Fresh Air

We talk with 'New Yorker' writer John Colapinto, author of 'This Is the Voice,' about how voices work, how they evolved in our prehistoric ancestors, how babies learn to vocalize words of their parents' languages so quickly, and what makes voices sexy or authoritative. Colapinto's own vocal injury led him to explore this subject.

Also, we remember legendary broadcaster Larry King. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1982.

News of the World' is a Western set five years after the end of the Civil War. It stars Tom Hanks as a former Confederate captain who travels from one small poor Texas town to another, reading aloud from newspapers to townspeople who gather, paying ten cents apiece to be informed and entertained by these stories. We talk with director Paul Greengrass, who also directed Hanks in 'Captain Phillips.'

Maureen Corrigan reviews 'Aftershocks,' by Nadia Owusu...

Journalist Evan Osnos talks about President Biden's long career in the Senate, how personal tragedy changed him, and some of the political missteps he made along the way. Osnos' biography is 'Joe Biden: The Life, the Run, and What Matters Now.' (Interview was recorded before the election in Oct. 2020)

Also, we remember late musician Howard Johnson, who made a place for tuba in jazz, working with Charles Mingus, McCoy Tyner, Gil Evans and others...

Paleoanthropologist Daniel Lieberman says the concept of "exercise" is a relatively new thing. His new book, 'Exercised,' examines why we run, lift and walk for a workout, when our ancestors didn't. We'll also talk about how sitting and slouching affect our health.

Also, Kevin Whitehead reviews the digital album 'Some Kind of Tomorrow,' recorded over Zoom.

Trump called climate change a hoax. Biden calls it an existential threat. 'Washington Post' journalist Juliet Eilperin talks about how Biden might reverse his predecessor's environmental policies.

John Powers reviews the Polish thriller film 'Spoor.'

Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to earn her medical degree​ in the United States​. Her sister Emily​ soon after​ followed in her footsteps. Janice Nimura tells the story of the "complicated, prickly" ​19th century ​trailblazers​ in her book 'The Doctors Blackwell.' ​"To me, [the Blackwells] taught me that it's really important in this moment to kind of relearn how to admire women​," Nimura says...

Filmmaker Sam Pollard talks about his new documentary 'MLK/FBI,' based on newly declassified documents, which exposes the ways that the FBI attempted to discredit Martin Luther King Jr. Pollard talks about how the agency bugged his phones, surveilled hotel rooms, and even sent King a letter suggesting he kill himself.

Maureen Corrigan reviews 'Aftershocks' by Nadia Owusu.

The Netflix docuseries 'Pretend It's a City' features iconoclastic humorist Fran Lebowitz's conversations with Martin Scorsese. Lebowitz talks about why she loves living alone, driving a cab in the '70s, and her friendship with Toni Morrison.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the album 'Cloud Script' from Joshua Abrams' quartet...

We look back on the lives and careers of three people who have recently died. First, filmmaker Michael Apted, best-known for his documentary series, 'Up,' which followed the lives of a group of British citizens. He updated their stories with a new episode every seven years, from childhood through their 60s. Apted died last week. We also listen back to our interview with screenwriter William Link, who co-created many long-running TV series, including 'Columbo' and 'Murder She Wrote...

News of the World' is a Western set five years after the end of the Civil War. It stars Tom Hanks as a former Confederate captain who travels from one small poor Texas town to another, reading aloud from newspapers to townspeople who gather, paying ten cents apiece to be informed and entertained by these stories. We talk with director Paul Greengrass, who also directed Hanks in 'Captain Phillips...