Rock Critic Ken Tucker reviews two books on punk rock: "Please Kill Me: The Uncensored History of Punk," by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, and the novel "Go Now" by Richard Hell.
Collins has managed the band Aerosmith since 1984. A former addict and in his early days with the group, he often procured drugs for the band. He later helped the members get sober and revitalize their careers. Collins believes band managers and record executives need to work with musicians to overcome the systemic use and abuse of drugs. He works in Cambridge, MA as the founder and president of Collins Management.
Mitford died of cancer at the age of 78 on Tuesday (July 23). She was considered one of the premiere investigative journalists of her day, a muckraker in the tradition of Sinclair Lewis and John Dos Passos. Her targets included the Famous Writers School, a Midwest correspondence school, and the U.S. penal system ("Kind and Usual Punishment: The Prison Business"). Mitford's most recent book, "The American Way of Birth" (1992), declares that doctors perform too many C-Sections and de-legitimize midwifery.
Jazz Critic Keving Whitehead reviews a new re-issue of jazz saxophonist Lester Young. It's called "The Complete Aladdin Recordings of Lester Young" from Blue Note. Whitehead says these recordings from the 1940s prove that, contrary to popular belief, Young's playing remained intact after his military service.
Puzo's new novel is "The Last Don." He is best known for "The Godfather." This new book returns him to that genre: the inner workings of the Mafia. The main character is an old man trying to secure his family's future in an era of legalized gambling, motion picture investments and the threat of government informers. His goal is threatened by familial in-fighting. The two-time Academy Award winner has also written several screenplays, including are all three Godfathers and Superman I and II.
An update on the investigation of mass graves in Srebrenica. On July 8, a six-member forensic team, coordinated and sponsored by Physicians for Human Rights, began exhuming the graves. Terry Gross talks to Dr. William Haglund, who is in Bosnia. As the lead forensic anthropologist for PHR, he and the other members of his team are working to identify bodies. Haglund is the former Chief Medical Investigator for King County, Washington and an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Washington.
Doctor of psychology and director of a sleep disorder clinic in San Diego, Sonia Ancoli-Israel. Her new book, "All I Want Is A Good Night's Sleep" addresses both sleep and the full range of sleep disorders, with advice on how to improve everyday sleep and how to overcome chronic sleep problems. Jet lag, snoring, sleepwalking and talking, and insomnia are all addressed.
Assistant Professor of Political Science, Sarah Mendelson. She spent a year in Moscow working for the National Democratic Institute. Her work helped the Russian reformist political parties in their preparation of the Parliamentary and Presidential elections. The goal of the Institute is to bring modern Western campaign techniques into Russian elections. Mendelson also talks to Terry about being a young American expatriate in the former Soviet Union. She currently teaches poltiical science at the State University of New York at Albany.
Moody's new CD, "Young At Heart" is a collection of Frank Sinatra tunes. Just after World War II, Moody joined the bebop big band of Dizzy Gillespie and played with Milt Jackson. His most famous recording is of an improvisatory piece he performed in 1949, now known as "Moody's Mood For Love." In the new CD, Moody performs as vocalist, tenor/alto/soprano saxist and flutist. He talks about his career and how his hearing problems have affected his career.
Hill's best known for his blaxploitation films, "Coffy" and "Foxy Brown" which he both wrote and directed. He was a classmate of Francis Ford Coppola and during the 60s he and Coppola worked for the master of the exploitation films, Roger Corman. Hill worked on the last of Boris Karloff's films. His 1975 film "Switchblade Sister" is now being re-released under the aegis of Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder Films.
The organizer and former Black Panther member was born to a white mother and black father in the South. When he was six years old, he was adopted by a black family in California. His mother sent him away for his own safety, but he never understood why, and grew up feeling abandoned. At 17 he was sent to prison after killing a man during an aborted mugging. In prison he met George Jackson who changed his life by exposing him to the teachings of the Black Panther movement. Spain became a leader in the Black Panther Movement in prison.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Nancy Friday's newest autobiographical look at the plight of women -- this time focusing on their relationship with their genitals.
The psychosexual therapist, along with Ben Yagoda, wrote a new book about the well-being of the American family, "The Value of Family: A Blueprint for the 21st Century." Much of her perspective is informed by her experience fleeing the Holocaust as a child.
Religion historian Martin E. Marty teaches at the University of Chicago and is one of the foremost authorities on religion and society. His new book is the third in a four volume set: "Modern American Religion, Volume 3: Under God, Indivisible, 1941-1960."
Critic Milo Miles recently attended the Further Festival near Boston, a reunion of Grateful Dead band members, their colleagues and their fans. He has these thoughts.
