EP 516: Matthew McConaughey on Catching Life's Greenlights
Matthew McConaughey is an Academy Award-winning actor, but he is also a poet, philosopher, husband and father of three, global traveler, writer, occasional orchestra conductor, and passionate student of life. Today he shares some of things he's learned about himself, others, and the world around him. He discusses what he calls the "wild rodeo marriage" of his mom and dad, the moment when he became a man in his father’s eyes, and the long line of cattle rustlers, hustlers, a
EP 515: Joe Scarborough Discusses Harry Truman's Lasting Legacy
I talk with Joe Scarborough, host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, about our mutual affection for the politician dismissed as the “strange little man” from Missouri, why Harry Truman couldn’t even get respect from his own wife and mother-in-law, and how historians have gradually rehabilitated the legacy of our 33rd President. Joe tells the story of the twin crises that kicked off the Cold War and the speech redefined US foreign policy. We discuss how Truman pulled America out of it
EP 514: Oscar-winning Director Steve McQueen
Director Steve McQueen won an Academy Award for Best Picture for telling the dramatic true story of a free African-American who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in his film Twelve Years a Slave. Now he’s addressing a form of racial oppression that hits a lot closer to home for him in a new anthology of films called Small Axe, which collectively captures the lives of London’s West Indian community in the 1970s and ’80s and their force of will against systemic racism and di
EP 513: The Mindhunter John Douglas
Legendary FBI criminal profiler John Douglas talks about some of the 5000 cases with which he has been involved and his chilling face to face encounters with the worst monsters in recent memory from Edmund Kemper to Ted Bundy. He reveals why he first began interviewing serial killers without the FBI’s knowledge or permission, how he prepared for these deeply disturbing meetings, and he and his colleagues found commonalities that would help the FBI catch the most horrific of
EP 512: David Sedaris Returns
David Sedaris returns to the podcast to talk about his pre-election anxiety, his lifelong blackout of all social media, and the time he got bullied while testifying before the British House of Commons. He discusses what it was like the comb through 25 years of material for his new collection of essays The Best of Me, the strangeness of putting out a book without the traditional book tour, and the essay that got him in hot water with bear activists. Order David's latest book
EP 511: Michael Riedel on Broadway's Recent History and Uncertain Future
New York Post theatre columnist Michael Riedel shares his thoughts on Broadway's uncertain future, what New York theatre may look like whenever it emerges from the pandemic, and some hopeful lessons from Broadway’s dramatic recovery in the wake of the attacks on 9/11. He says he didn't intend for the title of his new book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway to be ironic, but a tribute to boom in American theatre in the 90s and the enduring influence of one of America
Election Special: Stacey Ambrams on Counting Every Vote
With former Vice-President Joe Biden taking a razor thin lead in George and a run-off election expected to decide who controls the Senate, many credit Stacey Abrams with making sure that every vote gets counted and likely delivering Georgia for the Democrats. Today's episode is a re-release of my 2019 interview with Stacey Abrams in which she discusses why she refused to concede defeat in the 2018 gubernatorial race, why she believes widespread voter suppression tipped that
EP 510: Tim Heidecker Is on a Mission to the Moon
Tim Heidecker talks about his new comedy series Moonbase 8, collaborating with fellow comedy geniuses John C. Reilly, Fred Armisen, and Jonathan Krisel on the show, and what it was like to visit NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and SpaceX headquarters as part of their research. He discusses how Bob Odenkirk gave him his first big break, the cult following for his Adult Swim series The Time and Eric Awesome Show, and how one Tim and Eric sketch got the attention of QAnon conspiracis
EP 509: The Many Moods of Harry Shearer
Harry Shearer is the voice behind some of the most famous characters on The Simpsons, and now he's giving voice to the wild whims of Donald Trump in a new pre-election parody album. He talks about how writing songs from the the perspective of Donald Trump gave him a window into the President’s dark psyche, how he managed to record with a full band during quarantine, and the amazing technology that helped him physically transform into the man himself. He also recalls his day
