Fresh Air
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Fresh Air with Terry Gross, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs.
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Episodes
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When is forgetting normal — and when is it worrisome? A neuroscientist weighs in
Do you have trouble remembering names or where you put your keys? Neurologist Charan Ranganath, author of Why We Remember, talks about the science of memory. Originally broadcast Feb. 24, 2024.
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After his mother's death, Ocean Vuong wrote his way out of grief
Vuong's new novel, The Emperor of Gladness, is the first he's written, from start to finish, since his mother died in 2019. He says writing it was a way to honor her memory.
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Trump's billion-dollar war on Harvard, explained
Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman says the attack represents an erosion of democratic values: "Ultimately, this is about Trump trying to impose his view of the world on everybody else."
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'Jane Austen Wrecked My Life' doesn't live up to its namesake
Laura Piani's amiable new romance is weighed down by all its allusions and borrowings — and ultimately fails to deliver on Austen's wit.
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With 'I Love Lucy' and beyond, Desi Arnaz helped shaped TV as we know it
The success of I Love Lucy is often credited to Lucille Ball's comedic talent, but biographer Todd Purdum says Arnaz was more than just "second banana" to Lucy. He also helped shape the modern sitcom.
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Fresh Air Weekend: Sarah Silverman; Cole Escola
Silverman's parents died 9 days apart; the loss was a starting point for her comedy special. Ken Tucker reviews new albums by Willie Nelson and Ken Pomeroy. Escola explains the vision behind Oh, Mary!
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Stunt performer turned director walks away mostly unscathed from fights, flipped cars
Filmmaker David Leitch says it's easier to do stunts himself than direct his stunt performer friends. "You are responsible for their safety," he explains. Originally broadcast July 22, 2024.
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Wes Anderson peers into the hollowness of extreme wealth in 'The Phoenician Scheme'
Benicio Del Toro plays a globe-trotting tycoon trying to convince his estranged daughter (Mia Threapleton) to be his heir. The film is darker, angrier and more violent than Anderson's usual fare.
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Her parents died 9 days apart, but Sarah Silverman gets the last laugh in 'PostMortem'
Silverman's father and stepmother are buried under one tombstone that reads: "Janice and Donald, who loved to laugh." The loss was a starting point for Silverman's "cathartic" Netflix comedy special.
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'Succession' creator takes on tech -- and revolution -- in 'Mountainhead'
Jesse Armstrong's new HBO film is set in a Utah retreat where four rich techno-wizards scheme while playing poker. Mountainhead is an unpredictable drama about powerful men vying for control.
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Understanding JD Vance's meteoric rise, from 'Hillbilly Elegy' to the White House
The Atlantic writer George Packer calls JD Vance the most interesting figure in the Trump administration: "He's capable of complex thought, and I also think he may be the future of the MAGA movement."
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Bestselling author James Patterson on the voices that keep him up at night
Patterson's books have sold over 400 million copies worldwide. He says he often gets ideas for them late at night. His latest, The #1 Dad Book, offers advice for fathers.
