How To Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black

The lead singer, co-producer and co-writer of the Scottish pop band Chvrches talks to Michael about her journey from being a law school student and journalist in Glasgow to performing in front of thousands of people. Her openness about what it's entailed is a fascinating glimpse into the life of ascending celebrity as she shares details of keeping it all together and her response to misogynistic attacks on social media and at shows that almost crushed her .

America’s leading sex advice columnist known for his popular Savage Love column and podcast talks to Michael about how growing up a closeted gay person in a religious Catholic family prepared him for the job of letting people know they are normal, no matter what their sexual interests may be.

Bryan Doerries is possibly the least likely defense contractor who has ever existed (background in the classics, and the kid of psychologists), but has become responsible for one of the biggest collaborations in history between the U.S. Military and the arts world. He's using greek tragedies written more than 2,000 years ago to start conversations and a process of healing in communities that are dealing with some of the darkest things that humans have to deal with--- war trauma, imprisonment, and addiction.

Krista 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.

When you grow up the only child of two very famous parents, most people don’t expect much from you, but Max Brooks wanted to prove to himself that he was more than just “Mel Brook’s kid.” After trying his hand at various pursuits, he channeled his lifelong inclination toward the worst case scenario and wrote "The Zombie Survival Guide" and "World War Z," which not only became huge hits among zombie fans, but in the world at large because if you drop the zombie part of the title, he has a great deal of good advice for anyone concerned with disaster survival.

Suzy Favor-Hamilton was propelled into the spotlight at a young age as a talented middle distance runner. She went on to become a three-time Olympian. But as her running career came to an end, she experienced extreme mania from bipolar disorder which fed a dangerous desire for adrenaline that led her to become a high-end, Las Vegas escort.

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.

The record-breaking, six-time Tony Award-winning actress Audra McDonald went from a hyper-active kid performing in the local dinner theater to Broadway mega-star. In this episode, Michael chats with her about failed auditions, letting go of her idea of perfection, and how she learned to embraces new challenges, such as learning to tap dance for her upcoming role in Shuffle Along Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.

Chuck Klosterman is best known for his wildly popular books on music and pop cultural including the mega hits “Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto” and “Killing Yourself to Live,” in which he writes about subjects he is passionate about--from heavy metal to breakfast cereals and everything in between. In this episode Klosterman discusses his rise from small town boy to finding his place as one of America’s best loved cultural critics.

Actor and playwright John Leguizamo has become famous for being an open book, which is apparent in his critically acclaimed one-man shows that chronicle his life from troublemaker to film star. In his conversation with Michael, he talks seriously about how he became a performer, how money and fame were never important, and how a Latin boy from Queens was able to carve out his own career in what he calls “Hollywon’t.”