Fresh Air producer Amy Salit interviews Yankovic, who now has eight parody albums under his belt. Before he writes his version of a song, he secures permission with the original artist -- which has given him the opportunity to meet several musicians he admires.
Fear of spiders -- and the infestation of rain forest arachnids in a small California town -- drive the new Frank Marshall horror film. Film critic Stephen Schiff says that it captures producer Stephen Spielberg's charm and humor -- but also his blandness.
Rock critic Ken Tucker says critical darlings David Berwald and John Hiatt are striving for a commercial sound, but their new, dolorous albums fall flat. On the other hand, Steve Earle's The Hard Way -- the latter half at least -- delivers the goods.
Book critic Maureen Corrigan says she often feels jealous when she sees other people reading her favorite authors. But she concedes that some books need a community of readers in order to be fully appreciated.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz returns to discuss more of his favorite recordings from RCA's recent batch of reissues of the conductor's many recorded works.
Two of the band's members, Sterfane Mellino and Mathieu Canavese join Fresh Air to talk about the history of their group, and their new album, Mlah. The liner notes are entirely in French -- the band says the decision helps preserve their national identity abroad.
As a Vietnam veteran, Stone was able to enroll in film school on the GI Bill. His success as a screenwriter opened the door for him to direct. He talks about the trajectory of his career, and how he learned to work within the Hollywood system.
John Leonard reviews "Coyote Waits" by Tony Hillerman and "Blossom" by Andrew Vachss. The book critic says Hillerman's novel succeeds with its strong focus on the American Southwest. Vachss, on the other hand, shouldn't have had his protagonist Burke leave New York.
Part I of the Fresh Air interview. Stone's newest movie, about the rock band the Doors, will soon be in theaters. The director is a Vietnam War veteran who earned a Purple Heart; his was experiences informed his early movie, Platoon.
The African American film director is best known for Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which added a political dimension to the black action movie genre. Van Peebles says that, unlike his own work, the blaxploitation films that came later were apologies for systems of oppression, not critiques of them. Prior to his career in film, he lived in France as a writer. His new book, coauthored by his son Mario, is called No Identity Crisis.
Several bands that emerged from the 1970s punk scene -- including Television, the Talking Heads, the Ramones, and Blondie -- got their start at the Manhattan nightclub. Rock historian Ed Ward tells its story.
Television critic David Bianculli considers the strengths and weaknesses of the major networks in 1990: CBC, NBC, ABC, and Fox. Criteria include the quality of existing shows and the number of recently added programs
The writer, known for her ongoing series of autobiographies, is one of this country's leading black female poets. She talks with Fresh Air guest host Marty Moss-Coane about how she switches between prose and poetry, and the formal, respectful modes of communication she prefers in the classroom and other professional contexts -- which Angelou says is an integral part of the African American community.
Talking Heads frontman David Byrne featured Brazilian singer Margarich Menezes on a recent tour. World music critic Milo Miles says she blew Byrne out of the water. Menezes' politically-informed new album, Elegibo, is intriguing but uneven -- though Miles admits that, as an American listener, he may be missing something.
Gregg grew up in a poor Philadelphia neighborhood, and eventually had a 13-year career as a National League umpire. He has a new memoir about what it takes to make good calls.
Critic Owen Gleiberman says "Ghost" is a tense, touching, and funny love story starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg. Swayze's character dies, and Goldberg channels his spirit to communicate with his still-living love Demi Moore.
Dennis McFarland's severe stage fright led him to give up a career as a concert pianist. He chose writing instead, in part because it didn't involve performing in front of an audience. His first novel, about a divorcé whose brother commits suicide, is called The Music Room.
Peter Bart was a senior vice president of the MGM/United Artists studio, and has just written a new book called "Fade Out." He discusses his efforts to turn the company around as the Hollywood studio system came to a close.
Critic Owen Gleiberman reviews The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, which stars comedian Andrew Dice Clay as a rock and roll detective. Gleiberman calls the movie monotonous; Clay's performance, like his standup, is crass, but not without charisma.
Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews "Banned In the USA" by 2-Live Crew. Their previous album, As Nasty as They Wanna Be, was declared obscene, and they were later arrested for simply performing their music at a concert. Tucker doesn't find much merit in 2-Live Crew' often misogynistic songs, but he vigorously condemns the efforts to criminalize their music.
