All Episodes

Jacques Cousteau on Atlantis and Cognac

"We're going to investigate every single one of these hypotheses, and we'll tell you what

Oliver Sacks on Ripe Bananas

"I’m very interested in how people adapt to extremes” - Oliver Sacks on July 28, 1996

Leonard Cohen on Moonlight

“I don’t feel any compulsion just to stand under the spotlight night after night unless I

Stevie Wonder on Keys of Life

"If God didn‘t want me to sing it, he wouldn‘t have given me the talent to do it“ - Stevie

Aldous Huxley on Technodictators

"If you want to preserve your power indefinitely, you have to get the consent of the rule.

Marlene Dietrich on Sex Symbols

Marlene Dietrich in 1969, as interviewed by Jay Kent Hackleman

Nora Ephron on Crazy Salad

"It’s okay being a woman now. I like it. Try it some time.” - Nora Ephron, 1975

Bob Dylan at 20 on Freak Shows

“I‘m never going to become rich and famous” - Bob Dylan in 1962.

Frank Zappa on Fads

"I don‘t think that there‘s a girl around that would fit in with what we do."

Rod Serling on Kamikazes

Rod Serling interviewed in 1963.

Cher on Kitsch

“I’m a cookie-decorating mom. I don’t bake them. I decorate them.“

Martin Scorsese on Framing

"Sometimes when it all comes together ... you become the film you’re making."

Carl Sagan on Extraterrestrials

Carl Sagan on October 4, 1985, as told to Studs Terkel.

Richard Feynman on What It Means

"The key was somehow to know what was important and what was not important."

Buckminster Fuller on The Geodesic Life

Buckminster Fuller in 1965, as told to Studs Terkel

Dame Stephanie Shirley on Survival Code

Dame Stephanie Shirley in 2010 from an oral history at the British Library.

Jane Goodall on Instinct

"When I was about 10, 11 I fell in love with Tarzan." - Jane Goodall, 2002

Temple Grandin On Her Search Engine

"Everything in my mind works like a search engine set for the image function."

Frank Lloyd Wright on Arrogance

“Any man who really has faith in himself will be dubbed arrogant by his fellows”

Sally Ride on Dumb Questions

Sally Ride in 1983 as interviewed by Gloria Steinem.

Garrison Keillor on Humor

"There was a price to be paid for being interested in fiction.” - Garrison Keillor, 1994

Nina Simone on Shock

"I feel more alive now than I ever have in my life." - Nina Simone

Kurt Vonnegut on Man-Eating Lampreys

"Nothing means anything" - Kurt Vonnegut on November 8, 1970

Bill Murray on Being Obnoxious

"I‘m just an obnoxious guy who can make it appear charming." - Bill Murray

Patty Hearst on Reasonable Doubt

"I'm sorry, I‘m a coward. I didn’t want to die." - Patty Hearst in 1982

Tom Waits on Everything and Nothing

"I don’t know what the ‘big time’ is" - Tom Waits in 1988

Hunter S. Thompson on Outlaws

“I keep my mouth shut now. I’ve turned into a professional coward.”- Hunter S. Thompson

Dustin Hoffman in 1971 on Duplicity and Famosity

Dustin Hoffman in 1971, as interviewed by Milton Hoffman.

Roger Ebert on Ego

Roger Ebert in 1990, as interviewed by Lawrence Grobel.

Michael Jackson on Godliness

"My singing… i'll just say it simple as possible: it's just godly." - Michael Jackson

Meryl Streep on Beauty

Meryl Streep in 2008, as interviewed by Christine Spines.

Tim Gunn On His FBI Agent Father | Blank on Blank

"I was not the son he wanted to have." - Tim Gunn

Janis Joplin on Rejection

"In my insides, it really hurts if someone doesn't like me. It's silly." - Janis Joplin

Fidel Castro: the Lost Interview

"If this Revolution falls, what we will have here in Cuba is a hell." - Fidel Castro

Farrah Fawcett on Stiletto Power

"I've got on these stiletto heels aimed for his face." - Farrah Fawcett

Jim Morrison on Why Fat is Beautiful

"What's wrong with being fat? That's what I want to know." - Jim Morrison

Dave Brubeck on Fighting Communism with Jazz

Dave Brubeck in 2008, interviewed by John Dankosky.

Joni Mitchell on Illusions

Joni Mitchell in 1986, as told to Joe Smith.

Ray Bradbury on Madmen

A lost 1972 interview with Ray Bradbury.

Dolly Parton on Getting Dirty

Dolly Parton, as recorded in a 1978 interview for Playboy.

Lou Reed on Guns & Ammo

Lou Reed in an unheard outtake from a 1987 interview.

B.B. King on The Blues

B.B. King in an unheard interview from 1986.

Tom Robbins on Jitterbugs

"If I knew how it was going to end, I probably wouldn't write it." - Tom Robbins in 1994

Robin Williams on Masks

Re-animated excerpts from an unheard 1991 interview with Robin Williams.

Maya Angelou on Con Men

"The only way you can be a mark is if you want something for nothing." - Maya Angelou

Philip Seymour Hoffman on Happiness

Conversation with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Simon Critchley on Dec 22, 2012.

David Bowie on Stardust

David Bowie as interviewed by Joe Smith in 1988.

Gene Wilder on The Truth

"On stage or in the movies I could do whatever I wanted to. I was free."

John Lennon and Yoko Ono on Love

"It's all true, folks: all you need is love." - John Lennon, 1969

Johnny Cash on The Gospel

"I just hope and pray I can die with my boots on." - Johnny Cash, 1996

Heath Ledger on Role Playing

"My nervous energy is usually the easiest form of energy to tap into." - Heath Ledger

Stan Getz on Wasted Years

Stan Getz as interviewed by Joe Smith on August 7, 1987.

Grace Kelly on JFK

Grace Kelly on June 19, 1965 as interviewed by Paul Gallico.

Carol Burnett on Finding Home

"When I looked in his eyes, he was there. He was home... I had a dad." - Carol Burnett

Barry White on Making Love

Barry White as interviewed by Joe Smith on April 3, 1987.

John Updike on Family Affairs

Interview with John Updike by John Freeman, Spring 2002.

Tupac Shakur on Life and Death

Tupac Shakur in March, 1994 as interviewed by Benjamin Svetkey.

Jerry Garcia on the Acid Tests

Jerry Garcia as interviewed by Joe Smith on May 23, 1988.

Kurt Cobain on Identity

Kurt Cobain as interviewed by Jon Savage on July 22, 1993.

Ray Charles on Singing True

Interview with Ray Charles by Joe Smith, June 3, 1987.

Louis Armstrong on His Chops

Louis Armstrong as interviewed in 1964 by Michael Aisner and James R. Stein.

Maurice Sendak on "Being A Kid"

A lost 2009 interview with Maurice Sendak on childhood.

James Brown on Conviction, Respect and Reagan

A classic lost interview with the "Godfather of Soul", James Brown.

The Beastie Boys on Being Stupid

Interview by Rocci Fisch for ABC News Radio, 1985, Washington, D.C.

David Foster Wallace on Ambition

Interview by Leonard Lopate, WNYC, March 4, 1996

Wilt Chamberlain on Tall Tales

Wilt Chamberlain in 1992 as interviewed by Ann Liguori.

Larry King on Being Seduced

Larry King recalls a moment of "radio interruptus". From a lost 2001 Esquire interview.

About Blank on Blank

Vintage interview tapes. New animations. Our mission is simple: curate and transforms journalists' unheard interviews with American icons. The future of journalism is remixing the past.

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