“I think a lot of what art is about is finding your life reflected back with words or stories that you wouldn’t have thought of yourself. There can be something very clarifying about it. With an autobiographical interview, when somebody is reasonably honest about their flaws and shortcomings, as well as their great triumphs, you can find yourself in that. I still have faith in the format.”
-Terry Gross, episode 428 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
This month marks 50 years of Terry Gross as the host of Fresh Air. What began in 1975 as a local experiment at WHYY in Philadelphia has since grown into a national institution—one that not only transformed public radio, but laid the groundwork for the world of podcasting.
To commemorate a half-century on the air, Terry Gross joins us for a rare appearance in the interview seat. At the top, we discuss her Brooklyn upbringing (10:26), early memories of writing (13:00), and her improbable road to public radio (29:38). Then, Terry walks us through the formative years of Fresh Air (33:37) and its seminal conversations with Kurt Vonnegut (40:21), John Updike (46:30), Monica Lewinsky (49:30), Joan Didion (1:00:55), and more.
On the back-half, Gross reflects on forty-seven years of partnership with her late husband, jazz writer Francis Davis (1:03:24), their shared affinity for reading and music (1:05:57), the future of public media (1:19:16), and why she continues to have faith in (and love for) the long-form interview (1:31:35).
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Show-notes:
- Listen to Fresh Air and watch on YouTube.
- Read Terry’s book All I Did Was Ask.
- Find her tribute to her late husband, jazz writer Francis Davis.
- Hear the interviews featured in this episode from the Fresh Air archive: Kurt Vonnegut, John Updike, Monica Lewinsky, Joan Didion, and Maurice Sendak.
- Follow Fresh Air on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
- For more talks, hear Sam with Ira Glass, David Remnick, and Seth Meyers.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Illustrations by Krishna Shenoi. Reference photograph by Sarah Schneider.
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