Terry Gross

Jonathan Cohn traveled the country in search of ordinary Americans who had been affected by America's health care crisis. The stories he found — of heart attack victims becoming casualties of overcrowded emergency rooms and diabetes patients going blind because they can't afford treatment — earned him the Harry Chapin Media Award for coverage of poverty-related issues, as well as praise from both journalism and health care professionals. They also became the core of his book Sick: The Untold Story of America's Health Care Crisis — and the People Who Pay the Price.

T. Christian Miller doesn't shy away from trouble. He has reported on conflicts in Kosovo, Israel and Iraq, among others, and the Web site he founded, ProPublica, is dedicated to covering stories with "moral force" — providing in-depth coverage of environmental, defense, and human rights issues. One story Miller has been following closely, in a series of articles titled "Disposable Army," is the fate of employees who worked for private military contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Writer-director Robert Siegel wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed 2008 film The Wrestler; Patton Oswalt, the stand-up comic and actor, starred in CBS's The King of Queens and provided the voice for Remy, the main character in Pixar's food romance Ratatouille. In 2009, the two teamed up for a sports film of sorts — a drama called Big Fan, about an obsessive 35-year-old New York Giants booster.

Singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt died on Christmas day, at the age of 45.

For the last three years, comedian John Oliver has been telling some serious jokes as "Senior British Correspondent" on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. He won an Emmy for his work on the show in 2009, but his comedic career is not confined to the fake newsroom. On January 8, 2009, Oliver debuts his newest act: John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show. The title, as he explains to Fresh Air host Terry Gross, pretty much says it all.

Sullivan's new book, Stop Getting Ripped Off: Why Consumers Get Screwed And How You Can Always Get A Fair Deal, is a guide to informed consumption. He joins Terry Gross to talk about the traps consumers fall into when dealing with credit card and cell phone companies, banks, and an old favorite: car salesmen. Sullivan is a New York Times best-selling author and a regular on CNBC's On The Money, NBC's Nightly News, and The Today Show.

After an 11-year stint as the owner of the bar that gave the classic TV series Cheers its name, Ted Danson moved on to other TV-land pastures. In the 16 years since that hit sitcom went off the air, his work has taken him to different places, but perhaps none of his characters has been as interesting and complicated as the ones he's been playing lately. In the legal drama Damages, Danson portrayed an egomaniac billionaire battling the tough-as-nails litigator played by series star Glenn Close. Danson tells Terry Gross that it was time for a change.

Johnny Mercer is the man behind the lyrics of some of the most popular American songs of the century. Mercer wrote or co-wrote over 1,000 songs, ranging from classics like "Skylark" and "That Old Black Magic" to the impish fanfare of "Hooray For Hollywood." Pianist and composer David Frishberg and singer Rebecca Kilgore are generally jazz musicians by trade, but they have a soft spot for Mercer.

The veteran punk rocker John Doe embraced his inner mountain man on Country Club, an album of classic country covers he recorded with The Sadies. The Canadian rockers and the former X frontman joined Terry Gross in the Fresh Air studio for an interview and an intimate performance.

This interview was originally broadcast on May 19, 2009.