Terry Gross

Avant-garde composer and saxophonist John Zorn's most recent album reinterprets the music of film composer Ennio Morricone. His forthcoming recording pays homage to detective novelist Mickey Spillane.

New music composer John Harbison was drawn to classical music because the genre leant itself to longer pieces and a deeper exploration of musical ideas. He often writes for his wife, the violinist Rosemary Harbison.

Former diplomat and journalist William Attwood has a new book about the Cold War, called The Twilight Struggle. Reflecting on the history of McCarthyism, relations with communist countries, and undercover operations, he believes the Cold War's end is in sight.

Luis Valdez grew up in a migrant worker family; he later wrote plays about Mexican Americans and worked as a labor activist in the 1960s. His new movie, La Bamba, opens soon.

Singer, writer, and translator Susannah McCorkle performs selections from the Great American Songbook with pianist Ben Aronov and bassist Chip Jackson. She discovered much of that music while living in Europe, watching American films.

Unlike most professional dancers, Paul Taylor didn't pursue the craft until he was 22. After a celebrated career under the tutelage of Martha Graham, he became a choreographer. His new autobiography, Private Domain, details his experiences.

Brothers Luis and Daniel Valens' collaborated on a biopic of the late singer's life, called La Bamba. They discuss how they tracked down Valens' family to learn more about his early life.

Feminist activist and writer Liz Carpenter and her husband started their own news organization. Later, she worked in President Johnson's administration as a speechwriter and first lady Lady Bird Johnson's press secretary. Her memoir, about aging and widowhood, is called Getting Better all the Time.

Art photographer Tony Mendoza describes his newest book, Stories, as a photographic autobiography.

Ralph Allen says that burlesque theater started off at the turn of the century as a comedy revue; it wasn't until the 1930s that the tradition took on its more erotic elements. Allen cowrote the play Sugar Babies, which has been produced worldwide.