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Fresh Air Weekend: Max Brooks On COVID-19 Preparedness; Playwright Terrence McNally

Fresh Air | By Terry Gross,
Terry Gross
Published April 4, 2020 at 9:00 AM EDT
A reporter wearing a latex glove raises his hand to ask President Trump a question during a coronavirus briefing at the White House on March 16.
Win McNamee
/
Getty Images
A reporter wearing a latex glove raises his hand to ask President Trump a question during a coronavirus briefing at the White House on March 16.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

'All Of This Panic Could Have Been Prevented': Author Max Brooks On COVID-19: Brooks became an expert on disaster preparedness — from pandemics to nuclear war — while researching his books, World War Z, Germ Warfare and the forthcoming Devolution.

Ella Fitzgerald And Louis Armstrong Go 'Cheek To Cheek' On A 4-Disc Set: Fitzgerald's warm, yet ultra-cool voice was at the opposite pole of jazz singing from Armstrong's gravelly growl. There's absolutely no reason their voices should blend so effortlessly — but they do.

'Fresh Air' Remembers Broadway Playwright Terrence McNally: McNally, who died March 24 due to complications related to COVID-19, won Tony awards for Love! Valour! Compassion!, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ragtime and Master Class. Originally broadcast June 1993.

You can listen to the original interviews and review here:

'All Of This Panic Could Have Been Prevented': Author Max Brooks On COVID-19

Ella Fitzgerald And Louis Armstrong Go 'Cheek To Cheek' On A New 4-Disc Set

'Fresh Air' Remembers Broadway Playwright Terrence McNally

Copyright 2021 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

Terry Gross
Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air's interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by host and executive producer Terry Gross' unique approach. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says The San Francisco Chronicle.
See stories by Terry Gross
Terry Gross
Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by the unique approach of host and executive producer Terry Gross. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San Francisco Chronicle.
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