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Gary Schroen is one of the CIA's most respected and experienced spies. Two days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, his bosses handed him a new mission targeting Osama bin Laden: "bring his head back in a box." Days later, Schroen and his team were on a plane.

In Lawrence, Kan., the owner of the Journal-World newspaper applies ambitious news-gathering approaches to very local issues. The media company's efforts have sparked innovation, controversy — and no small amount of envy within the industry.

Artists and activists Taina Asili and Olmeca talk about mixing activism with their music on this week's show.

Joshua Bell plays a Stradivarius violin built in 1713 that's been notoriously stolen a few times. On his latest CD, the young virtuoso borrows a few great classical melodies and transposes them. He discusses his results with NPR's Liane Hansen.

Singer-songwriter Laura Veirs releases her first album produced without her ex-husband, who she divorced in 2019.

Amy Winehouse is a young Londoner who draws on the musical past while telling tales about love and ex-lovers. She combines '60s R&B and soul, blues and jazz. With a stack of black hair, an athletic trainer's body and a unique personal style, her look is as arresting as her subject matter.

A singer, musician, activist and poet, Patti Smith has spent the last three-plus decades as one of the most visible and iconic figures in punk and rock music. The musical icon joined WFUV host Rita Houston for an interview and in-studio performance.

The boisterous, California-based acid-jazz collective Greyboy Allstars delves deep into vintage soul on "How Glad I Am." Drawing on a snazzy groove, chicken-scratch guitar riffs and fatback horns, the song brings to mind the loose funk of Charles Wright's 103rd Street Rhythm Band.

Turandot, Puccini's extravagant portrayal of ancient China, is home to "Nessun dorma!" — one of music's most famous numbers — a soaring tenor aria that's been recorded by performers ranging from Franco Corelli and Placido Domingo, to the Twelve Girls Band and the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra.

With quirky melodies and a uniquely clever songwriting style, Sparks has remained one of the most innovative art-pop bands of the past three decades. While never gaining much more than a cult following, Sparks' peculiar brand of pop smarts has influenced everything from '80s synth-pop to Queen.