Terry Gross

Leno is celebrating his 5th anniversary as host of The Tonight Show. In this archive interview, he talks with Terry about his life: growing up, his struggling years as a stand-up,taking over The Tonight Show, and his book "Leading with my Chin." (REBROADCAST from 10/21/96)

The comedian is enjoying box office success with his new film "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," which he wrote, co-produced, and plays the title role. Myers began his career at Second City in Toronto and gained fame in the U.S. as a member of Saturday Night Live, where he created the characters and sketches for "Wayne's World" and "Sprockets." He made the transition from television to films when "Wayne's World" was adapted into a motion picture. (REBROADCAST from 5/1/90)

The Harvard Law School professor's new book examines race and the criminal justice system, "Race, Crime, and the Law." In his research, Kennedy, finds that African-Americans have suffered more from being "left unprotected by law enforcement authorities than from being mistreated as suspects or defendants."

Historian James McPherson is a Professor of American History at Princeton University. He's written eleven books about the Civil War, including his Pulitzer Prize winning book, "Battle Cry of Freedom." His latest book is "For Cause & Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War" (Oxford University Press). Drawing on 25,000 letters and 250 private diaries, McPherson looks at why so many soldiers willingly risked their lives to fight in the war.

Peter Balakian is Professor of English at Colgate University, and the author of a new memoir "Black Dog of Fate: An American Son Uncovers His Armenian Past. He grew up in an affluent New Jersey suburb, unaware of the tragedy that was part of his family's past: the genocide of a million Armenians in 1915 by the Ottoman Turkish government. He started to learn about the past when he discovered the document of his grandmother's human rights suit against the Turkish government, and the lost memoir of his great uncle, a bishop in the Armenian church.

Composer Alf Clausen is the man behind the music of "The Simpsons." There's a new compliation CD of music from the animated cartoon TV series, "The Simpsons: Songs in the Key of Springfield" (Rhino).

Lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, Marcia Clark. She has since stepped down as Prosecutor in the Office of the Los Angeles District Attorney. She has a new memoir about the trial and her experiences: "Without a Doubt" (Viking).

Hughes has been Time magazine's art critic for more than 25 years. He is the author of a number of books and the recipient of a number of awards, most recently one from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His latest book is "American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America" (Knopf). There's also a companion 8-part PBS series which he hosts, beginning May 28.

Robin Gorna has been active in AIDS work since 1986. She is Head of Health Promotion at the Terrence Higgins Trust in London. She is the author of "Vamps, Virgins and Victims: How Can Women Fight AIDS?" She recently attended the National Conference on Women & HIV which was held in L.A. May 4-7.