Now I've Heard Everything

A star's bumpy road to success. Darlene Love was one of the most popular and most in-demand backup singers of the 1960s, working with some of the biggest stars, but her path to a solo career was littered with obstacles. In this 1998 interview Love recounts her experience and what she had to do to make it all come together./ Get My Name is Love by Darlene Love You may also enjoy my interviews with...

What separates a "good" ecionomy from a "bad" one? There is a reason that even economists call their profession "the dismal science/" But in the hands of satirist and journalist, P.J. O'Rourke, economics takes on a whole new brilliance. In this 1998 interview O'Rourke dissects economics, to expose what really goes on in the ongoing struggle between capitalism and socialism. Get Eat The Rich by P.J...

The movie studio exec who lived up to her name Flashdance,Top Gun, and Fatal Attraction were just a few of those made under the supervision of studio executive Dawn Steel. Her name was appropriate, too, because a woman in the man's world of Hollywood filmmaking had to be made of steel. In this 1993 interview Steel reflects on her successes, failures, and improbable career path. Get They Can Kill Y...

David Frost's Nixon interviews remembered British TV host David Frost may be best remembered for his 1977 series of interviews with former President Richard M. Nixon, who just three years earlier had resigned the presidency in disgrace after the Watergate scandal. In this 2007 inerview Frost offers some behind the scenes glimpses of how the interviews came about, and what happened when the cameras...

A radio host's unique friendship with a fellow broadcast legend For a dozen years the pioneering radio sports broadcaster Red Barber called in every Friday to NPR's Morning Edition show, for an unscripted 4 minute talk with host Bob Edwards. After Barber's death in 1992 Edwards wrote a memoir of those memorable conversations, a book he called Fridays With Red. In this 1993 interview Edwards recapt...

The black family food traditions A decades-long tradition continues this summer, with the 35th annual Black Family Reunion this month. The event was started in 1989 by Dorothy Height, the longtime president of the National Council of Negro Women. And from the reunions grew the Black Family Reunion Cookbook. But as you'll hear in this 1993 interview with Dorothy Height, the cookbook was more than j...

A '60s radical's views on the revolution One of those caught up in this maelstrom of the turbulent '60s was the young Cathy Wilkerson. She joined the radical Weather Underground, and helped them turn her father's New York City townhouse into a bomb factory. An explosion there that killed 3 people also made Wilkerson a fugitive, eluding the FBI for 10 yeas. In this 2997 interview Wilkerson talks ab...

The heavy price of an unpopular book. Author Salman Rushdie's 1988 novelThe Satanic Verses, that earned him not accolades, but I death sentence, pronounced by Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini Rushdie spent the next several years essentially in hiding, but gradually re-emerged in public, and by 2002 was again going on author tours. In this 2002 interview Rushdie reflects on his exile, his literat...

Pro tennis great Tracy Austin, in her own words. Tracy Austin won the US Open women's singles title in 1979 at age 16, making her the youngest ever to win that title. But by age 21, her career was all but ended by a series of injuries. That led to speculationand rumor about what was really going on with Tracy Austin. In this 1992 interview she sets out to put those rumors to rest, and tell her sto...

Rethinking race, ethnicity, and ulture. Paul Robeson Jr was the grandson of a slave, and son of a prominent and controversial African American actor, singer, and activist. Formerly trained as an electrical engineer, Robeson soon followed in the footsteps of his famous father, becoming an activist in his own right. In this 2007 interview Robeson challenges us to think differently about everything,...

What life as a standup comic is like In the late 1980s, just a few years into the start of the stand up explosion, a young writer producer named Betsy Borns put together a book about stand up comedians and how they work. In this 1987 interview Borns examines the challenges and rewards faced by comics like Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Lewis, Judy Tenuta, and Jay Leno. Get Comic Lives by Betsy Borns You...

Recalling Clarnce Thomas's "high-tech lynching" In 1991 then-Senaor John Danforth of Missouri helped shepherd Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court nomination through the Senate, watching as political oponents tried to derail the nomination. Inthis 1994 interview Danforth retells the story, and how close Thomas came to losing the fight. Get Resurrection by John Danforth You may also enjoy my interviews...

The struggles of the Georgy Girl star. Lynn Redgrave was born into a prominent show business family in 1943, so it was perhaps her destiny to become a successful, award-winning and acclaimed actress. But as an adult she struggled with bulimia. In this 1991 interview she tells how the a popular weight loss program saved her. Get This is Living by Lynn Redgrave You may also enjoy my interviews with...

The Barbie doll's real-life mom as the co-founder of Mattel Toys Ruth Handler was the key figure in bringing Barbie to market. She told her story, and Mattel's, in a 1994 book. This 1994 interview is about that book and Ruth Handler's amazing story. Get Dream Doll by Ruth Handler For more vintage interviews with celebrities, leaders, and influencers, subscribe to Now I've Heard Everything on Spoti...

The tumultuous life of an All-Star ex-wfe. Steve Garvey, the charismatic All-Star first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1970s and '80s. But he was anything but a superstar off the field, according to his ex-wife Cyndy Garvey. In this 1989 interview Cyndy tells her side of the story of their rocky relationship. Get The Secret Life of Cyndy Garvey You may also enjoy my interviews with Rac...

A conversation with the author of Schindler's List. Asuralian author Thomas Keneally has written dozens of books in his career, spanning from the 1960s. His most famous work is his prize-winning 1982 book called Schindler's Ark. It was later renamed Schindler's List, and that's what the movie was based on. In this 1995 interview Keneally talks about another of his books, and its connection to Schi...

Don;t waste your life on growing old. Helen Gurley Brown built her reputation from the 1960s on the idea of being youthful and sexy and vibrant. But in this 1993 interview, brown reflects on how it feels to be getting older. And she doesn’t like it. Get The Late Show by Helen Gurley Brown You may also enjoy my interviews with Art Linkletter and Betty Friedan For more vintage interviews with celebr...

A conversation with the legendary Tony Bennett. The world lost a music treasure today, July 21, with the passing of 96-year-old Tony Bennett. He was a superstar since 1951. In this 1998 interview Bennett reflects on his success, on the origins of his signature song, and what inspires him. For more vintage interviews with celebrities, leaders, and influencers, subscribe to Now I've Heard Everything...

Confessions of a psychic warrior. A former Army intelligence officer named David Morehouse wrote a book about his experience as what he called a “psychic warrior.” Morehouse explained how he was recruited for a super top secret defense program called Operation Stargate. In this 1996 interview Morehouse describes the program, his role in it, and what happened when he wanted out. Get Psychic Warrior...

The housewife who defeated the ERA. In the 1970s Phyllis Schlafly launched an anti-feminist crusade that would make her a household name -- lauded by many, revered by some, but hated and smeared by many others. In ths 2003 interview Schlafly looks back on her decades-long battle with feminism and her influence in the conservative movement. Get Feminist Fantasies by Phyllis schlafly You may also en...

The Broadway wunderking with a lotta heart. In the mid-1950s no one on Broadway was hotter than the team of Adler and Ross. Composer Richard Adler and lyricist Jerry Ross produced back to back Broadway hits TPe Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, featuring songs that would remain popular for decades. But Ross died suddenly in 1955, taking Adler's career in new and unexpected directions. Adler looks back...

The cartoonist and the funnyman. Roz Chast has been a fixture among New Yorker cartoonists for many years. In 2007. She collaborated with comedian Steve Martin on a children's book. In this 2007 interview, Chast explains how their partnership worked. And why the book is as much for the parents as it is for the children. Get The Alphabet from A to Y With Bonus Letter Z by Roz Chast and Steve Martin...

The inside story of America's moon ,mission. Alan Shepard was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts. A few years later, Shepard became the oldest man ever to walk on the surface of the moon. In this 1994 interview, Shepard looks back on those Apollo years, to tell the inside story of how America put men on the moon and returned them home safely by the end of the decade. Get Moon Shot by Alan Sh...

The unique slanguage of baseball. Writer Paul Dickson spent several years researching the special slang of baseball, and how many of those words eventually made it into our everyday language. In this 1989 interview, Dickson talks about the origins of some of those terms, words like “bullpen,” “fan,” and the phrase “out of left field.” Get The Dickson Baseball Dictionary by Paul Dickson You may als...

America's entertaining guru. For more than 40 years, Stuart has been dispensing advice on cooking and decorating and entertaining guests. Best-selling books, a magazine, and a television show have helped push her to the forefront. In this 1994 interview we talk about her book Martha Stewart's Menus For Entertaining. Get Martha Stewart's Menus for Entertaining You may also enjoy my interviews with...