Terry Gross

When the hit rap song "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five came out in the early 1980s, many rappers regarded it as an inspiration and political message. Melle Mel was the original vocalist on the song. (This interview originally aired August 4, 1992.)

At the dawn of hip hop, Grandmaster Flash recorded hits like "The Message" and "White Lines (Don't Do it)" with the Furious Five. He also is credited with creating the "Quick Mix Theory" — blending one music break with another.

Singer and actress Annie Ross was part of the legendary team of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross and originated the style known as vocalese. She's currently performing in Manhattan at Danny's Skylight Room on Wednesday nights until September. (This interview originally aired March 2, 1990.)

The film version of author John Le Carre's thriller The Constant Gardener will be hitting theaters soon. Le Carre is the pen name of David John Moore Cornwell, the author of such cold war spy classics as Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. (This interview originally aired May 30, 1989.)

Kayla Williams is a former U.S. Army soldier who served in the Middle East as an Arabic interpreter. She recounts her decision to enlist and her experiences during the Iraq war in a new memoir, Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army. Williams was a sergeant in a military intelligence company of the 101st Airborne Division.

Kayla Williams was deployed to Iraq in 2003 as an Arabic linguist assigned to a signals intelligence team with 101st Airborne. She enlisted in the military in the year 2000. Her memoir about what it's like to be young and female in the army is called "Love My Rifle More Than You." She writes about the terror, tedium and camaraderie of war and about being a young woman serving alongside lustful young men.

Sen. Trent Lott, the Republican from Mississippi, has a new memoir called Herding Cats: A Life in Politics. Lott was the Senate majority leader from June 1996 to January 2001. He resigned from his position in 2002 after making racially divisive remarks.

Six Feet Under, rest in peace. The HBO series, which aired its final episode Sunday, followed the Fisher family and its funeral home business for five seasons. It received two Golden Globe awards and six Emmys. Alan Ball, creator and executive producer, reflects on his show about death.

Marc Phelan, automotive critic for the Detroit Free Press, tells us what's in store for future car models, including hybrids. Also, he tells us the best time to buy a new car and that the market for SUVs may be drying up.

Peter Maass, a New York Times Magazine contributing writer, traveled to Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, to examine its oil reserves and Saudi government claims it can keep up with demand for 30 to 50 years. Maass discusses the political, financial and environmental implications.