Fresh Air

Borstein's won back-to-back Emmys for playing a tough, street-wise talent manager on the Amazon series, 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.' She says the character reminds her of her mother and grandmother. She talks about her roles on 'Mad TV,' 'Getting On,' and being the comic relief in her family.

Also, critic Ken Tucker picks his top 10 albums of 2019 — all by women.

Edward Norton wrote, directed and stars in the film noir 'Motherless Brooklyn,' about a private investigator with Tourette's syndrome who discovers corruption in the world of New York City planning. He talks about the movie and his own personal connection to the world of urban planning.

Also, book critic Maureen Corrigan picks her top 10 books of 2019.

David Harbour talks about working alongside teen actors in 'Stranger Things,' and his bipolar disorder...

This weekend Tilson Thomas will receive the Kennedy Center Lifetime Artistic Achievement award. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1995 and 2012 about his work and growing up in the theater.

Also we remember Mary Previte, who worked for 30 years with teenagers in detention in Camden, NJ where the center she ran became a model for others across the country...

After six months in office, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky is "quite cynical" and feels "there are no reliable allies," journalist Simon Shuster says. Shuster recently interviewed Zelensky for 'Time.'

Also, John Powers reviews the French film, 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire.'

"Your average thrift store in the United States only sells about one third of the stuff that ends up on its shelves," Adam Minter says. "The rest of the stuff ends up somewhere else." His book, 'Secondhand,' follows the things that don't sell — from cheap and soiled clothes to old gym equipment.

Also, Ken Tucker reviews a new album from Hootie & the Blowfish, their first in over a decade.

The best way to support Fresh Air is by donating to your local station. Go to donate.npr...

When BJ Miller was a college sophomore he was out late with some friends and climbed onto a parked commuter train. In a freak accident, he was electrocuted and eventually lost both legs below the knee and half of one arm. The experience led him to pursue a career in end-of-life care and palliative medicine, which he describes as "the treatment of suffering." He talks about how he draws inspiration from his disability, and how he helps patients in their final moments...

Harbour talks about working alongside teen actors in 'Stranger Things,' and his bipolar disorder. "Acting allowed me to channel this neurosis into a character," he tells 'Fresh Air' producer Sam Briger. Harbour plays the skeptical police chief of a sleepy town besieged by supernatural events in the Netflix series.

Also, we remember late 'New Yorker' cartoonist Gahan Wilson...

For novelist Kevin Wilson, Tourette's syndrome means living with intrusive thoughts that flash disturbing images without warning. His novel, 'Nothing to See Here,' was inspired by visions of people bursting into flames. Wilson talks about his experience of Tourette's and how writing gives him a reprieve from his tics.

Also, Kevin Whitehead reviews some reissues of music performed by the late jazz pianist Erroll Garner...

"He wasn't afraid of any of the hardest parts of childhood," Marielle Heller says. Her film, 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,' centers on Fred Rogers' unlikely friendship with a cynical journalist. Heller talks about casting Tom Hanks as Rogers, capturing his slow style of speaking, and a profound experience she had with her young son because of the show. (Originally aired Nov. 20, 2019)

Prince died in 2016, leaving behind an unfinished memoir. Dan Piepenbring, his co-writer, recalls the moment he knew he could make 'The Beautiful Ones' happen — even in Prince's absence. (Originally aired Oct 28, 2019)