Fresh Air
Weekdays at 7:00pm
Opening the window on contemporary arts and issues with guests from worlds as diverse as literature and economics.
Fresh Air Weekend: Tilda Swinton; Adrien Brody
Swinton plays a woman dying of cancer in The Room Next Door. Justin Chang reviews Hard Truths. Brody drew on his family's immigration story for his role in The Brutalist.
Remembering Burt Bacharach, master of the melodic hook
by Kevin Whitehead
No '60s pop composer wrote more sophisticated songs than Bacharach, who died Feb. 8. Dozens of his best songs endure for all the right reasons; they're inventive, challenging and linger in your ear.
Now in its 10th season, John Oliver's 'Last Week' is still as fresh and funny as ever
by David Bianculli
Oliver rarely has guests, so the HBO show relies on him to sell both the jokes and the facts — which he does, always counter-punching with a punchline whenever things start getting too serious.
An ER doc reflects on life, death and uncertainty in the early days of COVID-19
by Dave Davies
Dr. Farzon Nahvi spent the first few months of the pandemic as an emergency room physician in Manhattan. He talks about trying to improvise treatments during that time. His new book is Code Gray.
LBJ biographer Robert Caro reflects on fame, power and the presidency
by Dave Davies
Caro isn't solely interested in telling the stories of famous men. Instead, he says, "I wanted to use their lives to show how political power worked." Originally broadcast in 2013 and 2019.
The human sensory experience is limited. Journey into the world that animals know
by Terry Gross
Science writer Ed Yong recently won the Carnegie Medal for Excellence for An Immense World, his book about the diversity of perception in the animal world. Originally broadcast June 22, 2022.
Remembering De La Soul co-founder David Jolicoeur, aka Trugoy the Dove
Jolicoeur, who died Feb. 12, co-founded the hip-hop group De La Soul in the 1980s, while still in high school. The group brought a sense of fun and wit to the genre. Originally broadcast in 2000.
Bob Dylan's 'Time Out Of Mind' remains eerie and vital in a newly released version
by Ken Tucker
Columbia Records' new release provides an extensive look at Dylan's 1997's Grammy-winning album. This package of five CDs offer a wealth of new ways to experience some of Dylan's most moving music.