Patti LuPone was only four years old when she realized she belonged on stage, and she started by entertaining family members in her Long Island living room.

LuPone won her second Tony Award for Evita, which she initially described as merely “noise from Britain.” Although she has enjoyed tremendous, long-term success, she talks candidly to Alec about blows to her career and ego. 

 

Originally aired February 18, 2013

Patti LuPone was only four years old when she realized she belonged on stage, and she started by entertaining&nbsp;family members in her Long Island living room.
LuPone won her second Tony Award for&nbsp;Evita, which she initially described as merely &ldquo;noise from Britain.&rdquo; Although she has enjoyed tremendous, long-term success, she talks candidly to Alec about blows to her career and ego.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Originally aired February 18, 2013

Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin takes listeners into the lives of artists, policy makers and performers. Alec sidesteps the predictable by going inside the dressing rooms, apartments, and offices of people we want to understand better: Ira Glass, Lena Dunham, David Letterman, Barbara Streisand, Tom Yorke, Chris Rock and others. Hear what happens when an inveterate guest becomes a host.

Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin takes listeners into the lives of artists, policy makers and performers.  Alec sidesteps the predictable by going inside the dressing rooms, apartments, and offices of people we want to understand better: Ira Glass, Lena Dunham, David Brooks, Roz Chast, Chris Rock and others. Hear what happens when an inveterate guest becomes a host.

Here's The Thing with Alec Baldwin

From the Archives: Patti LuPone

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/90d01416-7964-46d6-b3d4-b3830182f3dd/transcript

Lou Gramm is a legendary singer and songwriter best known as co-founder and original frontman of Foreigner. Gramm is considered among the greatest and most successful rock vocalists of his generation. He co-wrote many of Foreigner's hits with bandmate Mick Jones. Together, they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame class of 2013 and in 2024, Gramm was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Foreigner. Gramm is the voice behind hit songs such as “Juke Box Hero”, “Urgent", and “I Want to Know What Love Is”. In March 2026, Gramm released his first full-length solo album since 1989. Paired with this conversation is Here’s The Thing’s 2017 conversation with another legendary singer-songwriter: Jon Anderson. The co-founder of the progressive rock band Yes and renowned for his unmistakable vocals and songwriting, Anderson is the voice behind timeless hits including “Roundabout,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” and “I've Seen All Good People”. In 2017, Anderson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Yes. With a career spanning more than five decades, Anderson continues to tour worldwide.

Lou Gramm is a legendary singer and songwriter best known as co-founder and original frontman of Foreigner. Gramm is considered among the greatest and most successful rock vocalists of his generation. He co-wrote many of Foreigner's hits with bandmate Mick Jones. Together, they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame class of 2013 and in 2024, Gramm was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Foreigner. Gramm is the voice behind hit songs such as &ldquo;Juke Box Hero&rdquo;, &ldquo;Urgent", and &ldquo;I Want to Know What Love Is&rdquo;. In March 2026, Gramm released his first full-length solo album since 1989. Paired with this conversation is Here&rsquo;s The Thing&rsquo;s 2017 conversation with another legendary singer-songwriter: Jon Anderson. The co-founder of the progressive rock band Yes and renowned for his unmistakable vocals and songwriting, Anderson is the voice behind timeless hits including &ldquo;Roundabout,&rdquo; &ldquo;Owner of a Lonely Heart,&rdquo; and &ldquo;I've Seen All Good People&rdquo;. In 2017, Anderson was inducted into the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame with Yes. With a career spanning more than five decades, Anderson continues to tour worldwide.

The Hitmakers: Foreigner’s Lou Gramm and Yes’ Jon Anderson

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/866681b2-2407-493e-8ce8-b4ef016e2df0/transcript

To celebrate 15 years of great conversations, we're revisiting Alec's first episode from 2011. Michael Douglas has lived in the same apartment overlooking Central Park for decades. Alec joins him there for a compelling conversation about what makes a great director and why playing the villain is so wonderful. Douglas reveals how competition with his father, legendary actor Kirk Douglas, shaped both his career and his life as a parent. He says he’s much more honest with his young daughter than he ever thought he’d be. Douglas explains how his father’s early brush with death, and his own cancer diagnosis affected them each in different ways.

Originally released October 23rd, 2011.

To celebrate 15 years of great conversations, we're revisiting Alec's first episode from 2011. Michael Douglas has lived in the same apartment overlooking Central Park for decades. Alec joins him there for a compelling conversation about what makes a great director and why playing the villain is so wonderful. Douglas reveals how competition with his father, legendary actor Kirk Douglas, shaped both his career and his life as a parent. He says he&rsquo;s much more honest with his young daughter than he ever thought he&rsquo;d be. Douglas explains how his father&rsquo;s early brush with death, and his own cancer diagnosis affected them each in different ways.
Originally released October 23rd, 2011.

From the Archives: Michael Douglas

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c512b24f-5e3d-47f2-87ab-b4e801290f94/transcript

Mark Twain once likened biographies to “the clothes and buttons of the man” saying “the biography of the man himself cannot be written.” The quote is a favorite of Patricia Bosworth, a 1950s model-actor turned biographer known for capturing the lives of Diane Arbus, Montgomery Clift, and Marlon Brando. All three were revered and haunted by internal demons—a narrative she knows too well. Bosworth's own father, Bartley Crum, was a left-wing lawyer who famously defended the Hollywood Ten before succumbing to his own psychological pain. It was her father's suicide, as well as her brother's six years earlier, that instilled a strong desire to seek out the stories of other tormented souls. Patricia Bosworth's book The Men in My Life turns that voyage inward, painting a picture of a resilient woman with a tragic story of her own.

Originally released August 22nd, 2017. Patricia Bosworth passed away on April 2nd, 2020.

Mark Twain once likened biographies to &ldquo;the clothes and buttons of the man&rdquo; saying &ldquo;the biography of the man himself cannot be written.&rdquo; The quote is a favorite of Patricia Bosworth, a 1950s model-actor turned biographer known for capturing the lives of Diane Arbus, Montgomery Clift, and Marlon Brando. All three were revered and haunted by internal demons&mdash;a narrative she knows too well. Bosworth's own father, Bartley Crum, was a left-wing lawyer who famously defended the Hollywood Ten before succumbing to his own psychological pain. It was her father's suicide, as well as her brother's six years earlier, that instilled a strong desire to seek out the stories of other tormented souls. Patricia Bosworth's book The Men in My Life turns that voyage inward, painting a picture of a resilient woman with a tragic story of her own.
Originally released August 22nd, 2017. Patricia Bosworth passed away on April 2nd, 2020.

From the Archives: Patricia Bosworth

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8e0d9c10-d6bb-41a0-ad14-b4e101455ad8/transcript

From the Archives: Patti LuPone

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