Decades ago, he shook hands with W. E. B. Du Bois, born in 1868. It seems impossible, but then again Einstein was a contemporary of Billy the Kid. Lewis went on to write a Pultzer-Prize winning biography of Du Bois. Einstein went on to be Einstein. Presented with the Maysles Documentary Center. Music: Henrique Prince.
These principals of the architectural firm WORKac found it challenging to design their own home. The psychological complexity of domestic life? The culmination of years of thought? “The hardest thing about designing our house was that we just haven’t designed a lot of houses.” Produced with the Center for Architecture. Photo: Harry Willks.
During her tenure as food critic for the New York Times, she ate as many as four restaurant meals per day. But not in the same sitting. That would have been silly. She once tasted all 1,196 products in Bloomingdale’s food department – not a bar bet, an article. And a darn fine one. We … Continue reading »
The lead theater critic of the Times talks about the fantasy metropolis he’s searched for since he arrived in New York and offers his thoughts on innovation, grand gestures, and Gloria Vanderbilt. Person: Gloria Vanderbilt PLACE: London’s National Theater THING: a framed hundred dollar bill RANDY’S THING: his first Emmy Continue reading »
The guests on this episode are spouses. He is one of Ireland’s leading poets, the winner of the Pulitzer prize, and has written lyrics for Warren Zevon. She is a novelist whose 2012 Admission was made into a movie starring Tina Fey. I’m the shallow guy who went right for the celebrity connections. We … Continue reading »
He is the author of nine books including Wake Up, Sir and The Extra Man, and the creator of the HBO series Bored to Death. We spoke on stage at the Brooklyn Historical Society, joined by the delightful musician Walter Hawkes. Crowded? Not at all. Cozy. PERSON: his great aunt, Doris Klein PLACE: … Continue reading »
According to Bon Appétit, Andrew Tarlow invented Brooklyn, and you don’t want to argue with Bon Appétit: some enemies you do not need. Plus, it’s true that with the restaurants Diner, Marlow & Sons, and Roman’s, among his many enterprises, he is a titan of Brooklyn food. Yet what drew me to him was not … Continue reading »
He’s designed so much, so prominently, it is tough choose only a few examples, but we might cite the Portland Building, an early expression of postmodernism, and the elegant toilet brush he did for Target. That is, he values good design on the grand scale and in ordinary life. In 2003, he contracted what seemed … Continue reading »
He is the creator of Boardwalk Empire, who this year was nominated for an Oscar for writing Wolf of Wall Street. She was Oscar-nominated for producing Dallas Buyers Club, and she won. Pretty impressive couple. Pretty good year. We spoke on Shakespeare’s birthday on stage at the JCC in Manhattan. PERSON:Barry Manilow PLACE: Mammoth, CA … Continue reading »
It’s as hard to introduce writers as it is to make movies about them. Here’s what they do: they sit and write things. Not exactly lives crammed with event. I can say this: Tracy K. Smith won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for her collection Life on Mars. She teaches at Princeton and lives in Brooklyn, … Continue reading »
For years Ruth Reichl worked in disguise, accumulating a bigger wig collection than Diana Ross. Her photo was said to command big money — nothing to do with the Witness Protection Program, everything to do with her power as a restaurant critic: chefs were anxious to know she was at their table. And that’s only … Continue reading »
Two generations of humor writers. Sean was a founding editor of the National Lampoon; His son Chris was the head writer on Bill Maher’s first series. Plus a bonus segment from Daniel Radosh and Tim Carvell, recorded when they wrote for Jon Stewart. PERSON: musician Steve Goodman PLACE: the Grave of Wilfred H. Hell (not here) … Continue reading »
Eric Fischl came to fame in the New York art world of the nineteen-eighties (well yeah, not the eighteen-eighties) – in every era a cultural ecosystem inhabited by artists, art lovers, galleries, museums, and critics. This remixed episode includes a bonus segment from art-critic power couple Roberta Smith (New York Times) and Jerry Saltz (New York … Continue reading »
He is the former cartoon editor of the New Yorker, whose own cartoon, captioned, “How about never – is never good for you?” is the magazine’s most frequently reprinted. He might be tired of talking about his greatest hit, but I think it places him among the immortals Photo: Davina Pardo PERSON: his mother, Mollie … Continue reading »