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Remembering Marlon Riggs.

We pay tribute to Professor and filmmaker Marlon Riggs, who died Tuesday. His film about gay black sexuality, "Tongues Untied," unleashed a storm of controversy for its graphic content; it was used by Senator Jesse Helms (Republican, North Carolina), to argue against government grants to the arts. Another RIGGS film was "Color Adjustment," a critique of prime time TV's myths and messages on American race relations. RIGGS was on the faculty of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley. (Rebroadcast of 7/11/1991)

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Other segments from the episode on April 8, 1994

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, April 8, 1994: Interview with Philip Levine; Interview with Kurt Vonnegut; Interview with Grace Paley; Obituary for Marlon Riggs.
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18:21

From the Archives: Poet Philip Levine On "What Work Is."

Poet Philip Levine. He's considered one of this country's pre-eminent poets, but before he turned to poetry he worked for years at factory jobs. The images of those early days continue to influence his writings. Levine's collection of poems "What Work Is." won 1992's National Book Award. His new memoir is "Bread of Time" (Knopf). (Rebroadcast from 7/22/91).

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08:51

From the Archives: Vonnegut on Writing and Censorship.

Author Kurt Vonnegut. Perhaps his most famous book, the anti-war novel"Slaughterhouse Five," has been rereleased in a twenty-fifth anniversary edition (Delacourte Press). Based on Vonnegut's own experiences during the Dresden firebombing during the Second World War, the novel was a cultural icon at the height of popular protest against the war in Vietnam. (REBROADCAST FROM MAY, 1986.)

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04:51

From the Archives: Author Grace Paley.

Writer Grace Paley. Born in the Bronx in 1922, she's written three highly acclaimed volumes of short stories. Paley was actively involved in the feminist and anti-war movements, and regards herself as a "somewhat combative pacifist and a cooperative anarchist." Her "Collected Stories" have just been released by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. (Rebroadcast from 3/26/92).

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22:36

Filmmaker Marlon Riggs.

Filmmaker Marlon Riggs. His film about gay black men,"Tongues Untied," was shown on PBS last year, and it unleashed a storm of outrage in powerful right-wing circles. Sen. Jesse Helms (R, NC) even put together and distributed a seven-minute tape of scenes from the film, which, taken out of context, completely distorted Marlon Riggs' intentions. The documentary is often used by Congresspeople as an example of what's wrong with public broadcasting, and why it shouldn't be federally funded.

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