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Syd Mead Designs the Future

The conceptual artist developed the sets and visual style for science fiction movies like Blade Runner, Short Circuit, and Tron. NASA has also called on him to design Skylab. He joins Fresh Air to talk about how individuals and corporations conceive of the world to come.

27:59
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Other segments from the episode on July 26, 1988

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, July 26, 1988: Interview with Syd Mead; Commentary on the Rolling Stones' influences; Interview with Mary Gaitskill; Review of Clarence Major's novel "Such Was the Season."
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06:46

The Rolling Stones' Influences

The band's frontman Mick Jagger turns 45 this year. Ed Ward celebrates by looking at some of the music that shaped the Stones' sound.

Commentary
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09:30

Mary Gaitskill's "Bad Behavior"

None of the stories in the writer's debut collection were previously published; magazines hated her dark, sexually charged stories of young women. But the book--and Gaitskill--have now found critical acclaim.

Interview
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03:37

Clarence Major's Most Conventional Work Yet

The African American writer is known for his experimental style, but in Such Was the Season, Major uses a straightforward narrative to tell the story about an older black woman in Atlanta and her doctor nephew. Guest critic Stuart Klawans says any bookstore that doesn't carry it needs to "wise up."

Review

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

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11:05

Conceptual Artist John Baldessari

Baldessari was a painter, but his recent work incorporates unusual materials like found photographs and video clips. His success has allowed him to resign from a long-running teaching position at CalArts.

Interview
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12:02

Avant-Garde Artist Chris Burden.

Artist Chris Burden. He gained fame as a conceptual artist in 1971 when he had a friend shoot him in the arm as part of a performance piece at a Santa Ana gallery. Burden's concern with realism (one critic calls it his greatest strength and greatest weakness) is reflected in a touring retrospective of his works, which include sculpture, and also artifacts of his conceptual pieces.

Interview

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