In an effort to identify a body, Philadelphia police once dressed and photographed the corpse, then distributed the photo to the public. This macabre act inspired Shubin's latest novel, Never Quite Dead.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Hoagy Sings Carmichael, which features the songwriter's performances with an excellent jazz ensemble. Whitehead says their contributions make this album Carmichael's best.
Lewitzky is based in Los Angeles where, early in her career, she danced in a number of motion pictures. Her choreography for the stage conveys simplicity of movement, divorced from any suggestion of narrative. Lewitzky performed until the age of 62.
Critic-at-large Laurie Stone reviews a performance of the frequent Tonight Show guest host. She says that Leno's stand-up has some social consciousness, but avoids addressing specific policies or politicians. Leno also sidesteps sexuality; when the topic does come up, Stone says Leno is lewd and misguided.
Ashe was a boundary-breaking African American tennis player who won Wimbeldon, the U.S. Open, and the Australian open. He started playing the sport in the 1950s, when courts were still segregated. In 1979, heart bypass surgery cut his career short. Ashe now writes books about the history of the black athletes. His latest, a three volume series, is called A Hard Road to Glory.
Robert Kaplow and performance group the Punsters give their satirical, dystopian take on how 1989 will turn out. They warn of computer viruses, financial collapse, and a rise of chocolate addiction among teenagers.
Janet Levine is a white, liberal South African woman and anti-apartheid activist. She later resigned from public office and exiled herself in the United States; she believed that whites' unavoidable complicity with racist policies undermined the efforts of black activists. Her memoir new memoir is called Inside Apartheid.
Rock critic Ken Tucker is only now fully absorbing Sonic Youth's 1988 album Daydream Nation. The band makes use of alternate guitar tunings, and takes its lyrical cues from sci-fi writers like Philip K. Dick. Tucker says that, while the record may be band's most accessible to date, no one could accuse Sonic Youth of playing standard rock and roll.
Jane Kramer regularly writes about the culture and politics on the continent. She says immigration -- and the xenophobic response to immigrants -- has played a big part in shaping Europe's changing identity.
Director Stephen Frears directed the adaptation of the play, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, about a contest of sexual conquest and infidelity. Film critic Stephen Schiff praises how it handles eroticism. Despite some casting missteps, he believes it's "a brilliant tarentella" of a movie.
Tuckwell doesn't see his shift from French horn performance to orchestra conducting as a career change -- it's all music to him. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his experiences as a soloist and working with other conductors.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new album featuring a 1932 recording of the composer's Bolero, performed by the Orchestre des concerts Lamoureux, and helmed by Ravel himself
Critic Ken Tucker lauds the VHS release of Letter from an Unknown Woman, a 1948 drama about a philandering pianist and the mother of his child. Tucker also recommends Floating Weeds, License to Drive, and Monkey Shines.
Oliver Stone directed a film adaptation of Bogosian's play Talk Show, about a radio shock jock. Bogosian stars; he acts regularly in theater and television.
Lorde is open about her identity as a black lesbian feminist; she hopes her visibility will help other women like her feel less alone. She joins Fresh Air to talk about her romantic relationships with men and women, and the tensions between African American and feminist communities. Her new collection of essays, A Burst of Light, deals with her experience with breast cancer.
Book critic John Leonard says poet Brad Leithauser writes difficult fiction. The author's new novel, Hence, features an apocalyptic view of the modern world. Leonard calls it a contradictory book filled with Nabokovian cleverness.
Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says that a number of New Orleans musicians left the city after they rose to prominence. He reviews a new series of albums featuring the innovations of players who stayed in their hometown.
TV writer John Schulian says his career change was a logical one: he was a good writer and sick of sports journalism. He got his break on the show L.A. Law. He's now the executive story editor on Wiseguy.
Rock critic Ken Tucker talks with Fresh Air host Terry Gross about the year in music. He says 1988 had an eclectic array of hits, with folk and hard rock albums both reaching the top of the charts.
