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39:36

A Father Tells The Story Of His Son's Struggle To Stay 'Clean'

"The view that drug use is a moral choice is pervasive, pernicious and wrong," writes David Sheff in Clean, a critical look at the nation's approach to drug treatment. Shelf argues that we should not wait for "rock bottom" -- that addiction should be treated promptly, just like any other disease.

Interview
26:42

Bill Nighy: From 'Love Actually' To 'Page Eight'

The British character actor shot to international stardom after playing an aging rocker in the 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually. In his latest project, the BBC drama Page Eight, Nighy plays a British intelligence officer who discovers a state secret.

Interview
43:11

David Carr: A Media Omnivore Discusses His Diet.

David Carr, who writes the Media Equation column for The New York Times, says that despite cuts, the future of journalism has never looked brighter. "I look at my backpack that is sitting here and it contains more journalistic firepower than the entire newsroom that I walked into 30-40 years ago," he says.

Interview
21:01

Pete Hamill Revisits The Newsroom In 'Tabloid City'

The veteran journalist's new novel takes place in an old-school print newsroom, not unlike the one where he worked. Hamill, a longtime columnist, reflects on changes in the news industry, and explains how columnists of his day differed from today's media bloggers.

Interview
51:05

Anarchic Actor, Artist Dennis Hopper, 1936-2010.

Fresh Air remembers the iconic screen actor, who starred in such films as Easy Rider, Hoosiers and Apocalypse Now. Hopper sat down with Terry Gross in both 1990 and 1996 to discuss his film career, his battle with drugs and his career as an artist.

Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, and Peter Fonda in a scene from Easy Rider
27:28

Re-Examining The Father Of Modern Surgery.

William Halsted is credited with creating the United States' first surgical residency program and transforming the way operating rooms are sterilized. He was also a morphine addict. Plastic surgeon Gerald Imber details Halsted's dual lives in the new biography Genius on the Edge.

Interview
30:25

Tobacco Fuels Addiction, And Terrorism

Tobacco smuggling is a lucrative business used to fund terrorist organizations around the world, according to a new report. David Kaplan, editor of "Tobacco Underground," explains how the illicit trade fuels organized crime.

Interview
27:06

Mexican Drug Cartel Violence Migrates North

Violence caused by Mexican drug cartels is spilling over the border into the United States. New York Times journalist Randal C. Archibold reports that home invasions and shootings related to the Mexican drug trade are spreading as far north as Canada.

Interview
32:19

Journalist David Carr Fact-Checks His Own Story

Hostile womanizer, crack addict, New York Times journalist — David Carr has been all of those, sometimes simultaneously. For his memoir The Night of the Gun, Carr put on his investigative-reporter hat — to reconstruct his various sordid lives.

Interview
27:32

Christopher Plummer: A Veteran Plays a Veteran

Say "Christopher Plummer," and some people automatically think of The Sound of Music, in which he played the Baron von Trapp.

But that's just one of about 100 films Plummer has been in; recent highlights from his big-screen career include Syriana, The Insider, A Beautiful Mind, and Inside Man. He's also had long stage career, won two Tony Awards, and performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Actor Christopher Plummer looks away from the camera in a black and white photo from early in his career.
15:17

William Cope Moyers on Addiction and Redemption

William Cope Moyers is the son of journalist Bill Moyers. He's written a new memoir about his addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine and his recovery. He's been sober for twelve years and is the vice president for external affairs at the Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota. His new memoir is Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption

05:13

Stuart': A Homeless Man's Story

Our book critic reviews the critically acclaimed Stuart: A Life Backwards, by Alexander Masters. It's a British biography of a homeless man as told by his social worker.

Review
18:38

Poet Mary Karr: 'Sinners Welcome'

Syracuse English professor Mary Karr is the author of two bestselling memoirs, The Liars' Club and Cherry. She has won Pushcart prizes for both her poetry and essays. Her new book of poems is Sinners Welcome.

Interview
25:52

A Harlem Choir's New 'Arc' of Life

James Allen is the 81-year-old director of the Addicts Rehabilitation Center. Soon after he founded the center in 1957 — after kicking his own habit — Allen founded the a cappella Addicts Rehabilitation Center Gospel Choir (ARC). Their song "Walk With Me" was heard recently as a sample on the Kanye West song "Jesus Walks."

20:00

America's Leading Man: Dennis Quaid

Actor Dennis Quaid's new film is a family comedy called Yours, Mine, and Ours. He first became famous for Breaking Away in 1979; he has starred in a slew of hit films since then. Quaid's resume includes The Right Stuff, The Big Easy, Innerspace, Great Balls Of Fire, Any Given Sunday, The Day After Tomorrow, and Far From Heaven.

Interview

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