Dave Davies

Mo Amherst stars in the series based on his life called Mo, which is in its second season on Netflix. We'll hear more after this short break. This is Fresh Air.

Mo Amherst stars in the series based on his life called Mo, which is in its second season on Netflix. We'll hear more after this short break. This is Fresh Air.

One of the interesting things about your career, I read that relatively early in your career, you got gigs performing before American troops in Europe and then in the Middle East, right?

One of the interesting things about your career, I read that relatively early in your career, you got gigs performing before American troops in Europe and then in the Middle East, right?

One of the interesting things about your career, I read that relatively early in your career, you got gigs performing before American troops in Europe and then in the Middle East, right?

What kind of stuff did you do before then? Did you – I don't know. Did you play upon your ethnic background or –

What kind of stuff did you do before then? Did you – I don't know. Did you play upon your ethnic background or –

What kind of stuff did you do before then? Did you – I don't know. Did you play upon your ethnic background or –

Yeah, you know, it's been 21 years since then. And there's a generation of people who didn't experience that. And people can forget the intensity, you know, of the... Well, I mean anti-Arab and anti-Islam feeling which rippled through the population and I'm sure through service people that you performed for. Did you get blowback? I mean how did you deal with it?

Yeah, you know, it's been 21 years since then. And there's a generation of people who didn't experience that. And people can forget the intensity, you know, of the... Well, I mean anti-Arab and anti-Islam feeling which rippled through the population and I'm sure through service people that you performed for. Did you get blowback? I mean how did you deal with it?

Yeah, you know, it's been 21 years since then. And there's a generation of people who didn't experience that. And people can forget the intensity, you know, of the... Well, I mean anti-Arab and anti-Islam feeling which rippled through the population and I'm sure through service people that you performed for. Did you get blowback? I mean how did you deal with it?

So how did you lean into this discomfort? What did that sound like on stage?

So how did you lean into this discomfort? What did that sound like on stage?

So how did you lean into this discomfort? What did that sound like on stage?

And the emotional moments that you had with soldiers, what kind of things did they say to you?

And the emotional moments that you had with soldiers, what kind of things did they say to you?

And the emotional moments that you had with soldiers, what kind of things did they say to you?

You know, in your Netflix special, Mohammed in Texas, you end with a really touching story of you that now that you got your American passport, you went and paid a visit to the village near Nablus where your family had come from. Was that your first time in Palestine?

You know, in your Netflix special, Mohammed in Texas, you end with a really touching story of you that now that you got your American passport, you went and paid a visit to the village near Nablus where your family had come from. Was that your first time in Palestine?

You know, in your Netflix special, Mohammed in Texas, you end with a really touching story of you that now that you got your American passport, you went and paid a visit to the village near Nablus where your family had come from. Was that your first time in Palestine?