Added 11.14.18. If the Greek gods of antiquity were alive today, their lives would make for maximum clickbait. Their heroic exploits were equalled only by their grand appetites for sin and self-regard. Naturally, there is much to mine from their legends. With two noted classics scholars Milt delves into the gods of the Greek pantheon in ancient mythology, and follows the thread forward in history to trace their influence on the development of modern thought, religion, moral codes, and storytelling. One guest is Phillip Freeman – then of Luther College, and now Chair of Western Culture at Pepperdine University. He was author of the then-newly released, “Oh My Gods: A Modern Re-telling of Greek And Roman Myths.” The other guest: University of Chicago professor of humanities, history and classics Jonathan M. Hall, author  – among other volumes – of “History Of The Archaic Greek World, 1200-479 B.C.“

Added 11.6.18. It’s been said that to be a U.S. Presidential contender requires “ambition, stamina, and pure shamelessness.” There’s a tradition among writers and political analysts of putting successful – and unsuccessful – U.S. Presidential campaigns under the microscope. It dates back at least as far as Theodore White’s classic of the genre titled “The Making Of The President 1960,” on JFK’s White House conquest; and includes Richard Ben Cramer’s classic “What It Takes,” on the ’88 contest. Mark Edward Taylor, an ordained minister with a doctorate in communications from Northwestern University, in his 2011 analysis “Branding Obamessiah: The Rise Of an American Idol,” posits – and seeks to painstakingly document – that President Barack Obama won his first term in office in an especially remarkable manner. It was, Taylor argues, with a carefully calibrated communications strategy inspired by religious images; religious words; a creation story; sacred rituals; true believers; and “an exceptional chief” defined as “an inexplicably impressive solution to all the nation’s problems” and by his “sense of hope in himself and the nation.” Milt and frequent guest Charles Lipson, a prolific author and professor emeritus of political science at the University of Chicago, sit down here in late 2011 with Taylor to dive deeper.

Added 10.30.18. Milt in 2011 interviews historian Deborah Lipstadt on her then-new book, “The Trial of Adolf Eichmann.” Sitting behind bulletproof glass in court in Jerusalem, Eichmann was tried and subsequently sentenced to death for his central role serving Hitler by overseeing the transport of millions of Jews to death camps, in The Holocaust. Eichmann was a Nazi Obersturmbannfuhrer, or senior assault unit leader. After World War II he fled Germany for first Austria, then Argentina. He was captured there in 1960 by Israeli agents. Lipstadt is the author of “Denying The Holocaust,” and other books. She is a  Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies, at Emory University.

Added 10.24.18. Milt interviews the Peabody Award-winning film documentarist Joseph Dorman upon the 2011 release of his film, “Sholom Aleichem: Laughing In The Darkness.” To many, Aleichem is known mainly as the writer who work gave rise to “Fiddler On The Roof.” Accordingly, Dorman tells Milt, he thought of Aleichem as “a dusty Jewish humorist of the past.” But looking more closely, he says he discovered “the greatest Jewish writer of the modern era.” The conversation explores the how and why, including historical and social context of Aleichem’s work, as Jewish immigrants to the U.S. were bridging the gap between the old and new worlds. The film was one of the top-grossing documentaries of 2011. Dorman co-wrote a famed 2001 documentary on Arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton; produced the 1998 documentary “Arguing The World;” and is at work on new documentaries – one about Israel and the Middle East, and another on a noted AIDS pediatrician. He teaches at NYU, and is a former PBS news magazine senior producer.

Added 10.16.18. Milt interviews celebrated playwright, author and essayist David Mamet in 2006 upon the publication of Mamet’s book, “The Wicked Son: Anti-Semitism, Self-Hatred And The Jews.” The book is dedicated by Mamet, “To the Jews…whose favorite Jew is Anne Frank…who bow the head reverently at a baptism and have never attended a bris – to you, who find your religion and race repulsive, your ignorance of history a satisfaction, here is a book from your brother.” A lively and rich discussion between Mamet and Milt ensues.