Terry Gross

Comic Graham Chapman. He was the straight man in the Monty Python troupe who would come in and break up the skits. A physician by training, he was a writer and activist for gay rights. He died in 1989. (REBROADCAST FROM 7/2/87)

Terry Jones was member of the comedy troupe Monty Python. He did much of the writing for the troupe and directed most of their movies. Jones now writes children's books in England. He's been involved with two recent films, "Nuns on the Run," and "Splitting Heirs." (Rebroadcast).

Actor, writer, and Monthy Python member John Cleese. Post-Python, Cleese is best known for "Fawlty Towers," and a number of movies, including his 1988 comedy, "A Fish Called Wanda." He's also written a book called "Families and How to Survive Them" with therapist Robyn Skinner, and he makes training films for corporations. He co-wrote and stars in the new film "Fierce Creatures" which teams up the same cast from "Wanda." (REBROADCAST FROM 6/22/90)

Actor, comedian, filmmaker, and author Michael Palin. In the fall of 1988, Palin recreated the journey Jules Verne described in "Around the World in 80 Days." Palin turned his journey into a very successful 8-part TV BBC series. He is of course also known for his tenure as a member of Monthy Python's Flying Circus and his appearances in "The Missionary" and "A Fish Called Wanda." He's also appearing in the new film "Fierce Creatures" which was co-written by John Cleese. (REBROADCAST FROM 4/17/90)

As a child in the sixties and seventies, Tate was a member of the Nation of Islam, and witnessed the struggles of blacks in a predominantly white America. In her autobiography, "Little X," she tracks the personal history of her family and draws on their everyday experiences as members of the Nation to bring new understanding to its traditions.

Greider is National Editor for Rolling Stone, and a former Washington Post editor. He assesses the state of the global economy in his new book "One World, Ready or Not: The Manic Logic of Global Capitalism." He writes that an industrial and economic revolution is taking place in the world, and that its effects may be far greater than that of the industrial revolution.

Record produce and songwriter Neil Innes is a member of The Rutles, the band which he and Eric Idle of Monty Python that spoofed the Beatles. The band has recently been reunited and has a new collection called "Archaeology." The Rutles first came to the attention of the public in 1978 when their spoof documentary "All You Need is Cash" aired. Innes also co-founded the comedy group The Bonzo Dog Band.

Legato is the Director of the Partnership for Women's Health at Columbia University. She's co-authored the new book "What Women Need to Know: From Headaches to Heart Disease and Everything In Between."

New York Times Reporter John F. Burns. He has followed the latest events of Afghanistan's 18-year-old civil war, concentrating on the rise to power of the Taliban, an Islamic religious movement. Burns examines the Taliban's effect on the war-torn country's laws and punishment, including stoning, amputations, and executions.

Born in Rotterdam in 1931, Wetering was once a motorcycle gang member in South Africa, an aspiring monk in Kyoto, Japan, and a police officer in Amsterdam. He is currently living in Maine. The Dutch author's colorful past has led him to be known as an eccentric and hypnotic storyteller whose latest novel "The Hollow-Eyed Angel," the 13th in his Amsterdam cop series.