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.
Science journalist Elizabeth Kolbert has watched an invasive species of Asian carp jump 10 feet into the air when they’re shocked. She’s gone to the Mojave Desert to see how researchers are trying to save tiny little pupfish. And she’s traveled to the Great Barrier Reef to see coral that’s turned as white as a ghost because of rising water temperatures. Kolbert talks about far-out environmental fixes and what’s in store for our children on Planet Earth. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
You probably know Gabriel Byrne as an accomplished actor from Ireland who’s appeared in more than 80 films. But before Byrne took to the stage he had a series of odd jobs like being a plumber and a petty thief. Byrne was 40 before he appeared in his first American film Miller’s Crossing. He plays a criminal in The Usual Suspects and a psychiatrist in the series In Treatment. Byrne talks to me about his career and his memoir Wallking with Ghosts. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
David Duchovny spent 9 years investigating paranormal phenomenon on The X-Files, the TV series that turned him into a star. The actor also has other passions. He’s written 4 novels. His latest is called Truly Like Lightning. It’s about a former stuntman who becomes a Morman and lives in the desert with his 3 wives and 10 children. Plus, Duchovny sings. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Mark Cuban is one of those people who’s bigger than life. He’s a self-made billionaire whose father worked in an upholstery shop. Cuban started buying and selling companies during the 90s in the heart of the Internet boom. Then he bought the Dallas Mavericks, winning an NBA championship in 2011. Cuban is also a star of Shark Tank. He talks to me about money, deals and screaming at referees on this episode of “Now What?” which is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Alex Wolfe and Tay Glass. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Roman Mars likes to tell stories. He tells lots of them on his podcast 99% Invisible which is about design and architecture. Mars also likes to wear pocket squares and drink Coke Zero and talk about who created those inflatable figures you see waving around at gas stations and the trend to disguise cell phone towers as trees. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
He’s the first comic strip artist to win a Pulitzer Prize. The recognition was for Doonesbury which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Garry Trudeau captured the counter culture by creating characters like Zonker and Joanie Caucus. He also got a jump on another aspect of American life when he bega writing about the rise of Donald Trump more than 30 years ago. I talked to Garry Trudeau about Doonesbury’s memorable characters and the challenge of drawing Donald Trump’s hair. "Now What?" is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alexander Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta. Photo: Ali Goldstein
One of his most famous stories describes the Christmas David Sedaris dressed up as an elf when he worked at Macy’s Santaland. Since then, Sedaris has written essays that are about what it was like to grow up in a family of 6 kids in Raleigh, North Carolina, his drug using days and his obsessive behaviors like walking 43 miles in one day and picking up trash in England. Sedaris also talks about why he likes to prowl New York City’s streets after midnight and the current whereabouts of his new ruffled Comme des Garcons jacket. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
David Sedaris photo by Ingrid Christie.
Ethan Hawke has appeared in more than 60 films, been nominated for 4 Academy Awards and written 3 novels. And that’s probably all before breakfast. Hawke was 19 when he landed his breakout role in the Dead Poets Society starring Robin Williams. Now Hawke is starring in The Good Lord Bird in which he plays John Brown, the bible-toting rebel who devoted his life to abolishing slavery. Ethan Hawke talks to me about fanaticism, creativity and why he never stops until he gets it right. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alexander Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta. Photo: Sam Jones.
He’s the best-selling author of books like Motherless Brooklyn. His latest novel is The Arrest. Jonathan Lethem is a storyteller who mixes genres like hard-boiled crime novels, post-apocalyptic science fiction and superhero comics. Growing up in Bohemian Brooklyn in the 1970s, Lethem learned everything there was to know about the music of Bob Dylan and saw Star-Wars twenty-one times during its original theatrical release. He also collected drawings of vomiting cats. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Gabe Zimmer, Steve Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
She’s had great roles on Broadway and on television. Edie Falco played a prison officer in Oz and the drug-addicted Jackie Peyton on Nurse Jackie. But Falco’s breakout role was starring as Carmela Soprano, the long-suffering wife of mob boss Tony Soprano on The Sopranos, one of the best series ever on television. Falco is also a vegan, a Buddhist, a single mother and as far away from a diva as you can get. I talked to her about how she tries to live every moment as it comes. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Gabe Zimmer, Tay Glass and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Jane Fonda has lived about as full a life as anyone on this planet. Born to Hollywood royalty, actor Henry Fonda, Jane became a star in her own right taking home 2 Academy Awards for Best Actress. And then there’s Jane the activist who’s passionate about fighting climate change and has gotten herself arrested 5 times for civil disobedience. Jane Fonda talks to me about growing up with no confidence in herself and having to marry powerful men to feel that she counts. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Gabe Zimmer and Tay Glass. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
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Julie Taymor has scored a number of firsts. She was the first woman to win a Tony award for Best Direction of a Musical, The Lion King, which has earned more money than any entertainment title in box office history. Her latest project is a movie called The Glorias about Gloria Steinem. She’s hoping that the life story of one of the world’s most famous feminists will inspire people in these challenging times. Julie Taymor talks about her dreams, her fears and her passions on “Now What?” which is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Gabe Zimmer and Tay Glass. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta. Photo is by Marco Grob.