Terry Gross

Band leader and clarinetist Artie Shaw. In the 1930s and 40s his band ranked with the Goodman, Dorsie, and Miller bands in popularity. But he rejected many of the pop tunes and stuck with music by composers like Porter, Gershwin, and Berlin. Shaw is also known for working with many fine Black musicians and singers, including Billie Holiday. Shaw is now retired from performing. He celebrated his 90th birthday last week. (Rebroadcast from a 12/241985 interview.)

A live concert/interview with pianist Dave McKenna. Whitney Balliett, jazz critic for The New Yorker magazine, called McKenna "the hardest swinging jazz pianist of all time." McKenna plays with amazing virtuosity and swing, mixing stride, boogie and more modern playing styles. McKenna has recently released 2 CDs-- Clarinet Blue with Bobby Gordon (Arbors) and Jubilee with Daryl Sherman (Arbors) McKenna turns 70 this week. (Rebroadcast. Originally broadcast on Thursday, December 29, 1988.)

New York jazz singer and pianist Daryl Sherman (woman). She has just released a CD with Dave Mckenna called Jubilee. It celebrates the centennials of Fred Astaire, Hoagy Carmichael, Noel Coward and Duke Ellington. She has been a long-time favorite of Manhattan's night life. (REBROADCAST from 8/26/98)

Director John Woo. He grew up in Hong Kong and directed numerous films there before coming to Hollywood. He has established himself as a master of action thrillers and is known for his elaborate action scenes. Woo has directed the American films “Broken Arrow,” “Hard Target," and "Face/Off." His new film, Mission Impossible 2, came out this week. (REBROADCAST from 7/10/97)

Linda Greenlaw has worked on commercial fishing boats for nearly 20 years. She has written about her experience leading a sword fishing boat to Newfoundland in the book "The Hungry Ocean." It’s just been released in paperback(Hyperion). Greenlaw is also featured in the best selling book, The Perfect Storm. That book is being made into a movie which will be released this summer. Boston magazine named Greenlaw one of the most intriguing women of 1997. She lives on Isle au Haut, Maine. (REBROADCAST FROM 6/21/99)

Writer Clifford Wright. His new book is “A Mediterranean Feast: The Story of the Birth of the Celebrated Cuisines of the Mediterranean, from the Merchants of Venice to the Barbary Corsairs, with more than 500 Recipes.” (Morrow) As you can tell from the title, it’s a comprehensive look at Mediterranean foodstuffs, cooking and culture, at over 800 pages. It won the James Beard Cookbook of the Year award, and it is being developed into a 13-part series for PBS called “A Cook’s Tour: Mediterranean Journeys with Clifford Wright.”

Actress Amy Sedaris. She’s the star of the comedy series “Strangers With Candy” that airs Monday and Saturday nights on Comedy Central. Sedaris plays Jerri Blank, a 47-year old ex-con, ex-prostitute lesbian high school freshman. She’s the sister of David Sedaris, a humor writer who has been on Fresh Air several times. Amy and David have produced and written several plays together, including the 1996 Obie award winning “One Woman Shoe.”

British writer Linda Grant. She’s the author of the new memoir, “Remind Me Who I Am, Again” (Granta Books) about her mother’s disappearance into dementia (diagnosed as Multi-Infarct Dementia). She first wrote about her mother’s situation in the pages of the Guardian. Grant’s other books include “Sexing the Millennium” and “The Cast Iron Shore.” (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW).

Susan Rice, the U.S. State Department’s Assistant Secretary for African Affairs.

Pro-democracy leader Zainab Bangura (ZI-nab bahn-GUHR-rah). She is a human rights activist and pro-democracy leader in Sierra Leone. She’s been threatened both by the government and the rebels because of her outspokenness.We’ll speak to her about the situation as it stands right now.