Micky Dolenz was a successful child-actor, but he became a full-fledged star at 20 in 1966 as the exuberant singer and drummer of The Monkees -- or rather, as the actor playing that character. At first, the band was a creation of NBC and only existed on the show The Monkees. For the first season, much of the backing music was played by a studio band. Eventually, that changed, and The Monkees' transition from a TV band to a real band is a fascinating story of hard work, perseverance, and marketing genius. Dolenz brings all the energy and humor he showed on The Monkees to this episode of Here's the Thing, telling Alec about the dynamics among the bandmates, his years as a successful TV producer in the UK, and what it's like touring -- and recording -- as a member of The Monkees 50 years after the end of the show.

Originally aired June 16th, 2020.

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Karina Canellakis is an American conductor and former violinist internationally acclaimed for her expressive symphonic and operatic leadership. She is currently Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Notably, Canellakis was the first woman to be appointed Principal Guest Conductor for the London Philharmonic and the first woman to be Chief Conductor of any Dutch orchestra. She also made history as the first woman to conduct the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm and to serve as Principal Guest Conductor of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. As both a violinist and conductor, Canellakis has worked with leading orchestras across Europe and North America, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Vienna Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, and Munich Philharmonic. Canellakis is also an accomplished opera conductor and has led Der Rosenkavalier at Santa Fe Opera and Dialogues des Carmélites in Paris. Originally trained as a violinist, she turned to conducting and built a groundbreaking career stemming from her musical upbringing in New York City.

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Anjelica Huston has lived many lives, all with grace and charisma. As the daughter of John Huston (director of The African Queen, The Maltese Falcon, and more) she was movie royalty from birth. But she grew up in rural Ireland and went to high school in Swinging-Sixties London. That meant she developed a set of values far removed from Hollywood high society. Her first career was as a high-end fashion model, a favorite subject of Richard Avedon and later a muse of Halston. But she had always wanted to be a movie actress, and she spent time in the trenches, working on her craft in classes and smaller roles before her Oscar-winning turn in Prizzi's Honor. Right as she was leaving the photo studio for the movie studio, she met Jack Nicholson: "he made me laugh," she tells Alec. The couple defined Hollywood cool for almost two decades. Huston tells Alec the story of all of her transitions -- romantic, professional, and geographic. Her two wonderful memoirs are A Story Lately Told and Watch Me.

Originally aired April 7th, 2020.

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Roberta “Robbie” Kaplan is a renowned civil litigator and trial lawyer with decades of experience in commercial, higher education, government regulation, civil rights, and employment litigation…but is perhaps best known for her recent triumph defending her client E. Jean Carroll against Donald Trump. In both 2023 and 2024, Kaplan took on Trump in court and won both cases, securing two unanimous jury verdicts against him. Kaplan has been described as the kind of “lawyer that you don’t want to see opposing you” and has been consistently ranked as one of the top litigators in the country. Kaplan also famously argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of LGBT rights activist Edith Windsor in United States v. Windsor - which resulted in a landmark decision that invalidated a section of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and required the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages. Kaplan was formerly a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison before starting her own firm in 2017. In 2018, she co-founded the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund. Kaplan recently started a new firm in 2024 and is currently a partner at her firm Kaplan Martin LLP.

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One need not look very far to see that the television landscape has rapidly changed in the last few years, with an influx of new streaming platforms and shifting audience viewing patterns. Another notable upheaval: In 2023, Don Lemon, the Edward R. Murrow and Emmy Award-winning journalist and longtime host of “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon,” was let go from CNN after seventeen years with the network. Following his exit, Lemon took time for introspection, resulting in his new book, “I Once Was Lost: My Search for God in America.” The work is a deeply personal exploration of his spiritual journey and the role of religion in the country. It is Lemon’s third book, following “Transparent” and the #1 New York Times bestseller “This Is The Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism.” Earlier this year, the anchor launched his new endeavor, “The Don Lemon Show,” on YouTube and podcast platforms. Host Alec Baldwin speaks with Don Lemon about the shakeup at CNN, the role of his faith in trying times, and the importance of the press and the First Amendment in a free society.

Originally aired October 21st, 2024.

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Chris Whipple is an Emmy award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker, author, and political analyst. A former CBS 60 Minutes producer, Whipple is also the EP and writer of the Discovery Channel documentary series “The Presidents’ Gatekeepers” and the Showtime Network documentary series “The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs”. Whipple continued his research on these topics in two of his books and is the author of four New York Times best-sellers including: Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History, The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future, The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, and The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden's White House. Whipple has also written for Vanity Fair, Politico, the Daily Beast, and many other publications. Notably, Whipple wrote the two-part 2025 Vanity Fair profile on the second Trump presidency and White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles.

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When John Dean found his conscience, America found its backbone and impeached a president. The Nixon Administration tried to undermine American democracy during the election of 1972 through now-legendary dirty tricks aimed at their Democrat opponents. They almost got away with it. Dean was Nixon’s White House Counsel, and participated in the cover-up of the Watergate break-in. Then he began cooperating with investigators, and blew the case wide-open. Dean is one of the most complicated and fascinating characters in modern American history. In a frank and funny conversation with Alec Baldwin in front of a live audience, John Dean opens up about how it all went down – and how it could go down now under Trump, who he says shares Nixon's paranoia and authoritarian instincts.

Originally aired December 11th, 2017.

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Marc Shaiman is a renowned composer, lyricist, arranger, and music producer known for his prolific work across film, television, and theater. In this episode, Alec and Marc discuss his career, as well as his new memoir, Never Mind The Happy. Shaiman's work in film includes “When Harry Met Sally”, “Sister Act”, “City Slickers”, “A Few Good Men”, “Sleepless in Seattle”, “The American President”, and the first “South Park” movie. Shaiman has written and arranged music for countless artists such as Harry Connick Jr., Mariah Carey, Billy Crystal, and Bette Midler. Shaiman earned widespread acclaim for co-writing the hit Broadway musical “Hairspray” alongside his co-lyricist Scott Wittman. Shaiman and Wittman went on to co-create musicals “Catch Me If You Can”, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, “Some Like It Hot”, and “Smash”. Marc Shaiman has been nominated for seven Academy Awards, two BAFTA awards, and has won a Tony, two Emmys, and two Grammys.

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