Director Curtis Hanson and actor Russell Crowe from the new film "L.A. Confidential" which is adapted from the 1990 novel by James Ellroy. (James Ellroy is a previous Fresh Air guest whose memoir "My Dark Places" was about his mother's murder in L.A. in 1958) The film, which has received a lot of attention at film festivals including Cannes, and Toronto, is about corruption and retribution in L.A. in the 1950s and 60s. (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW)
Veterinarian Nicholas Dodman, the author of "Dog Who Loved Too Much" and a recent Fresh Air guest. He has a new book about cats, "The Cat Who Cried for Help" (Bantam Books) which, among other things, is about mortifying cat behaviors like aggression, and out-of-the-litter-box wetting.
Novelist Paul Auster has written a new memoir about his struggling years as a young writer, "Hand to Mouth: A Chronicle of Early Failure" (Henry Holt). Auster has written eight novels, including "The New York Trilogy" and the screenplay for the film "Smoke."
Ann Marie Oliver and Paul Steinberg, at Harvard University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies Department where they have been visiting professors since 1993. They also lived six years in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip where they studied and researched the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas. In their forth coming book, they look at the psychology of the young men in the Hamas movement, by interviewing one of them who survived an attempt at a suicide bombing (to be published by Oxford University Press)
Sun Studios founder Sam Phillips. He is revered as one of the leading catalysts in post WW II American music. As a record producer in the 1950s and 60s his recordings launched the careers of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis and that’s just to name a few. Next Month, Phillips will be a celebrity host on the public radio program Beale Street Caravan. Phillips is now in his mid 70s.
Classical Music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a four video tape series called Hollywood Rhythm: The Paramount Musical Shorts. by Kino Video. They are short music videos that were shown before movies from 1929-1941. They feature singers such as Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday and Ginger Rodgers. Lloyd Schwartz is classical music editor for the Boston Phoenix.
In New York City, the 92nd Street YMCA, is better known as The 92nd Street Y a cultural arts center. Maurice Levine the director of the 92nd Street Y's "Lyrics & Lyricist" series for 26 years died on Monday at the age of 79. The program spotlighted American lyricists and composers like Alan Jay Lerner, Stephen Sondheim, and Dorothy Fields. The series had consistently been a sell-out. (Originally aired 12/11/96)
Derek Taylor, a former press agent for the Beatles, died Sunday at the age of 65. He is the author of It was 20 Years Ago Today He served two stints with the Beatles. Once in 1964 during their world tour and again in 1968. (Originally aired 6/4/87)
Patrick Murphy is the Public Guardian of Cook County, Illinois. He represents abused or neglected children in Chicago’s . In his new book Wasted: The Plight of America’s Unwanted Children (Ivan R. Dee, Inc) he argues that while keeping families together may sound like good public policy, there are many cases in which it only endangers the lives of children. His previous book is titled Our Kindly Parent the State. (Viking) (Interview by Barbara Bogaev)
Dr. Charles Gerba is an expert on germs and bacteria. As a microbiologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson , Gerba says to many people’s surprise it’s the kitchen not the bathroom that has the most germs and bacteria. Gerba talks about why germs and bacteria thrive in the kitchen. They colonize your sink and sponges and rags, and grow by the billions overnight.. In addition, Dr Gerba has done extensive research on public bathrooms and has found more bacteria in women’s washrooms than men's. (Interview by Barbara Bogaev)
