When someone dies, she always plays an old interview with the recently deceased... So she gets a day off when a famous person dies. How do you get excited about your day off when someone dies?
Joey
When someone dies, she always plays an old interview with the recently deceased... So she gets a day off when a famous person dies. How do you get excited about your day off when someone dies?
Joey
you noticed that too? At least she had once interviewed the person. Today's was very interesting
In reply to mad_machine:
What was today's episode about? I didn't catch it.
Joey?
Alex Chilten
One of my co-workers accused one of my other co-workers of being morbid because he reads the obituaries. I said, "That's not morbid. Now, reading the obits and then crossing those names out of the phone book, THAT would be morbid." 
Only if it's Gene Simmons.
Who the heck is Teri Gross?
She's the host of Fresh Air, an NPR talk-radio/ interview show. The Gene Simmons thing is because her interview with him went famously badly, with him saying all kinds of sexist/offensive things.
I read the transcript of that interview, then went to find out what terri gross looks like. Then it got even funnier.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Gross http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Simmons
Wow, I just listened to the beggining of the Gene Simons interview.
http://www.archive.org/details/TerryGrossInterviewWithGeneSimmons
It is a bit uncomfortable.
Don't mess with Terry, she's awesome.
But yes, she does get some joy (day off) when people die. I think she's interviewed just about everyone, so she'll have lots of time off.
Terry IS awesome.. and yes, she has interviewed almost everyone..
Considering how much research she does before an interview, I doubt that she really takes any time "off."
In reply to MitchellC:
I know! Her and Diane Rehm get my vote for two of the smartest, sharpest women around. Those two, Michelle Martin, Tom Ashbrook, and Kye Rizdall are my favorites on NPR. Except of course Tom and Ray.
Joey
My shop radio plays NPR at all times (it's on right now). I heard the Chilten interview. Terry Gross is a quality radio host......and I agree; Diane Rehm and many of the other NPR hosts are top-drawer too. I'm an especially big fan of Leonard Lopate (Leonard, me and Erik Clapton could be triplets ).
I heard the Gene Simmons interview when it played. I found him appalling. I was indifferent to Kiss before that....after that, I can't listen to them anymore.
Terry just did a nice interview with Karl Rove. Considering their obvious political differences, she gave him a decent chance to talk and express himself. That's what I like about her....it's not all about "trapping guests" or " having an agenda". She's not afraid to ask hard questions, but they're always fair. Other TV & radio channels could take a lesson from Terry.
The Car Talk guys are a riot, but I often disagree with their technical analysis of caller's problems.
aeronca65t wrote: Terry just did a nice interview with Karl Rove. Considering their obvious political differences, she gave him a decent chance to talk and express himself. That's what I like about her....it's not all about "trapping guests" or " having an agenda". She's not afraid to ask hard questions, but they're always fair. Other TV & radio channels could take a lesson from Terry.
Diane is good about that too. here on NJN.. we get two hours of her, from 10am till noon.. then we get terry til 1.
And because they are so fair and do not push an agenda.. is this why the far right calls NPR leftest? I remember once there was a report that said that Diane Rheam's Show was too liberal.. she was not the only one who was astounded by that.
Personally, I can't stand her interviewing technique but like the guests. Best ever was Tracy Jordan. Why? Cause he never shut up and always cut her off. She goes on and on setting up a question and then the guest has forgotten the original point and usually ends up with, "hunh, hadn't looked at it that way," or "no, actually Terry, just the opposite." My wife likes my impersonations.
She should not be allowed to rerun old interviews!
One of my favorites was actually Teri on one of the anniversaries of This American Life. You hear her light a cigarette , drop some ice cubes in a glass and go all Joan Crawford on "yeah I remember when I had been in this biz for only 5 years..."
It was hysterical
In reply to Mental:
The guy on this American life pains me to listen too. Sucks, cause he often has good stuff.
Joey
I absolutely love Teri, but occasionally she let's professionalism slip, which just makes her all the better. She has certain personalities who she obviously really really likes. Richard Thompson is one of them, she's fawning when she interviews him. Once I recall she was interviewing Linda Thompson and she was saying what an A-hole Richard had been during the latter part of her marriage, describing some of the things he'd done. You could tell Teri was very pissed off and got quite defensive for Richard, making excuses for him. She seems to have a kind of school girl crush for Richard, and some other music legends…..Rumor and Sigh is now playing on my iPod :)
Diane Rehm also is normally painfully impartial and can get quite worked up whenever someone accuses her of bias. But I think she must have lost a packet when the stock market crashed as she's done dozens of shows since then talking to bankers, regulators, politicians, fund managers etc etc. In many of those she's really gone for the jugular in a very agitated manor when asking why's and how's. Again funny seeing the perfect demeanor slip.
Well this seems to becoming the official NPR Fawning thread so I'll carry on.
Joey, I love This American Life and Ira Glass, they cover such a wide bizarre range of subjects you never know what's coming. They seem to have some really interesting ways of investigating subjects as well. Especial the couple of programs they did about the housing meltdown and explaining credit default swaps. That one was a classics.
I first head David Sedaris on T.A.L. If you ever get a chance to see him live he does an absolutely great show. Even funnier than on the radio as he can say things he'd never gat away with.
Another great person to see live is Garrison Keillor, I don't mean for the Prairie home companion shows but for some of his others. HE has a great mix of humor to music.
Both my car and garage radios are tuned to the local NPR station, good stuff.
One thing happened the other day that made me smile. My 6 year old son was in the car, we were on our way back from Tiquando and he asked me to leave the radio on when we got home so he could finish listening to ATC and even asked me a question about the story after. Made me proud.
81gtv6 wrote: Both my car and garage radios are tuned to the local NPR station, good stuff. One thing happened the other day that made me smile. My 6 year old son was in the car, we were on our way back from Tiquando and he asked me to leave the radio on when we got home so he could finish listening to ATC and even asked me a question about the story after. Made me proud.
Awesome. I had the same thing. The kids normaly complain about NPR, but when I was running errands at the weekend my 9 year old chose to stay in the car while I ran into the library so she could hear the end of a skit on a Prairy Home Companion 
You'll need to log in to post.
