What It Takes

Alice Waters has been called a food revolutionary. In 1971, she opened a cozy restaurant in Berkeley, California called Chez Panisse. It showcased seasonal, local, organic fruits and vegetables and meats... a radical departure from the kind of food Americans were used to eating. Waters and her restaurant ushered in the farm-to-table movement and raised Americans' consciousness about fresh ingredients and healthy eating. She talks here about the trip to France that started it all, about her dedication to taste, and about the environmental impact of our food choices.

He is considered by many to be the greatest military strategist since Dwight D. Eisenhower. General David Petraeus was the man President George W. Bush turned to, four years into the War in Iraq, when it was clear that the war was failing dismally. Petraeus took command of "The Surge," completely changed the U.S. military's approach, and turned the war around. He then moved on to the War in Afghanistan, before President Barack Obama appointed him Director of the CIA. David Petraeus talks here about his reputation as a fierce competitor, the big ideas and the strategy that he implemented in Iraq, the scandal that derailed his public-service career, and the lessons that allowed him to move on with his life.

Ballet changed course on the day that George Balanchine met Suzanne Farrell. It was 1960. He was 56. She was 15, and had just arrived in New York from small-town Ohio, with dreams of becoming a professional dancer. Within a couple of years, she would become the greatest ballerina of her generation, and muse to the greatest choreographer in history. Their collaboration at the New York City Ballet crossed boundaries of art and love, and sent ballet pirouetting in new directions. But it was not without turmoil. Suzanne Farrell talks here about their enigmatic relationship, about how she withstood being fired (twice) from her artistic home, and about the beauty of living and dancing in the moment.

This Pulitzer-Prize winning biographer began writing his first book when he was still in college (it earned the National Book Award), and he has devoted each of the last five decades to telling the life story of one 20th Century American giant: Charles Lindbergh, Woodrow Wilson, Katharine Hepburn, Samuel Goldwyn and Maxwell Perkins. Scott Berg tells some of the most fascinating stories from his subjects' lives here, and he describes the joys of his own life - as a researcher, a writer, and a detective of history.

It’s a remarkable American story: a poor peanut farmer from the Deep South becomes a nuclear naval officer, then governor of Georgia, and finally President of the United States. And what Jimmy Carter has done for peace and human rights in the 40 years since leaving office is just as remarkable. The 39th president talks here about his early life in rural Plains, Georgia, where his deeply-held beliefs about equality and fairness took root, and he describes his unlikely rise through the political landscape at a moment when the U.S. was undergoing tumultuous change. He also speaks candidly about some of the most difficult moments in the White House, the transition to his “post-presidency,” and his assessment of what makes a great president.

"Sledgehammer," "In Your Eyes," and "Red Rain" are some of the hits that made Peter Gabriel a rock superstar in the 1970's and 80's. Before he became a solo artist, he was already a star -- as lead singer of the band Genesis. But somewhere along the way, Peter Gabriel also became a political activist, particularly after his song "Biko" became an anthem of the anti-Apartheid movement. Since then, he has devoted much of his time to creating two organizations dedicated to human rights, justice and peace… as well as a festival and record label that have given exposure to hundreds of artists from around the world. Gabriel talks in depth here about his multi-faceted career, and he shares his revelations about the nature of talent. *Language Advisory: There is an expletive at 24:49. **The cuts of music from Real World Records https://realworldrecords.com are "Fanm" by Bokanté + Metropole Orkest, and "Resistencia" by Los de Abajo.

If you're a senator, a military leader, or a business executive accused of wrongdoing, Brendan Sullivan is the lawyer you probably want to call. Sullivan is considered one of the greatest trial lawyers in the country, and has represented some of the most high profile defendants of the past fifty years, including Oliver North, Ted Stevens, and the Duke lacrosse players. But he began his career defending a group of soldiers during the Vietnam War, who dared to peacefully protest conditions in the stockade. Sullivan talks here about his cases and the abuses of government power he has unearthed. And he explains why he has such a pessimistic view about the state of our judicial system.

This is the story of a true original... a woman who dominated the extreme sport of dog sled racing for years, was a four-time winner of the Iditarod (the grueling, thousand-mile race across Alaska). Susan Butcher, a legend of the Alaskan frontier, died at the age of 51 from Leukemia, but at the peak of her career as a racer, she gave this revealing interview. In it, she explains why she chose to live in a cabin without running water or electricity, 40 miles from the nearest neighbor, in weather conditions that most could not survive. She also describes the resistance she faced from male mushers during her early years as an Iditarod competitor. And she talks about the profound, almost mystical relationship she had with her beloved dogs.

Thirty years ago, Dr. Arnold had an idea: to breed molecules in the laboratory the way we breed animals - to bring out the traits we want in them. The molecules she was particularly interested in were enzymes, which are essential to life, and which she knew could be used to make environmentally friendly materials, including bio-fuels, cleaning products, and pharmaceuticals. Her idea worked right away. It’s now called “directed evolution,” and it has had huge implications for industry. In 2018, it earned her a Nobel Prize in Chemistry (only the fifth ever awarded to a woman). She talks here about the science, but also about the bumps in her life that helped her become an original thinker.

He has been nominated for an Academy Award in every one of the past five decades, and won twice, for "Hannah And Her Sisters" and "The Cider House Rules". Fifteen year olds think of him as Alfred, Batman’s butler In the Dark Knight Trilogy. 85 year olds think of him as Alfie, the shameless womanizer in the iconic 1960’s film by the same name. In between Michael Caine has been in 150 movies, and he’s still going strong. He is as amusing and charming off-screen as on, and tells story after story here about his beginnings as a scrappy, poor Cockney kid who, against all odds, became one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors.

John Updike used his unique literary talents to peel back the layers of middle-class American life, exposing its less-than-placid exterior. He was one of the most prolific and esteemed American writers of his generation, who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his "Rabbit" novels but was as well known for his stories and essays and works of literary criticism. He talks here about his very beginnings in a small Pennsylvania town, and about his mother, who inspired him with her own efforts to get published. Updike also discusses his storied association with The New Yorker, which began the month he completed college and lasted until his death in 2009. And he describes the nitty-gritty of his daily writing routine.

The man who broke the sound barrier in the experimental Bell X-1, and ushered in the era of manned spacecraft, never saw a plane when he was growing up in the hills of West Virginia. But he became an ace fighter pilot in World War II, and later - an absolutely fearless test pilot, who managed to survive the most harrowing mishaps, with an unflappable calm and sense of duty.

He is one of the romantic singers of all time... with a voice people often compare to satin, to silk or to velvet. It's hard to describe, but you sure know it when you hear it. Johnny Mathis talks here about signing with Columbia Records at the age of 19 and about his life in music over the past 60+ years. He pays tribute to the African-American artists who paved the way for him. And he tells the story behind some of his greatest hit songs, including "Chances Are," and "It's Not For Me To Say."

He grew up next door to Oscar Hammerstein and became his greatest protege. In 1957, Sondheim wrote the lyrics for "West Side Story," and for the next 60 years dominated the world of musical theater. His shows include "Gypsy", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Company," "A Little Night Music," "Sweeney Todd," "Sunday in the Park with George," "Into the Woods," and "Assassins." He pulls back the curtain in this interview, giving fascinating insights into some of the greatest Broadway collaborations of all time, and into the process of writing a song for the stage.

Two of America's greatest poets - both former Poet Laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners - get to the heart of why poems speak to us when other forms of language fail. They also share stories about the people who inspired them to make a life in literature. And they read some great poems, of course!

Man's relationship to mountain was forever changed by these two adventurers. Sir Edmund Hillary was the first person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. A generation later, Reinhold Messner became the first person to reach it solo, and without oxygen. They each tell remarkable stories here of what drove them to the top of the world, and how it felt to be there.

We have Lord Martin Rees to thank for much of what we understand about black holes, quasars, and other distant objects in the night sky. He is England’s Astronomer Royal, and has spent the past fifty years looking deep into the past, to understand the origins of the universe. But for the past two decades he’s also been asking the most difficult questions about the future of humankind, a future made uncertain because of tremendous advancements in science and technology.

This story is a testament to the power of one person to change the world. When civil war broke out in Liberia, Leymah Gbowee was 17 years old. Over the next fourteen years it would become one of the most vicious, deadly wars in history (One tenth of the population was killed.). One night Gbowee had a dream: to organize women to pray for peace. That dream led to a mass women’s movement and to some creative non-violent tactics (including a sex strike!) that helped bring an end to the war. Leymah Gbowee tells her inspiring life story here, from a poor West African village to the Nobel Peace Prize.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist has covered wars and humanitarian crises in 70 countries, including Iraq, Libya & Afghanistan. She has been kidnapped twice and she’s been badly injured on the job, but she is determined to open our eyes to the state of the world and the human condition, no matter the risk. Lynsey Addario is a lively storyteller who brings emotion and humor to every tale, whether she’s describing growing up the child of hairdressers, the harrowing details of her kidnapping in Libya, or the heartbreaking work of documenting women who die in childbirth.

The last time the United States had a grand military parade was in 1991, following the swift, crushing victory over Iraq in the Persian Gulf War. General Schwarzkopf was the commander of that war, and he was widely credited as the person responsible for restoring America's military might and its reputation, 20 years after the war in Vietnam. The interview featured here was conducted shortly after the Gulf victory, and it gives a glimpse into a critical American moment. Schwarzkopf also reveals many of the lessons he learned about leadership during his 39 years in the military.