I’d never heard of Lee Kravetz until a friend recommended I read his fascinating new book called The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. Kravetz, who started out as a psychologist, always wanted to be a writer. He became fascinated with The Bell Jar author Sylvia Plath, who nearly 60 years after her death has remained a towering figure in the world of poetry. I talked to Lee Kravetz about the birth of confessional poetry and why he’s so fascinated by the connection between madness and art. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoeim and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
James Ivory has directed more than 30 films like Howards End and The Remains of the Day. Ivory and his long-time partner Ismail Merchant have the distinction of being listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest partnership in the history of independent cinema. At the age of 89, Ivory also made cinema history by becoming the oldest person to ever win an Academy Award. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoeim and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Sometimes peoples’ lives intersect with history in a way you never forget. That’s the case with Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. They died in the electric chair in 1953, leaving behind two young children, Robbie and Michael, who miraculously grew up to be successful adults. I spoke with Michael about his childhood and the controversial choices his parents made. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoiem and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Adam McKay’s new film Don’t Look Up is breaking records on Netflix. Featuring an all-star cast, the movie is about a comet hurtling towards earth. McKay is famous for his collaborations with Will Ferrell in films like Anchorman and Talladega Nights. Their long-time working relationship broke up a few years ago. More about that, our country’s poisonous politics and why the LA Lakers make Adam McKay so happy. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoeim and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
He likes Russian bear hats and martinis and he collects watches. Gary Shteyngart came to this country from Russia when he was 7 and grew up in Queens, New York. Gary says he was bullied in the schoolyard because he spoke with a thick accent and dressed funny. He also writes funny books. Gary’s latest novel is called Our Country Friends. It’s about a group of people who live together during the pandemic. We talk about his 1967 Rolex GMT, a circumcision that went wrong and what the world looks like from the eyes of Gary Shteyngart. “Now What?” is produced with help from Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoeim and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Norman, Lear, one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever talked to, will turn 100 in July. Lear says that one reason he’s still around is that he spends so much time laughing. He teamed up with Jimmy Kimmel to produce the Emmy award-winning show Live in Front of a Studio Audience which recreates episodes of Lear’s sitcoms like Good Times and All in the Family. Lear’s other hit shows include Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude. I spoke to Norman Lear when he was 95 about life, death and everything in between. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Alex Wolfe and Annika Hoeim. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Covid is raging again. The virus has similarities to another serious health problem. This one is caused by a tick bite and it can wreak havoc on your life. Just ask Ross Douthat, an Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times who fought a 5-year battle with Lyme disease. We talk about what happens when your life becomes a medical horror story and doctors can’t help you. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoiem and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Ricki Lake’s career took off when she was 19 and starred as Tracy Turnblad in John waters’ cult film Hairspray.. Lake played a high school student whose hair was so big that the kid who sat in back of her complained that he couldn’t see the teacher. Lake went on to host a talk show that lasted for 11 seasons. Now she makes documentaries about women’s health. Her latest one is called The Business of Birth Control. We talk about the art of reinventing yourself and all the twists and turns Ricki Lake’s life has taken. "Now What?" is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoiem and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
She’s most famous for her role as Carmela Soprano, the long-suffering wife of mob boss Tony Soprano played by Jim Gandolfini. Now, the long-running TV series has found a new audience, young people who can’t get enough of the New Jersey crime family. Falco has moved on to other roles. She played Hillary Clinton in the mini-series “Impeachment: American Crime Story.” And she’s starring in an off-Broadway play called “Morning Sun.” We talk about acting, motherhood and why she’s chosen to be a vegan and a Buddhist. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoiem and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
He’s a staff writer for the New Yorker and a Pulitzer-prize winner for his book The Looming Tower. Lawrence Wright also wrote an expose of Scientology called Going Clear. His latest book, The Plague Year, looks at pandemics and how long we all may have to live with Covid-19. But when Wright isn’t thinking about big subjects, he sings and plays keyboard in a band called WhoDo in his hometown of Austin, Texas. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoiem and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick CIavatta.
Sarah Ruhl is an award-winning writer whose play Eurydice has been turned into an opera at Lincoln Center. Ruhl is also a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a Tony Award nominee for her play In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play). After Ruhl gave birth to twins, a hospital worker noticed that Ruhl’s left eye was droopy. That turned out to be a 10-year battle with a paralyzed face. We talk about the sadness of not being able to smile and the joy of working in the theater again. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoiem and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick CIavatta.
Photo credit is Greg Constanzo.
I first met Neil deGrasse Tyson at a bug eating event at the Museum of Natural History when he was munching on a fried tarantula. You may remember Tyson as the host of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. That was the continuation of a television series that originally starred Carl Sagan, another well-known astrophysicist. Tyson is also the Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York and he’s written more than 17 books. The latest is called A Brief Welcome to the Universe. But when you’re talking to Neil deGrasse Tyson, as you’ll discover, nothing is brief. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoiem and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Georgina Pazcoguin started taking ballet lessons when she was 4 and when she was a teenager she was accepted into the School of American Ballet. She wound up becoming a soloist with the NYC Ballet and butting heads with Director Peter Martins. We talk about the tightly wound world of ballet, dancing nude in Oh! Calcutta! and Georgina’s tell-all book Swan Dive. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Fei Lu and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Photo by Matthew Karas
What is it with our Presidents? They all play golf. I think it has something to do with power. And friendship, too. Gary Ginsberg wrote a book called “First Friends.” It’s about nine U.S. Presidents and the people closest to them like Abe Lincoln and Joshua Speed. They slept in the same bed for four years. Vernon Jordan stayed loyal to Bill Clinton even as impeachment loomed. And then there’s Donald Trump the loner. He didn’t have a best friend. We talk about the long arm of history and friends in high places. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Fei Lu and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Ben Rhodes was 29 when he went to work for Barack Obama in the White House. In his role as Deputy National Security Advisor, Rhodes helped to negotiate the Iran nuclear deal and the opening to Cuba, only to see Donald Trump tear down those policies. Then Rhodes traveled to Hungary, Russia and China to look at governments that promote nationalism. I talk to Ben Rhodes about reinvention, global despair and what the road ahead might look like. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Fei Lu and Alexander Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick CIavatta.
James Patterson has written 140 novels, mostly thrillers. His books have sold over 300 million copies. Many of them were created with co-authors including former President Bill Clinton. Patterson is also a philanthropist who has given millions to causes that promote reading. And he says, “I don’t take myself too seriously. Yeah, I sell a lot of books. So what?” I talk to James Patterson about what it’s like to be the world’s best-selling author and why he can’t wait to get up every morning and write something new. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Fei Lu and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Amanda Kloots may be the most famous Covid widow in the world. It’s not a distinction that anyone wants to have. Kloots’ husband, former Broadway star Nick Cordero, died of the effects of the virus last year at the age of 41. Kloots, who is also a celebrity fitness trainer and workout guru, wrote about losing Nick, raising their young son Elvis and how to move on in her memoir Live Your Life. We talk about what inspires her, how to stay positive and the benefits of jumping rope. Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Fei Lu and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney likes to take on controversial subjects. He exposed the Scientology community in his film Going Clear. And then there was the portrait of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in The Inventor and her claims to have pioneered a revolutionary new way to test blood. Gibney’s latest doc is The Crime of the Century about the Sackler family, Purdue Pharma and the company’s role in the devastating opioid crisis. Gibney talks about calling out wrong doers and telling the truth. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Alex Wolfe and Fei Lu. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
So far she’s written 17 novels including her breakout book We Need to Talk About Kevin which was made into a movie starring Tilda Swinton and put Lionel Shriver on the map. When she’s not sitting at her desk thinking up stories to terrify us you can probably find Shriver on the tennis court or saying something politically incorrect. Lionel Shriver talks about how she’s made an art out of speaking her mind and the suicide pact in her new book Should We Stay or Should We Go? “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Anxiety is running rampant through our lives these days. Covid hasn’t helped. The political situation is chaotic. And everywhere we turn we’re bombarded with social media and sensory input of all kinds. Don’t despair. Dr. Jud Brewer has our backs. Brewer is the Director of Research and Innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center and he’s written a book called Unwinding Anxiety. We talk about scientific ways to calm down and even get to that gratifying feeling of joy. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
One day in 1970, the Village Voice sent writer Vivian Gornick to cover a women’s-liberation gathering on Bleecker Street. She came back a radical feminist. And it was her articles in the Voice that helped spread the word about the burgeoning gender equality movement that came to be known as second wave feminism. Since then Gornick has written many books including her latest Taking a Long Look and her celebrated memoir Fierce Attachments. We walked through the streets of Greenwich Village talking about all the things that make a long life worth living. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Gregory Gourdet started his culinary career working at the exclusive restaurant Jean Georges. But Gourdet also spent a lot of time at raves, taking large amounts of drugs and drinking. His addiction wound up derailing his career. But then Gourdet detoxed, becoming a serious marathon runner and gaining a reputation for cooking healthy food. Now, he’s a judge on Top Chef and has written a cookbook called Everyone’s Table which features recipes that contain not a drop of dairy, gluten or refined sugar. Gregory Gourdet spills the beans on this episode of “Now What?” which is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer and Tay Glass. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
When I was in college, the Kennedy clan was America’s political dynasty, our country’s royalty. There certainly were a lot of them. Matriarch Rose Kennedy and Joseph Kennedy, Sr. had 9 children including John F., Robert F. and Ted. Robert had 11 children. His sister Eunice had 5 including Tim Shriver, long-time Chairman of the Special Olympics. I talk to Shriver about having more cousins than you can count and his book The Call to Unite. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Mark Bittman has been in the center of the world of food and cooking for the past 40 years. He was a long-time columnist for the New York Times and has written more than 30 books. His latest is “Animal, Vegetable, Junk: From Sustainable to Suicidal. It’s a deep dive into the history of agriculture as far back as the Crusades. We talk about farming, the environment and the future of the planet. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Silicon Valley is known for its young billionaire entrepreneurs, catered lunches, in-house yoga classes and Whiskey Wednesdays. Writer Anna Wiener worked at start-ups where she had a front row seat to the industry’s culture. Wiener wrote a book about it called “Uncanny Valley” which the New York Times named one of the 10 best books of 2020. We talk about innovation, greed and sexism in the heart of tech. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe.
Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.