Showing results by author "Michael Black"

NPR Humorist and Best-selling Author of "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and "When You Are Engulfed in Flames," author David Sedaris became a household name in his mid-thirties after public radio broadcast his iconic holiday story "SantaLand Diaries.” 20 years later he now tours the world, selling out venues full of loyal fans. In Part 1 of his interview, Michael talks to David about how he crafts his stories and how his career as a writer and performer became so successful.

In Part 2 of Michael’s interview with Best-selling Author David Sedaris, they talk about growing up Sedaris and how his relationship with his father motivated him to be the writer he is today.

In this in-depth interview show, Black takes listeners into the minds of some of today’s most fascinating celebrities and newsmakers to discuss the process of how they became, well, amazing.

[Contains explicit content] Storytelling aficionado and inquisitive host Eugene Mirman (Bob’s Burgers) sits down with special guests and hits “pause” to mine for funny details they might have left out of their true, entertaining, and personal stories. Hilarious tangents, amusing sidebars, and deep digressions abound in this peek at the stories behind the stories.

The best-selling author of The Blind Side, The Big Short, Moneyball and his newest, The Undoing Project, is known to be a master storyteller. He proves no different in this interview as he tells great stories about his years growing up in New Orleans and how that helped shape his worldview and his approach to writing.

In this wide ranging conversation, the world famous astrophysicist, Director of the Hayden Planetarium, television host, author and all around badass talks to Michael about how his early years opened his mind to the universe and laid the path to his future success. In this candid interview, the two discusses how he deals with fame, why he thinks NASA is so important, and how he approaches science deniers.

[Contains explicit content] In his early years as a comedian, Jim Gaffigan struggled to find his own comedic point of view. It took him years to figure out that his best work meant being comfortable as his clean self and having faith that funny is funny, even without profanity. Along with his writing partner, and wife, Jeanie, Gaffigan has become one of the most popular comedians working today.

[Contains explicit content] Legendary magician and raconteur Penn Jillette has a keen eye for calling out the bullshit around him, but it took a dangerous health scare for him to realize his own eating habits were going to kill him if he didn't make drastic changes to his diet. In this episode he and Michael discuss how his desire to never take the easy route has helped make him a great magician and showman, and pushed him to lose over 100 pounds without surgery.

Michael sits down with the investigative journalist and best-selling author of Grunt, Stiff and Bonk for a humorous and insightful conversation about her unique research and writing process. While Roach does not possess a science degree, she has managed to establish herself as one of the country’s leading science writers tackling subjects that are taboo such as the history of research on copulation and the strange lives of our bodies postmortem.

Best-selling author Harlan Coben has over 60 million books in 43 different languages. In this episode he talks to Michael in a remarkably practical way about how he does it — his writing process, how he dreams up his wildly imaginative and fun murder mysteries, his approach to marketing his books and more. A not-to-miss episode for anyone who aspires to write or just wants to know how a big best seller is put together.

Michael hears from Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Tony Award-winning lyricist whose musical In the Heights catapulted him to the Broadway scene at a very young age. The two discuss his passion for hip-hop music, building a hit Broadway show, working with Neil Patrick Harris and how he was able to combine his love of musical theater and hip-hop to successfully make a career out of doing what he loves.

[Contains explicit content] Michael talks to best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth Gilbert about her creative process - where ideas come from, how she works, and how her childhood colors her adult life.

Michael sits down with the charming author, host of Watch What Happens: Live and executive producer of The Real Housewives for a lively discussion about how his passion for pop culture lead him to his dream job. Cohen dishes about his early days at CBS news, and gets candid about everything from coming out of the closet to handling life in the spotlight.

Michael sits down with Chris Hardwick, the talk show host and CEO of Nerdist Industries who got his start on the MTV game show Singled Out. After several years of abusing alcohol and not being able to pay his rent, Chris quit booze, stopped acting and decided to make a world out of the things he’s passionate about which organically led to a build-it-and-they-will-come multi million-dollar business.

[Contains explicit content] Michael sits down with his friend and fellow comedian Amy Schumer to discuss her years as a stand-up, her hit Comedy Central show Inside Amy Schumer, and Trainwreck, her upcoming film with Judd Apatow.

In this in-depth interview show, Black takes listeners into the minds of some of today’s most fascinating celebrities and newsmakers to discuss the process of how they became, well, amazing.

Michael sits down with actor, comedian, and author Bob Odenkirk to talk about his professional journey starting as a brash young writer for Saturday Night Live, working as one half of the HBO cult comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David, and becoming a breakout star in the hit series Breaking Bad, which spawned his own series, Better Call Saul. Along the way, Odenkirk realizes that sometimes being a bull in a china shop isn't always the best approach.

In this in-depth interview show, Black takes listeners into the minds of some of today’s most fascinating celebrities and newsmakers to discuss the process of how they became, well, amazing. Black’s trademark wit and natural inquisitiveness offers a behind-the-scenes viewpoint, along with laugh-out-loud humor and valuable advice from guests who are at the top of their game. The fashion therapist and Project Runway mentor chats with Michael about his journey.

[Contains explicit content] Join comedian and host Rachel Dratch on a tour through the straight talkin' Northeast! You'll hear stories and jokes about parades in Boston, squirrels in Vermont and Dunkin' Donuts pretty much all over. The comedy in this episode was recorded at live venues all around the country.

[Contains explicit content] After years of covering wars overseas, it was reading the news on "Good Morning America" that nearly did in newsman Dan Harris after he suffered a major panic attack live on air. His nationally televised wake-up call forced him to stop self-medicating with recreational drugs and start a search for serenity.

Michael Ian Black (Wet Hot American Summer, The State) admits to being conservative in his proclivities, but on his honeymoon to Amsterdam, he decided to give marijuana a try.

Michael goes deep with Krista Tippett. Tippett has devoted her professional life to asking the big questions on her show, On Being. Questions about faith and science and love and how we should live our lives are posed in such an engaging, thought-provoking way that it's no wonder she has amassed a huge following on both public radio and through her popular podcast.