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Terry Gross at her microphone in 2018

Terry Gross

Terry Gross is the host and an executive producer of Fresh Air, the daily program of interviews and reviews. It is produced at WHYY in Philadelphia, where Gross began hosting the show in 1975, when it was broadcast only locally. She was awarded a National Humanities Medal from President Obama in 2016. Fresh Air with Terry Gross received a Peabody Award in 1994 for its “probing questions, revelatory interviews and unusual insight.” America Women in Radio and Television presented her with a Gracie Award in 1999 in the category of National Network Radio Personality. In 2003, she received the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Edward R. Murrow Award for her “outstanding contributions to public radio” and for advancing the “growth, quality and positive image of radio.” Gross is the author of All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians and Artists, published by Hyperion in 2004. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and received a bachelor’s degree in English and M.Ed. in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She began her radio career in 1973 at public radio station WBFO in Buffalo, NY.

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40:31

Paul Thomas Anderson Discusses "Magnolia."

Director, screenwriter, and producer Paul Thomas Anderson. Anderson’s new film is called Magnolia. The 29-year-old filmmaker also wrote and directed the movies Boogie Nights and Hard Eight. Magnolia stars Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, and Julianne Moore.

44:37

Native American Musician Keith Secola.

Native American musician and songwriter Keith Secola. The music of Secola and his group, the Wild Band of Indians, is a hybrid of Rock, Folk and Tribal musics. Secola became a cult hero after the release of the contemporary Native anthem, ”Indian Cars.” Keith Secola and the Wild Band of Indians have a new CD called Fingermonkey

Interview
49:59

From the Archives: Fresh Air Interviews the Queen of Soul.

A rare interview with the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. She's won fifteen Grammy awards and is the first woman to be inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. The state of Michigan has proclaimed her voice a natural resource. Her hits include "Respect," "I Say a Little Prayer," and "You Make me Feel Like a Natural Woman." She's just written an autobiography with David Ritz, entitled "Aretha: From These Roots" (Villard Books). REBROADCAST FROM 10/11/99

Interview
39:34

From the Archives: Writer Paul Abbott on His Latest TV Mystery.

Writer Paul Abbott. He created the mini-series "Touching Evil" which begins a new series on PBS’ Mystery. “Touching Evil” takes place at a fictional London based crime unit that specializes in serial killers and organized crime. Abbott also wrote the dramas "Crackers" and"Reckless". Abbott lives in Manchester, England. (REBROADCAST from 9/30/98)

Interview
43:45

Character Actor John C. Reilly On Working with Paul Thomas Anderson.

Character actor John C. Reilly. He's starred In all three of director/writer Paul Thomas Anderson's films. He played a small-time gambler In "Hard Eight," a porn star In "Boogie Nights," and a police officer In the new "Magnolia." Reilly has also worked with directors Brian DePalma ("Casualties of War") and Terrence Malik ("The Thin Red Line"). Reilly got his start In Chicago at the Goodman School of Drama and worked with the Steppenwolf theatre.

Interview
45:40

The Origins of Clinton's Sex Scandals.

Staff writer for The New Yorker and legal analyst at ABC News, Jeffrey Toobin. He's been a frequent guest on Fresh Air. He wrote about the O.J. Simpson trial in his bestseller "The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson." His new book is "A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal that Nearly Brought Down a President." (Random House).

Interview
21:30

Our Complicated Relationship with Clothes and Shopping.

Fabric artist and writer Andrea Siegel is the author of the new book, “Open and Clothed: For the Passionate Clothes Lover” (Agapanthus Books). In the book she aims to provide an alternative to what the media conveys about clothes, by talking to people in and out of the fashion industry about their motivations for dressing the way they do, and the roots of how they dress. Siegel’s great grandfather founded the New York department store, “Kleins.”

Interview
22:52

A Poem a Day.

Poet David Lehman is the editor of “The Best American Poetry” and on the faculty of Bennington College and The New School. His new book of poems chronicles his attempt to write a poem a day. It’s called “The Daily Mirror: a journal in poetry.” (Scribner)

Interview
43:40

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and His Biographer James Hirsch.

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. In the early 60s, Carter was a top contender for the middleweight boxing crown. Then in 1967, he was convicted of three murders he did not commit. He was in prison for nearly 20 years, but continued to fight for his freedom in state and federal courts. Finally in 1985, he was found innocent and set free. We talk with Carter, and his biographer, James Hirsch, author of "Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter" (Houghton Mifflin Company). A new movie about Carter, called Hurricane, just opened.

20:35

From the Archives: Music Documentarian D. A. Pennebaker.

Filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker. One of America's foremost documentary producers, Pennebaker has brought his cinema verite approach to subjects ranging from Bill Clinton's presidential campaign, to Castro's Cuba, to Bob Dylan's first tour of Britain. Music has been the source of much of Pennebaker's work. His films have featured the likes of Pablo Cassals, jazz singer Dave Lambert, rocker David Bowie, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Pennebaker's film on Bob Dylan, Don't Look Back, is being released on DVD. (REBROADCAST. ORIGINAL DATE 7/5/89.)

Interview

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