Terry Gross

Rapper and actor Ice-T...one of the most popular of the "gangsta" rappers. Although he does not often get his songs played on the radio, all five of his albums have gone gold. Greg Knot of The Chicago Tribune has written that "Ice-T is that rare gangster rapper who leads with his brain instead of his gun or his crotch." Ice-T's 1992 song "Cop Killer," landed him at the center of a controversy about gangsta rap--is it a legitimate form of expression or is it incendiary hate-mongering.

Actor Peter Coyote. It was once said of him that he "came from nowhere and was working his way back." Coyote was active in San Francisco street theater during the 1960's, and was part of the diggers, a group who ran a free store and gave out free meals in Golden Gate Park.

French film legend Jeanne Moreau. She's best known for her work in the French New Wave films (between 1958 and 1962), working with such directors as Francois Truffaut, Louis Malle, and Jean-Luc Goddard. Perhaps Moreau's most famous role was in Truffaut's "Jules et Jim," as the woman in a complicated menage à trois. Moreau has led an admittedly unconventional life, from her choice of movie roles, to her succession of love affairs. She's now 65, and starring in the new film, "The Summer House." (Rebroadcast from 12/23/93).

Performance poet Sekou Sundiata. Often he performs with his music ensemble, "Dadahdoodahda." A Village Voice critic wrote of Sundiata, ". . . like Billie Holiday, Sundiata surprises with images and tumbling phrases that blend with subtle rhythmic variations. Dadahdoodahda provided enough familiar riffs and melodies to fill a dance floor. . .

Stephen Schiff on Spike Lee's new film "Crooklyn."

Author Robb Forman Dew. In her novels--"Dale Loves Sophie to Death" (Harper Perennial) and "Fortunate Lives" (Harper Perennial)--Dew explored the ambiguities and intricacies of families. So she thought she understood the complexities of family love. But then her son informed her he was gay. Dew has written a new memoir about her son's coming out and the family evolution that followed. It's her non-fiction debut and it's called "The Family Heart" (Addison-Wesley).

Historian and author Garry Wills. He looks at leadership in his new book "Certain Trumpets: The Call of Leaders" (Simon & Shuster). Wills chooses a broad spectrum of leaders--FDR, Harriet Tubman, Socrates, Martha Graham and others--and examines their leadership qualities and the bases of their success. He looks at the relationship between leading and following. He responds to the charge by some that there is now a dearth of leaders. And he sets forth his understanding of the universal conditions of leadership.

Peru's eminent novelist and former presidential candidate Mario Vargas Llosa. Llosa is the author of many books including "Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter," (which was made into a movie, based on his own relationship with his 32-year old aunt, who he married at the age of 19), "The Storyteller," and "In Praise of the Stepmother." A London Times writer says of Llosa's novels that they are "among the finest coming out of Latin America." Llosa lived for many years in Europe.

Professor John Dominic Crossan. A native of Ireland, ordained as a priest in the U.S. (he left the Priesthood in 1969), Crossman now teaches biblical studies at DePaul University. Crossan is a founding member of the Jesus Seminar, a group of scholars who meet to determine the authenticity of Jesus' sayings in the Gospels. Crossman's new work is "Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography" (HarperCollins) which seeks to place Jesus in the context of his Jewish, Mediterranean and peasant roots; to see him as a Socratic philosopher and radical egalitarian.

Neurophysiologist William Calvin. He assisted in neurosurgery on a patient named Neil. Neil was to have a portion of his temporal lobe removed to cure his severe epilepsy. But the neurosurgeon, George Ojemann, had to know where to cut. A mistake could cost Neil part of his normal brain function. So, while Neil was awake on the operating table, Dr. Ojemann, probed and stimulated Neil's exposed brain, the whole time carrying on a conversation with the patient. The purpose was to create a detailed roadmap of Neil's brain functioning.