Pop Culture
Howard Stern Tells Terry Gross His 'Pure Id' Days Are Behind Him
Looking back on his early career, Howard Stern remembers being "petrified" that he wasn't going to be able to make a living. "All the sexual antics, the religious antics, the race antics — everything that I talked about, every outrageous thing that I did — was to entertain my audience and grow my audience," he says. "Whether you liked it or not, or the person down the street liked it or not — I didn't care as long as I kept growing that audience."
How 'A Star Is Born' Became One Of Judy Garland's 'Biggest Heartbreaks'
Judy Garland's daughter Lorna Luft talks about what her mother went through while making the 1954 film. The movie was produced by Sid Luft, who was Lorna's father and Garland's husband at the time.
'Ghost List' Revisits The TV, Books And Movies A Critic Wishes He Covered
Critic-at-large John Powers tells us about the TV shows, films, and books he didn't get to earlier this year, but wishes he had.
Remembering Master Magician And Sleight-Of-Hand Artist Ricky Jay
Jay, who died Sunday, was an avid scholar of con games and could make cards disappear and reappear in ways that seemed impossible. He spoke to Fresh Air in 1987, 1998 and 2002.
'Sex, Lies And Stardom': Exploitation In Howard Hughes' Hollywood
Billionaire filmmaker Howard Hughes has long been regarded as one of Hollywood's most eccentric and prolific playboys. A few years back, writer and film critic Karina Longworth stumbled onto an online message board, listing women Hughes had had sexual relationships with — just a list of names, no other information.
"In each of these names there's a whole life and a whole story," says Longworth, who hosts the film podcast You Must Remember This.
Cult Icon John Waters On Breaking Taboos And Embracing Villains
The filmmaker behind Hairspray and Pink Flamingos made his name setting new lows in bad taste. The Baltimore Museum of Art now has a retrospective of his work. Originally broadcast 2004 and 2010.
Remembering Peabody Award-Winning Radio Artist Joe Frank
Frank, who died on Monday, created the radio drama series Work in Progress and was known for his intimate on-air monologues, sketches and interviews. Originally broadcast in 1989.
'Cartoon County' Looks Back At The Golden Age Of Sunday Comics
Vanity Fair editor-at-large Cullen Murphy grew up the son of a cartoonist. His father, John Cullen Murphy, drew the popular Prince Valiant strip, which Murphy eventually wrote for 14 years.
Remembering Syndicated Gossip Columnist Liz Smith
Smith, who died Sunday, started her daily column for The New York Daily News in 1976. In 2000, she told Fresh Air: "I always held back from writing things that were intentionally hurtful."
50 Years After The Summer Of Love, Hippie Counterculture Is Relegated To Kitsch
If you're into counterculture kitsch, you might want to check out the nostalgia-themed resort hotel at Walt Disney World in Florida. It features a "Hippy Dippy" swimming pool, surrounded by flower-shaped water jets, peace signs and giant letters that spell out "Peace, Man," "Out of Sight" and "Can You Dig It?"