Terry Gross Remembers Her Late Husband, Francis Davis

Fresh Air

NPR

Tv & Film, Arts, Society & Culture, Books

4.4 • 34.4K Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Fresh Air host Terry Gross lost her husband, acclaimed writer Francis Davis, on April 14. They were together for 47 years. Today, she shares some of Francis with the audience, including the story of how they met and became a couple.

Also, we listen back to our 2005 interview with George Clooney. He just received a Tony nomination for his role as Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck on Broadway.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This message comes from What Next, Slate's daily news podcast, with transparent, smart, and tongue-in-cheek analysis that you can only find at Slate. It cuts through the noise and holds power to account. Follow What Next Now, wherever you like to listen.
0:15.0	This is fresh air. I'm Terry Gross. This is my first show back in about two and a half weeks. Today's show is all about why. My husband, my partner of 47 years, Francis Davis, died after a long illness on Monday, April 14th. You may know about Francis from his writing about jazz and popular culture, or from the time he was a jazz critic on fresh air,
0:38.8	when it was a local show, and in the early days when we went national.
0:43.1	Often when I introduce a guest, I quote from reviews and profiles
0:46.6	that sum up their contributions better than I think I could.
0:50.7	To sum up my husband's plays as a writer,
0:53.1	I'm going to quote from a couple of the old bits.
0:55.7	In the New York Times, Adam Nossiter wrote,
0:58.4	His specialty was teasing meaning from the sounds he heard, situating them in America's history, culture, and society.
1:05.5	That approach, and the fluency of his writing, made him one of the most influential writers on jazz in the
1:11.4	1980s and beyond. The headline of the NPR obit by Nate Chenen described him as a giant of jazz
1:19.3	criticism. In addition to jazz, Francis also wrote essays about other forms of music, as well as movies,
1:26.2	TV, and books. For me, reading him is now my
1:30.3	best way of feeling like I'm spending time with him. I've been reading him a lot lately.
1:36.1	Before I get back to doing interviews and immersing myself in the lives of my guests, I want to
1:41.8	share some of Francis with you. On today's show, I'm going to read you
1:46.1	excerpts of a few of his essays and play recordings he praised in those pieces. Along the way,
1:52.1	I'll also tell a few stories about him, including the story of how he met and became a couple.
1:58.0	Fresh Air played a big part in that. Francis wrote for the Atlantic magazine,
2:02.8	the New York Times, the Village Voice, the Philadelphia Enquirer, and various music magazines.
2:08.5	He had seven books and received a Guggenheim Fellowship. He founded and ran the Village Voice
2:14.2	annual jazz critics poll, which after several years moved to NPR Music,
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 1 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.