Now I've Heard Everything

Today, March 24th 2023, would have been comedian Louie Anderson's 70th birthday.

I first met Louie in 1989, when he published a book of letters to his alcoholic father, a book called Dear Dad. We talked again about that book a couple of years later, and then in 1993 I interviewed him again, for his book called Goodbye Jumbo, Hello Cruel World.

Louie struggled with his weight, and his self-image, for decades. Of course, he turned his weight problem into a source of comedy that made him immensely popular.

But it was in writing both those books that Louie Anderson really started to figure out who he was, and what he really wanted.

So I've decided today to offer you highlights of both interviews , starting with our conversation about Dear Dad. S

In 1993, the term "woke" had not been invented yet. But a prominent law professor nominated for a high position in the US government Saw her nomination done in by what we would now know as "anti-woke" sentiment.

Her name was Lani Guinier. President Bill Clinton nominated her to be assistant attorney general for civil rights.

That's, of course, when closer scrutiny of her past writings began. And, she says, that's when the misrepresentations of her writings began.

Guinier was a strong advocate of voting rights, and a strong believer that all minority voices should be heard in a democracy.

A 41-year tradition continues this weekend in Jackson, Mississippi, with the annual St. Patrick's Day parade, featuring the sweet potato queens.

It all started when Jill Connor Browne and a few of her friends formed the Queens.

And in the years since then, it has become an honored tradition -- and has spawned several bestselling books.

I first met Jill Conner Browne in 2001, after publication of her second book, God Save The Sweet Potato Queens.

In recent months you could argue that Florida has become the de facto ground zero for book banning in schools.

Hundreds of titles, ranging from the extreme to the innocuous, have been deemed unsatisfactory for students in Florida public schools.

Recently, the school board in Martin county, Florida banned 20 books by best-selling author Jodi Picoult.

Her books are best sellers because she directly and maturely treats subjects such as race, gender, sexuality, even abortion rights in weaving, dramatic stories.

I've interviewed Jody Pico several times, including in 2004, when we talked about one of the books that has now been banned in Martin county, a book called my sister's keeper.

Holly Near was just 8 years old when she first performed in public. And in a career that has now spanned over 50 yearse, Near has established herself as a folk music legend.

Actually, she calls herself a troubadour. 

And she's a talented actress, appearing in episodes of The Mod Squad, All in The Family, and The Partridge family, as well as on Broadway in the musical "Hair."

Near is also a member of the LGBTQ community, at a strong supporter of gay rights for many decades.

I met her in 1990, when she published an autobiography called Fire in The Rain, Singer in The Storm.

Ask any serious fan of science fiction who the three most influential authors of the genre of the 20th century were. They will likely say Arthur c. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov.

In a career that spanned more than half a century, Asimov wrote  or edited over 500 books. And even though he was primarily known for his science fiction, Asimov also wrote mysteries and fantasy and non-fiction.

And besides all that, he was a professor at Boston University.0

I met him in 1988, when he published a book called Prelude to Foundation, the latest in that popular series.

The U.S. space program was launched, so to speak, in 1959, when the first seven Mercury astronauts were named.

These pioneers laid the groundwork for the Gemini, Apollo, and space shuttle missions that would follow in coming years and decades.

Among those seven was a 36-year-old test pilot named Wally Schirra.

Over the next few years he would become a household name, along with those like John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, and Alan Shepard.

Finally, in 1988, Schirra wrote his autobiography. And that's when I had a chance to meet him

In the early 1960s you would have been hard pressed to find an entertainer who was hotter, more popular, and more in demand than singer and actress and Margaret.

The young star, born in Sweden as Ann Margaret Olsen, captivated everyone's attention.  With her combination of Scandinavian beauty, a youthful s*******, at a sort of undercurrent of danger, it's easy to see why Ann-Margret quickly became so popular.

Many said she appeared to be a female Elvis. And, by 1964, she was starring alongside the real Elvis Presley in the movie Viva Las vegas- and famously having an affair with the king.

But her star didn't fade. Well into the 60s, '70s, '80s, and beyond, and Margaret has remained a popular favorite.

In 1994 she was prompted to write her autobiography. And that's what I had a chance to meet her.

In the summer of 1992, then US senator Al Gore from Tennessee was thrust into a much more visible public role, when Bill Clinton selected him as his running mate on the Democratic ticket.

That was also about the time Gore published his first book about the environment, a volume called Earth in the balance

And that's how I met Al Gore, just a few weeks before he was nominated to be vice president.

The day I interviewed him if he had any indication that he was about to be nominated to be on the Clinton ticket, he did a really good job of hiding it.

After a long and unexpected break due to illness, Now I’ve Heard Everything resumes its 3-times-a-week schedule starting Monday March 6.