He was editor of Vanity Fair for 25 years during a time that big glossy magazines ruled. Its pages were filled with stories about Hollywood royalty, Brangelina, fashion icons like Calvin, Giorgio and Donatella. Even Graydon’s hair became famous for the way it took off on the sides like a winged creature. Graydon knows everyone and has juicy stories to tell. All this at a time when people turned real pages and lavish expense accounts reigned. The Vanity Fair Oscar party became the hottest ticket in town. People would do anything for an invitation. One year someone brought a pig as their guest. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Singer Ani DiFranco’s career took off in the 90s when she became a big hit with people from the millennial generation, like my son Jon who spent his teenage years listening to DiFranco’s song Untouchable Face over and over again. Her lyrics speak to the raw emotions of adulthood, especially when it comes to relationships and identity. And all these years later DiFranco’s career is alive and well. She’s about to embark on her Spirit of Love tour heading for cities across the country. I attended one of her concerts recently. Her fans are passionate and the energy is electric. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Jeanette Winterson is a writer who grew up in a Pentecostal evangelical family in a little town in the north of England. She was adopted. Her parents were poor. There was no indoor bathroom. Winterson dreamed of escaping that life. When she was 16, she fell in love with a woman. Her parents were scandalized. Winterson left home, slept in her car and managed to get into Oxford. She’s fascinated by the ancient fairy tales in The One Thousand and One Nights. Winterson uses these stories as a framework in her new book One Aladdin Two Lamps. We talk about good relationships, ghosts, elves and AI. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Caroline Paul is an adventure seeker. She’s been a white-water rafting guide and pioneered first descents on unexplored rivers in Borneo. To experience wing walking, she strapped herself to the top of a biplane while it performed maneuvers like loops and rolls. She’s also racked up credits as a luge athlete, that crazy sport where you race down steep, icy tracks on small sleds, lying on your back. Now, Paul pilots a gyrocopter, a machine that might remind you of a praying mantis with wings. We talk about how the thrill of flight relates to themes of love and why Paul says it’s easier to learn a landing than a human heart. “Now What?” is produced with help from Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
When Jimmy Wales was 3, growing up in Huntsville, Alabama, a door-to-door salesman sold his mother a copy of the World Book Encyclopedia. Jimmy fell in love with it. As an adult he had the idea of creating an online encyclopedia that would give everyone free access to the sum of all human knowledge. The result is Wikipedia, which Wales co-founded 25 years ago. Though not without controversy, Wikipedia is a runaway success. It’s the world’s largest, most comprehensive encyclopedia with more than 1 and a half billion unique visitors a month. That should only happen to “Now What?” I talk to Jimmy Wales about his new book The Seven Rules of Trust and how we can make a difference in a bitterly divided society. “Now What is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Until she was 10, Emi Nietfeld led a pretty normal life. It was when her parents divorced that her world fell apart. The parent she knew to be her father transitioned to a woman named Michelle. Her mother was a police photographer with serious psychological problems. In her book, Acceptance, Emi who is now 32, talks about the price she paid for working so hard to overcome circumstances that no child should have to endure. They include stints in a psychiatric ward, living in foster care, stays in a homeless shelter and a suicide attempt at the age of 13. So how did she wind up graduating from Harvard and what lessons can be learned from a childhood where welfare systems fail you? We talk about the notion of self-worth and how hard it is to outrun your past. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
It hasn’t been a great year when it comes to treating our fellow human beings with dignity and respect. But it's been a great year for talking to extraordinary people on “Now What?” Larry Charles is a true character who wore his pajamas to work and directed Sacha Baron Cohen in the movie Borat. Along with Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman was a hilarious member of the original cast of Saturday Night Live which just celebrated its 50th season. Alison Bechdel, the gifted graphic novelist of Fun Home, has a lot to say about living the life of a gay boomer radical in Vermont. “Now What?” has turned out to be a podcast with a very special community. It’s produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Gabrielle Hamilton’s father always told his five kids they had to do something practical with their lives and whatever they did, they had to be excellent at it. Mediocrity was a family sin. In 1999 Hamilton opened Prune, a 30-seat restaurant in the East Village, to rave reviews. She was honored with a James Beard award for Best Chef in New York City in 2011, followed by Outstanding Chef in 2018. Hamilton was also featured on the PBS series The Mind of a Chef. She realized her dream of becoming a writer with her best-selling memoir Blood, Bones and Butter. Now, she’s got a new book called Next of Kin. We talk about dysfunctional families and the pressures of life both inside and outside the kitchen. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Calvin Duncan grew up in the ninth ward in New Orleans. His mother died when he was very young. He stole food so he’d have enough to eat. When he was 19, Duncan was arrested for allegedly killing a man during a robbery. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, spending more than 28 years in Angola, Louisiana’s notorious state penitentiary. That’s when Duncan began studying law. In 2011, he was released from prison and at the age of 60, Duncan graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School. He’s just scored another first. This November, Calvin Duncan was elected Clerk of the Criminal Court in New Orleans. Duncan and Sophie Cull co-wrote The Jailhouse Lawyer. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Picture this. It was my first job in radio. I decided to do a series about women and comedy. The idea coincided with the birth of Saturday Night Live. The first interview: Gilda Radner. We sat on the floor, right across from Studio 8H where the show is still performed. Gilda told me all about what life is like when you become an overnight star. Then I talked to Jane Curtin about people asking her for autographs when she walked her dog. Somehow, in those years I missed talking to Laraine Newman. But I finally just caught up with her. And she’s the star of this episode. It's an outrageous conversation about SNL and all the things that have happened to her since. Plus, you’ll hear what Gilda and Jane had to say from those early day sit-downs. “Now What?” is produced with help from Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
E. Jean Carroll is a brave woman. In 2019, she sued Donald Trump for calling her a liar after she went public with the accusation that he had raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room. There was a second trial. This one was about defamation and sexual abuse. Juries in both cases found Donald Trump guilty. E. Jean Carroll was awarded more than $88 million in damages. Now, President Trump has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the judgement that he defamed and sexually abused her. She’s written a book about the court proceedings called Not My Type. We talk about resistance, trauma and never giving up. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Paul Krugman is proud of his accomplishments including being chosen as the sole winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to new trade theory. When it comes to trade, Krugman is no fan of President Trump’s tariffs. And President Trump is no fan of Paul Krugman. Trump has called Krugman a “deranged bum,” a description Krugman considers a great honor. After 25 years as a columnist for the New York Times, Krugman decided to leave the paper and go out on his own. He now writes a newsletter on Substack where he has about 400,000 subscribers. We talk about why he thinks the U.S. economy is in worse shape than it looks and why he continues to have faith in the American people. “Now What?” is produced with help from Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Jake Tapper anchors several programs on CNN including the Sunday morning public affairs show State of the Union. Tapper has been reporting on politics at the network for more than 12 years. He recently conducted a controversial text interview with President Trump. Tapper has written two books so far this year including the best seller Original Sin about Joe Biden’s mental and physical decline during his presidency. Tapper’s new book Race Against Terror is about a member of Al Qaeda who was tried in a U.S. criminal court for killing American troops in Afghanistan. We talk about jihadis, democracy and the Trump administration’s politics of revenge. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Former FBI Director James Comey is at the top of President Donald Trump’s enemies list. Trump has made no secret of his dislike for Comey, who was in charge of the FBI probe that looked into whether Russia had interfered with the 2016 election. In May of 2017, Donald Trump fired Comey. The President has prodded the Justice Department to go after his political opponents. Now, Comey has been indicted for allegedly lying to Congress. Critics say the country has entered a dangerous phase in which the government is taking revenge on its political opponents. In August 2023, I spoke to James Comey about decency, fairness and what it’s going to take to protect our democracy. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Virgil Abloh is a designer who broke the mold when it comes to the world of design. He had a degree in architecture, not fashion when he started out designing tee shirts. Kanye West became Virgil’s mentor at a time the rapper’s own career was taking off. Virgil went from designing streetwear to becoming the first Black artistic director of the French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton. Robin Givhan, a Pulitzer-prize winning Senior Critic-at-Large at the Washington Post was so fascinated by Virgil’s wide-ranging talent that she wrote a book about him called Make it Ours. We talk about Virgil’s tragic death at the age of 41 and how his work has had an historic impact on fashion. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Rax King is a writer. Her first book of essays is called Tacky. Her new one is Sloppy. King prides herself on being a model of bad behavior. Name a vice and she’s got it: overspending, shoplifting from Brandy Melville, lying, former cocaine abuser. She likes to wear low cut tops to show off her numerous tattoos. A prominent ink decoration that curves around her neck says “I’ll go on.” It frames her Bitch necklace. King also co-hosts a podcast called Low Culture Boil which she describes as trash-themed. We talk about the allure of being a bad girl, why watching Jersey Shore helped her to bond with her father and tips on how to audition as a stripper. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Footwear runs in the family. Kenneth Cole’s father had a shoe manufacturing company in Brooklyn. Cole’s brand is also known for the social issues he embraces, from combating HIV/AIDS to calling attention to the stigma of mental illness. The new documentary A Man with Sole looks at how Cole’s company took off after he parked a trailer in front of the Hilton Hotel, installed a red carpet and sold 40,000 pairs of shoes in three days. Cole also figured out how to revive his company when the going got tough. I spoke to Kenneth Cole in his Manhattan headquarters about the rewards of being a risk taker. “Now What?” is produced with help from Steve Zimmer, Patrick Emile, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Laurie Woolever was chef Mario Batali’s assistant at a time when his hit restaurant Babbo was attracting celebrity diners vying for reservations. Then she spent almost a decade working for Anthony Bourdain. Woolever made haircut appointments for the TV host in New York and she found places in Singapore or Mumbai where Bourdain could practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when he was on the road filming his long-running TV show Parts Unknown. After the shocking phone call in 2018 letting her know that her boss had taken his own life, Woolever felt lost. In Woolever’s memoir Care and Feeding, she talks a lot about the influence of the two celebrity chefs who came to dominate her life. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Maira Kalman is one of those multi-talented people. She writes children’s stories and books for adults. She’s also a contributor to the New York Times, creates covers for the New Yorker and sets for operas. Her latest book, Still Life with Remorse, includes family stories, paintings and vignettes about historical figures like Leo Tolstoy and Franz Kafka. She also likes to dress up like like those characters and make funny films about them. We spoke in Kalman's Greenwich village studio and laughed a lot about life's craziest moments.“Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
James Carville’s nickname is The Ragin’ Cajun. He became famous when Bill Clinton hired him as his lead political strategist in 1992 and Carville helped the guy from Hope beat George H.W. Bush to become the 42nd U.S. president. Carville’s aggressive tactics are highlighted in the documentary “The War Room.” He’s also famous for being part of a couple who are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, former Republican strategist Mary Matalin. Carville now co-hosts the podcast “Politics War Room.” He also spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to help the Democratic party regain power. We talk about what went wrong and how scared we should be. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Larry Charles is a true character. He liked to wear his pajamas to work. He was one of the original writers of Seinfeld. He also wrote and directed Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes. In between, Charles made a movie with Bob Dylan called Masked and Anonymous that was never released. He also directed Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat and Bruno where Cohen ran down the street in an orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood wearing pink hot pants. Larry Charles wrote a memoir called Comedy Samurai. The book is very funny. This conversation is hilarious. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Paul Hawken has racked up several notable accomplishments in his life. As a teenager, in the mid-60s, Hawken headed south to join the civil rights movement. He’s always had a strong sense of social justice and he started several companies that emphasized operating in a socially responsible way including The Erewhon Trading Company, a natural foods wholesaler, and the garden supply company Smith and Hawken. And through it all Paul Hawken Has thought a lot about our environment, the climate and how people relate to one another in their lives. He’s also written more than 10 books. His latest is called Carbon: The Book of Life. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Penn Jillette and his partner Teller have created one of the most successful and lucrative careers in show business by using mind bending effects and revealing the secrets behind their magic tricks. Teller is the short one with sleight of hand who doesn’t speak. Penn is 6 feet 6 inches tall. He’s the juggler who talks and plays the double bass. They’re the longest-running headliners in the history of Las Vegas and they have a TV show called Penn and Teller: Fool Us. In his spare time, Penn Jillette writes books. His latest is a novel called Felony Juggler. We talk about politics, why he thinks of himself as a professional atheist and how he lost 100 pounds in 3 months. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Alison Bechdel is a cartoonist and graphic novelist. She first started getting attention for her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For and later wrote a graphic memoir called Fun Home which is about her father’s troubled life and her own experience of coming out as a lesbian. In 2015, Fun Home was produced as a Broadway musical and won 5 Tony Awards. Her new graphic novel Spent is about an artist trying to come to terms with her past success. And here’s a spoiler. She includes this in her story but Alison Bechdel doesn’t really run a sanctuary farm for pygmy goats. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
Writer Sophie Gilbert has a theory about the early 2000s. In her new book Girl on Girl, she’s written about some disturbing trends in popular culture focusing on the way that girls were portrayed in magazines and TV shows. Britney Spears, the "Princess of Pop,” appeared on 8 Rolling Stone covers dressed in scanty outfits and striking provocative poses. Lindsay Lohan became a pop idol at the age of 17. Keeping Up with the Kardashians followed Khloe, Kylie, Kris, Kourtney, Kim and Kendall. The reality show glorified celebrity and set what some consider to be unrealistic standards of beauty. I talk to Gilbert about how the sexualization of young women damaged their self-image and hurt the feminist movement. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Lucy Little and Jackie Schwartz. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.