Terry Gross

Bill Harley writes music for children. His songs are inspired both by different folk traditions and his experiences as a father. He performs some of his music for Fresh Air guest host Liane Hansen.

Temple spent more time making his first feature -- The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle, featuring the Sex Pistols -- than he did in film school. He's since made his name making music videos for rock bands. He joins Fresh Air guest host about the controversy surrounding Neil Young's video for "This Note's for You," which MTV has decided not to air.

Bobbie Ann Mason's new, Spence and Lila, is about a couple who copes with the wife's breast cancer. Her previous novel, In Country, is being made into a film. She joins Fresh Air to talk about her approach to writing and the clowder of farm cats she raised.

While some film critics praise Bruce Willis's sensitive performance, Stephen Schiff says Die Hard's charm is in its fast-paced scenes of jubilant, large-scale destruction. It's this summer's guilty pleasure.

Lou Diamond Philips had his breakout role in the film La Bamba. Now he gets to stretch his acting chops as a knife-wielding, peyote-eating cowboy in Young Guns. He says he chooses his roles carefully to avoid being typecast as an "ethnic" actor.

Dennis Smith says that his own history as a firefighter helped him earn the trust of the people he interviewed for his new book. He talks about firefighter training and culture, and shares some of the personal anecdotes he learned during his research. Smith's first book was called Report from Engine Co. 82

Despite a plethora of urban legends, the folklorist says reports of earwigs getting stuck in people's heads are largely unfounded. But we can learn a lot about those stories by looking at the etymology of the word "earwig."

Sci-fi writer and editor Bruce Sterling says that the cyberpunk movement doesn't anticipate the future--it describes the how technological innovation affects culture today.

Guest critic Stuart Klawans says that Harvey Pekar's critically acclaimed comic book series is changing, and not necessarily for better or worse. While their sardonic tone remain, the latest issues focus more on significant moments in Pekar's life, and less on the the minutiae of everyday life.

Journalist Timothy Ferris spent twelve years writing his new history of the galaxy. He explores ancient and contemporary theories of the universe, and how philosophy and theology have influenced scientific advancements.