Trailer
Synopsis
Vintage interview tapes. New animations. The mission is simple: curate and transform journalists' unheard interviews with American icons. The future of journalism is remixing the past.
Episode 80 : Oliver Sacks on Ripe Bananas
January. 24,2017
”I’m very interested in how people adapt to extremes”
This interview was recorded on July 28, 1996 for the Cover-to-Cover radio show on WGBH-FM in Boston.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 79 : Stephen King on Childhood
December. 13,2016
“We think in a different way as children. We tend to think around corners instead of in straight lines.“
Conversation recorded on October 22, 1989 and originally aired on the Public Radio Book Show. It comes to us courtesy of WAMC Northeast Public Radio and the New York State Writers Institute.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 78 : Francis Ford Coppola on Solitude
November. 29,2016
”Death is on the back of everyone’s minds whether they want to admit it or not.”
This interview was recorded on July 28, 1996 when Francis Ford Coppola was promoting the film, Jack, starring Robin Williams.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 77 : Leonard Cohen on Moonlight
November. 15,2016
“I don’t feel any compulsion just to stand under the spotlight night after night unless I have something to say“
This interview by Kathleen Kendel was recorded on December 4, 1974 when Leonard Cohen appeared on WBAI FM in New York City. We uncovered this interview in the Pacifica Radio Archives.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 76 : Jimmy Carter on Power and God
November. 01,2016
“Although I have prayed a good bit, and do, I've never asked God to let me be President.“
This conversation was recorded on May 6, 1976, six months before Jimmy Carter was elected President and comes to us from WNET and Bill Moyers Journal.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 75 : Ronald Reagan on Oatmeal Meat
October. 11,2016
“How did I get over being poor? I got a job as a sports announcer and it led to everything else.“ - Ronald Reagan.
Interview by Bill Moyers recorded on April 30, 1979 - six months before Reagan announced his run for president and nearly two years before he was sworn into office as the 40th President of the United States. This interview comes to us from WNET and Bill Moyers Journal.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 74 : Stevie Wonder on Keys of Life
September. 27,2016
"If God didn't want me to sing it, he wouldn't have given me the talent to do it“ - Stevie Wonder in 2005.
Barney Hoskyns recorded this interview with Stevie Wonder on March 26, 2005.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 73 : Aldous Huxley on Technodictators
September. 13,2016
"If you want to preserve your power indefinitely, you have to get the consent of the ruled" - Aldous Huxley.
In this remarkable interview, Huxley foretells a future when telegenic presidential hopefuls use television to rise to power, technology takes over, drugs grab hold, and frightful dictatorships rule us all. The interview originally aired on Wallace’s television show, The Mike Wallace Interview, on May 18, 1958. Aldous Huxley, the author of Brave New World, was 63 when he sat down for this interview. He died in 1963.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 71 : Nora Ephron on Crazy Salad
July. 12,2016
"It’s okay being a woman now. I like it. Try it some time.” - Nora Ephron.
This interview by Studs Terkel with Nora Ephron was recorded on July 28, 1975 and comes from the remarkable WFMT Studs Terkel Radio Archive.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 70 : Bob Dylan at 20 on Freak Shows
June. 28,2016
“I'm never going to become rich and famous” - Bob Dylan in 1962.
This interview originally aired on WBAI FM in New York City in February of 1962. Dylan was 20 at the time and it was his first appearance on the Folksingers Choice radio show. This recording was uncovered from the Pacifica Radio Archives. After the animated section of this episode is an excerpt of Dylan talking about his songwriting process from another of Pacifica’s interviews, which was also recorded in 1962.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 65 : Martin Scorsese on Framing
April. 12,2016
"Sometimes when it all comes together ... you become the film you’re making." - Martin Scorsese in 1990, as told to T.J. English.
In this new episode we have a previously unheard conversation with legendary director, Martin Scorsese, on how he's framed his movies and his life. The early foray into making a movie as a kid, toying with becoming a priest, and where his parents fit into all this. And wouldn't you like to see a Scorsese Western? Enjoy!
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 63 : Richard Feynman on What It Means
March. 25,2016
"The key was somehow to know what was important and what was not important, what was exciting, because I can’t learn everything." - Richard Feynman in 1966
Richard Feynman sat down for several hours of interviews in Altadena, California in June 1966. The conversations covered his life, thoughts on physics, and more. We uncovered this oral history at the American Institute of Physics.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 55 : Nina Simone on Shock
December. 01,2015
"I feel more alive now than I ever have in my life. I have a chance to live, as I've dreamed." - Nina Simone in July, 1968
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 54 : Kurt Vonnegut on Man-Eating Lampreys
November. 10,2015
"Nothing means anything" - Kurt Vonnegut on November 8, 1970
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 53 : Bill Murray on Being Obnoxious
October. 27,2015
"I‘m just an obnoxious guy who can make it appear charming, that’s what they pay me to do"
- Bill Murray in October 1988
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 52 : Patty Hearst on Reasonable Doubt
October. 13,2015
"I'm sorry, I‘m a coward. I didn’t want to die."
- Patty Hearst in 1982 in the first interview she gave after getting out of prison
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 51 : Tom Waits on Everything and Nothing
September. 29,2015
"I don’t know what the ‘big time’ is" - Tom Waits in 1988.
Tom Waits had just released the concert film, Big Time, when he was interviewed by Chris Roberts in September 1988. The interview was recorded on cassette tape at a recording studio; you can hear various tunes playing in the background. We found the interview in the Rock’s Backpages archive.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 50 : Hunter S. Thompson on Outlaws
July. 28,2015
“I keep my mouth shut now. I’ve turned into a professional coward.”
- Hunter S. Thompson in 1967
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 49 : Dustin Hoffman in 1971 on Duplicity and Famosity
July. 14,2015
"I did as much as I could do at that time in my life ... I tried as hard as I could and I couldn't do better"
- Dustin Hoffman in 1971
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 48 : Roger Ebert on Ego
June. 23,2015
"I have innate confidence that I am right. Partially out of conviction and partially as a pose." - Roger Ebert in 1990
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 47 : Ayn Rand on Love and Happiness
June. 09,2015
" I have no faith at all. I only hold convictions."
- Ayn Rand on February 25, 1959, as told to Mike Wallace
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 46 : Joni Mitchell on Illusions
May. 26,2015
"I didn’t like the sound of people gasping at the mere mention of my name. It horrified me."
- Joni Mitchell in 1986, as told to Joe Smith
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 45 : John Coltrane on Giant Steps
May. 12,2015
"I want to be the force which is truly for good."
- John Coltrane in 1966, as told Frank Kofsky
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 44 : Ray Bradbury on Madmen
April. 28,2015
"Nobody else is going to give a damn what you're doing, so you need a few other people like yourself"
- Ray Bradbury as told to two college kids on road trip in 1972
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 43 : Dolly Parton on Getting Dirty
April. 14,2015
"Mama just always said, 'you be what you are and you don't have to worry about nothing'"
- Dolly Parton as told to Lawrence Grobel on March 13, 1978
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 42 : Lou Reed on Guns & Ammo
February. 17,2015
"I write a song called 'Heroin', you would have thought that I murdered the Pope or something"
- Lou Reed on March 20, 1987, as told to Joe Smith
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 41 : B.B. King on The Blues
February. 03,2015
"I don't like to feel that I owe anything. I like to feel that I pay my own way, no free lunch."
- B.B. King on September 5, 1986, as told to Joe Smith
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 40 : Elliott Smith on Freaks
January. 20,2015
"A lot of people are kind of depressed. I'm happy some of the time, and some of the time I'm not."
- Elliott Smith in 1998, as told to Barney Hoskyns
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 39 : Tom Robbins on Jitterbugs
December. 16,2014
"If I knew how it was going to end, I probably wouldn't write it."
- Tom Robbins in 1994, as told to Tod Mesirow
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 38 : Robin Williams on Masks
December. 02,2014
"Comedy is there to basically show us we fart, we laugh. To make us realize we still are part animal.... So you don't take yourself seriously and destroy the species."
- Robin Williams in 1991, as told to Lawrence Grobel
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 37 : Wayne Coyne on Living With Death
November. 11,2014
"I'm pouring my guts out so they can feel like your guts at the same time."
- Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips in 2002
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 36 : Maya Angelou on Con Men
October. 28,2014
"The only way you can be a mark is if you want something for nothing. If you're greedy, you're set up." - Maya Angelou, as told to Studs Terkel in 1970
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 35 : Liberace on Peacocking
October. 14,2014
"Anyone that dares begrudge what I have today, just better get off their duff and do something about it"
- Liberace in 1968 as told to Jay Kent Hackleman
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 34 : Bette Davis on The Sexes
September. 30,2014
"I think men have got to change an awful lot. They still prefer the little woman."
- Bette Davis in 1963
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 33 : Michael Jackson on Godliness
September. 16,2014
"My singing… i'll just say it simple as possible: it's just godly."
- Michael Jackson in January 1980
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 32 : Jimi Hendrix on The Experience
August. 26,2014
"When things get too heavy just call me helium--the lightest known gas to man."
- Jimi Hendrix in his final interview
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 31 : Meryl Streep on Beauty
June. 24,2014
"It's very humbling to imagine somebody else's really life and their pain ... It's my drug"
- Meryl Streep
Interview by Christine Spines, 2008
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 30 : Philip Seymour Hoffman on Happiness
June. 03,2014
"Learning how to die is therefore learning how to live"
- Philip Seymour Hoffman
Conversation with Simon Critchley recorded live at the Rubin Museum of Art on Dec 22, 2012
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 29 : David Bowie on Stardust
May. 20,2014
"I never really felt like a rock singer or a rock star. I always felt a little bit out of my element"
- David Bowie
Interview by Joe Smith
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 28 : Gene Wilder on The Truth
May. 06,2014
"On stage or in the movies I could do whatever I wanted to. I was free."
- Gene Wilder, March 2007
Conversation with Ms. magazine founding editor Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 27 : John Lennon and Yoko Ono on Love
April. 22,2014
"It's all true, folks: all you need is love."
- John Lennon, 1969
Interviews by Howard Smith
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 26 : Johnny Cash on The Gospel
April. 08,2014
"I just hope and pray I can die with my boots on"
- Johnny Cash, 1996
Interview by Barney Hoskyns
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 25 : Heath Ledger on Role Playing
March. 04,2014
"My nervous energy is usually the easiest form of energy to tap into"
- Heath Ledger
Interview by Christine Spines
Fall 2005, Cassette Tape
Her profile ran in Entertainment Weekly
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 24 : Stan Getz on Wasted Years
February. 18,2014
"I've done some dastardly things, but what can I do except make amends and apologize?"
- Stan Getz
Interview by Joe Smith
August 7, 1987, Los Angeles
Tape recorder
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 23 : Carol Burnett on Finding Home
January. 21,2014
"When I looked in his eyes, he was there. He was home... I had a dad."
- Carol Burnett
Interview by Leonard Lopate
August 19, 2003, WNYC Studios
Original interview aired on the Leonard Lopate Show
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 22 : Barry White on Making Love
January. 07,2014
"When a man is making love, the last thing he thinks about is war"
- Barry White
Interview by Joe Smith
April 3, 1987, Los Angeles
Tape recorder
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 21 : John Updike on Family Affairs
December. 17,2013
"There is the fear that you somehow neglected to say what was really yours to say" - John Updike
Interview by John Freeman
Spring 2002
Microcassette recorder
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 20 : Tupac Shakur on Life and Death
December. 03,2013
"If I was white I would have been like John Wayne... I feel like a tragic hero in a Shakespeare play" - Tupac Shakur
Interview by Benjamin Svetkey
March 1994
Microcassette recorder
Related profile appeared in Entertainment Weekly
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 19 : Grace Kelly on JFK
November. 19,2013
"He turned to me suddenly and asked: 'Is that a Givenchy you're wearing?' And I said, 'why how clever of you, Mr. President. However did you know?'"
- Grace Kelly
Interview by Paul Gallico / JFK Archives
June 19, 1965
Palace of the Principality, Monaco
Reel-to-reel
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 18 : Jerry Garcia on The Acid Tests
November. 05,2013
"When we fell in with the Acid Tests we a started having the most fun we had ever had."
- Jerry Garcia
Interview by Joe Smith
May 23, 1988
Cassette Tape
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 17 : Kurt Cobain on Identity
October. 22,2013
"I even thought that I was gay. I thought that might be the solution to my problem." - Kurt Cobain
Interview by Jon Savage
July 22, 1993. Cassette Tape
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 16 : Ray Charles on Singing True
October. 08,2013
"If somebody don't like something that I do, that's his or her prerogative. Just like it's mine." - Ray Charles.
Joe Smith interviewed Ray Charles on June 3, 1987 during the writing of Off the Record–his oral history of rock and roll.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 15 : Janis Joplin on Rejection
September. 23,2013
"In my insides, it really hurts if someone doesn't like me. It's silly."
- Janis Joplin
Howard Smith interviewed Janis Joplin by phone on September 30, 1970. This turned out to be the last interview Janis ever did. She died on October 4, 1970. Howard was writing for the Village Voice.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 14 : Fidel Castro: The Lost Interview
July. 23,2013
"If this Revolution falls, what we will have here in Cuba is a hell. Hell itself." - Fidel Castro
Clark Hewitt Galloway interviewed Fidel Castro in Havana in 1959 in the midst of the Cuban revolution. His story ran in U.S. News & World Report. Galloway’s granddaughter, Laura Galloway, held on to her grandfather’s interview tape.
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 13 : Farrah Fawcett on Stiletto Power
July. 09,2013
"I've got on these stiletto heels aimed for his face."
- Farrah Fawcett
Interview by Lawrence Grobel
1994, Hollywood
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 12 : Louis Armstrong on His Chops
June. 25,2013
"You've got to be good or as bad as the devil. ... Even if we had two, three days off I still had to blow that horn a few hours to keep up the chops."
- Louis Armstrong
Interview by Michael Aisner and James R. Stein
1964. Ravinia near Chicago
Originally aired on WNTH - Winnetka, Illinois
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 11 : Maurice Sendak on Being a Kid
June. 10,2013
"I still think the same way I thought as a child. I still worry. I'm still frightened... Nothing changes."
- Maurice Sendak
Interview by Andrew Romano and Ramin Seetodeh
2009. Sendak's home in Connecticut
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 10 : James Brown on Conviction, Respect & Reagan
May. 28,2013
"Black is not a color; it's an attitude. It's the attitude of independence, respect and dignity."
- James Brown
Interview by Rocci Fisch
1984. Washington, D.C. Convention Center
Originally recorded for ABC News Radio
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 9 : Wilt Chamberlain on Tall Tales
May. 14,2013
"I think a lot of ladies found me so attractive because I was different."
- Wilt Chamberlain
Original interview aired in 1992 on "Sports Innerview with Ann Liguori"
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 8 : Beastie Boys on Being Stupid
April. 30,2013
"There's a way we talk and it includes profanity. We never figured we'd be arrested for it."
- Mike "Mike D" Diamond
Interview by Rocci Fisch for ABC News Radio
1985, Washington, D.C. Cassette Tape
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 7 : David Foster Wallace on Ambition
April. 17,2013
"If your fidelity to perfectionism is too high, you never do anything." - David Foster Wallace
Interview by Leonard Lopate, WNYC
March 4, 1996
Interview originally aired on the Leonard Lopate Show
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 6 : Jim Morrison on Why Fat is Beautiful
April. 02,2013
"What's wrong with being fat? That's what I want to know." - Jim Morrison
Interview by Howard Smith
TheSmithTapes.com / Villagevoice.com
Los Angeles, 1969
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 5 : Larry King on Getting Seduced
March. 19,2013
"I'm playing these records. The phone rings and I pick it up: 'WAHR'. And this lady's voice--I can still hear her voice--she goes: 'I want you.'" - Larry King
Interview by Cal Fussman
Esquire writer-at-large
Los Angeles, 2001
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Episode 4 : Dave Brubeck on Fighting Communism with Jazz
January. 10,2013
"If I told you all the stories about what happened to people if they were caught listening to jazz." - Dave Brubeck in 2008
Interviewer: John Dankosky WNPR
Music: Dave Brubeck Quartet live at the 2008 Litchfield Jazz Festival
Watch Free
30-Day Free Trial
Seasons
Similar titles
Expédition extrême
Francis Bouillon, former defenseman of the Montreal Canadiens, is the expedition leader who makes famous personalities live through survival experiences. Over a period of up to 48 hours, guests are placed in a perilous situation inspired by actual events.
Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins
Faith Jenkins investigates burgeoning romances from their sweet beginnings, and follows what happened all the way through to their bitter endings. With her background as a criminal prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, and her expertise in matters of the heart, Faith gives her professional POV of the nightmarish cases. With firsthand accounts from victims' family, friends and law enforcement, each episode reveals the inner workings of intimate attachments that seemed fated to last forever and ended in murder.
On the Case with Paula Zahn
Award winning journalist Paula Zahn unravels shocking crimes interviewing those closest to the case including lawyers, the victim's family, detectives and the convicted murderer themselves.
WWE's Most Wanted Treasures
Stephanie McMahon and Triple H leads a team of collectors and WWE celebrities as they travel across the United States to find WWE collectibles.
Broke & Famous
The stories of celebrities who went from a life of lavish spending to penny-pinching.
Vie de tournée
Herby Moreau tags along with group and solo artists as they go on tour. As they all struggle to find a balance between their professional, family and personal lives, the artists talk about loneliness, pressure and the sacrifices they have to live through during a tour.
This Is Your Life
This is Your Life is a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same name. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews from 1955 until 1964, and then from 1969 until his death in 1987 aged 64. Michael Aspel then took up the role of host until the show ended in 2003. It returned in 2007 as a one-off special presented by Trevor McDonald, which to date was its most recent airing.
In the show the host surprises a special guest, before taking them through their life with the assistance of the 'big red book'. Both celebrities and non-celebrities have been 'victims' of the show. The show was originally broadcast live, and over its run it has alternated between being broadcast on the BBC and on ITV.
Who Do You Think You Are?
A British genealogy documentary series in which celebrities trace their ancestry, discovering secrets and surprises from their past.
A Haunting
These are the true stories of the innocent and the unimaginable. Based on true events, A Haunting dramatises some of the scariest stories, revealing a world in which tragedy, suicide and murder have left psychic impressions so powerful that innocent people become forced to deal with them decades later. Through mesmerizing first-person accounts, the mystery and origin of each haunting is powerfully revealed and leaves a lingering sense that life—and death—are much stronger then anyone could have possibly imagined.