Playback

This is the dawning of the last year of the 80's!  So sit back and relax as Terry Gross talks to the original Norweigan bachelor farmer and public radio phenomenon, Garrison Keiller. We also feature an entertaining interview with dialect coach Robert Easton and hear about the future of the BOOK.    

This is the dawning of the last year of the 80's!  So sit back and relax as Terry Gross talks to the original Norweigan bachelor farmer and public radio phenomenon, Garrison Keiller. We also feature an entertaining interview with dialect coach Robert Easton and hear about the future of the BOOK.    

Get on the January '89 Playback train!  Terry Gross chats with the not quite famous rock duo “They Might Be Giants,” reporter Alex Chadwick reviews the Reagan years, Molly Ivins looks for real Texans at the inauguration of George H.W. Bush, and Scott Simon chats with comedian Stan Freburg. 

Get on the January '89 Playback train!  Terry Gross chats with the not quite famous rock duo “They Might Be Giants,” reporter Alex Chadwick reviews the Reagan years, Molly Ivins looks for real Texans at the inauguration of George H.W. Bush, and Scott Simon chats with comedian Stan Freburg. 

 If you haven’t heard a frog chorus lately, this is the podcast for you.  It’s December 1988 and the folks at NPR are getting festive.  We hear an atmospheric retrospective of the year that was, go behind the scenes to witness the writing of "The Christmas Song "and we’re entertained by “Wizard Crystal” an original radio play produced by Ira Glass.

 If you haven’t heard a frog chorus lately, this is the podcast for you.  It’s December 1988 and the folks at NPR are getting festive.  We hear an atmospheric retrospective of the year that was, go behind the scenes to witness the writing of "The Christmas Song "and we’re entertained by “Wizard Crystal” an original radio play produced by Ira Glass.

If you feel the ground shifting under your feet it's because on this month's Playback we break from the time honored tradition of celebrating round numbers with a special nod to the 28th anniversary of "Weekend Edition Saturday."  Scott Simon takes us behind the scenes to witness the thrill of missed cues and the drudgery of endless tape editing.  Also on this Playback, Susan Stamberg examines the legacy of John F. Kennedy, and composer Steven Sondheim has some critical words about his early musicals. 

If you feel the ground shifting under your feet it's because on this month's Playback we break from the time honored tradition of celebrating round numbers with a special nod to the 28th anniversary of "Weekend Edition Saturday."  Scott Simon takes us behind the scenes to witness the thrill of missed cues and the drudgery of endless tape editing.  Also on this Playback, Susan Stamberg examines the legacy of John F. Kennedy, and composer Steven Sondheim has some critical words about his early musicals. 

It's a fall spectacular on this month's Playback: We revisit the '88 Presidential race, take a trip up the North Face of Mount Everest, get a glimpse of the panic caused by the radio drama "War of the Worlds" and hear from actor Tom Hanks about his 15 minutes of fame. 

It's a fall spectacular on this month's Playback: We revisit the '88 Presidential race, take a trip up the North Face of Mount Everest, get a glimpse of the panic caused by the radio drama "War of the Worlds" and hear from actor Tom Hanks about his 15 minutes of fame. 

Come fly with us back to September 1988. We've got pilot Chuck Yeager, the resurrection of the Space Shuttle, Alex Chadwick reenacting the Battle of Antietam, and Harry Shearer imagining what would have been the '88 Presidential debate between Michael Dukakis and George Bush.   

It's a special SUMMERTIME FUN edition of Playback! Scott Carrier goes to the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, Ira Glass takes a relationship road trip, and Harry Shearer discovers the sit-com like charms of the Democratic Convention. 

It's a special SUMMERTIME FUN edition of Playback! Scott Carrier goes to the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, Ira Glass takes a relationship road trip, and Harry Shearer discovers the sit-com like charms of the Democratic Convention. 

It's a special SUMMERTIME FUN edition of Playback! Scott Carrier goes to the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, Ira Glass takes a relationship road trip, and Harry Shearer discovers the sit-com like charms of the Democratic Convention. 

We've resurfaced from the brand new NPR archives, with some timeless stories from May 1988.  Richard Nixon gives political advice to the '88 Republican Presidential nominees, filmmaker Robert Altman shares insights on the creative process, Leo Kottke goes New age and Dr. John joins Terry Gross in the studio to do the thing only he can do.