Terry Gross

Film critic Stephen Schiff says GoodFellas is a thrilling exploration into the banality of evil. Based on the book Wiseguy, the film stars Ray Liotta and Robert DeNiro.

Snyder was part of the beat poetry scene in 1950s San Francisco, and inspired a character in several Jack Kerouac novels. He studied Eastern philosophy and religion, and later settled in a more isolated part of the United States -- far from the urban world. He won the Pulitzer Prize, and continues to teach and write. His new collection of essays considers his relationship with the wilderness.

The brothers team up to create strips, panels, and movie poster take-offs that appear in Spy Magazine, National Lampoon, and Raw. They are known for their realistic drawings and caustic wit. Their new book is called Warts and All.

Writer Jon Jefferson explains how deep fried food is as essential to Southern identity as the distinctive Southern drawl.

In 1985, novelist William Styron fell into a deep depression. He documented the years he was incapacitated by the illness, and how he coped, in his new book, Darkness Visible. Looking back at his early writing, Styron believes depression informed his novels, like The Confessions of Nat Turner and Sophie's Choice.

The British horror writer has moved away from macabre imagery and now explores psychological terror in his novels. His latest book, Spider, is an account of schizophrenia. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his influences, and to read from his new work.

Cropper is a white musician who fell in love with black music. As a guitar player, he preferred working in the studio rather than on the road, and later became part of the house rhythm section for Stax Records. He's best known for his playing with Booker T & the MGs and Otis Redding.

Foley's new movie, After Dark, My Sweet, is adapted from Thompson's classic crime novel. Foley joins Fresh Air to talk about the his directorial vision, and how he navigates the corporate demands of movie producers.

Actor, writer, and Monthy Python member John Cleese suffered from depression and sought therapy from Robin Skynner. In 1983, the two released a co-written book called Families and How to Survive Them. They're collaborating on new book about mental health. Cleese also runs a video production company specializing in instructional films.

The Klezmer revival is mostly led by third-generation American Jews. Clarinetist Don Byron is a notbale exception -- he's an African American musician who pays tribute to the compositions of Mickey Katz. Byron is an alumnus of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, and he performs on the anthology album "Live At The Knitting Factory, Volume 3."