Catching up on Fresh Air
Monday, August 6, 2007 by Dave Winer.
Having a car with a smooth iPod interface, one you can pause to listen to the radio (it happens automatically!) is a great luxury. It means you can load it up with podcasts, program your own experience, and it's wonderful how the miles melt when your mind is engaged. Fresh Air is a fantastic driving companion. 
Of all the shows I listened to, the July 23 installment, featuring a too-brief interview with Mohammed Hafez on Martyrs Without Borders, was the most eye-opening. Listen to it if you want to increase your understanding of what the U.S. has committed to in Iraq. It's more information than you'll get in a month of watching dumbed-down TV news.
Fresh Air, at its best, is great. Another great segment is the recent interview with Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson. And Isaac Hayes on Sammy Davis Jr's cover of Shaft. They have their annoying moments too, but those were made up for by her great, human interview of Tammy Faye, who turns out to be more complex and thoughtful than I imagined (I never saw past her horrible makeup).
