Interviews

Liberace sits at a gold-leafed piano in the living room of his then-new Hollywood mansion in November 1961.

Soderbergh's Liberace, 'Behind The Candelabra'

1:42pm September 20, 2013

In his HBO film, the acclaimed director examines the five-year relationship between the flamboyant entertainer and Scott Thorson, who was 40 years Liberace's junior and still a teenager when they met. Michael Douglas plays Liberace and Matt Damon plays Thorson.

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Dan Miller grew up in a family of nine children in Wisconsin. They were poor, and his father supported them by working at a local paper factory.

National

Forging A Different Parenting Path

9:30am September 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

Dan Miller's father struggled to support a large family and buckled under the conditions of poverty. That experience led Miller to choose to be a better father than the one who raised him.

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Billie Jean King, seen here in 1977, learned to play tennis on the public courts near her Long Beach, Calif., home.

Fresh Air Weekend: Snowden Leaks, Billie Jean King And Jonathan Lethem

5:16pm September 14, 2013

Journalist Barton Gellman recounts how he began corresponding with whistle-blower Edward Snowden, a new documentary looks at King's legacy as both a tennis champion and the leader of a female player uprising, and Lethem's new novel was inspired by his own family story.

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Danny (Chris Messina) and Mindy learn that medicine isn't all fun and games.

Mindy Kaling Loves Rom Coms (And Being The Boss)

11:46am September 13, 2013

The actress played Kelly Kapoor on The Office, a role she also wrote and produced. Now she runs a new Fox comedy, The Mindy Project, in which she stars as an obstetrician whose personal life is a mess. Kaling tells Fresh Air that her late mother inspired her character's career.

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W. Kamau Bell's FXX series Totally Biased mixes standup, sketches and interviews.

'Totally Biased' Comic On Race, Politics And Audience

11:46am September 13, 2013

Comic W. Kamau Bell's new show, produced by Chris Rock, mixes standup, sketches and interviews. Bell tells Fresh Air about the origins of his political humor and why it's important for him to have a multiracial audience.

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Thomas Weller, 65, says he's been called an angel more times than he can count.

National

How One Man Continues To 'Just Pass It On'

7:44am September 13, 2013

by NPR Staff

Thomas Weller would have died in a snow bank in 1966 had a stranger not helped him. Weller has been helping strangers in the same way ever since.

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John Zorn's latest album is Dreamachines, which is inspired by Brion Gysin and William Burroughs' cut-up techniques.

Fresh Air Weekend: John Zorn, Superchunk And 'Cat Sense'

9:03am September 07, 2013

The New York City composer turns 60, Fresh Air critic Ken Tucker says Superchunk's latest album is full of typically superlative moments and anthrozoologist John Bradshaw explains cats' mysterious nature.

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Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller Morrow in Sons of Anarachy on FX.

Katey Sagal, Holding Court On 'Sons Of Anarchy'

1:51pm September 06, 2013

The actress plays Gemma, the fierce matriarch of the biker gang in the FX series. She's best-known for playing the acerbic Peg Bundy on the long-running show Married With Children.

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Connie Labetti, 52, was able to escape one of the World Trade Center buildings on Sept. 11, 2001, thanks to her boss, Ron Fazio.

National

Remembering A Boss Who Led A Team To Safety On Sept. 11

1:46pm September 06, 2013

by NPR Staff

Connie Labetti worked on the 99th floor of the south tower — the second tower to be hit that day. Her boss, Ron Fazio, helped her and others make it out alive.

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Jason Isbell was previously a member of Drive-By Truckers. His solo albums include Sirens of the Ditch and Here We Rest.

Music & Culture

Jason Isbell Locates His Musical Compass On 'Southeastern'

2:26pm September 02, 2013

The singer-songwriter earned a name for himself while playing with Drive-By Truckers and The 400 Unit, but on his new album — written after he got sober — Isbell finds a new level of emotional honesty. Here, he talks with Terry Gross about his life and plays songs from Southeastern.

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