Fresh Air

Writer Thomas Mallon looks back on the early years of the AIDS epidemic, when he was in his 30s, living in Manhattan. His friends were sick or dead, and he was terrified that he’d die, too. Excerpts of his journals from those years are collected in The Very Heart of It. He'll also talk about his latest novel, Up with the Sun, based on the life and murder of a little-known gay actor from the 1950s and '60s. Also, we remember jazz singer Sheila Jordan, who died Monday at age 96. And Justin Chang reviews Spike Lee's new film, Highest 2 Lowest. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

After writing chapters of her new book about how tech companies help and exploit us, tech journalist and novelist Vauhini Vara fed those chapters to ChatGPT. She told the AI chatbot she needed help with her writing. But her real goal was to analyze and critique the chatbot’s advice. Her book is Searches. Also, before social media, before influencers, the magazines Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, and Architectural Digest were among the most significant tastemakers, informing readers what clothes, celebrities, and trends were hot. We’ll talk with Michael Grynbaum about how Condé Nast cultivated a mystique that captivated subscribers. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Chilean-born actor Pedro Pascal has faced countless on-screen challenges, including cosmic battles and cartel kingpins. He's nominated for an Emmy for his role on the HBO series, The Last of Us. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about getting fired from restaurant jobs, his dance training, and his parents' exile from Chile. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Crockett grew up poor and got his start in music busking for tips on the street and in the subway. He's since played the Hollywood Bowl and been nominated for a Grammy. The country/roots musician talks with Terry Gross and plays songs from his new album, Dollar a Day. John Powers reviews The Diary of Lies, a new mystery novel about a reporter. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new series Alien: Earth, a TV prequel to the film Alien. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Hiller spent years scraping by in Hollywood by taking on various small roles and commercials. Then he landed the role of Joel on HBO's Somebody Somewhere and everything changed. His new memoir is Actress of a Certain Age. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Daniel Dae Kim became the first actor of Asian descent to be nominated for a Tony, for his performance in Yellow Face, in the role of a playwright trying to deal with Asian American representation. His new Amazon Prime Video spy series Butterfly premieres today. Kim spoke with Ann Marie Baldonado about his career, his big break with Lost, and filming his new series in his hometown in Korea. Book critic Maureen Corrigan reflects on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for its 100th anniversary. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

This month marks the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's album Born to Run. We'll talk with Peter Ames Carlin, author of a Tonight in Jungleland, about the making of this now classic album. Also, we'll talk with Jennifer Senior about her Atlantic article "Why Can't Americans Sleep?" And, David Bianculli reviews season two of Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

We remember Eddie Palmieri, the pianist, bandleader and composer whose contributions to Afro-Caribbean music shaped the genre for decades. He died Wednesday at the age of 88. Also, Parliament's now classic funk album Mothership Connection turned 50 this year. We listen back to Terry Gross's 1989 interview with funkmaster George Clinton. David Bianculli reviews the new season of Wednesday and film critic Justin Chang reviews two comedy remakes: The Naked Gun and Freakier Friday. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Bruce Springsteen's groundbreaking album, Born to Run, came out 50 years ago this month, marking a turning point for rock and roll — and for "The Boss." Before he recorded that record, Springsteen's label, Columbia, was on the verge of dropping him because his first two albums, though critically acclaimed, had sold poorly. Biographer Peter Ames Carlin describes the creation of Born to Run as an "existential moment" for Springsteen. His book is Tonight in Jungleland. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Fourteen million people in Sudan have been displaced by war and famine. The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum says the scale of destruction is vast and, as the conflict rages, people are overwhelmed by chaos. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

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, PostMortem. She spoke with Terry Gross about their final days, finding the joy in grief, and she reflects on the boys' club of the comedy scene when she was starting out. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

For decades, Iran has been an adversary of the United States. Scott Anderson examines the Iranian revolution of 1979, the upheaval that deposed the reigning monarch and transformed the country from a U.S. ally to an Islamic Republic. He says blunders by American policymakers played a key role in the outcome. Anderson's new book is King of Kings. Later David Bianculli reviews the new HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So it Goes. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Emmy-winning Law & Order: SVU actor Mariska Hargitay talks about her new documentary, My Mom Jayne, an intimate portrait of her mother, the late Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield. Mansfield's life was cut short in a tragic car accident when Hargitay was just 3 years old. Also, comic and actor Marc Maron talks about grief, his problematic cats, and why he's ending his popular podcast WTF, which he started in the early days of podcasting. Maron has a new HBO comedy special called Panicked, and he's the subject of a new documentary. Plus, Ken Tucker has an appreciation of Parliament's album Mothership Connection which turns 50 this year. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Terry Gross talks with rock historian Peter Guralnick, author of the definitive two volume biography of Elvis Presley. His new book is about Elvis's longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Guralnick says researching the book led to many surprises and made him question the many preconceptions about Parker. It's called The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership that Rocked the World. John Powers reviews Code of Silence, a new British crime series. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The Atlantic journalist Franklin Foer explains how SpaceX and the Trump administration are changing the face of NASA, and why Musk's dream of Mars may come at the cost of the agency's mission. Also, Ken Tucker commemorates the 50th anniversary release of George Clinton's album Mothership Connection. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

As he winds down his podcast, WTF, after 16 years, Marc Maron reflects on what he'll miss: "These conversations are very real conversations for me ... and that is kind of nourishing for the spirit and the soul." He spoke with Terry Gross about being the subject of a documentary, dreams he has of his late girlfriend Lynn Shelton, and cringing at his old comedy. Maron stars in the Apple TV+ series Stick, and his new HBO comedy special, Panicked, is out on August 1. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The Law & Order: SVU actor was just 3 years old in 1967 when her movie star mom, Jayne Mansfield, died in a car crash. Hargitay's new documentary highlights the intelligent woman behind her mom's crafted persona. Hargitay has a new HBO documentary about her "archeological dig" on her family, called My Mom Jayne. She also talks about learning the identity of her biological father, her love of comedy, and working with survivors of sexual assault. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Actor and singer Leslie Uggams talks about her remarkable career, which started when she was 6. She was later the first Black woman to host a TV variety show. In the 1977 TV miniseries Roots, she played Kunta Kinte's daughter. More recently she's been in Empire, American Fiction, and the Deadpool films — and is still going strong at 82. Also, writer Joseph Lee talks about what it means to be a member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe from Martha's Vineyard. His new book, Nothing More of This Land, peels back the postcard image of the Vineyard to reveal a powerful story of Indigenous identity and survival. Plus, rock critic Ken Tucker reviews new music from the band HAIM and Addison Rae. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The lyrics for the songs "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life," "The Way We Were," "Nice 'n' Easy," "You Must Believe in Spring," and "The Windmills of Your Mind" were written by the husband and wife lyric-writing team of Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Alan Bergman died last week at the age of 99. The two wrote songs together for more than 60 years. They spoke with Terry Gross in 2007. The aristocratic, unconventional British Mitford sisters are the subject of the new BritBox TV series Outrageous. We listen to our 1989 interview with Jessica Mitford, who wrote The American Way of Death, an exposé of the funeral industry that became a best seller in 1963. Mitford also was a communist who refused to give information to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Also, TV critic David Bianculli review Dexter: Resurrection. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

The Trump administration has been pressuring elite universities, like Harvard and Columbia, with widespread demands, and threats of federal funding cuts. So why are they now investigating George Mason University? ProPublica education reporter Katherine Mangan tells us why GMU's president thinks it's driven by a backlash to DEI efforts. Also, jazz historian Kevin Whitehead reflects on a James Moody release. He would've been 100 this year. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy