How To Stay Human: Jon Batiste Talks With Lara Downes
The renowned musician and Late Show bandleader has sage advice on everything from finding your north star and owning your own orbit to honoring lineage.
Music Interviews
'Rompan Todo' Explores A Turbulent History Of Latin America Through Rock Music
Rompan Todo is a new Netflix six-part documentary series that explores the socio-political history of rock music in Latin America from its genesis in the 1960s to the present.
'White Christmas': A Holiday Concert With Rosemary Clooney
To celebrate Christmas, Fresh Air listens back to a concert given by the late singer and actress on Feb. 11, 1997. Clooney spoke about her childhood and working with Bing Crosby and Billy Strayhorn.
'Fresh Air' Presents Swinging Christmas Music From Rebecca Kilgore And Pals
Kilgore is one of the leading interpreters of American songs. In December 2005, she and trombonist Dan Barrett and pianist Rossano Sportiello recorded at the NOLA studios in Manhattan.
Cozy Up With Andrew Bird As He Performs Holiday Songs From 'Hark!'
Bird's holiday album is a collection of covers and originals that some might not view as Christmas material at all.
Jeff Tweedy On Performing From His Couch: 'It Felt So Intimate To Us Right Away'
At the onset of the pandemic, the Wilco frontman began filming The Tweedy Show, an at-home Instagram series with his wife and sons. His also has a new memoir, How to Write One Song, and a new album.
Adam Weiner's New Song, 'Christmas Makes Me Cry,' Channels Holiday Loneliness
The leader of Low Cut Connie, tasked with writing a pandemic-era holiday song, thought back to a journal entry he wrote nearly 20 years ago, while working as a perfume spritzer at a local mall.
In Podcast Finale, 'Louder Than A Riot' Looks At Prison Reform
NPR Music's Louder than a Riot has been doing a deep dive into the stories of rappers that highlight inequalities in the way this country addresses crime and punishment.
On 'McCartney III,' Paul McCartney Is A One-Man Show Again
McCartney has been busy in quarantine. The artist speaks about his new album, McCartney III, the quirks of writing love songs and remembering his late friends John Lennon and George Harrison.
Elton John On Music, Addiction And Family: 'I'm Proud Of Who I Am Now'
In 2019, John told Fresh Air that his father's early misgivings about his chosen career became a source of motivation: "He gave me the determination to make something of myself."