Best of Fresh Air

Lyricist Sammy Cahn is one of the last survivors of the Tin Pan Alley tradition. His popular hits include "Bei Mir Bist du Schon," "Come Fly With Me," "Let it Snow," and "Three Coins in a Fountain," among others. Cahn has also worked extensively with Frank Sinatra. He joins the show to discuss his career.

Richard Stoltzman is a clarinet virtuoso. He was the first solo clarinetist to be presented in Carnegie Hall in 1982. Stoltzman is known for his unusual concerts, incorporating jazz and wearing informal clothing. He joins the show to discuss his life and career.

Film director and writer John Waters is Hollywood's "leading exponent of bad taste," and Waters describes himself as making exploitation films for the arthouse. Waters is also interested in murderers and has taught film in prison. The Baltimore Museum of Art recently held a retrospective of Waters' work, and the mayor declared the opening day "John Waters Day."

Writer Grace Paley is a master of the short story form. Paley's work is interested in the stories of women, and Paley has been involved in the peace and feminist movements. Paley's latest collection is "Later the Same Day."

Director, writer, and actor John Sayles is one of Hollywood's most prominent independent filmmakers. Sayles began his career writing B-movies for producer Roger Corman. His latest movie is "The Brother from Another Planet," about a black extraterrestrial who lands in Harlem.

Andre Watts was famous as a piano prodigy by the age of 16. He was born in Germany to a Hungarian mother and an African American father, and moved to Philadelphia at the age of 8. He joins the show to discuss his life and career.

Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown joins the show to share backstage Hollywood stories, discuss the use of the Steadicam, and his new invention Skycam.

Pete Seeger has dedicated his career to celebrating working people and civil rights. He was blacklisted in the 1950s, which kept him off television for decades. He joins Fresh Air to talk about how he developed his repertoire and honed his craft as a performer.

A collection of Roger Ebert's essays is called A Kiss is Just A Kiss. He co-hosts the television show At the Movies with fellow critic and professional rival Gene Siskel.

Soprano Beverly Sills retired from singing in 1980 at the age of fifty, but still works in opera as the director of the New York City Opera. Rather than traveling abroad to hone her craft, she studied and built a career in America.