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John Mellencamp's New Album Is Filled with Charming Contradictions

Rock critic Ken Tucker says the pop star rails against commercialism -- despite the fact that his success depends on it. But it's the music on Big Daddy -- moreso than the lyrics -- that best coveys Mellencamp's anti-pop message.

06:58
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Other segments from the episode on May 18, 1989

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, May 18, 1989: Interview with Maurice Sendak; Review of John Cougar Mellencamp's album "Big Daddy"; Interview with Richard Wilbur; Interview with Stephen Schiff.
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27:45

Maurice Sendak on the Darkness of Children's Stories

Sendak illustrated a version of a recently-discovered Grimm story, about a girl named Mili who loses her mother during a war. Sendak, best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, often incorporates difficult subjects like death and divorce into his children's books.

Interview
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09:22

Former Poet Laureate Richard Wilbur

A new anthology of Wilbur's early and recent poetry has recently been published. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his writing, the effect of how reading in front of audiences has had on his work, and his relationship with his children. Wilbur was Poet Laureate from 1987 to 1988.

Interview

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

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