Terry Gross

Stacey and Doug Loizeaux are niece and uncle, and are part of the family-owned demolition company, Controlled Demolition, of Maryland. They are experts at imploding buildings. The buildings theye brought down include the Seattle Kingdome, the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas(which was brought down spectacularly with a fireworks display), and the bombed federal building in Oklahoma City. Doug father pioneered the techniques of implosion nearly 60 years ago.

Retired Lt. Col. Bradley Biggs was part of America first all-black paratroop unit called the Triple Nickles. The 555th Battalion of the 82d Airborne. The troop was trained to go to war, but instead was sent to the West Coast to fight forest fires started by Japanese balloon bombs. They were the first parachuters to fight fires, and developed many of the techniques used today. Later they became the first army unit to be integrated into the –regular— army during World War II. Biggs has written a new memoir, The Triple Nickles

Otis Taylor brings his banjo to the studio for a concert and conversation. We'll hear tracks from his new CD, White African. Taylor plays guitar and ukelele in addition to banjo. His music is often described as minimalist, and his lyrics are often stories of race and racism. He's been compared to John Lee Hooker.