'First World Problems' with David Rakoff

Fresh Air | By Terry Gross

Published September 28, 2005 at 12:00 AM EDT

Writer David Rakoff is a regular contributor to public radio's This American Life, and the magazines Outside and GQ. One of his peers, writer Paul Rudnick, says of him, "Rakoff is a comic saint. . . an ideal mix of the crabby and the debonair."

Rakoff has a new collection of essays, Now, Don't Get Too Comfortable: The Indignities of Coach Class, the Torments of Low Thread Count, the Never-ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems. His previous collection is Fraud.

Rakoff has also worked in theater, with the siblings David and Amy Sedaris. And he can be seen in the upcoming movie Strangers with Candy, starring Amy Sedaris, and in the new film Capote, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Terry Gross

Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by the unique approach of host and executive producer Terry Gross. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San Francisco Chronicle.

See stories by Terry Gross

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