Hackford produced the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba. He recently produced and directed Everybody's All American, about the life a college football hero. Hackford joins Fresh Air to talk about his early successes and failures, and the role songs play in his films.
Jane Ira Bloom recorded her first album when she was still a student at Yale; she later was invited to compose music for NASA. Critic Kevin Whitehead says her latest album features tasteful electronics and a sensitive, spare accompaniment.
John Hubner, co-author with Lindsey Gruson of the book Monkey on a Stick, talks to Fresh Air about Krishna Consciousness in the 1960s. Led by Indian guru Swami Prabhupada and disciples like Kirtananda Swami Bhaktipada -- nee Keith Ham -- the movement's growth was accompanied by scandal, crime, and murder.
John Cheever's son Benjamin collected the author's letters in a new book. He joins Fresh Air to talk about John Cheever's sexuality, relationship with their family, and the impact of his death.
Accordionist and composer Guy Klucevsek joins Fresh Air to perform a solo arrangement of a new work, and to play a recording of a recent musical collaboration. He's slated to perform at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival.
New Yorker art writer Calvin Tompkins looks at the state of the art world. He says there has been a rise in corporate-owned collections, which often exclude more provocative or sexually-themed works.
Critic-at-large Laurie Stone reviews the documentary Hotel Terminus, about Nazi officer Klaus Barbie, who fled to South America after the end of World War II. Despite the dark subject material, Stone says the movie is a pleasure, and praises director Marcel Orphuls unblinking camerawork.
Sondheim briefly wrote for the television show Topper before becoming the lyricist for the Broadway hits West Side Story and Gypsy. A trained composer, he later began writing his own musicals which, Sondheim says, continued in the Rogers and Hammerstein tradition. They include Sweeney Todd, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Into the Woods.
The Traveling Wilburys comprises Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynn, and Tom Petty. Rock critic Ken Tucker says their first album, Volume 1, is a true collaboration. Unlike the self-indulgent supergroups of the 1960s and 1970s, he says the Wilburys' music is an unexpected pleasure.
The new film Cry in the Dark dramatizes the true story of Lindy Chamberlain, who was wrongfully convicted of infanticide while camping in Australia. Film critic Stephen Schiff says the movie proves Schepisi is a great director.
The Mexican-American rock group Los Lobos, who wrote the soundtrack for the recent Ritchie Valens biopic, has a new album, comprising mostly regional Mexican music. Drummer and songwriter Louie Perez joins Fresh Air to talk about how they discovered those songs.
Critic Lloyd Schwartz says recordings of Gyorgy Kurtag's music are few, but he was able to track down a recent LP of some of the composer's song cycles -- several of which are full of humor.
MIT professor of political economy Bennett Harrison co-wrote The Great U-Turn with Barry Bluestone. The book explores how and why the United States is creating fewer full-time, well-paying jobs. He points to the deregulation of industry and the financial system as the primary culprit.
Book critic John Leonard reviews writer Conor Cruise O'Brien new collection of essays, called Passion and Cunning. Leonard says he's disappointed with O'Brien's inconsistent and sometimes naive views on political upheaval around the world.
Cruikshank's newest work, Face Like a Frog, is now playing at film festivals. It features a soundtrack by composer Danny Elfman. She joins Fresh Air to talk about some of her earlier works, and what it takes to make a career in cartoons.
Researcher David Mech tracks and studies wolves. He was able to earn the trust of a pack in the Arctic, which granted Mech and his team unprecedented access to the animals. He witnessed the care of their pups and joined them on their hunt.
The saxophonist and composer brings back the large ensemble sound on his new album. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says the performances are energetic but a often a little too loose. Hemphill's own playing steals the show.
