Larry is joined by writer David Brooks in front of a live audience at Live Talks L.A. to discuss his new book ‘How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen.’ They begin their conversation by discussing his personal journey and the life lessons that inspired him to write the book. They then dive into the lack of social relationships in modern society and the importance of leading with trust and positivity in everyday interactions (8:54). This leads to discussions about the obstacles that keep people from understanding each other, the instinctively biological aspec ..read more

Larry is joined by Denver Film’s Kevin Smith (CEO) and Matt Campbell (Artistic Director) in front of a live audience at the 2023 Denver Film Festival. They begin their conversation with a brief history of Denver Film, a look at the curation process for the festival, and their thoughts on the state of the movie industry after the pandemic. Next, Larry, Kevin, and Matt focus on the proliferation of amazing indie and international films on the DFF schedule, give advice to aspiring filmmakers, and highlight the films that have had the biggest impact on their lives (25:59). They end the pod by taki ..read more

Larry is joined by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Errol Morris to discuss his new Apple TV+ documentary ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ based on the memoir of the same name by spy novelist John le Carré. They begin by talking about the origins of the project and how his current promotional tour is inspiring Morris to analyze his famous interview style. This leads to a discussion on the difference between interviewing and interrogating, the importance of active listening when engaging an audience, and how documentarians have to face the struggle between memory, truth, and reality when trying to tell their ..read more

Larry is joined by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Errol Morris to discuss his new Apple TV+ documentary ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ based on the memoir of the same by spy novelist John le Carre. They begin by talking about the origins of the project and how his current promotional tour is inspiring Morris to analyze his famous interview style. This leads to a discussion on the difference between interviewing and interrogating, the importance of active listening when engaging an audience, and how documentarians have to face the struggle between memory, truth, and reality when their trying to tell thei ..read more

Larry is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen to discuss his new memoir ‘A Man of Two Faces’. They begin their conversation by talking about why he wrote the book, how it juxtaposes his family’s experiences as Vietnamese refugees in the 1970’s to his current views on American colonialism, and the tenuous relationship between memory and trauma. Next, they dissect the distinctions between the words “immigrant” and “refugee” while examining Viet’s connections to African-American culture and classic literature (19:34). After they break, they shine a light on the misinformati ..read more

Larry is joined by science journalist Wendy Zukerman to discuss her podcast ‘Science Vs.’. They begin their conversation by discussing the inspiration and motivations behind creating a science program that searches to use delight and humor to teach people about the world around them. Next, they dive into the ongoing debate about climate change in both Australia and the U.S, and how the global pandemic has shaped society's relationship with mental health (12:16). After the break, they pit science vs. spirituality and take a look at the obstacles that arise when attempting to combat conspiracy t ..read more

Larry is joined by journalist Dave Weigel and they begin their conversation by discussing Weigel’s career, beginning with his time as an editor for the Washington Post on through to his current role as politics writer at Semafor. They then examine the power of Donald Trump’s cult of personality and all the ways it’s shaping the modern GOP (9:46). Next they tackle the confusing narratives coming out of the war in Ukraine and how America’s attitudes toward it are being shaped by hot button cultural issues (34:11). After the break, Larry and Dave break down the individual lanes Vivek Ramaswamy an ..read more

Larry is joined by author, journalist, and cultural critic Michael Harriot to discuss his new book ‘Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America’. They begin their conversation by exploring Michael’s incredibly thorough research style and educational roots. They then dive into how historical facts get replaced by false narratives over time and the motivations behind the Western imperialists’ contributions to some of these myths (9:09). Larry and Michael then examine the factors that allow certain civilizations to dominate others and talk about the unique aspects of early American slav ..read more

Larry is joined by author, journalist, and cultural critic Michael Harriot to discuss his new book ‘Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America’. They begin their conversation by exploring Michael’s incredibly thorough research style and educational roots. They then dive into how historical facts get replaced by false narratives over time and the motivations behind the western imperialists’ contributions to some of these myths (9:09). Larry and Michael then examine the factors that allow certain civilizations to dominate others and talk about the unique aspects of early American slav ..read more

Larry is joined by actress, comedienne, and author Yvonne Orji to talk about her memoir, ‘Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me into the Life of My Dreams,’ which was recently released in paperback. They begin their conversation by reminiscing about their time together working in television. Next, Yvonne shares how she maintained her devout Christian faith within the chaotic world of show business, and the inspiration that drove her to write her book (19:09). She then discusses her experiences growing up as a Nigerian-born immigrant, the support she received from her father, and the challeng ..read more