Lessons from 50,000 Interviews: Larry King and Cal Fussman
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“Sometimes, the simplest question is the best.”
– Larry King
Cal Fussman (@calfussman) is a New York Times bestselling author and a writer-at-large for Esquire magazine, where he is best known for being a primary writer of the “What I’ve Learned” feature. He has transformed oral history into an art form, conducting probing interviews with a long list of icons who’ve shaped the last 50 years of world history.
I’ve been trying to get Cal to do his own podcast. Rather than overthinking it, I simply asked Cal to interview a friend who I would also love to have on the podcast: Larry King. This episode is the result of that request.
Larry King (@kingsthings) has been dubbed “The most remarkable talk show host on TV, ever” by TV Guide and “Master of the mic” by Time Magazine. Larry’s been described as the Muhammad Ali of the broadcast interview, and he’s been inducted into five of the nation’s leading broadcasting halls of fame. He’s the recipient of the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism, an Emmy, the George Foster Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting, ten CableACE awards — the list goes on.
Enjoy!
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Want to hear my first episode with Cal Fussman? — In this episode, we discuss Cal’s interviews with the most influential people in history, how he made himself a guinea pig (Cal boxed against world champion Julio Cesar Chavez), and his best life lessons (stream below or right-click here to download):
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
Connect with Cal Fussman:
Website | Twitter | Kevin “The Manager”
Connect with Larry King:
Larry King Now | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The Interview Master: Cal Fussman and the Power of Listening
Cal Fussman — The Master Storyteller Returns
My Remarkable Journey by Larry King
Larry King Live
Larry King Celebrates 60 Years of Broadcasting with Miami Visit by Howard Cohen, Miami Herald
How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: The Secrets of Good Communication by Larry King and Bill Gilbert
Al Pacino was Nearly Fired from ‘The Godfather.’ The Rest Is History by Karen Heller, The Washington Post
Larry King on Getting Seduced — Blank on Blank
Belafonte: At Carnegie Hall
Joe’s Stone Crab
Don McNeill’s Breakfast Club
DJ Flula and Larry King Rap about His Dog Biscuit
Larry King’s Communication Mastery Course
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Lou Gehrig: A Quiet Hero by Frank Graham
Richard Nixon: The Life by John A. Farrell
Nevertheless: A Memoir by Alec Baldwin
Al Franken, Giant of the Senate by Al Franken
Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes
Larry King Is Preparing for the Final Cancellation by Mark Leibovich, The New York Times Magazine
Larry King receives Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award by Aly Semigran, Entertainment Weekly
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Larry King Presents Ball Talk Line-Up of Hall of Fame Announcers
Red Barber Remembers Jackie Robinson
Show Notes
Two legendary interviewers enter. [04:37]
From Brooklyn to Miami: How Larry got involved in broadcasting. [06:18]
Why Larry’s last name was changed from Zeiger to King. [12:36]
Thanks to stage fright, Larry’s first time behind the mic was almost his last. [14:21]
The secret of Larry’s business. [15:18]
The real reason for Larry’s career longevity. [18:45]
What scared Cal the most about going from writing to podcasting. [20:20]
An Al Pacino story about confidence; a Marlon Brando story about ad-libbing (and wine). [21:51]
Larry on being in the moment. [25:43]
Cal’s favorite Larry King story. [27:10]
When Larry took emergency broadcasting to a whole new level. [31:55]
Even with relaxed standards, Larry still won’t curse on the air. [36:05]
Is curiosity ingrained, or is it something that can be taught? Larry’s rules for making curiosity work for him. [37:40]
Contrary to popular opinion, there are dumb questions. Here’s how Larry avoids asking them. [41:18]
Can Larry’s methods be used by people in other fields? [43:08]
What does communication lose when eye contact is no longer part of the equation? [43:58]
How would Larry have interviewed Hitler with curiosity rather than judgment? [44:51]
The power of control in questions. [48:49]
Is the podcast the modern inheritor of the traditional long-form interview? [51:48]
What does Larry consider his “bible?” [52:58]
Larry’s lifelong broadcasting motto. [55:30]
Does Larry have advice for young people who want to learn to ask better questions? How can someone become a better listener? [56:25]
What’s Larry’s secret for getting a sincere response from people? [59:24]
How you ask a question is often more important than what you’re asking. [1:00:37]
What would Larry’s billboard say? [1:02:20]
Books that have had an impact on Larry, what he’s reading now, and the book he’s gifted most. [1:02:52]
“The ‘why?’ person fears death.” [1:05:05]
Larry prefers paper tickets he can hold in his hand — whether they’re for ballparks or airplanes. [1:07:27]
What advice would Larry give to a college senior about to enter the real world? [1:09:04]
What has Larry learned from his failures? [1:10:25]
Bad advice Larry hears often? [1:14:07]
The most worthwhile investment in time, money, or energy that Larry has made. [1:18:03]
If Larry finds he’s lost focus, what does he do to regain it? [1:19:32]
How do Larry and Cal’s bucket lists differ? [1:21:13]
Cal has a bucket list request for Larry. [1:24:40]
People Mentioned
Edward Zeiger
Jennie Gitlitz
Marty Zeiger
Uncle Jack
Marshall Simmonds
Sonny Hirsch
Tom Baer
Engelbert Humperdinck
Arthur Godfrey
Jackie Gleason
Edward Bennett Williams
Al Pacino
Robert Redford
Francis Ford Coppola
Marlon Brando
Barack Obama
Harry Belafonte
Don McNeill
Frank Sinatra
Adolf Hitler
Osama bin Laden
Swami Satchidananda
Jim Bishop
George Burns
John Wooden
Chance King
Holden Caulfield
Charles Dickens
Ebenezer Scrooge
Bob Cratchit
Tiny Tim
Lou Gehrig
Richard M. Nixon
John A. Farrell
Alec Baldwin
Al Franken
Hillary Clinton
Bertrand Russell
Shawn King
Vin Scully
Red Barber
Jackie Robinson
