Years ago, writer Pico Iyer lost everything in a wildfire. This is what he learned
After a 1990 wildfire destroyed his home and possessions, Iyer started over. The loss led him to a Benedictine monastery, where he found comfort and compassion in solitude. His new memoir is Aflame.
Bluegrass Musician Norman Blake Releases An Album Of Original Songs
Blake has performed for more than 60 years. He was in Johnny Cash's band and played on Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline album. Now 77, his new album is called Wood, Wire and Words.
Saxophonist Tony Malaby's New Quartet Brings Out His Rowdy Side
Malaby has merged his two trios — with a cello and a tuba — into a quartet called Tubacello. Their new album is Scorpion Eater. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says he hopes to hear from them again.
Remastering 78s: A Company Brings Clarity To Pianist Artur Schnabel's Works
Many historic recordings have been transferred to CD, but not always as accurately as desirable. But a small record company in France has been remastering these recordings in a revolutionary way.
Forget Binge Watching: Great Television Happens When Networks Pace Shows
The perfect example, says critic David Bianculli, is HBO's The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. Spread out over six weeks, the finale had the most chilling TV moment he's seen in years.
Brandi Carlile's Surging Voice Grounds 'The Firewatcher's Daughter'
Carlile has been releasing albums for the past 10 years, and Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker says her new one, called The Firewatcher's Daughter, is her best yet.
Horror Film Fans Beware: 'It Follows' Isn't The Fun Kind Of Scare
The film is about a teenage girl who sleeps with a boy and is suddenly under a curse. Critic David Edelstein says he didn't enjoy feeling "sick with dread," but the ending is unexpectedly moving.
Drummer Hal Blaine Talks About Making Music Over The Years
Blaine is featured in the new documentary The Wrecking Crew about a group of anonymous intensely successful musicians who recorded together. Terry Gross spoke with him in 2001.
They're Not Only '60s Songwriting Superstars, But They're Also Married
Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who wrote "We Gotta Get Out of this Place," have been a team for more than 50 years. Terry Gross spoke with them in 2000, when they were depicted in the musical Beautiful.