Fresh Air on NCPR

Feb 3, 2012 — One capital of soul in the 1960s? Muscle Shoals, Ala., a fly-speck on the map which spawned some of the era's greatest recordings, via productions in Rick Hall's Fame Studios. Rock historian Ed Ward has their story.

Feb 3, 2012 — Screenwriter Will Reiser coped with his cancer diagnosis by thinking up ideas for cancer comedy movies with his best friend, actor Seth Rogen. Rogen and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt now star in a film based on Reiser's life. Both Gordon-Levitt and Reiser join Fresh Air for a conversation about the film.

Feb 2, 2012 — The comedian and digital director of The Onion talks about his new book How To Be Black. Also, Stew takes us inside his latest album Making It and Ken Tucker reviews a new album by Leonard Cohen.

Feb 2, 2012 — The once-booming clean-tech industry is facing hard times, in part because of cheaper natural gas, the effects of the financial crisis, China's growing solar industry and the Solyndra bankruptcy. Reporter Juliet Eilperin, who covers the industry's struggles in Wired's February issue, explains.

Feb 2, 2012 — Rock critic Ken Tucker says questions of identity and authenticity have come to dominate heated discussions of the singer-songwriter's music.

Feb 2, 2012 — Producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan take us inside the world of Smash, the new NBC musical drama about the people putting together a Broadway musical.

Feb 2, 2012 — Unlike the Great Depression, our current recession hasn't yet produced much memorable literature, but book critic Maureen Corrigan says that situation, like the economy, seems to be changing.

Feb 1, 2012 — From the comedian and digital director of The Onion, a satirical self-help book for anyone who has a black friend, wants to be the next black president or speak for the black community.

Jan 31, 2012 — Now in his late 70s, the singer-songwriter has just released a new album, his first collection of new material in eight years, titled Old Ideas. Rock critic Ken Tucker says these Cohen songs work as both pop music and as prayers.

Jan 31, 2012 — It's no coincidence that composer Philip Glass and This American Life host Ira Glass have the same last name: They're second cousins. On today's Fresh Air, we replay excerpts from an onstage conversation between Ira and Philip in honor of the latter's 75th birthday.