Fresh Air

The secretive company Clearview AI scans unidentified faces, and finds a match in their database of billions of photos. The pics are scraped from websites and apps, including Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, without the companies' permission. NYT tech reporter Kashmir Hill found that once your face is identified for a client, Clearview can quickly connect the client to a lot of information about you. Chances are your face is in Clearview's database, without your knowledge or permission. Clearview's clients include many police departments and some government agencies. Hill says it could spell the end of privacy. Her new book is Your Face Belongs To Us.

Russell talks and sings about the physical and sexual abuse she endured from her racist adoptive father — and about how she learned she was worthy of being loved. Her new album is The Returner.

Environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb says cars are killing animals, while highways cut off them off from their food sources and migration paths. His new book about road ecology is Crossings.Maureen Corrigan reviews C Pam Zhang's Land of Milk and Honey.

Award-winning actor and producer Kerry Washington was an adult when she learned that she had been conceived via artificial insemination and the man she considered her father was not her biological dad. Her new memoir about her journey of self-discovery is Thicker than Water. Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead celebrates Sam Rivers on what would've been his 100th birthday.

Casting director Allison Jones is considered one of the greatest comedy casting directors of our time. Her credits include films and TV shows like Freaks and Geeks, The Office, Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Bridesmaids, and now Barbie. She spoke with Terry Gross about some of these projects. Maureen Corrigan reviews Lauren Groff's new novel, The Vaster Wilds. Also, NPR's Scott Simon gives the history of why jazz was banned in Hitler's Germany, and how it was repurposed as propaganda on shortwave radio. His new audiobook is Swingtime for Hitler.

Billy Crudup stars in The Morning Show, now back for its third season. We also talk about going to rock star camp for his role in Almost Famous and his iconic Mastercard commercials.Also, Justin Chang reviews A Haunting in Venice.

Leslie Jones says performing stand-up for the first time as a freshman in college felt like putting on a shirt that fit perfectly: "It was just so natural." She talks with Tonya Mosley about the best advice she got, her bittersweet time at SNL, and why she loves physical comedy. Her memoir is Leslie F*cking Jones.Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Lauren Groff's new novel, The Vaster Wilds.

Hitler's Germany banned jazz because it was deemed degenerate music made by Jews and Black people. But NPR host Scott Simon says the Nazis used it abroad to weaken British and American resolve. His new audiobook about this history is Swingtime for Hitler.

Comedian, writer, and actor Aparna Nancherla has starred in the TV shows BoJack Horseman, Master of None, and Corporate. She's written for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, and Late Night with Seth Meyers, and has comedy specials on Netflix and Comedy Central. She spoke with Ann Marie Baldonado about her anxiety, depression, and imposter syndrome, despite her career success. Her new book is Unreliable Narrator.John Powers reviews the Paramount TV+ heist drama series The Gold.

New York Times reporter Alan Blinder says the kingdom poured millions into a pro golf circuit to rival the PGA. The two sides recently announced a joint venture, raising anti-trust issues. Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new season of The Morning Show.

Grammy and Oscar-winning music producer Mark Ronson is known for his party hits, pop songs, soulful arrangements, and producing for stars like Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, and Adele. His latest project is the Barbie soundtrack and score.We talk with Bethann Hardison about her 50+ year career as a trailblazer in the fashion world. She started modeling in the late '60s during the height of the Black is Beautiful movement. There's a new documentary about her life and career called Invisible Beauty.

Wall Street Journal reporter Erich Schwartzel says that film studios increasingly rely upon Chinese audiences to break even — which can result in self-censorship. His book is Red Carpet. Also, Justin Chang reviews the film Cassandro.

Atlantic staff writer Franklin Foer tells stories behind some of the Biden administration's biggest successes and failures. Foer's new book is The Last Politician.

The Army and Navy are testing weapons with remarkable capabilities, using cutting edge technology and AI. Terry Gross spoke with Eric Lipton of the New York Times about his investigation into the weapons, the need to modernize, and the obstacles in the way.

The Barbie movie is just the latest example of why Allison Jones is considered one of the greatest comedy casting directors of our time. She casted films and TV shows like Freaks and Geeks, The Office, Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Superbad and Bridesmaids. We talk about casting Steve Carell in The Office, auditioning Jason Segel as a teenager, and what she's learned about acting from doing cameos of herself. Also, Ken Tucker reviews Allison Russell's new album, The Returner.

We talk with Bethann Hardison about her 50+ year career as a trailblazer in the fashion world. She started modeling in the late '60s during the height of the Black is Beautiful movement. With her brown skin and short afro, Hardison describes herself as being the first "Black Black" looking model. Later, she was one of the first Black women to own a modeling agency. There's a new documentary about her life and career called Invisible Beauty.John Powers reviews two films about the 1973 coup in Chile.

Zadie Smith talks about her new book, The Fraud. It's a historical novel, but its themes of gender inequality, class, and the enduring damages of slavery, are very connected to the present. David Bianculli reviews the new Apple+ series The Changeling, starring LaKeith Stanfield. Comic Maria Bamford's new memoir, Sure, I'll Join Your Cult, is about the lengths she's taken to fit in — from self-help books, to 12-step programs — and why making fun of her anxiety, depression, and OCD has been a powerful medicine.

The son of Taiwanese immigrants, New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu defined himself as a teen by the music he loved. The murder of a close friend when he was in college changed the course of his life. He tells this story in his memoir, Stay True, which won a Pulitzer this year.David Bianculli reviews the new Apple+ series The Changeling, starring LaKeith Stanfield.

Grammy and Oscar-winning music producer Mark Ronson is known for his party hits, pop songs, and soulful arrangements, producing for stars like Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, and Adele. His latest project is the Barbie soundtrack and score. We talk about the year he and his collaborator Andrew Wyatt spent conceptualizing, producing, and composing songs for the album which features Nicki Minaj, Sam Smith, Billie Eilish, and Dua Lipa. Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright.

Comic Maria Bamford talks about — and jokes about — serious and dark topics like her anxiety, depression, and intrusive thoughts from OCD. Her new memoir is about the lengths she's gone to fit in, from self-help books to 12-step programs. It's called Sure, I'll Join Your Cult. Also, John Powers reviews the Danish crime series Face to Face.

Zadie Smith is known for her essays and novels about contemporary life and art. But her new book, The Fraud, is a historical novel, set in Victorian England. Her characters are dealing with some of the same issues we face today — gender inequality, class divisions, and the perpetual consequences of slavery. Smith spoke with Terry Gross about the novel, aging, history, and how writing is an exercise in control rather than creativity.

We wrap up our hip-hop history series with our 2010 interview with Sean Carter, A.K.A. Jay-Z, one of the most successful rappers of all time. He's won 24 Grammys and holds the record for the most No. 1 albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200. In 2019 he became the first hip-hop billionaire.

Our celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop continues with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, drummer and co-founder of The Roots. He was born in 1971 and says he and hip-hop grew up together. Also, Public Enemy's Chuck D talks about the song "Fight the Power" and the powers they were fighting. And we'll listen back to a conversation with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, A.K.A. Puff Daddy. He made his name—or names—in the hip-hop world as a record producer and rapper.

We continue our celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and feature interviews from our archive with the RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan, and André Benjamin, A.K.A. André 3000, from Outkast. Both have done solo work and have acted in films.

Our hip-hop history week continues, with interviews with two groups known for their clever lyrics and inventive use of samples. First, De La Soul, a group from Long Island, that sampled music from Schoolhouse Rock to James Brown, for their 1989 album, 3 Feet High and Rising. We'll hear our interview from 2000 with De La Soul's Vincent Mason and the late Dave "Trugoy" Jolicoeur. Also from our archive, a 2006 interview with the Beastie Boys: Mike Diamond, Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock), and Adam Yauch. They had the first hip-hop album to reach number 1 on the pop chart. Yauch died in 2012.

Our hip-hop history series continues, featuring interviews from our archive with Ice-T, one of the early gangsta rappers. He went on to star as a detective in Law & Order: SVU. Also, Queen Latifah, the first female rap solo artist to earn a gold album. She now stars in the TV series The Equalizer. Ice-T spoke with Terry Gross in 1994 and Queen Latifah in 1999.

We continue our celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with Darryl McDaniels, co-founder of one of rap's oldest groups, Run-DMC. We'll also hear from LL Cool J, and from record producer Nile Rodgers, the guitarist and co-founder of the disco group Chic. He'll talk about coming up with the bass line for the song "Good Times" which was used in Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight."

This week we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. We'll hear interviews with some of the most influential rappers and DJ's of the past few decades. Today, we kick things off with three hip-hop pioneers. First, DJ Kool Herc, who is considered the first DJ to isolate the breaks — the most danceable beats in a record — and repeat them to keep the dancers going.Then, Grandmaster Flash, who was one of the first DJ's to make successful recordings. He'll describe some of the turntable techniques he developed.Finally, we'll hear from Melle Mel, the rapper with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Their record "The Message" was the first successful rap record that offered social commentary.

For years, hip-hop has been dominated by men and hyper-masculine lyrics. That's changing. "The girls and the gays are running things. They're the cultural crusaders at this point," says Sidney Madden. She co-hosts the NPR podcast Louder Than A Riot with Rodney Carmichael. They'll both join us to discuss the podcast's second season, which focuses on hip-hop's strain of misogyny and homophobia, and how a new generation of women and queer artists are refusing to stand for it. We'll also revisit the legacy of the late rapper Biggie Smalls with journalist Justin Tinsley.

It's been 50 years since David Bowie retired his famous alter-ego Ziggy Stardust onstage, stunning his fans and some of his bandmates. The film capturing that performance, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, has been restored and reissued. Bowie spoke with Terry Gross in 2002. Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new album of Verdi choruses, and Justin Chang reviews Bottoms.

The New Yorker writer says Elon Musk's Starlink satellites are key to providing internet to Ukraine in its war with Russia, giving Musk an influence that's "more like a nation state than an individual." Farrow won a Pulitzer for his 2017 exposé of Harvey Weinstein.

Journalist Justin Tinsley discusses the life and legacy of Biggie Smalls, a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G., who was killed in 1997: "You can't talk about the story of hip-hop without mentioning the name Biggie Smalls." Tinsley's book is It Was All A Dream: Biggie and the World That Made Him.And John Powers reviews the Japanese TV series Midnight Diner.

Growing up in the South, Drew Gilpin Faust rejected the narrative she was fed about slavery and the Civil War. She writes about her journey to activism and becoming the first woman president of Harvard University in Necessary Trouble. She spoke with Terry Gross about being groomed to be a Southern lady, affirmative action, and why we need to confront our uncomfortable past.

As hip-hop marks its 50th anniversary, Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael, the co-hosts of the NPR podcast Louder Than A Riot, are taking a hard look back — and ahead — at a genre that male artists and hyper-masculine lyrics once dominated. The first season of Louder Than A Riot investigated the connection between hip-hop and mass incarceration. In its second and final season, the podcast examines the misogynoir that has long plagued the genre— and highlights artists that are pushing back. Carmichael says the topic is "well past due, but also right on time."Also, Ken Tucker reviews Bush Tetras' album They Live In My Head.

Christopher Nolan's new film Oppenheimer is about the man who's known as the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. "Like it or not, we live in Oppenheimer's world and we always will," Nolan says.We also hear from humorist R. Eric Thomas. His new book of essays is called Congratulations, the Best Is Over! In it, Thomas explores what it's like to move back to his hometown of Baltimore as a middle-aged man. Later, Maureen Corrigan reviews the new novel by James McBride.

The FX/Hulu series Reservation Dogs follows four teens on an Oklahoma Indian reservation who are frustrated and alienated, caught between what's left of traditional Native culture on the reservation and the broader pop culture. Co-creator and showrunner Sterlin Harjo spoke with Terry Gross last year about his own upbringing in Indian Territory. The show is now in its third and final season. Also, we listen back to an archival interview with Exorcist director William Friedkin. He died August 7th. Also, Justin Chang reviews The Adults starring Michael Cera.

Criminal justice reporter Maurice Chammah recently wrote an op-ed for the New York Times about the power of music programs in prison. He says at a time when the criminal system is at an impasse, music, and art can cultivate hope and dignity for prisoners and possibly change how we think about the people who make it. "It allows you to really hold in your mind anger about a crime, and then separately an understanding that this is a human being and there's more to say about them than their crime." Chammah also talks with us about the rich history of prison music in the U.S., dating all the way back to the 1930s.

Playrwright and humorist R. Thomas' new book, Congratulations, the Best Is Over!, is about middle age, and what it was like to reluctantly return to his hometown of Baltimore as an adult — when both he and the city had changed. He spoke with Tonya Mosley about life transitions, church, and why he doesn't want to talk about The Wire. Also, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a new Blue Note box set by pianist Sonny Clark.

Washington Post reporter Laura Meckler tells the story of Shaker Heights, Ohio, a town with high-performing, diverse schools — and also a pronounced achievement gap between white and Black students. Meckler's book is Dream Town.John Powers reviews Naomi Hirahara's mystery novel Evergreen.

Christopher Nolan talks about writing and directing the new film Oppenheimer, about the man who's known as the father of the atom bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Nolan also directed the WWII movie Dunkirk, The Dark Knight, and Inception. The film is about Oppenheimer's leading role in the race to develop the bomb before the Nazis. But after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he became an arms control advocate, opposed building the hydrogen bomb, and was targeted during the anti-communist witch hunts of the 1950s.Later, Maureen Corrigan reviews the new novel by James McBride.

Pianist Jason Moran joins us at the piano to play his take on the WWI-era music of James Reese Europe. And we'll hear from writer Andre Dubus III. His new novel, Such Kindness, asks how a person gets on with life after an accident that leads to disability and flames of chronic pain.

78 years ago this week atomic bombs destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — and questions linger about the U.S. decision to use the weapons. For the anniversary, we're revisiting archival interviews about the bombings. Author and psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton says American justifications are based on a myth. Writer Evan Thomas concludes using the weapons likely saved countless lives — including Japanese soldiers and civilians. And Lesley M.M. Blume focuses on what U.S. military censors hid from the American public about the effects of the bombs.