Fresh Air

Conan O'Brien recently switched up the format of his late-night show, and is about to launch the second season of his podcast, 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend.' He says the name of his podcast is a joke — sort of. "Sometimes when you're in the public eye, it can get murky as to who's really my friend...

Jack Goldsmith's new memoir 'In Hoffa's Shadow' centers on his investigation into his stepfather's involvement in the 1975 disappearance of mob-connected labor leader Jimmy Hoffa. Hoffa is portrayed by Al Pacino in Martin Scorsese's new film 'The Irishman.' Goldsmith is a Harvard Law professor, and best known for having headed the Office of Legal Counsel in the George W. Bush administration, where he challenged warrantless wiretapping and retracted memos legally justifying torture.

Banderas stars in Pedro Almodóvar's new film 'Pain and Glory' as a screenwriter and director suffering with physical pain, and pain of the soul. Banderas had a heart attack a few years ago, and talks about how the experience informed his performance. He also talks about his early career working with Almodóvar in Spain, getting his start in Hollywood when he spoke very little English, and catching his hair on fire while filming 'Desperado.'

Coates won a National Book Award in 2015 for 'Between the World and Me.' His debut novel, 'The Water Dancer,' is set in slave times and re-imagines the Underground Railroad's leaders as having a magical power to teleport people out of slavery.

Also, Justin Chang reviews 'Judy,' the new Judy Garland biopic starring Renée Zellweger.

And music duo Tegan and Sara revisit their teen years and early music in a new memoir, 'High School,' and companion album, 'Hey, I'm Just Like You...

'National Geographic' photographer Joel Sartore is on a mission to document every captive animal species in the world. His new book of photographs is 'Vanishing: The World's Most Vulnerable Animals.' (Originally broadcast in February 2017)

Also, Lloyd Schwartz reviews a reissue of the movie version of the 1955 musical 'Damn Yankees' — the only time Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon danced together on the big screen...

Political reporter Tom LoBianco has covered Vice President Mike Pence in both Indiana and Washington, D.C. He describes Pence as a man of faith who is willing to put political ambition ahead of his beliefs. His book is 'Piety and Power.'

Justin Chang reviews 'Judy,' a Judy Garland biopic starring Renée Zellweger.

Musician Doug Green talks about a largely forgotten chapter of music history, the singing cowboy. Green wrote a book on singing cowboys, and is featured in Ken Burns' new PBS series on the history of country music. He co-founded Riders in the Sky, a popular Western band named after a famous cowboy song.

After Jerry Garcia formed Grateful Dead in the mid '60s, Robert Hunter wrote most of the lyrics for Garcia's songs, lyrics most Deadheads know by heart. Hunter died on Monday at 78...

Ta-Nehisi Coates launched a national conversation with his 2014 Atlantic cover story, 'The Case For Reparations. In 2015, he won a National Book Award for for 'Between the World and Me,' written in the form of a letter to his son about the violence young black men are vulnerable to. Now, he's written his first novel ... 'The Water Dancer' is set in slave times and re-imagines the Underground Railroad's leaders as having a magical power to teleport people out of slavery...

Music duo Tegan and Sara revisit their teen years and their early music in a new memoir, 'High School,' and companion album, 'Hey, I'm Just Like You.' Listening back to the songs they wrote, Sara says: "I was struck by the joy in our voices." They talk about figuring out their sexuality, the difficultly of being twins, and the misogyny and homophobia they faced in the media at the beginning of their careers...

In 2013, Edward Snowden showed journalists thousands of top secret documents about U.S. intelligence agencies' surveillance efforts. He's been living in exile in Russia ever since. His new book is 'Permanent Record.'

Film critic Justin Chang reviews 'Ad Astra,' starring Brad Pitt.

Andrea Mitchell, the chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News and anchor of her own MSNBC show, looks back on her career in journalism. She's receiving a lifetime achievement Emmy on Sept...