Fresh Air

Hugh Grant has been nominated for an Emmy for his role in the HBO miniseries 'The Undoing,' in which he played an adulterous doctor suspected of murder. Grant got his start in romcoms, but lately he's been getting darker roles. "It's alarming how many pretty unpleasant narcissists I've played or been offered in the last six or seven years. But It's certainly been a blessed relief after having to be Mr. Nice Guy for so many years," he says. Ken Tucker reviews two new albums from Australia...

Journalist Ron Brownstein says Republican-controlled state legislatures are taking a sharp right turn, in a conscious backlash against unified Democratic control of Congress. These states are not only passing voting rights restrictions, they're passing a torrent of other conservative bills that reflect the cultural and racial priorities of Trump's base. Brownstein is a senior editor at 'The Atlantic' and a senior political analyst at CNN. His latest book is called 'Rock Me on the Water: 1974...

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is coming out of the pandemic a changed man. The co-founder of the Roots and the music director for 'The Tonight Show' did something he never thought he'd do — he bought a farm in upstate New York. "I thought chaos was the only way that I could exist. But now I embrace quiet and I can hear myself think." Now he's venturing into a new arena: He's made his directorial debut with the documentary 'Summer of Soul,' which tells the story of the 1969 Harlem Cultural...

Long after Jeffrey Epstein got a lenient sentence for sexual abuse of minors, 'Miami Herald' reporter Julie K. Brown identified 80 women who said they survived his abuse. "There is nothing that was more powerful than the words of the women talking about this themselves," she says. Her book is 'Perversion of Justice.'

Memoirist Akash Kapur was raised in an intentional community in India, then moved to the U.S. at age 16. He's seen the idealism of people trying to remake human society and renounce materialism. He's also seen how idealism and spirituality can turn into zealotry--and how individuals can become victims of their own search for perfection. Kapur writes about the reality of utopian communities in 'Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville.' Kevin Whitehead reviews...

Tahmima Anam's new novel is about a married couple, Cyrus and Asha, who found a social media platform that customizes ceremonies and rituals for people who aren't religious. The platform's success turns the husband into a messiah figure — even though it was his wife who designed it. We talk with Amam about how her real life boardroom experience helped inspire the novel. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the comedy series 'Schmigadoon!' Six-time All Star C.C. Sabathia pitched for the...

We revisit our 2016 interview with culinary icon Anthony Bourdain. He hosted the CNN series 'Parts Unknown' which took audiences to countries all over the world. He spoke with 'Fresh Air' about his breakout book, 'Kitchen Confidential,' and why he didn't think of himself as a journalist. Bourdain died in 2018 by suicide while filming in France. 'Roadrunner,' a new documentary about his life and tragic death, is now in theaters. TV critic David Bianculli reviews 'Schmigadoon!' starring...

'New York Times' reporter Ivan Penn unpacks the debate over infrastructure: Do we go big and fund huge wind and solar farms with new transmission lines, or go local, with rooftop solar panels, batteries and micro-grids? Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews a reprint of Gloria Naylor's landmark novel, 'The Women of Brewster Place.'

The six-time All Star pitched for the Yankees and the Indians over the course of his 19-year career. He also struggled with alcoholism. Sabathia reflects on baseball and sobriety in the memoir, 'Till the End.' Justin Chang shares his favorite picks from the Cannes Film Festival, which he screened from L.A. Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead celebrates the centennial of two early electric guitarists, George Barnes and Mary Osborne.

In their new book, 'New York Times' reporters Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel examine the problems Facebook created and the problems it's facing. We talk about disinformation, hate speech, and how CEO Mark Zuckerberg knew the "Stop the Steal" private groups were planning a riot on the capitol but decided against warning the president. "Facebook knew the potential for explosive violence was very real [on Jan 6]," Kang says.

Tahmima Anam's new novel is about a married couple, Cyrus and Asha, who found a tech startup. It's a social media platform that customizes ceremonies and rituals for people who aren't religious. The platform's success turns the husband into a messiah figure — even though it was his wife who designed it. We talk with Amam about how her real life boardroom experience helped inspire the novel, the allure of rituals, and her childhood growing up in many different countries.

Ashley C. Ford's father was incarcerated when she was too young to remember, and she was 30 when he got out. For many of those years, no one told her what his crime was. When she was in her teens, not longer after she'd been raped by a boyfriend, she was shocked to learn her father had been convicted of rape. Her memoir is 'Somebody's Daughter.' Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a newly released recording of a 1969 Sarah Vaughan concert. Also, we'll hear from former flight attendant T.J....

Kaling's Netflix show, 'Never Have I Ever,' is based on her own experiences as a nerdy, confident teen who pined for a boyfriend. The second season drops next week. She spoke with Terry Gross in 2020 about the series, how being a diversity hire at 'The Office' inspired her movie 'Late Night,' and how the grief of losing a parent has impacted her as a mother. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the music documentaries 'Summer of Soul' and 'McCartney 3-2-1.'

When Yutico Briley was 19 years old, he was sentenced to 60 years in prison for an armed robbery he said he didn't commit. After serving 7 years of his sentence, Briley heard criminal justice reporter Emily Bazelon on 'Fresh Air' and wrote to her about his case. Bazelon started corresponding with him and doing some research, and found flaws in his defense and trial representative of larger problems in the justice system. Her sister Lara Bazelon, a lawyer, decided to take Briley's case and...

The Comstock Act, which passed in 1873, virtually outlawed contraception. In 'The Man Who Hated Women,' author Amy Sohn writes about the man behind the law — and the women prosecuted under it. John Powers reviews the detective drama 'Unforgotten' on PBS.

T.J. Newman's new book, 'Falling,' is a thriller about a hijacking on a commercial flight. The pilot is told he must crash the plane or his family on the ground will be killed. We talk with Newman about her book and about her 10 years in the skies — from pet peeves to scary situations. "If all you see us do is a beverage service, that's a great day at work because that means that we're not actually doing our job, because we have training in everything from hazmat to hijackings to medical...

Batiste is the bandleader of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' He joins us from his home piano where he plays music he wrote for the Pixar movie 'Soul' and songs from his album 'We Are.' We'll also hear his rendition of 'The Star Spangled Banner' and the Black national anthem, "Lift Every Voice."

Uzo Aduba's breakout role was as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren in the Netflix series about a women's prison, 'Orange is the New Black.' Now she stars in the HBO reboot of 'In Treatment,' as therapist Dr. Brooke Taylor. We'll talk about the 180 degree change between the two roles. Ken Tucker reviews new albums by Chrissie Hynde singing Dylan songs and Shannon McNally doing songs associated with Waylon Jennings. Desus Nice and The Kid Mero started out doing comedy together on Twitter, then...

"The Boss" spoke with Terry Gross at his New Jersey home studio in 2016 about masculinity, depression, and wishing he was his stage persona. His one-man show, 'Springsteen on Broadway,' returned to Broadway this week. Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews Steven Soderbergh's 'No Sudden Move,' starring Don Cheadle and Benicio del Toro.

'NYT' reporter Adam Goldman describes an undercover effort, led by an avid Trump supporter, that trained conservatives in espionage techniques and sent them to dig up dirt on progressives. Some operations were aimed at discrediting perceived enemies of Trump when he was president, including his national security advisor, H.R. McMaster. Also rock critic Ken Tucker reviews new songs by veteran artists Tom Jones, Jackson Browne and John Mayer.