Fresh Air with Terry Gross, April 13, 2010: Interview with Jeff Shesol; Review of the DVD recording of the live music concert 'The T. A. M. I. Show.'

Since its national debut in 1987, Fresh Air with Terry Gross has been a highly acclaimed and much adored weekday magazine among public radio listeners. Each week, nearly 4.8 million people turn to Peabody Award-winning host Terry Gross for insightful conversations with the leading voices in contemporary arts and issues. The renowned program reaches a global audience, with over 620 public radio stations broadcasting Fresh Air, and 3 million podcast downloads each week. Fresh Air has broken the mold of 'talk show' by weaving together superior journalism and intimate storytelling from modern-day intellectuals, politicians and artists alike. Through probing questions and careful research, Gross's interviews are lauded for revealing a fresh perspective on cultural icons and trends. Her thorough conversations are often complemented by commentary from well-known contributors. Fresh Air is produced at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and broadcast nationally by NPR.
(1.) JEFF SHESOL (SHEH-sol) is the author of the book Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. The Supreme Court (W.W. Norton). It's about President Roosevelt's effort in 1937 to reform the Supreme Court by expanding it and adding as many as seven liberal justices. He had become frustrated by the conservative Court which had struck down a series of his New Deal programs. The court had also become widely unpopular. The proposal by Roosevelt died in the Senate and was considered the most devastating defeat he had ever experienced. The episode became known as the 'court-packing' controversy. SHESOL is also the author of Mutual Contempt about the feud between Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy. He was Deputy Chief of Presidential Speechwriting for President Clinton for the last three years he was in office. (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW). (2.) Music critic MILO MILES reviews the new DVD of The T.A.M.I. Show filmed in October 1964 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.