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A First-Time Novelist and His Remarkable Debut

Dennis McFarland's severe stage fright led him to give up a career as a concert pianist. He chose writing instead, in part because it didn't involve performing in front of an audience. His first novel, about a divorcé whose brother commits suicide, is called The Music Room.

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Other segments from the episode on July 12, 1990

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, July 12 1989: Interview with Peter Bart; Review of 2-Live Crew's album "Banned in the USA"; Interview with Dennis McFarland; Review of the film "The Adventures of Ford…
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05:37

A Rap Group's Rebuttal of Artistic Repression

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews "Banned In the USA" by 2-Live Crew. Their previous album, As Nasty as They Wanna Be, was declared obscene, and they were later arrested for simply performing their music at a concert. Tucker doesn't find much merit in 2-Live Crew' often misogynistic songs, but he vigorously condemns the efforts to criminalize their music.

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03:31

The Diceman's Glossy, One-Note Film Debut

Critic Owen Gleiberman reviews The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, which stars comedian Andrew Dice Clay as a rock and roll detective. Gleiberman calls the movie monotonous; Clay's performance, like his standup, is crass, but not without charisma.

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42:59

'I Always, Always Fight': Octavia Spencer On Demanding More From Hollywood

Growing up, actor Octavia Spencer remembers being inspired by the story of Madam C.J. Walker, one of America's first black, female, self-made millionaires. Born on a plantation in 1867, Walker eked out a living washing clothes for white families before building an empire selling hair care and makeup products to women of color.

Actress Octavia Spencer smiles for the camera at a promotional event for the movie "Ma"

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Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

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