Terry Gross

Journalist Sean Kelly's 1993 book, "America's Tyrant: The CIA and Mobutu of Zaire" provides context for the unrest now in Zaire. Thirty years ago, Kelly covered Mobutu's rise to power. Kelly was with the Voice of America for twenty years. Now he teaches at American University in D.C.

Journalist Adam Hochschild's recent article in the New Yorker "Mr. Kurtz, I Presume" considers the colonial history of Zaire -- once known as the Congo -- looking for the prototype for Kurtz the fictional greedy ambitious white man of Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness."

Scholar and translator Robert Fagles. He is a professor at Princeton University and has gained recognition for his interpretation of "The Iliad." His latest translation of Homer is a new version of "The Odyssey" (Viking). Recently Fagles won the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for lifetime achievement in the field of translation.

Actor Stanley Tucci. He's appeared in the films "Kiss of Death" and "The Pelican Brief." On television he was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of the slimy billionaire on "Murder One." He co-wrote, co-directed, and co-starred in the film "Big Night," an homage to Italian food and family. (REBROADCAST from 10/2/96)

Divine, the late leading lady of John Waters' films. Born Harris Glen Milstead, the 300-pound transvestite passed away in March of 1988, shortly after starring in John Waters' first big budget studio film, "Hairspray." He was 42. Divine was an integral part of Waters' ensemble cast, appearing in all his earlier films except "Desperate Living." Divine and Waters knew each other from childhood. It was Waters' movie "Pink Flamingoes" that made Divine famous, because he ate dog feces at the end of the film.

The director's film "Pink Flamingoes" is 25 years old this year. We rebroadcast one of his earlier conversations with Terry, shortly after he made the cult film "Polyester," starring Divine and Edith Massey. "Polyester" was Waters' first studio film, and the first of his movies that didn't carry a self imposed X-rating. (REBROADCAST from July 1985).

Reich reflects on his four years in the Clinton administration and why he stepped down. His new memoir is "Locked in the Cabinet."

Shore's new collection of poems "Music Minus One" (Picador) reads like a memoir of her youth growing up in the 1950s in New Jersey. She's won several prizes for her two previous volumes of poetry and is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.

A Village Voice critic once wrote of Sundiata, "...like Billie Holiday, Sundiata surprises with images and tumbling phrases that blend with subtle rhythmic variations." Although he's an established and respected artist, he's just completed his debut CD, "The Blue Oneness of Dreams."

She played the humorless shrink, Lilith, on the television show "Cheers" for which she won two Emmy Awards and has appeared in many films, including "Bugsy," "Malice," and "Jumanji." Now Neuwirth is starring in the hit broadway musical "Chicago" a comedy set in the Roaring Twenties. She won a Tony award for her performance as Nickie in "Sweet Charity."