From left: American actors Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, who plays Captain Benjamin Hawkeye Pierce; … [+]
The first two parts of this interview series with Alan Alda covered the actor's fascination with Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman, including Alda's 2001 Broadway play about a physicist, QED. Dr. Edward Teller, fame, curiosity, fear and more.
In Part 3, we discuss Alda's hit TV series M*A*S*H, her play about Marie Curie, the discoverer of the element radium, and her interesting guests, including Paul, on her podcast Clear+Vivid To do. McCartney et al. The following are edited excerpts from a lengthy Zoom conversation.
Jim Clash: I have to mention your participation in the television series “M*A*S*H.” What’s the best thing about doing the show?
Alan Alda: The most fun part was learning how to do what we all did better. I’ve gotten better as an actor, writer, and director. It was thrilling to move that movement forward. There are few things more fun than doing something you know how to do well. The only good thing is to learn how to do it better.
Crash: Do you have a favorite episode that comes to mind?
Alda: There are many, but usually the story is told in an unconventional way. I especially enjoyed writing about the dreams of the people on the property. However, these were not just casual dreams, but mostly nightmares that they were having. I thought it was an effective episode. Later, when I looked it up on the internet, I found out that it was some people's favorite show and some people's least favorite show. I think it's because it wasn't that interesting. I don't know.
I thought we made a deal with the audience that we could tell the story in an unconventional and, in some cases, not-so-interesting way. But the next week we ended up coming back with more than they expected. So we worked with different styles, and that was part of the joy of making the show. But I haven't watched it much since I did it.
(Original caption) Portrait of Pierre Curie and Marie Curie in their laboratory. Undated photo.
CRASH: You also produced Radiance: The Passion Of Marie Curie. Why do we do a play about the discovery of the element radium?
Alda: One of the things that interested me is that women in science don't have an easy life. There was a study where the same resume was submitted for a job in a lab, and both were identical except that one had a woman's name and the other had a man's name. Ta. When asked, the lab directors said that the women were not as interested in science as the men. That's when I became interested in Curie.
But the story she lived was also very dramatic. She struggled with being a woman at a time when women were not expected to work as well as men. She was very depressed after her husband died in a carriage accident. She was comforted by another scientist. He was in an unhappy marriage and they eventually had an affair. When it came out around the time she won her second Nobel Prize, the Swedish people told her not to come and collect her award because of her scandal.
When she first won the award, the committee only wanted to nominate her husband, Pierre. Because the two have worked together. I thought he was the guy and he really did his job. But he said he would not accept her award unless he gave her half of his praise. When they arrived, she was told that he, not her, would give her acceptance speech. That wasn't fair.
Indio, California – Musician Paul McCartney performs during a desert trip at Empire Polo Fields in October … [+]
Clash: Let's talk a little bit about your current podcast, Clear+Vivid.
Alda: I love science, so I'm interested in how scientists communicate. I try to make each show a model of communication. If you don't understand, if you don't understand, run after the guest until you do. We hope that at least some of our podcast listeners will seek the same understanding and reach places they have never been before.
By the way, it's not just scientists. They're just a few of the things I wear. I talked to a guy who used to be a skinhead, and he realized that one time when he was beating a Jew, he was actually hurting a real person, and he decided not to do that anymore. He now spends his time helping other skinheads break out of the movement. Another guest was one of the lead hostage negotiators with the FBI. There are many different types of communicators, including actors, musicians, and politicians. In some cases, the link to communication may not be so clear at first.
Crush: How do you choose the guests?
Alda: There are three of us – Executive Producer Graham Ched, Associate Producer Sarah Chase, and myself. Publishers send us requests because they have a book coming out, or because they saw an interview with an interesting person on YouTube. The important thing is that they not only say something interesting, but also come alive and actually make contact with the audience.
A lot of it is about what you and I are doing right now. You can take someone out or turn them off. Sometimes people who have good intentions and want to draw someone out just flatten their voice because they don't show genuine interest in the guest. I don't mean to flatter you, but you connected with me from the beginning and made it very easy to talk to you.
Crush: Who is one of the most interesting guests you've ever had?
Alda: I had a great time with Paul McCartney. When he came into the studio, everyone was so excited. There was a piano in the room and three guitars leaning against the wall under spotlights. So he came in and asked me, “What the hell is that?” I said I had nothing to do with it. We were looking forward to you coming, so the staff put it out to cheer you up.
Alan Alda's podcast, Clear+Vivid.
As soon as Paul and I started talking, we joked and practiced our vocalizations together. After 4 minutes out of 5, I said: “You have the most memorable melodies in the world. How do you come up with them and find them?” He says, “Oh, I'm just playing little chords on the piano.” I asked him what the Aubrey code was. He said, “There's a piano over there, let me tell you what I mean.” So I had a lot of fun playing the piano and searching for the melody, starting from the perspective of “What is that?'' He's a really good guy.
