David Bianculli

The co-composer of Where the Boys Are, Breaking Up is Hard to Do, and Love Will Keep Us Together died last week at age 86.

This is Fresh Air.

This is Fresh Air.

The Paranoid Style is a Washington, D.C.-based rock band led by Elizabeth Nelson, whose dense, clever lyrics have marked her as a superior pop music composer.

Nelson's writing also has appeared in print, in publications like The New York Times and The Atlantic, and in liner notes for historical reissues of acts such as Bob Dylan and The Replacements.

The Paranoid Style's new album is called Known Associates, and rock critic Ken Tucker says it's the band's most rocking record yet.

Ken Tucker reviewed Known Associates by The Paranoid Style.

Coming up, Justin Chang reviews the new Pixar film, Hoppers.

This is Fresh Air.

This is Fresh Air.

Our film critic, Justin Chang, says the new animated film Hoppers is the strongest Pixar movie in years.

It's a science fiction comedy about a college student who wants to protect the local wildlife and stumbles on an extremely high-tech way to do it.

The movie opens in theaters this week and features the voices of Piper Kurta, Bobby Moynihan, and Jon Hamm.

Here is Justin's review.

Justin Chang is a film critic at The New Yorker.

He reviewed the new film Hoppers.

On Monday's show, the hidden history of blackface and how amateur minstrel shows featuring white people in blackface permeated American culture in the North and the South.

Even President Roosevelt was a fan.

We talk with Rae Lynn Barnes, author of Darkology.

I hope you can join us.