Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

The author of The Handmaid's Tale and its sequel, The Testaments, lets us in on her process of storytelling, involving both a “panoramic view ” and rolling revisions: “I’m more of a downhill skier – just get to the end and then you can go back and see where you screwed up along the way, count the trees you’ve hit.”Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In his new album, The Ever Fonky Lowdown, Wynton Marsalis offers a passionate musical take on what ails our democracy. His conversation with Alan also ranges over his early career, his dedication to education and why Louis Armstrong really was the greatest.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In exploring the role that chance plays in our lives – and how to understand and control it – psychologist and author Maria Konnikova set out to learn how to play poker, a game she knew nothing about. She succeeded so well that she won hundreds of thousands of dollars on the professional poker circuit.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As a 12-year-old, multiple Emmy winner Alan Zweibel decided that Rob in TV’s The Dick van Dyke show led the life he wanted to live. Since then he’s written for funny people from Borscht Belt comedians, to the cast of Saturday Night Live, to stars like Billy Crystal and Larry David. It’s all in his new book Laugh Lines. In a way, his life has been a history of modern comedy.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

She studies what may be the most disgusting molecule known to humankind. And that’s made Clara Sousa-Silva a key member of the team that may have detected life in the clouds of Venus. Her foul (and lethal) molecule has been discovered in those clouds – and the only current explanation for its presence is that it is being made by living organisms.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Having experienced 30 years of frustration since writing the first popular book setting out the facts of climate change, Bill McKibben is now hopeful that – maybe in the nick of time – there is enough momentum for action that the planet as we know it may be saved from destruction.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It may not be what you think. With insights from studying unhappy students at Yale University, where she is a professor of psychology, Laurie Santos teaches Yale’s most popular class – and is now sharing those insights on how to be happier in her podcast, the Happiness Lab.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

John Lithgow talks with Alan about his new book of satirical verse and drawings – and the joys and challenges of writing satire at a time when events themselves can defy belief.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Six months after he first briefed Alan on the then novel coronavirus, Dr. Anthony Fauci explains both why it turned out to be so unpredictable and dangerous and the gains science has made in understanding how to bring it under control.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Female mosquitoes need your blood to live and breed. So figuring out who among us attracts them and why can not only help in avoiding annoying bites but also help stop the spread of deadly diseases.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The celebrated and beloved actress on her successful mission to help schoolkids use their brains better. And how they become better students and more collaborative classmates.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Kavli and Nobel Prize Laureate on his groundbreaking work finding out how our bodies ship vital molecules to where they are needed — enabling profound advances in medicine.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What dogs and bonobos tell us about what has made humans survive and why we’d better not lose it. It’s not how fierce we are. On the contrary.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Kavli Prize Laureate on her research suggesting it may be possible to return aging and damaged brains to a state where they could learn as they did when young.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Reporting from the front lines of medical research with the with the skill of a storyteller while struggling to keep up with the outpouring of research on the coronavirus. “It’s like a firehose that we’re all trying desperately to drink out of.”Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Up until now, we’ve been smarter than our tools. But that might change drastically sooner than we know. Isn’t it time to think about that?Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The two celebrated journalists explore the turbulent story, often forgotten, of women’s struggle to have the right to vote and what it means to us today.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We invite Pardis back to hear her account from the front lines in the fight against the coronavirus. She’s a leader in scientific breakthroughs aimed at stopping its insidious ability to spread undetected.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The President of MIT on how we can lead the world in technology again—and how he’s helping change the educational model so it can survive in the new world of at-home learning.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The renowned researcher and author on emotional literacy and the strengths that lead to better relationships.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

His recent book Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis, could hardly be more timely. And it has a fascinating twist, seeking links between how individuals deal with crises – with insights from his clinical psychologist wife – to how nations succeed or fail when confronted with a crisis.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alan Guth is the man who put the bang in the Big Bang, when late one night he came up with the astonishing idea – astonishing even to him – that the universe grew from a fraction of an ounce into the entire cosmos in an incomprehensibly brief moment of time. His insight that night, the theory that became known as inflation, is now the foundation for ideas about the cosmos that are as astonishing as inflation itself, including the idea that an infinite number new universes are being created all the time.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alan talks with old friends Marlo and Phil about their interviews with 40 couples who have enjoyed long marriages. What did they find out about the happy marriages of other couples, and what did they find out about their own, as they approached their 40th anniversary?Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jake Tapper can turn things around when he interviews politicians and government leaders. This time he does it by interviewing Alan, who usually would be interviewing him. It becomes a conversation about interviewing that throws light on how we all talk to one another.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alan talks with the woman who’s been given the job of leading the fight to conquer all disease by 2100. They discuss whether it’s actually possible and how her life has led her from studying a tiny transparent worm to such a challenging task.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Steven Pinker and Alan explore the words we use that bind us together, even when asking someone to pass the guacamole. A conversation that explores the surprising ways we have of connecting through language – and why, despite our current crises, some things in the world really have become better.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alan gets Loretta Swit and Mike Farrell on the horn to see how they’re doing during the lockdown. It’s like old times again.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The co-inventor of the powerful gene editing tool called CRISPR, Jennifer Doudna describes for Alan her hopes for new treatments and possibly even cures for diseases that are today incurable. She also tells him about her efforts to make sure that ethical concerns over gene editing are addressed — and how she copes with having become a scientific superstar.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alan checks out this year’s Kavli Prizes and discovers how figuring out why hot peppers are hot could lead to new pain killing drugs; how putting a tiny black hole in your gas tank would give you a mileage of a billion miles per gallon; and why giving a new generation of electron microscopes the ability to see atoms was a little like being able to see inside a baking cake while it’s still in the oven.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

He’s a Nobel and Kavli prizewinner for his role in what’s been described as one of humanity’s greatest scientific achievements – the detection of ripples in the fabric of space. He can also explain what that means! Kip Thorne is deeply committed to communicating science, even bringing it before the public by working with artists and filmmakers. Including, more than once, with Alan Alda.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alan sits down with physicist Brian Greene in front of a virtual audience to talk about how Brian sees himself (and you and me) as nothing more than an ephemeral cluster of particles in a dying universe—and how that gives him a deep sense of gratitude for his own existence. Along with wonder at how other mere collections of particles can compose the 9th Symphony or write Hamlet.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The little things Carl Zimmer knows a lot about are genes, parasites and viruses. And he knows how to talk about them in a way that will stay with you forever. In this episode, Alan Alda and Carl Zimmer chat about heredity, evolution and one particularly amazing parasite. But it’s not creepy. It’s fascinating.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s a problem when you have so many worlds to explore at once. How long until we colonize Mars? Can we turn the Sahara Desert into a Garden of Eden oasis? How can humans live in a lava tube on the moon? Jim Green is the Chief Scientist at NASA and he's not only been pondering these questions, he's been working to make them happen. Jim likes to think big - about big ideas, big challenges, and bigger solutions! In this episode, Jim Green and Alan Alda talk about planetary exploration and how life itself survives and thrives in the strangest of places. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Unconscious bias is a widely used term and, too often, not well understood. It can be devastating for those it impacts. And coming to grips with unconscious bias in our own thinking can be unsettling. Like many others, Alan Alda found it hard to believe that the unconscious bias test he took accurately reflected his own thinking. So, to find out more, Alan sat down with Dr. Kuheli Dutt, who is meticulous in her research into the hidden biases we all have. Dr. Dutt is the Diversity Officer at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University and has written about how these unconscious biases can distort judgments about who can be a scientist – to the detriment of science itself. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fareed Zakaria, the noted journalist, broadcaster, and author, talked with Alan Alda on this episode of Clear+Vivid back in February, before the coronavirus consumed not only our lives and livelihoods, but also any other topic of conversation. But what’s fascinating is how much Fareed's thoughts on the importance of a fulfilled life – an examined life – resonates with us now, when we are all trying to cope with a world in which everything is so uncertain. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Your host, Alan Alda, has been friends with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks for over forty years. Carl and Mel have been friends with each other for seventy years. During that time, they’ve created, together or separately, some of the most memorable comedy in our lives -- from iconic movies and TV series to Broadway shows and books.Their sketches on the Sid Caesar show in the 1950s will still leave you gasping on the floor. And so will their recording of the “2000 Year Old Man” that began as improvised entertainment at parties and never stopped. Mel and Carl aren’t as old yet as Mel’s character of the 2,000 Year Old Man, but the two of them together in this life-affirming episode are just as wise and just as funny. Sit back, relax, and get ready to join Mel, Carl, and Alan together from Carl’s house in Beverly Hills. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this episode of Clear+Vivid, Alan Alda, welcomes his friend Ira Flatow to the show. Ira hosts the wildly popular Science Friday series for public radio (and it's also a podcast). What happens when you put these two passionate advocates for science communication together on one podcast? Well, you discover that they both enjoy infecting others with a passion for science — the one kind of infection we could really use right now.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How do you interview an octopus for a podcast? We're pretty sure that Alan Alda's interview with Ruddy, a giant pacific octopus, who lives at the New England Aquarium is a first for a podcast. While Ruddy is a little shy and silent for our mics, Alan did find the naturalist and author, Sy Montgomery, much more communicative. Sy is the author of the New York Times bestseller, "The Soul of Octopus." She's an expert on creatures great and small and what we can learn about communication, observation, and humility from the other animals in the kingdom. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

She's a Golden Girl, a national treasure, and a true character of great character. The one and only Betty White joins Alan Alda this week as our special guest. At time when love and humor are needed most, we hope this heart-warming episode brings a smile to your face. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cleo Stiller had 75 interesting conversations with men about the #MeToo movement and she's written a book about what they had to say. Her book, "Modern Manhood," is now a national bestseller. Times are changing and people are learning to relate with each other in new ways. In this conversation, Alan Alda and Cleo discuss the inventive strategies that men and women are using as they explore the tumultuous world of professional and personal relationships in the modern world.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the five years it was on the air, his television show, "Bill Nye the Science Guy," won 18 Emmys and entertained and educated millions of young people, many of whom later went on to become scientists themselves. All his life, Bill’s been passionate about communicating science, so naturally, he was the perfect guest to pair with Alan Alda, who has shared the same, lifelong drive. In this episode, Alan and Bill have a lively conversation about scientific fact, fiction, literacy, and the beauty of uncertainty. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this special episode of Clear+Vivid, Dr. Anthony Fauci talks with Alan Alda from the campus of the National Institutes of Health. Recorded on March 5, 2020, Dr. Fauci explains your risk right now of getting infected from the Coronavirus. He explains how he balances providing correct information to the public with the need not to cause panic — especially as the data changes day by day. He reports that public health professionals and researchers are sharing data about the Coronavirus worldwide, and discusses the progress being made on both a vaccine and a treatment for the illness caused by the virus. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How does Paul McCartney write a song? What goes through his mind when he's at the piano? What's an "oobley" chord? Where do the lyrics come from when he's noodling away? In this special episode of Clear+Vivid®, Alan Alda sits down with Paul McCartney to learn some of the never before heard secrets behind this legendary musician's magic. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tom Hanks, aside from being a legendary two-time Oscar Award winner, is also a deeply fascinating person with some really fun and eclectic interests. In this episode of Clear+Vivid®, Alan Alda sits down with Tom as they explore finding the human element in pop entertainment. They also discuss Tom's recent role as Mr. Rogers and what he learned about communicating with children. And, of course, they talk about Tom's typewriters. Lots and lots of typewriters. We said Tom was eclectic, right? So, come on in and enjoy the eclectic world of Tom Hanks. It’s a really nice day in the neighborhood. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alan Alda and our production team sit down for an impromptu "Table Talk" about our upcoming season's highlights. We'll discuss and play clips from Alan’s conversations with Tom Hanks, Paul McCartney, Betty White and many more! Alan, Graham, Jean, and Sarah take you behind the scenes of season 7. You'll find out what it's like to live in an actual "Octopus's Garden" tended by a real Giant Pacific Octopus named Rudy — and you'll hear some things about Paul McCartney's creative life you haven’t heard before. Season 7 is going to be great and it all starts Tuesday, February 25th with Tom Hanks! If you'd like to get even more exclusive behind the scenes clips, video, content, and opportunities to communicate with Alan, consider joining our Patreon Listeners Community at: www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From Saturday Night Live, to Late Night, from The Simpsons to Conan Needs a Friend - Conan O'Brien is an unstoppable force of comedy. In this happy back and forth among Alan Alda, Conan O'Brien, and Conan's hair — these two students of communication and comedy invite you into a conversation that's full of joshes, jives, jokes, a few shared jitters, and a whole lot of joy. The producers wish to thank Conan, #TeamCoco, and all the great folks who helped bring Alan and Conan together for this special season 6 finale. Enjoy!Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Do animals – other than we humans – have thoughts, feelings? Are their emotions similar to ours? Carl Safina is an ecologist who explores our relationship with the living world—and how it could be better. His recent work, and new book, probes how free-living animals experience life - and takes a serious look at their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Carl's love of nature has led him to a lifetime of studying the world we live in — a world from which we’ve become increasingly separated. In this episode, Alan Alda and Carl Safina look at communication across the animal kingdom, as they reflect on the other animals in the world - with a firm understanding that a lot of what we are, we actually share with them.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee is the author of the best-selling book, “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer." The book won a Pulitzer Prize and became the basis for a Ken Burns documentary series on the subject of cancer for PBS. In this fascinating conversation with Alan Alda, Dr. Mukherjee talks about the extraordinary power scientists like him have now to edit our genes using the tool known as CRISPR. Dr. Mukherjee uses CRISPR in his own laboratory at Columbia University to pioneer innovative ways to treat cancer. Dr. Mukherjee is a masterful storyteller and he possesses an obvious command of the science behind his books. He has a special ability to make science both personal and intimate, as you'll experience in this episode. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is there life in the universe beyond planet Earth? It's the question everyone, including Alan Alda, wants to understand. In this episode, Alan asks Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger, the head of the world-renown Carl Sagan Institute, about life in the cosmos. What Dr. Kaltenegger has to say is surprising and inspiring. Before you stare up at the sky tonight, be sure to hear what Dr. Kaltenegger has to say about which of the billions of planets might be more like ours than we ever thought possible. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What do microbes, the soil, and climate change all have in common? Dr. Jo Handelsman studies microbes at the University of Wisconsin. She researches the vast array of microbes that live on us or in us, and also the even greater number that lurk in the soil beneath our feet. In this fascinating episode, Alan Alda talks with Dr. Handelsman, who served as the previous science advisor to President Barack Obama and as the Associate Director for Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, about why both the microbes within and below us are so important to our survival. Alan and Dr. Handelsman begin this conversation talking about the weather, which these days often leads to talk that’s far from small. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.