Terry Gross

Journalist Ernest Volkman. He and co-author John Cummings' new book "Goombata: The Improbable Rise and Fall of John Gotti and His Gang," chronicles the history of the mofia godfather once proclaimed the "Teflon Don." Since 1986, when Gotti took over the leadership of the Gambino crime family, he's been acquitted in three criminal trials. The latest was an assault and conspiracy trial in New York, in which he was acquitted February 9, 1990.

Animator Chuck Jones. Jones made many of the greatestWarner Brothers cartoons, and he created the characters Pepe LePew, Wile E. Coyote, and the RoadRunner. Jones has written a memoir of his years at Warner Brothers, called "Chuck Amuck." (Rebroadcast. Original date 10/18/89).

Jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie (BOO-ee). Bowie is considered one of the most original trumpeters in jazz, and a master of horn effects. Bowie started out playing with St. Louis R&B bands. In 1969, he helped found the Art Ensemble of Chicago as an outlet for more eclectic and avant-garde jazz. Bowie also heads his own band, Lester Bowie's Jazz Fantasy. Their latest album is "Serious Fun." (Rebroadcast. Original date 11/3/89).

Jazz pianist Dave McKenna plays an April medley.

Critic-at-large Laurie Stone reviews the film "Camille Claudel," starring Isabelle Adjani as sculptor Camille Claudel and Gerard Depardieu as Auguste Rodin.

Scientist Barry Commoner, founder and director of the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems in New York. For years Commoner has been at the forefront of the ecology movement. "Time" magazine once dubbed him the "Paul Revere of Ecology." Early on he crusaded about the dangers of nuclear fallout. In 1970 he helped organize the first Earth Day, and a year later published "The Closing Circle," an examination of the affect of technology on the environment.

British writer Fay Weldon. She's most famous for her book, "The Life and Loves of a She-Devil," which was recently made into a movie. Weldon's novels deal with certain aspects of the female experience. In her first novel, "Fat Women's Joke" (1967), an over-weight middle-aged woman leaves her husband and struggles for self-respect in a world where youth and sex appeal count. And the heroine of "Down Among the Women," is an unwed mother. In all, Weldon has written fourteen novels and story collections.

Film Critic Steven Schiff reviews the new comedy, "I Love You to Death," starring Kevin Kline, Tracy Ullman, and William Hurt.

Pianist Jimmy (or Jimmie) Rowles joins the show to discuss Sarah Vaughan, who recently died of lung cancer.