News & Media

At 19, Jim McGowan was the victim of an assault which left him with paralyzed legs. He later worked as an R&B singer in the 1950s with the group the Four Fellows, whose song "Solider Boy" was a number one hit. He late became an academic and has written a book about an Underground Railroad figure in "The Life and Letters of Thomas Garnett," as well as a history of R&B. He is also an activist for disabled persons and was the photographer for the book "Wheelchair Champions."

Music critic Kal Rudman discusses how he identifies hit records for different demographics. He writes for the popular trade publication Friday Morning Quarterback.

Canadian record producer and music writer John Norris discusses releasing conventional and avant-garde jazz recordings.

In light of the holiday season, Terry Gross talks with a reverend and a rabbi about their faith traditions and the role of religion in their lives and culture.

Deirdre English is an investigative journalist for Mother Jones magazine. She discusses her problems with the film Apocalypse Now, violence against women, pornography and the cultural impact of feminism.

Novelist Chaim Potok's most recent book, Wanderings, is a non-fiction history of Judaism. He talks about the tradition of the hybridization of Judaism with dominant cultures around the world, the exploration of identity in literature, and the trajectory of Western society.

Journalist Sidney Blumenthal argues that political strategists have replaced party bosses during election seasons. The former's job of creating a coherent and appealing media narrative for a candidate continues even after an election comes to an end.

Writer Todd Gitlin explains how media portrayed and often misrepresented the political activities of Students for a Democratic Society and other activist groups associated with the 1960s' New Left.

John Fahey, blues guitarist, discusses his career, his record label Tacoma Records, and brings in his guitar to play a few songs in the studio.

Ann Rule was a writer for True Crime magazine when she was assigned a story about a serial killer who turned out to be a former acquaintance of Rule's. Rule worked with Ted Bundy at a suicide prevention center. She had even reported suspicions about Bundy to police. Her account of Bundy's crimes and her time working with him is called "The Stranger Beside Me."

Gary Bridges (WYSP), David Dye (WIOQ), and Michael Picozzi (WMMR) are disc jockeys. They join the show to discuss rock radio, the music business, and the life of a d.j.

Clark DeLeon is the writer of the "Scene" column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. DeLeon joins the show to discuss his work as a columnist reporting on "unusual happenings" in the city.

Gary Bridges (WYSP), David Dye (WIOQ), and Michael Picozzi (WMMR) are disc jockeys. They join the show to discuss rock, rock radio, and to answer listener calls.

Italian journalist and novelist Oriana Fallaci is known for her interviews with controversial political figures. Her latest work is about her former lover Alexandros Panagoulis, infamous for an attempt to assassinate a Greek dictator. Her book "A Man" covers his life and torture in prison, his enemies, and his death, which she believes to be a politically motivated murder. The book is partly fictionalized.

Rebecca Sinkler is the editor of the Sunday Book Page at the Philadelphia Inquirer. She recently published an article about the best books of 1980. Sinkler joins the show to discuss the trends of the year (a merging of fact and fiction, biography, and historical fiction), putting together a newspaper page, and the experiences that led her to criticism.

Desmond Ryan is the film critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ernie Schier is the film critic for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, and Bill Van Wert is Fresh Air's film critic. They join the show to discuss their top ten lists for the best and worst films of 1980.

Trumpeter and cornet player Nat Adderley is the son of a jazz musician and the brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. Adderley joins the show to discuss his musical journey, career, and the current state of jazz.

Michael Arlen is the television critic for The New Yorker. Arlen is also a writer. His latest is "The Camera Age," a collection of essays, and his book "Thirty Seconds" was recently released in paperback. He joins the show to discuss his work, television as a form of visual communication, his opinion on its "dangers,"an the perception of the medium as low brow.

Ellen Willis is a writer for the the New Yorker. Her collection of essays, "Beginning to See the Light: Pieces of a Decade," covers many of the social and political issues of the last ten years. Feminism, rock music, 60s counter-culture and the backlash against it, the changing definitions of "family" amongst the left, religion, and abortion are covered. She also discovers her reconsidering of Judaism and God in general, after a her brother became Orthodox. She joins the show to discuss the book and its subjects.

Journalist and activist Barbara Garson recently spent time with both factory and white-collar workers to learn about how automation, assembly-line methods, and emerging technologies have affected their relationship to their jobs.