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Band Leader Paul Shaffer Releases His First Album.

Musician Paul Shaffer. Shaffer is the ultimately hip leader of "The World's Most Dangerous Band," the house group on "Late Night with David Letterman." Previously, Shaffer was a session musician in New York, band leader on "Saturday Night Live," and music director for the Blues Brothers, the alter egos of Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi. Paul Shaffer has just put out his first album, called "Coast to Coast." It's a collection of tunes representative of the musical variety of the country, with legendary stars from those regions sitting in. Among the selections, a surfin' tune with Brian Wilson, a Detroit funk number featuring George Clinton and a New York number with Dion, Carole King, Ellie Greenwich, and the Fresh Prince.

23:17
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Other segments from the episode on October 20, 1989

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, October 20, 1989: Interview with Paul Shaffer; Interview with Peter Guralnick; Review of the film "Crimes and Misdemeanors."
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18:31

Peter Guralnick Discusses "Searching for Robert Johnson."

Music writer Peter Guralnick. His new book, "Searching For Robert Johnson," examines the brief life of perhaps the greatest blues musician of all time. In the 20s and 30s, Johnson was "King of the Delta Blues Singers," and a sensation throughout the South. Johnson died at age 27, shot to death by a jealous husband, but his music continued to be studied and copied by artists such as Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones.

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20:54

TV 2009: David Bianculli On The Best ... And The Rest.

The economy may have hit the broadcast business hard, but TV critic David Bianculli says the future is looking bright — for cable, anyway. He joins Terry Gross to talk about the best and the worst television of '09 and what we can look forward to in '10.

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Veteran Television Announcer Bill Wendell.

Veteran television announcer Bill Wendell retires this week after 37 years at NBC. Wendell is currently the announcer for "Late Night with David Letterman." He's famous for adding the long "A" in his introduction "Here's...Daaay-vid Letterman" Wendell also emceed several games shows and was the Tonight Show announcer in 1956 and 1957.

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34:41

Paperwork, lines, hours on hold: There's a 'Time Tax' on Americans who need help most

Journalist ANNIE LOWREY is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where she covers economic policy. Her new book is The Time Tax: How the Government Wastes Our Time, and How to Fix It. She argues that the red tape in American life isn't an accident. It's a policy choice, one that determines who gets food assistance, health care, even the ability to vote. Her previous book is Give People Money about universal basic income. (INTERVIEW BY TONYA MOSLEY) (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW).

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23:07

'Pluribus' star Rhea Seehorn says no thanks to a world dictated by groupthink

(2.) Actor RHEA SEEHORN<RAY Seehorn>. The former co-star of “Better Call Saul” is nominated for an Emmy for her starring role in “Pluribus,” the Apple TV series created by Vince Gilligan. Terry Gross spoke with RHEA SEEHORN last year about the “Pluribus”. “Pluribus” is nominated for eighteen Emmys, including one for SEEHORN as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The Emmys are scheduled for September 14th. (THIS INTERVIEW ORIGINALLY AIRED 12.09.2025)

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