Terry Gross

Painter Jacob Lawrence died on June 9th at the age of 82. For six decades, Lawrence had been widely regarded as one of America's most important black artists. His work depicted the black American experience from the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement. (REBROADCAST from 5/16/88)

Author Garry Wills. The Pulitzer Prize winner has written a new book criticizing the Catholic Church. It’s called “Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit.” (Doubleday) Wills is a practicing Catholic and studied with Jesuit priests, though he was never ordained. In Papal Sin, Wills describes a papacy that seems unable or unwilling to admit its mistakes. He writes, “Given so much to hide, the impulse to keep hiding becomes imperative, automatic, almost inescapable.” He addresses topics such as birth control, the ordination of women, and views on the Holocaust.

Ex-co-leader of the septet Squirrel Nut Zippers, Tom Maxwell. His new recording as a solo artist is “Samsara” (Samsara Ltd.) On the album he continues the work he started with the Zippers, harkening the sound of hot jazz, but also blues and gospel, Country and Western, and even Chinese opera.

Founder and Editor in Chief of the online magazine Salon, David Talbot. Last week the magazine had to lay off 13 employees because of financial problems. It was one of three online journalism sites to do so. Talbot started the magazine in 1995. Before that he was the arts and features editor of the San Francisco Examiner. Talbot is also the author of “Burning Desires: Sex in America.” This interview was conducted live before an audience and taped for broadcast.

From the American Movie Classics cable channel, Vice President for scheduling, Pat Davis. And from The Turner Classic Movie channel, Vice President of programming, Charlie Tabesh. They’ll discuss their work scheduling and acquiring classic films to be shown on cable TV.

Singer/Songwriter Aimee Mann. She’s best known for her work on the soundtrack for the film “Magnolia.” Her song “Save Me” from the film was nominated for an Oscar. Her new release is “Bachelor No. 2.” Previously the album was available over her website (Aimeemann.com) and at her concert performances. Now it is available in stores. Mann and her manager had bought the master tapes from her record label in an effort to retain creative and marketing control. It’s the first recording to be released on Mann’s Superego Records.

Writer Jim Knipfel. His first book, the acclaimed memoir Slackjaw (Putnam), is his funny, irreverent account of loosing his sight and trying to take his life. In his new book, Quitting the Nairobi Trio (Tracher/Putnam), he writes about the time he spent in a psychiatric ward. The New York Times says Knipfel is “blessed with a natural, one might even say reflexive, knack for telling stories.” Knipfel is a columnist and staff writer for New York Press.

Nadine Cohodas is the author of “Spinning Blues into Gold: the Chess Brothers and the Legendary Chess Records” (St. Martin’s Press). It’s the story of brothers Leonard and Phil Chess, Jewish immigrants from Poland, who knew little about music, but somehow created the influential blues label, Chess Records. Muddy Waters helped them see the potential in the music and they went on to record Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry, and others. Chess Records was located in Chicago.

Bodybuilders Pudgy and Les Stockton. Pudgy was an early pioneer of women’s body building, and began working out and performing at Santa Monica’s Muscle Beach in 1939, often teaming up with Les who she married in 1941. Pudgy is featured in an exhibit, “Picturing the Modern Amazon” at New York’s New Museum of Contemporary Art (to June 25th). There’s also a companion book of the same title (Rizzoli publications).

Publisher of the New York Times Arthur Sulzberger Jr. He’s just been named “Publisher of the Year” by Editor and Publisher Magazine. Sulzberger’s family is one of the foremost newspaper families in the world. His great-grandfather Adolph Ochs bought the paper more than a century ago. Arthur Sulzberger Jr., was appointed publisher by his father Arthur Ochs Sulzberger in 1992.