Terry Gross

CBS broadcast the 34th consecutive viewing of the classic Peanuts cartoon "A Charlie Brown Christmas" earlier this week. The show has been an annual tradition at CBS since 1965. We revisit our 1990 interview with creator Charles Schulz.

Playwright and NPR commentator David Sedaris. His "Santaland Diaries" which debuted on NPR's Morning Edition in 1992, is purported to be the network's most requested tape. Last year he released a collection of Christmas stories, "Holiday's On Ice." We replay our interview with him from 12/15/1997.

Journalist Eric Schlosser talks about who is profiting from America's prison boom. He is a correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly. He wrote this month's cover article entitled "The Prison Industrial Complex."

An expert on prison systems around the world, Vivien Stern. She's written the new book, "A Sin Against the Future: Imprisonment in the World" (Northeastern University Press). Stern is Senior Research Fellow in the International Centre for Prison Studies at King's College and Secretary-General of Penal Reform International.

Fulks has one foot in the singer/songwriter scene and one in country music. He spent three years writing songs in Nashville, but no one opted to record his songs. So he's recently come out with a new CD of his own music, "Let's Kill Saturday Night" (Geffen Records). Fulks began his career as a regular at the same fabled Greenwich Village hole in the wall where Bob Dylan made a name for himself. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his career and sing some of his songs.

Dr. Hoosen Coovadia is a Pediatrician in Durban, South Africa. In his practice, 40 percent of the kids he treats are HIV positive. He'll discuss the rise of HIV in South Africa and other parts of Africa where he has traveled. Coovadia will serve as the Chairman of the next World Aids Conference in the year 2000. He heads the Pediatrics and Child Health Department at the University of Natal Medical School.

Historian and author Deborah Gray White has compiled a new history of black women and their struggle against racism and male chauvinism. It's called "Too Heavy a Load: Black Women in Defense of Themselves 1894-1994" (W.W. Norton) White is a professor of history at Rutgers University and the co-director of the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis.

This year, the Libary of Congress has added the film "Easy Rider" to its National Film Registry. To honor this, we're featuring a series of interviews that have some connection to the movie. Actor Peter Fonder was nominated earlier this year for an Oscar for his performance in "Ulee's Gold." The son of actor Henry Fonda, he's best known for his role in the cult classic "Easy Rider." He's written his memoir, "Don't Tell Dad" (Hyperion) This orginally aired 3/19/98.

Corman did not work on "Easy Rider," but he did direct "Wild Angels" a film featuring Peter Fonda, which inspired "Easy Rider." Corman's the king of the low-budget movie, having made B-movie classics such as "The Little Shop of Horrors" and "The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre." This interview originally aired 8/2/90.

Hopper made his film debut in "Rebel Without a Cause," and had roles in numerous films such as "Blue Velvet," "Rivers Edge," and "Hoosiers". Hopper directed, co-wrote, and starred in the 60's classic, "Easy Rider." This orginally aired 10/10/90.