act. Originally broadcast in 2000.
Trombonist Roswell Rudd Packs A Lot Of Wisdom Into Every Note Of 'Embrace'
by Kevin Whitehead
Rudd started out playing dixieland before graduating to free jazz. Now he's collaborating with singer Fay Victor on his latest album. Critic Kevin Whitehead says Embrace has a "valedictory air."
'Better Call Saul' Tops Critic David Bianculli's Picks For The Best TV Of 2017
by David Bianculli
Fresh Air's TV critic spends a lot of time watching television — in part because there are so many great shows to watch. Godless, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Fargo are also among his favorites.
NPR's Robert Siegel Reflects On What It Was Like To 'Grow Up On The Air'
The longtime host of All Things Considered will retire in January. NPR had only been on the air for five years when Siegel started in 1976. "So we really could make it up as we went along," he says.
A Filmmaker's 'Quest' For A Quiet Family Portrait Is Pierced By Unforeseen Trauma
Jonathan Olshefski spent 10 years filming Christopher Rainey and his family, who run a recording studio in a working-class African-American section of North Philadelphia. Then their daughter was shot.
'The Post' Is A Crackling Newsroom Thriller With Electrifying Relevance
by Justin Chang
Steven Spielberg's new drama revisits The Washington Post's 1971 decision to publish the Pentagon Papers in defiance of the Nixon administration. Justin Chang calls it "terrifically entertaining."
A Writer Remembers The Quake That Rocked Mexico City, And Brought Its People Together
by Dagoberto Gilb
Dagoberto Gilb was fulfilling a dream to be in Mexico City for an extended stay when an earthquake struck on Sept. 19, 2017. Amidst the destruction, he says, there was a feeling of collective resolve.
How Battles Over Sex, Gender And Sexual Orientation 'Fractured American Politics'
Moral Combat author R. Marie Griffith says the fight for women's suffrage and legal birth control in the early 20th century helped create a political divide in the U.S. that still exists today.
A Look Back At 4 Jazz Luminaries Who Died In 2017
by Kevin Whitehead
Kevin Whitehead remembers alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe, pianist Geri Allen, guitarist John Abercrombie and singer Jon Hendricks. Each "helped shape jazz after the upheavals of the 1960s," he says.