She comes from a famous musical family. And she’s always felt like she was number 4 on the totem pole behind her brother Rufus, her father Loudon Wainwright III and her mother Kate McGarrigle. These days Martha has come into her own, talking about her life in a memoir called Stories I Might Regret Telling You. There are tales about her parent’s divorce and Martha’s wild days as a druggie, drinker and party goer. She also talks about how she got comfortable in her own skin and how much she loves being the mother of two boys. In a conversation that’s honest, funny and raw Martha Wainwright bares all. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jullian Androkae. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Tig Notaro had been doing stand-up for more than 10 years when she got up on stage in 2012, grabbed the mic and began her set with these words: “Hello, Good evening. Hello. I have cancer.” Many critics called the set historic and ground breaking. When it was released as an album called “Live” it shot to number 1 on the comedy charts. in her Netflix special “Boyish Girl Interrupted” Tig went further. She unbuttoned her white shirt, sharing her mastectomy scars with the audience. Now she’s married and has twin boys and remains an unusual comedian. You’ll find out more about what makes Tig Notaro tick. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy little and Julian Androkae. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Bruce Jackson grew up in a public housing project in Manhattan and got arrested when he was 10. Some of his friends became drug dealers but Jackson went on to become the first person in his family to go to college. After earning a law degree from Georgetown, Jackson represented hip hop figures like LL Cool J, Heavy D and Busta Rhymes before leaving music behind to take a high-powered corporate job at Microsoft. We talk about Jackson’s book Never Far from Home and what it means to grow up African American and poor in New York City, striving to grab the brass ring on the carousel that means you’ve arrived. “Now What?” is produced with help from Steve Zimmer, James Napoli and Andreea Coscai. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
When the U.S. was hit by the Covid 19 pandemic, President Trump often praised unproven treatments. While trying not to contradict Donald Trump, Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the top infectious disease experts in the country, became a calming presence, advocating practical remedies like social distancing. He also became the target of right-wing conspiracy theorists who sent him death threats. I talk to Dr. Fauci about his role in developing treatments for once-fatal diseases like AIDS and how his life changed in the challenging years of the Trump administration. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Andreea Coscai and James Napoli. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Judy Woodruff got her start in the news business at a time when you didn’t see many women on the air. Her first job was getting coffee for her bosses at a local TV station in Atlanta. That was nearly 50 years ago and she’s covered Presidents and crises ever since. She’s also spent the last decade as an anchor on the PBS NewsHour. No happy talk, no screaming and yelling. She’s even been parodied on Saturday Night Live. We talk about how she’s handled tragedy in her life and we laugh about the good times, too. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Alex Wolfe and Andreea Coscai. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Dani Shapiro is a writer who is very interested in family secrets. After Shapiro sent a sample of her saliva to a DNA company to find out more about her heritage, the results that came back rocked her world. Shapiro discovered that the man she spent her life calling dad was not her biological father. We talk about identity, what we hide from one another and the family secrets in Shapiro’s new novel Signal Fires. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Alex Wolfe and Andreea Coscai. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Welcome to 2023. It’s a good time to take a fresh look at who we are and how we might want to change. Dr. Mark Epstein is a psychiatrist and a Buddhist. In his new book, The Zen of Therapy, Epstein writes about how he uses his spiritual beliefs to help his patients understand the importance of their own personal and unique stories. We talk about the need to laugh at ourselves and how to feel comfortable in our own skin. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Alex Wolfe and Andreea Coscai. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.