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Fresh Air Weekend: The Lonely Island; Paul Simon's New Album; The Science Of Warfare

Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone play the hip-hop trio The Style Boyz in the film <em>Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.</em>
Glen Wilson
/
Universal Studios
Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone play the hip-hop trio The Style Boyz in the film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

The 'Best Fake Rappers Out There' Satirize Breakout Success In 'Popstar':Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer describe themselves as "frappers" — fake rappers. Working together as The Lonely Island, they created a comic film about pop-music documentaries.

Paul Simon Mixes Music And Mystery On 'Stranger To Stranger':Simon blends his trademark wordplay with unique rhythms and exotic instruments on his new album. Critic Ken Tucker calls it a daring record that can be appreciated on a number of levels.

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare:When it comes to curiosity, science writer Mary Roach describes herself as someone who is "very out there." Her new book, Grunt,looks at some scientific developments that help keep soldiers safe.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

The 'Best Fake Rappers Out There' Satirize Breakout Success In 'Popstar'

Paul Simon Mixes Music And Mystery On 'Stranger To Stranger'

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare

Copyright 2020 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

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