Fresh Air Weekend: Daniel Genis, 'Seymour' Documentary And Norman Blake

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:

Released From Prison, 'Apologetic Bandit' Writes About Life Inside: Daniel Genis, son of Soviet emigre writer Alexander Genis, served 10 years for armed robbery. The crimes fueled his heroin addiction. "It was so obvious I didn't fit in," he says.

'Seymour': A Loving Portrait Of An Acclaimed Classical Pianist: Seymour: An Introduction is an inspiring new documentary by the actor Ethan Hawke. It's about Seymour Bernstein, who quit a successful concert career at the age of 50 to become a piano teacher.

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.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

Released From Prison, 'Apologetic Bandit' Writes About Life Inside

'Seymour': A Loving Portrait Of An Acclaimed Classical Pianist

Bluegrass Musician Norman Blake Releases An Album Of Original Songs

Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.