The Moment with Brian Koppelman

This week on The Moment, Brian Koppelman talks to Jim James, the lead singer and songwriter for the band My Morning Jacket. Brian and Jim talk about the band's latest album, The Waterfall, and the message within many of their songs. Plus, Jim meditates on criticism and its role in the artistic process, how his songs are created over several years in a garden of ideas, and what it feels like, minut...

This week on The Moment, Brian Koppelman talks to Maggie Siff, the actress best known for her roles in Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy, and the upcoming Showtime series, Billions. Brian and Maggie reflect on the past year creating Billions together and how Maggie goes about preparing for her scenes on the show. Plus, Maggie talks about when she first fell in love with acting, why it's important to her to...

This week on The Moment, Brian Koppelman talks to Jerry O'Connell, the actor best known for his roles in Stand By Me and Jerry Maguire. Brian and Jerry reflect on the life of River Phoenix and the audition that landed him a role in Jerry Maguire. Plus, O'Connell talks about how it was never his intention to be pitted against Tom Cruise after his comments a few weeks back and why there's still noth...

This week on The Moment, Brian Koppelman talks to Derek Haas, the co-creator of Chicago Fire, executive producer of Chicago PD & Chicago Med, and the author of A Different Lie - the fourth book in a series featuring the contract killer, Columbus. The two talk about their respective creative failures, how Derek manages his time as a showrunner and novelist, and why Haas feels compelled to keep writ...

This week on The Moment, Brian Koppelman talks to Jesse Itzler, an entrepreneur and endurance athlete, about his new book Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet. The two discuss why Jesse invited a SEAL (David Goggins) to live in his home for a month, the importance of never feeling complacent, and how eating 15 bananas a day may just be his secret to success. Plu...

This week on The Moment, Brian Koppelman talks to his wife, Amy Koppelman, a novelist and screenwriter, about her new book Hesitation Wounds and her recent film I Smile Back. The two discuss Amy's lifelong battle with depression, the themes and characters of her stories, and how writing has, in many ways, saved her life. Plus, Amy talks about the letter she wrote to Philip Roth, why Per Petterson...

Tom McCarthy, the writer and director of Spotlight, joins Brian this week to talk about his new film which tells the true story of how a Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe team unmasked the widespread cover-up of child abuse in Boston's Catholic Church. Tom has written and directed a number of other great films including The Station Agent, The Visitor, and Win Win. Today, the two talk about how T...

Judah Friedlander, the longtime comedian, star of 30 Rock, and author of the new book, If the Raindrops United, joins Brian this week to talk about how his material has changed over the years, his various battles with anxiety, and what it felt like to finally find a home on stage. Plus, Brian reads a passage from the new book and the two discuss why the only thing holding Judah back from making hi...

This week on The Moment, Brian Koppelman talks to John Dahl who directed Rounders and gave Brian his first big break in movies. John is also known for directing movies such as The Last Seduction, You Kill Me, and Red Rock West. The two talk about John's road to becoming a director, the lessons he learned along the way, and how directing is a lot like being the leader of a band. Plus, John talks ab...

Phil Rosenthal is the creator and executive producer of Everybody Loves Raymond and his new show, I'll Have What Phil's Having. This week, Brian and Phil discuss life before and after Everybody Loves Raymond, the best movies about show business, and Phil's first mind-blowing food experience. Plus, the two talk about Phil's current bout of writer's block, the best pizza slice in New York City, and...

Salman Rushdie, the distinguished author of books such as Midnight's Children, The Satanic Verses, and Joseph Anton: A Memoir, joins Brian this week to discuss his latest novel Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Nights, the themes of alienation and truth that often lie beneath the surface in his work, and why, in a world gone mad, fiction matters. Plus, Salman talks about his rocky start as a...

Neil LaBute, the writer and director of movies such as In The Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbors, joins Brian this week to discuss his latest show, Billy & Billie, and his process as a director by taking a closer look at his 2013 film, Some Velvet Morning. Also, LaBute talks about his work as a writer and why critics and audiences often confuse his personal sense of morality with that o...

James Foley, the newly announced director of Fifty Shades Darker, joins Brian this week to discuss how James thinks about directing, the years he spent in movie jail, and how decades of Freudian analysis helped break him out. Also, Foley talks about his time on House of Cards and how David Fincher's trust gave him a 2nd shot in Hollywood. Plus, James tells a few stories from the set of Glengarry G...

Mary Karr, the award-winning poet and best-selling author, joins Brian this week to discuss her latest book, The Art of Memoir, and reflect on her past work including The Liars' Club and a poem she wrote about David Foster Wallace, "Suicide's Note: An Annual." Also, Karr talks about being critical of David and why she couldn't read Infinite Jest until after his death. Plus, Brian and Mary talk abo...

Peter Zizzo, the award winning songwriter and producer, grew up as a renowned guitar player and on today's show Brian and Peter talk about the effects of being viewed as a prodigy, the decisions he has made as an artist, and the lessons he learned along the way. Plus, Peter talks about writing songs for Celine Dion and Vanessa Carlton, how he felt being nominated for an award that was purely his o...

Jerome Charyn, the highly regarded author of books such as I Am Abraham and Sizzling Chops and Devilish Spins, joins Brian this week to discuss his love of language, ping-pong, and his latest book of stories, Bitter Bronx. Also, Brian draws a parallel between Charyn and Haruki Murakami's work, asks about Jerome's struggles with depression, and rekindles an old idea about a Marty Reisman movie. Plu...

Aimee Mann, one of the best songwriters of our generation, joins Brian this week to discuss the evolution of her music, the time she spent with 'Til Tuesday, and the way Aimee thinks about creating songs. Also, Brian and Aimee discuss an event prior to the "Whatever" album that impacted the both of them professionally and creatively. Plus, Aimee falls in love with a lyric from Jason Isbell's new a...

Big Jay Oakerson and Dan Soder, the two comedians that host The Bonfire on Sirius XM's Comedy Central Radio, talk about the long road to finally landing their deal on satellite radio and everything that has transpired in their relationship since Mr. Oakerson's last emotional appearance on the show. Plus, Brian talks with Big Jay about the actions he took during an altercation at New York City's Co...

David Lipsky, the author of Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, the book which has been adapted into a feature film, The End Of The Tour, joins Brian to talk about the accuracy of the late David Foster Wallace's portrayal in the movie, the lasting personal effects those five days have had on his life, and whether or not meeting Mr. Wallace is the reason he hasn't published a book of f...

After being embroiled in a lawsuit with Mark Zuckerberg over the origins of Facebook, Divya Narendra, the founder and CEO of the investor community SumZero, joins Brian this week to discuss Narendra's early success creating Harvard Connection, the reason he became an entrepreneur, and the lessons he took away from the Facebook lawsuit. Also, Brian and Divya talk about startups, Divya's portrayal i...

Paul Giamatti, the well respected, award-winning actor who stars along side Damian Lewis in Showtime's latest series, Billions, joins Brian this week to discuss working together on the set of the show (Brian is a co-creator and executive producer of Billions). Also, Paul talks about his complicated relationship with acting, revisits his roles in Donnie Brasco, Sideways, John Adams, and Cinderella...

This week on the Moment, Brian Koppelman talks to Starlee Kine, the host of the podcast Mystery Show. With the first five episodes of Kine's show complete, Brian caught up with her to ask about the response she has received and how that differs from the way she thinks about creating it. Also, the two compare and contrast the character Kine plays on Mystery Show to her everyday self, how she is a l...

Back for his 2nd appearance on the show - New York Times best-selling author and entrepreneur, Seth Godin, joins us this week to talk about his latest project, altMBA, and the process of searching for his next piece of work. Also, Brian and Seth discuss the comfort people find in gatekeepers, the importance of increasing tension to keep your work on the cutting edge, and how big expectations can l...

Debbie Gibson, the pop music icon known for songs such as "Only In My Dreams" and "Lost in Your Eyes" joins us this week to talk about the highs and lows of her career and walking the line between being a product and an artist. Debbie also shares stories from her youth including the dirty limerick that almost made its way into her single "Shock Your Mama," and what it felt like to be a young woman...

James Le Gros, the longtime actor known for his roles in movies such as Drugstore Cowboy and Living in Obilvion joins us this week to talk about the freedom of not knowing what's next and why it's important, even after being credited on over 100 TV shows and films, that he still gets nervous. The two also share some of their best stories, including Brian's first meeting with Pat Riley and the nigh...