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The Leonard Lopate Show

Monday, February 11, 2008
  • Former San Francisco mayor and attorney Willie Brown (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
    Former San Francisco mayor and attorney Willie Brown (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

    Basic Brown

    The controversial former San Francisco Democratic mayor Willie Brown explains how he's managed to lose only one election throughout his entire political career. Also: the extraordinary life of Serbia’s legendary warlord, Zeliko Raznatovitch. And a psychologist tries to explain how US soldiers became torturers at Abu Ghraib.

    Write your own funny news headline - and editors from The Onion may evaluate it on The Leonard Lopate Show on Wed. Feb. 13! Submit your headline here.

    ...and celebrate Valentine's Day with us by telling us what you've learned from being dumped. Leave a comment here.

Willie Brown: "The Real Slick Willie"

Bill Clinton called controversial former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown "the real Slick Willie." Willie Brown is here to reveal some secrets to his very successful political career... from how to work a room at a party, to managing scandals. His new autobiography is Basic Brown.

If you can't see the video click here

The Life of a Serbian Warlord

Serbia's legendary warlord Zeljko "Arkan" Raznatovic began his criminal career as a juvenile delinquent, and eventually became one of Slobodan Milosevic’s most valued henchmen. Christopher Stewart’s new book is Hunting the Tiger: The Fast Life and Violent Death of the Balkans' Most Dangerous Man.

Charles Bock’s Beautiful Children

Charles Bock’s debut novel is Beautiful Children. It’s set in Nevada, from the suburbs to the sleazy Vegas sex industry.

Events: Charles Bock will be speaking and signing books
Tuesday, February 12 at 7 pm
Three Lives Books
154 West 10th Street (at Waverly Place)

Charles Bock will be speaking and signing books
Thursday, Feburary 14 at 7 pm
KGB Bar
85 East 4th Street (near 2nd Avenue)

How Good People Turn Evil

How did American soldiers become torturers at Abu Ghraib? Social psychologist Philip Zimbardo’s new book is The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. Zimbardo was the father of the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment, in which student volunteers randomly chosen to play guards became cruel, while those playing inmates became rebellious and depressed.

Listen to our Feb. 4 update about the legal status of detainees at Guantanamo, Bagram, Abu Ghraib, and beyond

Patrick Swayze

The Leonard Lopate Show

Patrick Swayze mixed grace with athleticism in his movies – and rose to stardom with roles in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost.” He died just recently after a battle with pancreatic cancer. And you can hear his interview with Leonard Lopate from July 16, 2002, when he came by to discuss appearing in the film, “Green Dragon.”

The Silver Anniversary of the Silver Palate

The Leonard Lopate Show

Sheila Lukins was one half of a partnership that helped popularize gourmet cooking throughout America – first, through their gourmet food shop in New York City and then with the cookbook, The Silver Palate, which remains one of the top-selling cookbooks of all time. She collaborated on 2 other cookbooks that simplified gourmet cooking for the home cook. She died recently from brain cancer at the age of 66, and you can listen to her 2007 conversation with Leonard Lopate and her business partner Julee Rosso about the 25th Anniversary of the publication of The Silver Palate.

Dominick Dunne

The Leonard Lopate Show

Dominick Dunne was a famous novelist and Hollywood producer. But he may be best remembered for covering trials of the rich and famous – from Claus von Bulow to O. J. Simpson. He died just recently at the age of 83. But you can still hear his interview with Leonard from November 23, 2001, when he was discussing crimes, trials, and punishments.

Let’s Go Swimming!

The Leonard Lopate Show

According to the Centers for Disease Control, bacterial, viral, and parasitic organisms found in recreational water in the United States sicken thousands of people every year, and even result in deaths. We’ll speak with chemist and industrial hygienist Monona Rossol about the protozoa, amoebas and other things that love to go swimming with us. Monona is also founder and President of Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety.

Frank McCourt

The Leonard Lopate Show

Frank McCourt has been a guest many times on this show over the years, starting in 1996 for the memoir, Angela’s Ashes, that would earn him a Pulitzer Prize. Fame came to him late in life, after he’d retired at the age of 65 from teaching English and creative writing at public schools here in New York. He was a sweet, eloquent man who spoke with grace and humility; he just died at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer. You can hear him speaking with Leonard Lopate for his Survival Kit in 2000, and in 2005, for his memoir, Teacher Man.

Science and Faith

The Leonard Lopate Show

Earlier this week, Pres. Obama announced that he plans to nominate geneticist Dr. Francis Collins to lead the National Institutes of Health. You can listen to Leonard’s 2006 conversation with Dr. Collins about how he reconciles his personal faith with his professional scientific knowledge.

FDA to Regulate Tobacco?

The Leonard Lopate Show

May 14, 2009
Congress is getting ready to a vote on whether to make tobacco subject to FDA regulation. You can listen to a segment we did in May about the bill and what it would mean for the cigarette companies.

Our 3-ingredient Challenge wins a James Beard Award

The Leonard Lopate Show

On May 3, the Lopate Show won its third James Beard Award for our 3-ingredient challenge. In August, we asked our listeners to call in and name 3 ingredients and then challenged New York chef and 3-ingredient expert Rozanne Gold to whip up a recipe! You can listen to the 3-ingredient challenge and get some inspiration for simple, delicious, and unexpected dishes.

Leonard is on Facebook

Now Leonard is on Facebook! We’re posting photos, status updates, links to notable interviews, and lots more. Check it out.

Barack Obama, Circa 2004

The Leonard Lopate Show

Listen to President-Elect Barack Obama on the Leonard Lopate Show in November 2004. He had recently won a seat in the U.S. Senate, and only a few months before, his rousing speech during the 2004 Democratic National Convention catapulted him into the national spotlight.

Guest Picks

The Leonard Lopate Show

Find out surprising facts about some recent guests on the Leonard Lopate Show. Check out our Guest Picks section! Did you know that football star Herschel Walker loves Judge Judy, Laurie Anderson is a big fan of agility training for dogs, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi likes Johnny Depp?