Fresh Air

Monáe is known for her Afro-futurist funk, soul and hip hop sound. She's been nominated for 8 Grammys, and last month she released her 4th album, The Age of Pleasure, where she explores lusty romance and both masculine and feminine energies. Recently Monáe came out as non-binary, using she/they pronouns. In addition to her music, she's also forged a successful career in movies, co-starring in films like Knives Out: Glass Onion, Hidden Figures and Moonlight. In 2020 Monáe spoke with Terry Gross about how she grew up wanting to be on Broadway, her life as a Black queer artist, and working with Prince.

We go into our archive to feature our 2005 interview with Neil Diamond. The new Broadway show A Beautiful Noise is based on his life and features his songs. Some of his most famous songs include Sweet Caroline, Solitary Man, and Girl, You'll be A Woman Soon. We'll also remember two-time Oscar-winner Glenda Jackson, who died June 15th. She was 87. Terry Gross spoke with her in 2019 when she was starring on Broadway in a production of King Lear, as Lear. Jackson also served in British Parliament for over two decades.

Actor Laura Dern and her mother Diane Ladd have always shared a profession. But when Ladd was diagnosed with lung disease, the two started sharing so much more. Their new book is Honey, Baby, Mine. Award-winning playwright of Slave Play, Jeremy O. Harris, helped bring Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window to Broadway. "This play is telling us, in every scene, that no matter how much capitalism corrupts the world of our politics, we cannot lose our ideals," Harris says. "We cannot stop fighting."

Harnick, along with composer Jerry Bock, wrote the enduring music for Fiddler on the Roof, as well as Fiorello and She Loves Me. He died June 23 at the age of 99. Originally broadcast in 1988, 2004 and 2014.

Aidan Key explains why U.S. schools are seeing an increase in transgender students and how educators can respond to anti-LGBTQ curriculum measures. His book is Trans Children in Today's Schools. TV critic David Bianculli shares his concern about the future of Turner Classic Movies.

The award-winning playwright of Slave Play helped bring Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window to Broadway. "This play is telling us, in every scene, that no matter how much capitalism corrupts the world of our politics, we cannot lose our ideals," Harris says. "We cannot stop fighting." Maureen Corrigan reviews two roadtrip novels: Richard Ford's Be Mine and Lorrie Moore's I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home.

Actor Laura Dern and her mother Diane Ladd have always shared a profession. But when Ladd was diagnosed with lung disease, the two started sharing so much more. Their new book is Honey, Baby, Mine. Dern talks with Terry Gross about growing up with actor parents, encountering predatory behavior in Hollywood, and accessing rage for some of her hot-headed roles.

Tupac Shakur — who was killed at 25 in 1996 — would have turned 52 this year. His mother, Afeni Shakur, was an activist and a central figure in the Black Panthers. Author and historian Santi Elijah Holley's new book, An Amerikan Family, follows the Shakur family tree and their work in the Black Liberation Movement. Ken Tucker reviews Janelle Monáe's new album, The Age of Pleasure. Christian Cooper was birdwatching in Central Park in 2020 when a white woman falsely accused him of threatening her. The video went viral. His memoir, Better Living Through Birding, chronicles life as a Black birder, gay activist and Marvel comic book writer and editor.

We remember Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press in 1971, in hopes they would help end the Vietnam War. He died last week at the age of 92. We'll listen to our 2017 interview with him. "I identify more with Chelsea Manning and with Edward Snowden than with any other people on earth," he told Dave Davies. "We all faced the same question which is, who will put this information out if I don't?" Also New York Times correspondent Charlie Savage shares a story about Ellsberg continuing to battle government secrecy when he was 90. Also, David Bianculli reviews the new reality TV competition show Morimoto's Sushi Master on the Roku channel.

Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson explains how the debates over teaching race, racism, gender identity and sexuality have put pressure on teachers who were already overworked and underpaid. Kevin Whitehead reviews composer and saxophonist Henry Threadgill's new album and book.

Gottlieb, who died last week at age 92, edited Joseph Heller, Toni Morrison, John le Carré and, for more than 50 years, Robert Caro. He went on to become editor of The New Yorker. We'll listen to our recent interview with Gottlieb, and we'll hear some of our interview recorded in 2000 with Gottlieb and musical theater expert Robert Kimball. They co-authored a book on some of the best lyricists of the last century. Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Brandon Taylor's, The Late Americans, and Andre Dubus III's novel, Such Kindness.

Author Evan Thomas tells the story of American leaders wrestling with the terrifying dilemmas of nuclear weapons and of determined Japanese leaders confronting the humiliating prospect of defeat. His book is Road to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II. John Powers reviews the novel Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck.

In Black Folk, Award-winning historian Blair LM Kelley portrays generations of Black workers — Pullman porters, domestic laborers, USPS employees, COVID-19 essential workers — whose work has been vital to the nation's prosperity. Ken Tucker reviews Janelle Monáe's new album, The Age of Pleasure.

Kwame Alexander's new memoir is Why Fathers Cry at Night. It started as a book of love poems, but ended up being a book of essays and poems about falling in love, the end of his two marriages, raising two children. He is best known for his children's books, including The Undefeated, which won the Caldecott Medal. Also, we'll hear from chef Lidia Bastianich. She's won James Beard Awards, hosted a long-running TV series, and written cookbooks. She'll talk about how she built her career after fleeing the chaos in Europe with her family following World War II.

We're revisiting Terry Gross's 2009 interview with musician John Mellencamp. He's got a new album called Orpheus Descending out this month. Mellencamp's big hits in the 1980s included "Jack and Diane" and "Small Town." Film critic Justin Chang reviews Wes Anderson's new movie, Asteroid City, and David Bianculli reviews the new season of the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror.

Artificial intelligence experts recently signed an open letter warning that A.I. could destroy humanity. New York Times technology reporter Cade Metz explains why we are at a turning point with this technology.

Tupac Shakur — who was killed at 25 in 1996 — would have turned 52 this year. His mother, Afeni Shakur, was an activist and a central figure in the Black Panthers. Author and historian Santi Elijah Holley's new book, An Amerikan Family, follows the Shakur family tree and their work in the Black Liberation Movement. John Powers reviews the final season of the British detective series Endeavour.

"You don't hear about enslaved people at Mass or in Sunday school," says author Rachel Swarns. Her new book tells the story of 272 enslaved people sold in 1838 to help save what is now Georgetown University.

Cooper was birdwatching in Central Park in 2020 when a white woman falsely accused him of threatening her. The video went viral. His memoir, Better Living Through Birding, chronicles life as a Black birder, gay activist and Marvel comic book writer and editor. Cooper now hosts a National Geographic birdwatching show.

Succession creator, showrunner and head writer, Jesse Armstrong has been reluctant to reveal much about creating the characters, their motivations and plotlines in the past — but now that the series is over, he's ready to talk. Also with us is executive producer Frank Rich, who was instrumental in getting the series made. Maureen Corrigan recommends two new suspense novels that overturn the age-old "woman-in-trouble" plot: My Murder and Beware the Woman. Also, we'll hear from actor Elliot Page. He's best known for his roles in Juno, Inception and X-Men. In 2020, he came out as a trans man — and soon after his character on Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, also transitioned. Page's new memoir is called Pageboy.