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Arts & Life

Guitarist Pete Townshend

Fresh Air

August 28, 2002 • In the 1960's he made waves as the lead guitarist in the British rock group The Who. He was world famous for smashing guitars during concerts. Tommy, the rock opera he wrote for The Who in 1969, became a Broadway musical. This interview first aired November 23, 1993.

Guitarist Pete Townshend

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Movies

Screenwriter Mike White

Fresh Air

August 22, 2002 • Screenwriter Mike White. He wrote and starred in the independent film Chuck & Buck. His latest film is The Good Girl which stars Jennifer Aniston. White also wrote for the TV shows Dawsons Creek, and Freaks and Geeks.

Screenwriter Mike White

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Andrea Lee's 'Interesting Women'

Fresh Air

June 24, 2002 • Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews Interesting Women, the new collection of short stories by Andrea Lee.

Andrea Lee's 'Interesting Women'

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Reading 'Ulysses' for Bloomsday

June 16, 2002 • Devotees of Irish novelist James Joyce celebrate today as Bloomsday by reading from his 1922 novel Ulysses. Actress Fionnula Flanagan shares a short excerpt from the closing pages of the book.

Reading 'Ulysses' for Bloomsday

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Review

Music Reviews

Issa Bagayogo's 'Timbuktu'

April 3, 2002 • A CD from Mali's Issa Bagayogo attempts to combine traditional African roots music and modern pop sounds into songs that don't sound like throbbing dance-club tunes. Reviewer Banning Eyre says Timbuktu strikes a magical balance between roots authenticity and 21st century hip.

Issa Bagayogo's 'Timbuktu'

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Peabody Award-Winning Stories

Stories of Love & Marriage

February 14, 2002 • NPR listeners contribute stories commemorating the life and history of the World Trade Center. Some of the most surprising were about weddings. The Sonic Memorial Project uncovered tales of romance and marriage that took place 1,377 feet above sea level.

Stories of Love & Marriage

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Bill Cosby Part II

February 6, 2002 • Host Tavis Smiley continues his interview with Bill Cosby. Cosby talks about the resurgence of Fat Albert and gives his take on other children's programming.

Bill Cosby Part II

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Bill Cosby

February 5, 2002 • Host Tavis Smiley speaks with the entertainer Bill Cosby about the success of his latest book, Cosbyology, and about how the Frank Sinatra song The House I Live In became part of his act.

Bill Cosby

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Movies

Film Critic John Powers on 'Ocean's Eleven'

December 7, 2001 • Film critic John Powers reviews Ocean's Eleven starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts.

Film Critic John Powers on 'Ocean's Eleven'

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Lost & Found Sound

Conrad's Garage

November 30, 2001 • Frank Conrad's garage near Pittsburgh is widely considered to be the birthplace of modern broadcasting. For 94-year-old Harry Mills, memories of Conrad's earliest broadcasts still ring with excitement. Hear the story of radio's early days on All Things Considered. It's part of NPR's continuing Lost and Found Sound series.

Conrad's Garage

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Evildoers

The Darker Side of Bert

October 11, 2001 • Regular watchers of Sesame Street may have noticed that the Muppet character Bert sometimes has certain grumpy tendencies. And consumers of Internet satire have long known about the "Bert is Evil" Web site. Linda Wertheimer explains.

The Darker Side of Bert

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Theater

'The Producers': Mel Brooks Begs Robert Siegel For A Tony

May 14, 2001 • Host Robert Siegel talks with director Mel Brooks about his hit Broadway musical, The Producers. Brooks would really REALLY like to win a Tony Award.

'The Producers': Mel Brooks Begs Robert Siegel For A Tony

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Evildoers

Shakespeare's Villains: A Master Class in Evil

February 7, 2001 • There's a long tradition of British Shakespearean actors coming to the colonies and wowing the locals with performances of the Bard's greatest hits. British actor Steven Berkoff talks about his one-man show, Shakespeare's Villains: a Master Class in Evil.

Shakespeare's Villains: A Master Class in Evil

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Review

Music Reviews

'Mama's Gun' from Erykah Badu

January 25, 2001 • Music critic Tom Moon reviews the soulful sounds of Erykah Badu on a CD called Mama's Gun. Her music is a mix of 70's soul and modern hip hop. Moon says that on this record, through improvisation, Badu has found a way to make hip-hop regain its spontaneity.

'Mama's Gun' from Erykah Badu

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Music News

Persuading the Dead

October 20, 2000 • The a cappella group The Persuasions decided to do an album of Grateful Dead songs. As "The Dead" have been icons of sub-culture since the mid 60's, and have inspired more than one generation of devotees (Deadheads), they knew that covering the harmonies would not suffice. They would have to rediscover AND reinvent the music - both for themselves, and the audience.

Persuading the Dead

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