Fresh Air

Fresh Air is Terry Gross’s long-running interview show from WHYY, distributed by NPR, plus interviews led by Tonya Mosley and others.

An author, an actor, a scientist, a politician. Gross’s reputation is for preparation so deep that the guest ends up saying what they did not plan to say. The questions are specific, often about craft or childhood, and they are not soft.

The archive is a record of several decades of American culture told by the people who made it. A 1995 interview and a new one share a method: listen, then ask the thing the publicist hoped you would skip.

The weekday editions can hold two segments. If you came for one guest, check the chapter marks. The interviews reward the full length more than a clip does.