Frost/Nixon: Behind the Scenes of the Nixon Interviews

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Frost/Nixon: Behind the Scenes of the Nixon Interviews

3.51 of 5 stars 3.51 · rating details · 184 ratings · 25 reviews

Following the resounding success of the eponymous West End and Broadway hit play, Frost/Nixon tells the extraordinary story of how Sir David Frost pursued and landed the biggest fish of his career—and how the series drew larger audiences than any news interview ever had in the United States, before being shown all over the world.

This is Frost's absorbing story of his pursu...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published October 23rd 2007 by Harper Perennial (first published December 31st 1975)

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Feb 07, 2009 Matt Evans rated it 3 of 5 stars

My hope was to hear the entirety of the Frost/Nixon interviews, and since that was far outside the purview of this 4.5-hour audiobook (the interviews run something like 28 hours), I was disappointed. That's a pattern for me, for my life: disappointment because of insufficient initial info gathering.

But still, there is quite a bit here to hold one's interest. Of especial note is Nixon's parsing, in his own words, in his own voice, and at the business end of Frost's anglovox, Q&A goad, Nixon's...more My hope was to hear the entirety of the Frost/Nixon interviews, and since that was far outside the purview of this 4.5-hour audiobook (the interviews run something like 28 hours), I was disappointed. That's a pattern for me, for my life: disappointment because of insufficient initial info gathering.

But still, there is quite a bit here to hold one's interest. Of especial note is Nixon's parsing, in his own words, in his own voice, and at the business end of Frost's anglovox, Q&A goad, Nixon's parsing of the Watergate cover-up. Nixon is careful to note that his actions did not breach the legal line defining conspiracy to obstruct justice, but "they [= his actions:] went all the way up to that line." He claims that his intent was to simply shield his administration (and himself) from the botched robbery's fallout. (Frost concedes at the end of the audiobook that, in light of all the evidence that's surfaced in the years 1977 to 2007, he's inclined to take Nixon's assertion at face value; i.e., that Nixon didn't know about the initial break-in and that his subsequent actions were meant to simply shunt scandal fallout outward.) Nixon then makes the startling admission that in spite of not technically, criminally covering anything up, "any reasonable person would interpret my actions as constituting a cover up."

There are even a few quite moving moments. All the more remarkable given that my early and initial exposure to Nixon was actually to Jules Feiffer's Nixon caricatures (which I, a 9 year old, could reproduce to the delight of my 5-grade teacher Dawn Fowler, whom I loved) and Dan Ackroyd's SNL Richard Nixon. Thus, the Nixon of my conception is a ludicrous and ridiculous and corrupt cartoon. That's my Nixon-imago, and hearing Nixon and Frost's head-to-head kind of burst that imago and revealed to me something of Nixon the real man.

Did I mention that Frost reveals this little tidbit about Nixon's participation in these interviews? The revelation: Nixon agreed to cede Frost's team 100% editorial control for the interviews. That's one remarkably ballsy move for anyone, let alone for a man obsessed with image-control and power, Nixon. What Nixon basically does in these interviews is, to paraphrase Frost's commentary, to tear down his personality's defenses and leave himself vulnerable (at least vulnerable for Nixon) to a kind of public/personal intimacy. And this isn't to say that he's also not circuitous of speech and cagey and at times combative -- he is -- but he also here and there unbuttons his shirt and tells Frost the marksman to fire at will.

So, hat's off to the be-jowled, vampire hairdo'd, double v-sign wagging national joke, and congratulations to Richard Milhous the man, and congratulations to Frost.(less)

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Apr 19, 2009 Dan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Richard Nixon's resignation has always been an oddly fascinating moment for me. I was almost ten years old when he resigned and for some reason, the event left it's mark. Back in the late 90s, when the Bill Clinton impeachment comedy was playing out in Congress, there were a lot of people saying that what Clinton had done, essentially lying about cheating on his wife, was "worse than Nixon." Curious to see if they were correct, I found myself reading everything that I could get my hands on about...more

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Mar 24, 2009 Nancy Oakes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Frost/Nixon: Behind the Scenes of the Nixon Interviews is divided into two parts.

First there's a look at Frost's decision to interview Nixon when he was basically persona non grata, at a time when Nixon was trying to get back into public life. This was not an easy thing to accomplish for Frost -- a LOT of negotiation went on, including questions over how much money Nixon would get, who was going to have editorial control, the topics that Nixon would speak on, etc. This part of the book also exam...more Frost/Nixon: Behind the Scenes of the Nixon Interviews is divided into two parts.

First there's a look at Frost's decision to interview Nixon when he was basically persona non grata, at a time when Nixon was trying to get back into public life. This was not an easy thing to accomplish for Frost -- a LOT of negotiation went on, including questions over how much money Nixon would get, who was going to have editorial control, the topics that Nixon would speak on, etc. This part of the book also examines the series of interviews that took place, and how Frost was able to ask questions and not get bogged down in Nixon's somewhat elusive answers, especially on Watergate, Vietnam and Chile. It also takes a look at how Nixon tries to, in effect, rewrite some of the history of his tenure as President, even though the Watergate tapes showed he wasn't being quite truthful. Frost also examines what happened after the interviews aired and Nixon went back into public life. After writing about the tapings,
Frost takes a look at Nixon's presidency and briefly assesses both negative and positive aspects of Nixon's time in office prior to his resignation. He doesn't just dwell on Watergate but goes on to examine Nixon's foreign policy decisions as well.

The second part contains the transcripts of the interviews by topic.

This was an interesting read, but for me, it was less the behind the scenes stuff and more for Nixon's perspective on his own wrongdoings and those of the men who worked for him. Also, I realized after reading this that the bad-guy Nixon was the same person who did things like open up China. Frost's take on Nixon's tenure in office also gives the reader food for thought.

I have a bone to pick with Frost, though...it's minor but worth noting. Considering the man is a journalist, he should know that Chinese people always state their last names first, so it grated on my nerves when he'd say Mao Zedong and then refer to Zhou Enlai as "En-lai," or Hua Guofeng as Guo-feng, just knowing he was probably using their first names as last names.

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who is even mildly interested in the topic. There is a LOT of information on not only Watergate, but other issues of the late 1960s, early 1970s such as Vietnam, civil rights, the cold war and the role of the two major superpowers of the era. I read this book before the movie, and I think anyone who is planning to see the film may find it helpful, even though parts of the movie are fictionalized.

Lest we think "so what -- that was then", on page 89, in the center of the page, there is a bit of transcript which reads something like this:

Frost: "So in a sense what you're saying is that there are certain situations...where the president can decide that it's in the best interest of the nation or something and do something illegal?"
Nixon: "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal."
Frost: "By definition?"
Nixon: "Exactly, exactly."

This extract is only a part of what Nixon had to say during the Frost/Nixon interviews, but it's important, and it's (imho) still relevant. (less)

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Dec 29, 2008 Don rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, society, history

When you've resigned the presidency in disgrace and then holed up for almost three years without talking to anybody from the media, and then you finally come out of your bunker and talk, what you say might be interesting. Or it might not.

It all depends on the ground rules and the interviewer. Interestingly enough, when Richard Nixon sent the word out that he needed money to pay for his legal fees, the networks weren't very interested ... they didn't expect much to come out of such interviews bey...more When you've resigned the presidency in disgrace and then holed up for almost three years without talking to anybody from the media, and then you finally come out of your bunker and talk, what you say might be interesting. Or it might not.

It all depends on the ground rules and the interviewer. Interestingly enough, when Richard Nixon sent the word out that he needed money to pay for his legal fees, the networks weren't very interested ... they didn't expect much to come out of such interviews beyond Nixon's carefully crafted well-prepared message. So when David Frost offered $600,000 for the 11 sessions of interviews (to be boiled down to four 90-minute programs), the world's media at first shrugged their shoulders at what was perceived as four nights of Nixon merely being given the opportunity to rehabilitate his image.

Frost, however, was determined to turn this into an interview for historians ... that is, approach the many unanswered questions as a prosecuting attorney might, attempting to represent the people and their right to know. And it worked. I recall watching it on TV (and at times listening on the radio), and being amazed then by how honest and real Frost got Nixon to be.

The first part of this book is an interesting blow-by-blow of what would become one of the most-watched television shows in U.S. history. Of course, it has recently become a successful stage show, and is now a movie. Jean gave me this book for Christmas in anticipation of going to the movie -- and now I can't wait to see it.

But that's really only about 25 percent about the book, Frost detailing his preparation and reaction with his team. Then there's 25 percent about what Frost thinks of Nixon and his legacy (which is much more clearly expressed and detailed in a fascinating way in Nixonland), and 50 percent is transcripts.

In some ways, this book reminds me a lot of Bobby Fischer goes to War in that much of the action is behind the scenes and between the sessions. But what this book lacks is any insight from the "Nixon's team" side ... I'd love to know how Nixon's team was preparing him, etc.

I'm anxious to see the movie.(less)

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Jan 21, 2012 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, politics

From http://weeksnotice.blogspot.com/2012/...

One thing I don't like to say in polite company is that I have a long-standing Richard Nixon addiction. This isn't to say I like him, mind you, but the combination of insecurity, criminal inclination, indecision, aggressiveness, political acumen, intelligence and many other seemingly contradictory characteristics are fascinating. Back in 1994 I sucked down Fred Emery's book on Watergate, and watched the excellent documentary that was linked to it.

I ha...more From http://weeksnotice.blogspot.com/2012/...

One thing I don't like to say in polite company is that I have a long-standing Richard Nixon addiction. This isn't to say I like him, mind you, but the combination of insecurity, criminal inclination, indecision, aggressiveness, political acumen, intelligence and many other seemingly contradictory characteristics are fascinating. Back in 1994 I sucked down Fred Emery's book on Watergate, and watched the excellent documentary that was linked to it.

I hadn't had much time for it in recent years--remission, you might call it--but on a recent trip I rented Frost/Nixon, which I had not seen before, and subsequently I bought the book of the same name that David Frost wrote about his interviews. More than anything, it is illustrative of how Nixon convinced himself that he was always in the right, and could do anything he wanted as a result. That culminated in the famous quote, "When the president does it, that means it is not illegal." Criminality simply melts away in his mind.

There is a chapter dedicated to a transcript of the interview that focused on Chile. It underlines the fact that a) his knowledge of Chilean politics was sketchy; b) he didn't think knowledge of Chilean politics was particularly important; and c) all that mattered was that there was a government friendly to the U.S. Frost accurately pushed back, but Nixon just didn't care, and mostly wanted to emphasize that LBJ had acted against Allende too.

I enjoyed the movie, but it does divert from the book for dramatic purposes. In particular, the Jack Brennan of the movie, played as an authoritarian figure by Kevin Bacon, does not match the Brennan described in Frost's book. Nixon did ask Frost if he had "fornicated" recently, but the movie shows it as a way Nixon tried to throw Frost off, whereas Frost's own recollection was that Nixon clumsily wanted to be one of the boys, and had no idea how to do so. At the very least, if you liked the movie I would suggest taking a look at the book.

Reading more about Nixon these days is also a reminder that, bizarrely, he would likely be considered too liberal in many areas to win Republican primaries.(less)

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Jun 26, 2012 Donny rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will probably read it again in a few years. I don't normally like to mark/underline in my books, but I plan to keep this book for a long time and there are so many facts and memorable quotes and notes in this book that it's a great reference point. The main thing that I love about the pick is the opposing arguments and view points - you would expect a book like this to only bash all the things President Richard Nixon did during his term. However, being from an...more

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Dec 19, 2009 Jack rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, nonfiction, history, politics, presidents

Interesting behind-the-scenes of an interesting bunch of interviews. Frost comes across as much more informed than I would have figured before he did the interviews. So I have heard, Nixon thought the same thing. The transcripts at the end of the book were fascinating. Amazingly I found Nixon's defense of the Chile stuff to be the most convincing (not a very high bar to get over). And his discussions of Watergate left him looking like a whiny defense lawyer instead of the chief law enforcer of t...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Jed Sorokin-Altmann rated it 5 of 5 stars

It portrays a much more complex image of Nixon than the play/film or my own impression previous of Nixon. Frost does not absolve Nixon in any way, to the contrary, he points out how Nixon seemingly continued to lie even to himself up until the very end about the gravity of what Nixon did and Nixon's complicity, but Frost also talks about the good things Nixon accomplished and how were it not for Nixon allowing his dark side to consume him (Frost does not let people get away with just saying that...more

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Feb 28, 2009 Jo Lau rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

The book is in three parts. Part one is the most interesting, which is David Frost's perspective on the interviews, the planning and how it all took place. If you've seen the recent movie, the first thing Frost does is to point out which parts of the play (which the film is based on) is fictional, and whatever else differs from what actually happened. This part was absolutely thrilling.

The second part is a reading of Nixon by Frost, talking about his actions in the light of what facts have been...more

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Aug 19, 2008 Neal rated it 4 of 5 stars

After the success of the Broadway play, David Frost wrote this book to set the record straight on the events of his historic interviews with Richard Nixon. Although he tacitly gave his blessing to the play, he had no influence on the writing and is quick to point out inaccuracies that were incorporated into the play to enhance the dramatic narrative. However, after reading Frost's account of the actual events, there doesn't seem to be any reason in my mind why dramatic license would need to be t...more

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Jan 22, 2008 Kevin rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone interested in television history, politics, nixon

Shelves: the-nixonian

Find this book in a library.

Nixon was the first president I remember being part of everyday life. I watched some of the watergate hearings, but didn't understand them. Later, four years after Nixon left office (all the discussion in our house was about whether or not Nixon would weep when he resigned. He didn't), I watched (I think) each of these interviews when they aired.

This is a good read. It easily held my interest, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it was consistently compelling -- just o...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Travis McClain rated it 3 of 5 stars

First we rented Frost/Nixon on Blu-ray from Netflix. Then, I streamed the original Watergate interview episode. It seemed serendipitous when I came across this at Half Price Books for $3.98 on 17 April. The first part is a collection of reminisces and hindsight; the second part are excerpts from the transcripts.

One caution for anyone who might be interested: Frost assumes (and probably rightly so) that if you're interested in his 30 year retrospective on those interviews, that you're already wel...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Adam Morel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Choose your metaphor: Nixon as boxer, desperately dancing, weaving and clutching until the bell rings for the 15th round or Frost as matador, working to tame and, ultimately, bring to heel, his dangerous opponent without getting gored. Frost has the mic - and the pen, in this account from his own chair. Good stuff.

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Mar 15, 2009 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I actually listened to this book on audio and I'm glad I did. The advantage of the audio version is that (a) it is narrated by David Frost, (b) you get to hear actual parts of the Nixon interview and (c) you get additional commentary and insights by Frost not included in the book. For anyone who grew up in the Nixon era this is a wonderful look at a very troubled individual. It peels back the layers of Nixon's personality and while I never felt sorry for Nixon (some people said they did) - it wa...more

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Sep 05, 2010 Dave Gaston rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir, nonfiction, 60-s, celebrity-media, dialog-masters, history, presidents-politico, smoldering

Boy, I loved this audio-book! The back story, the public aftermath and the personal summation of Nixon’s character were just as fascinating as the on-camera Q&A sword play. An in-depth presidential interview like this one will never happen again, in part, because it first happened here with such devastating results. Nixon’s answers were masterful in places and shockingly unguarded in others. The intensity of world topics and the level of personal debate lifted Frost’s memoir to a new level....more

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Jan 20, 2009 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very interesting account of the interviews. Nixon has been presented more or less as a caricature in hindsight. This made me remember that he was a complex personality both in his strengths and weaknesses.

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Jul 14, 2009 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dads-history-nonfiction

Dad said it was good, but more than you'd ever want to know and I guessed a bit boring.

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Feb 03, 2009 Kendra rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you are interested in this type of thing... I have tickets to the play in the spring and, of course, the movie is out. Even with reading this, I still might want to see the original interviews.

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Sep 11, 2009 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

See the movie for a pop-culture fix, read the book for something more...

Now that I'm done withthe book, I reiterate the above. Even the actual Frost/Nixon interview was a little disappointing -- not the Watergate confessional, of course, but I expected clips from the other topics the two discussed (e.g., China, Vietnam, etc.). This book, on the other hand, covered that material. I recommend it highly.

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Feb 18, 2009 Emma marked it as couldn-t-finish

Frost isn't a writer... he's an interviewer.

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Feb 08, 2008 Pattie rated it 3 of 5 stars

It not only gives parts of the transcripts of the interviews, but talks about the behind the scenes wheeling and dealing that went on to get the interviews to take place and air on television. An interesting piece of history.

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May 21, 2013 Pam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interesting background to the interview, and an insightful look to break down some of the generalizations about Richard Nixon.

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Jun 07, 2009 Chris Wood rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fascinating point in history, but a slightly dull account of it, sadly.

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Aug 11, 2011 Shona rated it 1 of 5 stars

didnt really enjoy this book to be honest. Found it hard work.

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Aug 20, 2009 Philip rated it 4 of 5 stars

it was good detailed but wasnt in the mood for history i guess

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Jun 04, 2013 Daniel marked it as to-read

Shelves: richard-burton-diaries

May 28, 2013 Greg added it

May 28, 2013 Frankie marked it as to-read

Shelves: library-reads

May 27, 2013 Dee Lauren added it · review of another edition

May 26, 2013 Jia Yaik marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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About David Frost

Sir David Paradine Frost, OBE is a British journalist, comedian, writer and media personality, best known for his serious interviews with various political figures, the most notable being Richard Nixon. Since 2006, he has been hosting the weekly programme Frost Over the World on Al Jazeera English. He was portrayed by actor Michael Sheen opposite Frank Langella's Richard Nixon in the 2006 Peter Mo...more Sir David Paradine Frost, OBE is a British journalist, comedian, writer and media personality, best known for his serious interviews with various political figures, the most notable being Richard Nixon. Since 2006, he has been hosting the weekly programme Frost Over the World on Al Jazeera English. He was portrayed by actor Michael Sheen opposite Frank Langella's Richard Nixon in the 2006 Peter Morgan stage play Frost/Nixon, and in Ron Howard's subsequent 2008 film adaptation.

Whilst living in Gillingham, Kent, he was taught in the Bible Class of the Sunday School at his father's church by David Gilmore Harvey, and subsequently started training as a Methodist Local Preacher, which he did not complete. At Cambridge, where he graduated with a degree in English, he edited a student newspaper, Varsity, and a literary magazine, Granta. He was also secretary of the famous Footlights Drama Society, which included actors such as Peter Cook and John Bird.

After leaving university, he became a trainee at Associated-Rediffusion and worked for Anglia Television. Frost was chosen by writer and producer Ned Sherrin to host a pioneering satirical programme called That Was The Week That Was, alias TW3. This caught the wave of the satire boom in 1960s Britain and became a popular programme. A 30-minute American version of TW3 featuring Frost ran on NBC from 10 January 1964 to May 1965.

Frost fronted a number of programmes following the success of TW3, including its immediate successor, Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life. More notable was The Frost Report (1966-1967), which launched the television careers of John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. He signed for Rediffusion, the ITV weekday contractor in London, to produce a "heavier" interview-based show called The Frost Programme. Guests included Sir Oswald Mosley and Rhodesian premier Ian Smith. His memorable dressing-down of insurance fraudster Emil Savundra was generally regarded as the first example of "trial by television" in the UK. On 20 and 21 July 1969, during the British television Apollo 11 coverage, he presented David Frost's Moon Party for LWT, a ten-hour discussion and entertainment marathon from LWT's Wembley Studios, on the night Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

In 1963 a tribute to the recently assassinated President John F. Kennedy on That Was the Week That Was had seen Frost's fame spread to the United States. His 1970 TV special Frost on America featured guests such as Jack Benny and Tennessee Williams. From 1969 to 1972, Frost kept his London shows and fronted The David Frost Show on the Group W (U.S. Westinghouse Corporation) television stations in the United States.In 1977, he met US President Richard Nixon in a series of interviews for American television.

During the 1990s, he presented the panel game Through the Keyhole, which featured a long running partnership with Loyd Grossman. After transferring from ITV, his Sunday morning interview programme Breakfast with Frost ran on the BBC from January 1993 until 29 May 2005. The programme originally began in this format on TV-am in September 1983 as Frost on Sunday until the station lost its franchise at the end of 1992.

As of November 2006, he works for Al Jazeera English, presenting a live weekly hour-long current affairs programme, Frost Over the World, which started when the network launched in November 2006. The programme has regularly made headlines with interviewees such as Tony Blair, President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, Benazir Bhutto and President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua.

Frost was instrumental in starting up two important ITV franchises: London Weekend Television in July 1968 and as one of the Famous Five who launched TV-AM in February 1983.

Frost is the only person to have interviewed eight British prime ministers serving between 1964 and 2010 (Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron) and(less)

More about David Frost...

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David Frost: An Autobiography part 1: From Congregations to Audiences

Billy Graham: Personal Thoughts of a Public Man

David Frost's Book Of The World's Worst Decisions

The Mid Atlantic Companion, Or, How To Misunderstand Americans As Much As They Misunderstand Us

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