Terry Gross

Carter is the creator of the popular FOX TV series, The X-Files. The series, about a team of FBI agents investigating paranormal activity like alien abductions, telepathy, and the occult, has a cult following. This is its eighth and possibly final season. Carters newest series –The Lone Gunman— is a spin off of –The X-Files— and features three computer-savvy conspiracy geeks. It premiers this Sunday, March 4th at 9 PM on FOX.

British novelist A.S. Byatt. Her novel Possession was a bestseller, and her novella Angels & Insects was turned into an arthouse film. Byatt's new novel is The Biographers Tale (Knopf). This interview was recorded before a live audience at the Free Public Library in Philadelphia.

Mike Judge, the creator of, and voice behind, MTVs phenomena Beavis and Butthead. His current creation is the Fox series King of the Hill, where he provides the voice for main character, Hank. Hes also the writer, director and producer of the cult movie Office Space. A self-taught animator with a physics degree, Kraft talks about animation and comedy. King of the Hill is an Emmy nominated series nearing its 100th episode next week.

His new book is called Rebel Code: Linux and the Open Source Revolution (Perseus, 2001). It charts the movement begun by computer programmers who believe software should be given away for free. Moody is a London-based writer whose work has appeared in Wired, The Economist, and The Financial Times.

We remember record producer Milt Gabler, who died July 20 at the age of 90. Gabler founded America's first independent record label, Commodore Records. He was the first to record Billie Holiday's anti-lynching song, Strange Fruit, after major record companies refused. He was also the first to pair Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Later, he produced records for Bill Haley and the Comets, Peggy Lee, the Weavers, the Ink Spots and many others. His record store Commodore Music was legendary and a hangout for musicians and music lovers.

Guitarist and singer Howard Fishman of the Howard Fishman Quartet. The group's material draws on a wide variety of American music: jazz, blues, country, folk and Texas swing, but their experimental and improvisational style sets them apart. The Quartet includes trumpeter Erik Jekabson, bassist Jonathan Flaugher, and violinist Russell Farhang. The group debuted in the Oak Room of the Algonquin two years ago. They wrap up a engagement at Joe's Pub in New York City July 29th. The Quartet is currently working on a jazz opera We Are Destroyed in conjunction with The Public Theatre.

Film critic Henry Sheehan reviews Monkey Bones the new part animated/part live-action film starring Brendan Fraiser.

Teenagers are the hottest consumer demographic in America. Media analyst Douglas Rushkoff examines the multi-billion dollar marketing industry aimed at teenagers in the new Frontline documentary The Merchants of Cool. (Tuesday, Feb. 27th at 10 PM). Rushkoff is also the author of Coercion: Why We Listen to What They Say (Riverhead books) about how our everyday decisions are influenced by marketers, politicians, religious leaders, and other forces.

Singer and musician David Johansen was the lead singer for the 70s pre-punk punk rock band New York Dolls. Later he performed as Buster Poindexter, a pompadour tuxedo wearing lounge lizard swing bandleader of the band Banshees in Blue. Now he has a new roots-music band and a new album of straight blues, David Johansen and the Harry Smiths.

Religion scholar Karen Armstrong. The best-selling author of The History of God, and The Battle for God, has a new book about the life of Buddha. From North India, Sidhatta Gotama, renounced normal life, leaving his wife and child to live alone and attain enlightenment. He found it through his own experiences, did not rely on a supernatural God, and fought against the cult of personality that would turn him into a leader. Instead the Buddha taught his disciples to discover the truth within themselves.