Buba is conflicted about the movies he makes about his hometown -- he garners acclaim while Braddock, Pennsylvania counties to decline. His new movie, Lightning over Braddock, is about a steel plant closing, a grifter named Sal, and Buba's own filmmaking.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new live recording of composer Bedrich Smetana's patriotic music, including his oft-performed "Ma Vlast."
Critic Ken Tucker reviews a three-tape release of The Milton Berle Show, a classic variety program known for featuring prominent jazz musicians, among others. Tucker says that some of the humor doesn't hold up, but it's easy to see why Berle was successful.
Joe Frank produces the long-running program Work in Progress, which features improvised monologues and dramatic conversations about his fears and insecurities. Recently, Frank has been drawing inspiration from in-depth interview with his friends.
Joel Forrester and Phillip Johnston founded the NYC-based jazz combo. The group had trouble finding an audience early on, in part because of their unique blending of styles. Forrester and Johnston join Fresh Air to talk about their influences, and the logistics of keeping such a large group together.
Le Carre is the pseudonym of writer David Cromwell, who used to be a spy himself. His newest novel, The Russia House, considers the glasnost reforms of the Soviet Union's Gorbachev administration. Some of Le Carre's past novels include The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Little Drummer Girl, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Halberstam usually covers international affairs. Book critic John Leonard says the writer's new book reveals a boyish fandom for a bygone era of baseball.
Mason completed over a thousand combat missions in Vietnam and later served time for a drug smuggling. His debut memoir, Chickenhawk, found success while he was in prison. Mason's new, science-fiction inspired novel is called Weapon.
The saxophonist's latest album, Nightingale, features sensitive interpretations of spirituals and ballads. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead calls it Adams' most commercial effort yet -- and that's not a bad thing.
TV critic David Bianculli reviews the revamped satirical news show, which swaps prerecorded footage for live interviews and coverage. He says it's a smart move for the seven-year-old program.
The New York-based Hughes is known for her daring, lesbian-themed work. Critic Laurie Stone reviews her newest piece, about the incestual relationship between a mother and daughter.
The Canada-based Rybczynski sought to build a shed, but ended up designing a house for himself. He details the design and construction of his home in a new book, The Most Beautiful House in the World.
Lopate embraced the essay form only after writing novels and short stories. The writer explores diverse, sometimes provocative topics in his personal writing like sexuality and suicide.
Rock critic Ken Tucker says the group's first collaboration with country artists, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, breathed new life into their music. The second volume of that effort is less focused, with a strange and haphazard assortment of collaborators.
The Dutch stage and screen actor is often cast as a Russian character, including in the new movie Scandal. In the Netherlands, he often worked with director Paul Verhoeven. In the U.S., he's best known for his role as a womanizer in Crossing Delancey.
Critic Owne Gleiberman reviews Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He says the film is a retread of the first movie in the franchise, but is invigorated by the addition of Sean Connery as Indy's father.
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a CD of Olaf Bar's performances of selections from Mozart's operatic oeuvre. Schwartz says Bar's lower range is limited, causing him to growl and bark. It's an affect that might work for a full production, but is distracting in a recital setting.
Gordimer returns to Fresh Air to discuss her new collection of essays called The Essential Gesture, about her role as a white woman in South Africa fighting against Apartheid.
The former Steve Miller Band guitarist took a break from the music industry, but is back with a new album called Other Roads. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his early albums and the evolution of his music over the decades.
Lasseter began his career as a traditional animator; now he works for the production studio Pixar, founded by Steve Jobs. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the mechanics of computer animation, and how he tries to get audiences to look past the novelty of his approach and focus on the story.
