Terry Gross

Writer Nik Cohn (pronounced "cone"). Cohn walked the length of Broadway in New York City, talking with the various characters along the Great White Way. His chronicle of that experience is "The Heart of the World." (published by Knopf).

Satirist Harry Shearer. Shearer has an eclectic career: he does many of the voices on the TV series "The Simpsons," he has a weekly program on many public radio stations called "Le Show," he often has character roles in movies, and he's one of the members of the parody heavy metal rock group "Spinal Tap." This year, Spinal Tap's releasing a new album and going out on tour.

Today we look at the growing problem of inhalant abuse. More and more kids and teenagers are getting high by inhaling substances like glue, gasoline, solvents and industrial cleaners. We'll talk with Doctor Marvin Snyder, of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. We'll also speak with "Jimmy" and "Kathy," a teenager who became addicted to inhalants and his mother (they prefer to use pseudonyms).

Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Alex Chilton. He was a teenage rock star in the late 60's as the singer with the group the Box Tops. Their major hits included Cry Like a Baby and The Letter. Chilton went on to found the group Big Star. Their two albums in the early seventies, Number 1 Record and Radio City are highly acclaimed by rock fans and musicians. Chilton has continued a solo career. Last year, Rhino Records released a new compilation CD called, "19 Years: A Collection Of Alex Chilton." (Rebroadcast. Original date May 29, 1991).

Economist Robert Heilbroner (rhymes with "runner"). He'll discuss the current recession, and our long-standing obsession with the deficit. He'll also give some suggestions about how to end the recession, and he'll tell us why sometimes a deficit isn't a bad thing.

Religion historian Martin Marty Marty, who teaches at the University of Chicago, is one of the foremost authorities on religion and society. He's the author of a four volume work on religion in the 20th century. His new work is a multi-volume look at fundamentalism. The first volume has just been published , and that's what he'll be talking about.

Special effects expert Jim Isaac. He did the special effects in the new David Cronenberg's new movie, "Naked Lunch."

Terry talks phone sex with writer Nicholson Baker. Baker's new novel "Vox" is one long, erotic, expensive conversation between a man and a woman on a 900 talk line. (Random House).

White South African writer André Brink was the first Afrikaner to have a novel censored by the government. Brink has written six novels and many essays about the moral dilemmas facing Afrikaners of conscience. His novel "A Dry White Season," was adapted into a film of the same name. His new novel, a political thriller, is called "An Act of Terror." (Summit press)

Terry interviews Patricia Ireland, the new president of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Ireland talks about NOW's agenda, as well as her own.