James Parks Morton is the dean of New York City's massive Saint John the Divine. To keep the cathedral and its services vital, Morton has spearheaded the inclusion of different faith traditions and outreach to poor communities.
As a child, the author traveled from her maternal home in Philadelphia to visit her father in North Carolina. He was a paraplegic as a result of a car accident. Campbell's new memoir details the complexities of their relationship.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a recording of the recent opera Valis, based on Philp K. Dick's novel of the same name. He says much of the music is haunting, but is often repetitive and sentimental. Yet it's still a beguiling piece of wizardry.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and former White House correspondent wanted to be a great novelist; he became a reporter and memoirist instead. His newest book, The Good Times, details his career during his 20s and 30s. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his frustrations as a Washington reporter, a particularly memorable interview with President Johnson, and how his writing changed as a columnist.
Rock historian Ed Ward says that bands like the Rolling Stones helped popularize the distinctly African American genre. Interest in blues led more musicians to picking up the electric guitar, including Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, who would take rock music in a new direction.
Part II of the Fresh Air interview with Danny Elfman. He talks about writing the score for Tim Burton's new Batman movie. He sees his film composing as entirely distinct from his work in the rock band Oingo Boingo. The different approaches, he says, serve both efforts.
Book critic John Leonard says Barry Hannah's southern, hard-drinking life echoes that of William Faulkner. Hannah's novel Boomerang also evokes the author's sometimes scary, creeping spirit.
Gail Pheterson is a feminist academic who edited a new book, called A Vindication of the Rights of Whores. Former sex worker and founder of Call Off Your Old and Tired Ethics (COYOTE) Margo St. James wrote the introduction. They join Fresh Air to talk about the international movement to gain legal protections for prostitutes.
Part one of the Fresh Air interview. Elfman is a rock musician who fronts the band Oingo Boingo. When Tim Burton hired him to write score for Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Elfman had to teach himself to read music -- a skill he never needed in the past.
TV critic David Bianculli reviews First Born, about the unlikely birth of a half-human, half-gorilla hybrid. He says it has an absurd sense of humor and horror -- even the theme music is weird.
The wind and reed player has been self-releasing well-reviewed albums for years, even though they haven't earned him the attention he deserves. Kevin Whitehead says Golia's music is unconventional and sometimes raw. He recommends three recent releases featuring Golia's playing.
John O'Keefe returns to Fresh Air to perform a selection from his one-man show, Shimmer. This time, he talks about the brutality of living in a youth detention center.
China expert Orville Schell says that students in that country are fighting for American-style democracy and greater freedom of expression. In light of the recent Tiananmen Square protests, Schell joins Fresh Air to discuss the history and future of anti-establishment movements.
The comedy collective, comprising Bob Smith, Danny McWilliams, and Jaffe Cohen, perform comedy free of the gay bashing, racism, and misogyny often associated with standup. Critic Laurie Stone has this profile.
When he's not doing studio work, Neidlinger mostly performs the work of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, both of whom he sees as two of the most important American composers. Classically trained on the cello, Neidlinger joined avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor's band in the 1950s. Several of their albums have just been reissued.
Rock critic Ken Tucker says that Paul McCartney's recent lackluster work has been eclipsed by other pop stars, including fellow Beatle George Harrison. His new album, Flowers in the Dirt, is familiar and sentimental, but features a few good songs cowritten with Elvis Costello.
Film critic Stephen Schiff says the newest movie, based on the 1960s sci-fi TV show, proves the franchise has run its course. The aging actors don't deliver the best performances, and the screenplay lacks the humor of the film's predecessor.
Turkish-born writer Alev Lytle Croutier has a new book about harems. Contrary to their popular associations with polygamy, these spaces were most commonly used to isolate women slaves and family members from the outside world. Croutier herself grew up in a harem with her mother.
Spiegelman edits the underground comics magazine Raw. He is best known for graphic novel Maus, about his father's experiences in Nazi concentration camps, which was widely celebrated. Raw recently featured a new chapters in that story.
Conway grew up in Australia and was home-schooled until college. Her new memoir, The Road from Coorain, looks at how her academic pursuits eventually led her to become Smith College's first woman president.
