Kent Swig is a legend in real estate circles. Swig began buying buildings in New York’s financial district in the late 90s. At the peak, Swig’s buildings were worth about $3 billion. But when the 2008 financial crisis hit, the bottom fell out for Swig. He’d taken out what he thought would be a short-term personal loan of more than $21 million and his marriage ended in a bitter divorce. Now Swig is back. He’s paying his creditors, he’s doing deals and riding his surfboard in a quest to find the perfect wave. “Now What? is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoeim and Alex Wolfe. Audio production in by Nick Ciavatta.
We wake up in the morning and plan. Maybe I’ll meet a friend for lunch. Maybe I’ll go to Italy in July. But life sometimes throws unexpected curves. That’s what happened to writer Amy Bloom who was happily married to her husband Brian, an architect, when she began to notice that Brian would get lost on his way to the grocery store. When Brian was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease he made a decision. He asked Amy to research ways he could end his life quickly and painlessly. I talk to Amy Bloom talk about what happened next, endings and beginnings. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoeim and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
He came of age when rock n’ roll was entering a Renaissance. Stevie Van Zandt was a teenager when he met another music freak named Bruce Springsteen. Stevie joined the E Street band. He quit the E Street band. Leaving, he said, was the worst decision he ever made. But Stevie recovered, becoming a political activist and an actor, landing the role of Silvio, Tony Soprano’s right hand man in The Sopranos. We laugh a lot talking about music, the glory years and what to do when you realize you’ve screwed up your life. “Now What?” is produced with the help of Steve Zimmer, Annika Hoeim and Alex Wolfe. Audio production is by Nick Ciavatta.
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.
In 2001, when the World Trade Center was attacked, I was a reporter at Bloomberg Radio. I was sent to Pakistan to cover the bombing campaign the U.S. was about to embark on in retaliation for 9/11. Based in Islamabad, I spent weeks traveling around Pakistan, visiting tribal areas in Peshawar and refugee camps where Afghanis had fled to escape the Taliban. I talked to women about the repressive policies of the Muslim extremists who then ruled Pakisatn. Now, 20 years later, the same fears fill the hearts of Afghanis and their desire to flee sounds eerily like the stories I was told in 2001. And I, like so many others, now worry about what will happen to the people of Afghanistan.
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.
Lizzie Borden named herself after an ax murderer when she was a kid growing up in Detroit. In the 1980s she gained a reputation as a radical feminist filmmaker. Born in Flames is about an underground women’s army. Working Girls takes place in a brothel and tells the story of middle class sex workers. Then Borden went to Hollywood to make a film for Harvey Weinstein that turned out to be a disaster. Now, Borden’s early movies are making a comeback. A restored version of Working Girls was recently re-released in theaters across the country. “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.