Fresh Air

We're revisiting Terry Gross's 2009 interview with musician John Mellencamp. He's got a new album called Orpheus Descending out this month. Mellencamp's big hits in the 1980s included "Jack and Diane" and "Small Town." Film critic Justin Chang reviews Wes Anderson's new movie, Asteroid City, and David Bianculli reviews the new season of the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror.

Artificial intelligence experts recently signed an open letter warning that A.I. could destroy humanity. New York Times technology reporter Cade Metz explains why we are at a turning point with this technology.

Tupac Shakur — who was killed at 25 in 1996 — would have turned 52 this year. His mother, Afeni Shakur, was an activist and a central figure in the Black Panthers. Author and historian Santi Elijah Holley's new book, An Amerikan Family, follows the Shakur family tree and their work in the Black Liberation Movement.John Powers reviews the final season of the British detective series Endeavour.

"You don't hear about enslaved people at Mass or in Sunday school," says author Rachel Swarns. Her new book tells the story of 272 enslaved people sold in 1838 to help save what is now Georgetown University.

Cooper was birdwatching in Central Park in 2020 when a white woman falsely accused him of threatening her. The video went viral. His memoir, Better Living Through Birding, chronicles life as a Black birder, gay activist and Marvel comic book writer and editor. Cooper now hosts a National Geographic birdwatching show.

Succession creator, showrunner and head writer, Jesse Armstrong has been reluctant to reveal much about creating the characters, their motivations and plotlines in the past — but now that the series is over, he's ready to talk. Also with us is executive producer Frank Rich, who was instrumental in getting the series made. Maureen Corrigan recommends two new suspense novels that overturn the age-old "woman-in-trouble" plot: My Murder and Beware the Woman.Also, we'll hear from actor Elliot Page. He's best known for his roles in Juno, Inception and X-Men. In 2020, he came out as a trans man — and soon after his character on Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, also transitioned. Page's new memoir is called Pageboy.

Songwriter Cynthia Weil, along with her writing partner and husband Barry Mann, wrote the 1960s hits You've Lost that Loving Feeling, Uptown, On Broadway, and We've Got to Get Out of This Place. We'll listen to our 2000 archival interview with them. She died last week at 82. Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews Past Lives.

On Feb. 14, 2018, David Hogg was in his AP Environmental Sciences class at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., when he heard gunshots. It was the beginning of one of the deadliest school shootings in American history. 17 people were murdered. Hogg is a co-founder of the youth-led gun reform movement March for Our Lives. He talks about advocacy, finding common ground with opponents and the importance of making time for joy amid the pain. Also, Ken Tucker reviews new albums by Jason Isbell and Rodney Crowell.

For much of his life, the Canadian actor (Juno, X-men, The Umbrella Academy) experienced gender dysphoria that made him extremely uncomfortable in his own body. "It's like a constant noise," he says. His new memoir is called Pageboy.Maureen Corrigan reviews two suspense novels: My Murder by Katie Williams and Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott.

Constitutional lawyer and Brennan Center for Justice President Michael Waldman says there's a growing divide between the electorate and the Supreme Court: "the country is moving in one direction ... the Court is moving fast in another direction." His book is The Supermajority.

The much-anticipated series finale of HBO's Succession answered one big question — who would succeed media mogul patriarch Logan Roy — but we still have more: Was Kendall going to jump into the river? Why did we keep seeing Logan in the bathroom? Why was the presidential election left unresolved? Creator Jesse Armstrong and executive producer Frank Rich answer all in this wide-ranging interview.

As controversy swirls around revelations of gifts to Justice Clarence Thomas, we'll speak with award-winning filmmaker Michael Kirk. His PBS/FRONTLINE documentary is Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court.Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Arturo O'Farrill's new album, Legacies. Also, we talk with medical anthropologist Theresa MacPhail about allergies. If it seems like your seasonal allergies are getting worse over time, you're probably not wrong. Allergies have risen dramatically in recent years, both in the U.S. around the world. MacPhail's book is Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World.

Writer John Vercher trained in mixed martial arts as a young man. His novel, After the Lights Go Out, centers on a veteran MMA fighter who is experiencing memory loss, severe mood swings and tinnitus. The book is also about the fighter's biracial identity. TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new PBS American Masters documentary, Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock 'n' Roll.

Kwame Alexander's new book, Why Fathers Cry At Night, started as a book of love poems, but ended up being a book of essays and poems about falling in love, the end of his two marriages, raising two children and one of them leaving home and cutting ties. We'll talk about that, and about being a son of a Baptist minister. Alexander is best known for his children's books, including The Undefeated and the Newberry Medal-winning book The Crossover, which has been adapted into a Disney+ series, on which he's a writer and executive producer.

As controversy swirls around Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni over financial benefits they received for years from a Texas billionaire, we look at the formative influences on the Washington power couple. Filmmaker Michael Kirk's FRONTLINE PBS documentary examines Clarence Thomas's early years, where he endured poverty, hardship and discrimination in the Jim Crow South. After a period as a Black Power activist in college, he began to criticize affirmative action and build ties with conservative Republicans, leading eventually to his seat on the Supreme Court. He teamed up with and married Ginni Lamp, who grew up surrounded by far-Right conservatives. Kirk's documentary is Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court.

From excessive hygiene to low-fiber diets, author Theresa MacPhail explores the deep-rooted causes of rising allergy rates in her new book Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World.

Julia Louis Dreyfus stars in the new film, You Hurt My Feelings. She also has a podcast called Wiser Than Me, where she asks older women to share their experiences and life lessons. She talks about both projects with Dave Davies. Also, we hear from Wanda Sykes. In her new Netflix comedy special, she talks about raising teenagers with her French wife, and what it's like to live in the world after a pandemic, an insurrection, and George Floyd.David Bianculli reviews a new documentary about Mary Tyler Moore.

Samara Joy is the second jazz performer in Grammy history to win "Best New Artist." The 23-year-old also won for "Best Jazz Album." She joined us for a concert and conversation about growing up in a family of gospel singers and her musical influences.

Moore is the subject of a new HBO (MAX) documentary that explores her rise in Hollywood — from her 1970s hit The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which inspired a generation of single professional women, to her 1960s breakout role on The Dick Van Dyke Show. She spoke with Terry Gross in 1995. Also, we remember novelist, essayist and literary critic Martin Amis, who died last week at 73. Film critic Justin Chang reviews the new live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.

New York Times media reporter John Koblin discusses the Hollywood writers' strike — and how streaming has upended every element of TV and film production, leading to deteriorating working conditions.