I Couldn’t Throw It Out

Tupac Shakur talks about his violent arrest for jaywalking; his Black Panther family; Hollywood hypocrisy; and his program for poor urban kids. Plus, special guests discuss his contradictions (explicit) Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutpodcast.com     Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list     Do you save stuff you can't th...

Helen Keller’s friend, Hitler’s defier, Woody Allen’s teacher – the dancer who jolted America with moves you now see on TV, movies and music videos told me great tales in 1989. Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutpodcast.com     Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list     Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it...

As Dustin Hoffman, Andy Warhol, and Robert De Niro watched, did I ruin Bill Murray's night at the 1982 post-screening party? Former SNL writer Tom Gammill helps us decide. Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutpodcast.com     Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list     Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it...

With help from They Might Be Giants' John Flansburgh, it's time to toss treasures that I saved after writing the band's first 1985 review in People Magazine. Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutpodcast.com     Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list     Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it   Wa...

Hear the 1984 interview tape with this random trio: REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin, painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Gong Show host Chuck Barris Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutpodcast.com     Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list     Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it   Want to show support? Ple...

A 45-year-old tape recording about family ancestry leads to revelations about a kidnapped rabbi, a Johnstown drowning, two horrible car accidents, and connections to a hay barn in Lithuania, the New York Times management, Baltimore's symphony hall, and  Joe Biden's junior high baseball team.  And, hold onto your ear buds -- perhaps the greatest shock of all:  This is an episode where I a...

In 1983, 16-year-old Kiefer Sutherland met me in Nova Scotia to discuss his first big movie role.  Hear how he felt about actor dad Donald -- and how I messed up my People Magazine story. Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutpodcast.com     Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list     Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell u...

At 20, my wife Cindy thought she was about to die.  Following a lupus diagnosis at 15, her kidneys had shut down in a way that seemed fatal.  But after devastating years on dialysis, many near-death experiences, and three kidney transplants, Cindy is going strong 46 years later.  Her optimism and determination to survive, and the joy she got from painting and creating art, kept her going through e...

When my wife Cindy's health declined after two kidney transplants, how would she find a third organ donor?  The answer -- which involves my 33-year error -- could make you believe in miracles. And it also leads us to one last challenge: Can we toss the items that remind us of what happened? If you missed the first part of their death-defying tale, you'll find it here. Have thoughts about...

Compton's rap mogul and NWA founder Eazy-E hanging out with me? Unlikely. But it happened in 1991 when I interviewed him for my 1992 book Break It Down: The Inside Story from the New Leaders of Rap. Hear Dr. Dre (former Yo! MTV Raps host) explain Eazy's huge cultural impact, then hear Eazy's candid interview. This is part 1 of 2.  Coming up in the second part: my followup interview...

Rap mogul Eazy-E's death from AIDS complications in 1995 was a shock. Hear reactions at the time from  Wu-Tang's Method Man and others. Plus, hear my 1992 talk with Eazy while driving in Compton during the L.A. riots.  Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutpodcast.com     Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list     Do you sa...

When bestselling spy novelist Joseph Kanon was a book publisher and I was his assistant, I secretly sent out letters in which I pretended to be the boss. Until the Brooke Shields incident. Listen as Joe learns what really happened in 1979. Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutpodcast.com     Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list  ...

Broadway?  Movies?  TV? That's nuthin'.  Stage and screen actress Donna Murphy first found fame on the high school literary magazine staff with Michael and Sally.  Listen in as they read poems by Donna and others 50 years later -- and get a big surprise. Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutpodcast.com     Don't miss a thing:...

When 19-year-old Jennifer Beals enrolled at Yale – after starring in 1983's Flashdance -- she couldn't escape a People Magazine interview in which I tried to impress her with my academic credentials.  Listen in as I replay her patient response to my ridiculous cringe-worthy mistakes. Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutpodcast.co...

In 1985, Joni Mitchell gave me a multi-hour interview for People Magazine about flunking high school, Woodstock, Bob Dylan, her Chelsea apartment, poetry, painting, and much more -- which you'll hear in this episode. Oh, c'mon. Do not ask me to toss those tapes.  (Part 1 of 2.) Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutpodcast.com    ...

It ain't gonna be easy to throw out never-shared interviews with Joni Mitchell, Kiefer Sutherland, Eazy-E, and many others. That's the challenge coming up on I Couldn't Throw It Out. For decades, Michael Small has saved treasures, including 15 years of recorded interviews when he was a reporter for People Magazine. And more than 60 interviews with original hip-hip starts from his 19...

When I interviewed Joni Mitchell for People Magazine in 1985, some of her best tales were the longer ones. Hear a few of them, including how she met Jimi Hendrix, why Jack Nicholson missed his cameo in her song, and  a recitation of her 7th grade poem.  No way will I ever toss this tape.  (Part 2 of 2) Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a text More info, photos, and transcript:  throwitoutp...

In the first episode of our podcast, my co-host Sally Libby and I try to figure out why I -- and others -- feel the urge to save things. And then, sob, she makes me use the shredder. I know Sally's right. For decades, I've saved mementoes from when I was a reporter for People Magazine -- including hundreds of celebrity interview recordings.  I also have more than 60 interviews with the o...