Fresh Air Weekend: 'Better Call Saul,' James McMurtry And America's Test Kitchen

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors, and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

'Better Call Saul' Breathes New Life Into 'Breaking Bad' Characters: The new show's co-creator says it became a writers' room joke on Breaking Bad that if something didn't fit it would go on the Saul Goodman show, or what became Better Call Saul.

James McMurtry Is More Expressive Than Ever On 'Complicated Game': Complicated Game is James McMurtry's first new studio album since 2008. The Texas-born singer-songwriter, now based in Austin, is known for songs with strong narratives and a blend of country, blues and rock melodies. Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker says Complicated Game demonstrates a new range of style and subject matter for McMurtry.

'Test Kitchen': How To Make Vegetarian Dishes Pop With A Little Umami: Cooking with plant foods naturally high in compounds called glutamates can stimulate the same taste receptors that meat does. America's Test Kitchen explains in The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

'Better Call Saul' Breathes New Life Into 'Breaking Bad' Characters

James McMurtry Is More Expressive Than Ever On 'Complicated Game'

'Test Kitchen': How To Make Vegetarian Dishes Pop With A Little Umami

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