Episodes

  • Best Of: Billie Eilish & Finneas / The Colbert Cookbook

    Best Of: Billie Eilish & Finneas / The Colbert Cookbook
    Dec 21 2024
    Award-winning sister-brother duo Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell talk about their songwriting process, her changing voice, and their new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft.

    Later, Stephen Colbert and his wife Evie McGee Colbert talk about their cookbook of home recipes inspired by their South Carolina roots. It's called Does This Taste Funny?

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    49 mins
  • Bonnie Raitt / Francis Ford Coppola

    Bonnie Raitt / Francis Ford Coppola
    Dec 20 2024
    This month, musician Bonnie Raitt and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola were both honorees of the Kennedy Center for their contributions to American culture. We're revisiting interviews with both of them. First, blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Bonnie Raitt spoke with Terry Gross in 1996 about her early years, finding her blues sound. And Francis Ford Coppola told us in 2016 the story of casting Marlon Brando in The Godfather.

    And film critic Justin Chang reviews two new movies: The Brutalist and Nickel Boys.

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    49 mins
  • Miranda July Wants Women To Read Their Inner Lives In 'All Fours'

    Miranda July Wants Women To Read Their Inner Lives In 'All Fours'
    Dec 19 2024
    Filmmaker and writer Miranda July, whose novel All Fours is on many best books of the year lists, and was described in the New York Times as "the year's literary conversation piece." July spoke with Terry Gross about issues in the novel, like separating from a spouse you're growing distant from, perimenopause, and having an affair.

    And jazz historian Kevin Whitehead reviews a newly released recording of a concert he attended in 1978, by pianist Sun Ra and his Arkestra.

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    47 mins
  • The Looming TikTok Ban

    The Looming TikTok Ban
    Dec 18 2024
    A new law gives TikTok a January 19 deadline to sell to a non-Chinese company or face a nationwide ban. Law professor Alan Rozenshtein delves into what this means and whether President-Elect Trump could intervene.

    David Bianculli reflects on the year in TV.

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    47 mins
  • Billie Eilish & Finneas

    Billie Eilish & Finneas
    Dec 17 2024
    The Grammy Award-winning singer says working with a vocal coach "honestly changed my life." Eilish and her brother/collaborator Finneas talk with Terry Gross about their new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, voice lessons, and their favorite homework assignment.

    Also, critic-at-large John Powers shares his highlights of the year — from a documentary to an Olympic moment.

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    47 mins
  • Comedian Ronny Chieng Didn't Tell His Parents He Got A 'Daily Show' Job

    Comedian Ronny Chieng Didn't Tell His Parents He Got A 'Daily Show' Job
    Dec 16 2024
    When Ronny Chieng got a job as a correspondent and then anchor at The Daily Show, he kept the news to himself. "I didn't want to brag," the Malaysia-born comic says. "I just wanted to do the work." Chieng now costars in the series Interior Chinatown, and has a new Netflix comedy special, Love to Hate It.

    Also, Ken Tucker reflects on the best pop music of 2024.

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    47 mins
  • Someone Once Told Elton John He Would Never Be A Pop Star

    Someone Once Told Elton John He Would Never Be A Pop Star
    Dec 15 2024
    Pop sensation Elton John wrapped up his farewell tour in 2023, only to pop up in a surprise concert at the October 2024 New York City premiere of the new documentary, "Elton John: Never Too Late." Still, as John reduces his public output — and as that documentary drops on the Disney+ streaming platform — we thought our listeners might like to hear again from the British music legend himself. Weekly bonus episodes like this, curated from our vast archive, are usually only available for our Fresh Air+ supporters. But today, in the spirit of giving, we're making this episode available to all. Not a Fresh Air+ supporter yet? Find out more, and join for yourself, at https://plus.npr.org/freshair. Listen to Elton John in 2013: https://n.pr/3BoEEYT| Listen to Elton John in 2019: https://n.pr/49ssSJG | Listen to 40+ years of Fresh Air's archives at https://FreshAirArchive.org.

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    22 mins
  • Best Of: Jon Batiste's 'Beethoven Blues' / Visual Artist Mickalene Thomas

    Best Of: Jon Batiste's 'Beethoven Blues' / Visual Artist Mickalene Thomas
    Dec 14 2024
    Jon Batiste joins us at the piano to play his reimaginings of Beethoven, and more. His new album is called Beethoven Blues.

    Also, we hear from visual artist Mickalene Thomas. She puts Black women in the front and center of her work. Her latest exhibition, Mickalene Thomas: All About Love, celebrates the women in her life.

    Book critic Maureen Corrigan shares her picks for the best books of the year.

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    48 mins