Hey, it’s Molly Seavy-Nesper, Digital Producer at Fresh Air.

This week representatives from public radio stations and podcast networks across the country came to Fresh Air’s hometown of Philly, for a Hunger Games-style fight to the death… I mean, the Public Radio Content Conference. To keep myself entertained, I had a bingo card in my head:

Nabbing a great piece of radio-themed swag?
Check. A beer glass branded with This American Life’s logo, and a handful of The Daily pencils.

Meeting people you’ve emailed with many times, but never met in person?
Check. (Thank god for dorky name tags.)

A radio celeb sighting when you least expect it?
Check. Ari Shapiro while I was mid-scarfing a floppy slice of pizza.


The Very Cool Jacket Trio: Ann Marie Baldonado, Terry Gross, and Tonya Mosley. (Photo credit: Dylan Eddinger)

The Big Event for us was a conversation between Terry and Tonya, moderated by our very own Ann Marie Baldonado. They talked about what it means for Fresh Air to have Tonya join our staff, de-centering whiteness in journalism, and how they approach their interviews. Our producers watched from the cheering section.

It also felt important to convey to representatives from stations around the country that no, Terry isn’t retiring. Adding Tonya is about expanding what Fresh Air is and who it reaches. They have different interests and expertise, and come from different backgrounds, generations, and life experiences. All of that adds a new richness to the show. A perfect example of this is Tonya’s excellent interview with comic Leslie Jones this week. Don’t miss it.

On a personal note, getting to hang with Tonya has been so energizing. She wants to focus on Fresh Air’s digital and social media presence, and I’m excited about that. Onstage, the genuine admiration Terry and Tonya have for each other was so apparent. It made me feel proud about what the show is, and excited about what’s to come.

Poll: Does John Waters love or detest the Hollywood Boulevard Spiderman impersonators? (Photo via JustJared)

If you’ve ever seen a John Waters movie like Pink Flamingos, Cry-Baby, or Hairspray, you probably never forgot it. His oeuvre is a celebration of camp and poor taste, so it’s no surprise that the cult filmmaker has always been a Hollywood outsider. He splits his time between Baltimore and Provincetown. He sports an off-putting pencil mustache. And while he’s a voting member of the Academy, he’s never attended the Oscars.

But this week, the so-called “filth elder” received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In his speech he declared that now he’s “closer to the gutter than ever.” The Academy Museum has a career retrospective exhibit called John Waters: Pope of Trash. Yes, I’ve already peeped the gift shop merch. It’s very good.

Waters has been on Fresh Air several times, but his interview with Terry in 2014 about hitchhiking across America is one of my All Time Faves. He gets so many big laughs (and illustrious snort laughs) out of Terry. There are too many great moments in that interview to count, but here’s one:

GROSS: It's certainly nothing I ever would've imagined from your early movies – that you would've been so orderly and precise in your planning, because the movies are just so transgressive. Like, if there's a boundary, I'm crossing it. I'm defying it.

WATERS: But how could I have made all those movies on no money with my friends if I didn't plan? That can't happen magically. It happened because we were kind of obsessed. The same time, everybody said, ‘Oh, you must've been on drugs when you made those movies!’ No, we weren't on drugs when we made them. I was on drugs when I thought them up, and I was on drugs when we showed them. But I was never on drugs when we made them because it was too hard.

Honorable mention goes to this:

WATERS: So this didn't make you want to hitchhike one day? What's hitchhiking like in Philadelphia?

GROSS: I wouldn't know. I never see anybody hitchhiking. My hitchhiking years ended decades ago.

WATERS: Yeah, I know. Most people did. It's true. In Baltimore, if you're hitchhiking, you're a hooker that doesn't have the Internet.

A look into the Saudis' long-held desire to enter the world of professional golf

Comic Aparna Nancherla uses humor to confront self doubt and anxiety

'Swingtime for Hitler' explores the Nazis use of jazz as a propaganda tool

How comic Leslie Jones went from funniest person on campus to 'SNL' star

From 'Almost Famous' to definitely famous, Billy Crudup is enjoying his new TV roles

TV: Apple TV+'s 'Morning Show' is running better than ever as it enters Season 3

TV: What happened to 'The Gold'? This crime saga is focused on the aftermath of a heist

Book: Lauren Groff's survivalist novel 'The Vaster Wilds' will test your endurance, too

Film: The big twist in 'A Haunting in Venice'? It's actually a great film

Our podcast will always be free, but with Fresh Air+ you'll get full sponsor-free episodes and bonus content, too. This week on Fresh Air+, we listen back to a gem of an interview with singer Etta James from almost 30 years ago. Learn more about Fresh Air+.

Monday is actress Kerry Washington for her new memoir Thicker Than Water. She talks with Tonya about her life, career, and the discovery of a secret about her origins that her parents revealed to her just a few years ago. Tuesday is ecologist Ben Goldfarb, who talks with Terry about roadkill, and how roads affect our planet. Wednesday is Terry’s interview with musician Allison Russell. Cue the Tiny Desk.

Thanks for reading! Until next week…

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