by Michael Shapiro | Feb 28, 2012 | Blog, Stories
Sometimes dream assignments get even dreamier. After asking “if I’d be willing” to go to Peru and take a cruise down the Amazon, my editor said something like: As long as you’ll be in Lima, try a few top restaurants and we’ll run a...
by Michael Shapiro | Feb 27, 2012 | Blog, Interviews, Music, Stories
I recently interviewed a founding member of the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo who told me the band started as a dream – see excerpt below. The band plays March 2 at Napa’s Uptown Theater – here’s the excerpt: Mambazo’s...
by Michael Shapiro | Feb 27, 2012 | Blog, Interviews, Music, Stories
Leo Kottke is a quirky and genuine as you’d guess from his music – here’s an excerpt from our interview which ends with him talking about music being a type of home for him: Renowned acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke says the guitar didn’t just...
by Michael Shapiro | Sep 6, 2011 | Books, Interviews, Literature, Past Events, Stories
A few years ago a producer asked Tim Cahill and me to record an interview at Yellowstone. Here’s the 10-minute pilot that came from that weekend in the snow.
by Michael Shapiro | Aug 26, 2011 | Interviews, Stories
Can we talk? I must admit I’ve never been drawn to Joan Rivers as I have to comics like George Carlin or Richard Pryor. But after interviewing, I came to appreciate her fierce honesty and incisive comments. I work with disabled people but couldn’t help...
by Michael Shapiro | Aug 22, 2011 | Blog, Interviews, Music, Stories
I spoke with the genius behind the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, in August 2011. The man who penned hits such as “California Girls” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” has suffered terribly from mental illness but is back on the road and performing...
