Our summer tradition at Here’s the Thing continues, as staff members choose their favorite conversations from the archives for our Summer Staff Pick series.This week in our Summer Staff Pick series, we revisit Alec’s interview with Judith Vecchione, Emmy- and Peabody-winning producer of the landmark PBS series Vietnam: A Television History, which premiered 40 years ago. Vecchione discusses the immense responsibility of telling the story of the Vietnam War through a 13-part documentary, the behind-the-scenes process of crafting such a comprehensive project, and how the experience shaped her decades-long career at WGBH. She also speaks with Alec about her work on Eyes on the Prize, the stories that drive her, and how she’s mentoring the next generation of documentary storytellers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Griffin Dunne is an actor, producer, director, and author of his recent memoir The Friday Afternoon Club. Dunne is known for his memorable roles in cult films such as An American Werewolf in London and Martin Scorsese's After Hours, which Dunne also produced. Dunne is also known for his roles in popular TV series such as This Is Us and Succession. His directing credits include films Practical Magic, Fierce People, and the documentary The Center Will Not Hold about his aunt, Joan Didion. Dunne tells more stories about his family and his unconventional Hollywood upbringing in his memoir  The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much like the staggering beauty of her voice, Audra McDonald is impossible to ignore. The only artist to sweep all four acting categories at the Tony’s, she’s the most decorated Broadway star of all time. Reviews of her award-winning performances overflow with accolades, describing her stage presence as “spellbinding,” “haunting,” and “genius.” But for the California native, things haven’t always been easy. She talks to Alec about getting into Juilliard, making it on Broadway, and the suicide attempt that helped shape who she is today. Originally aired July 25, 2017See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jake Tapper is a journalist, news anchor, author, and the current lead Washington anchor for CNN. Tapper hosts the weekday news show, The Lead with Jake Tapper, and co-hosts the Sunday morning public affairs program, State of the Union. At CNN, Tapper has won numerous journalism awards, including Emmy Awards in 2023 and 2024. He also played a key role in ABC News’ Emmy Award-winning coverage of the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama and Edward R. Murrow Award winning coverage of the death of Osama bin Laden. In addition to his reporting career, Tapper is also a New York Times bestselling author of several novels and nonfiction books, such as The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor and his most recent book, Original Sin, co-written with Alex Thompson. His bestselling novels include The Hellfire Club and The Devil May Dance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(Recorded October 4, 2021) Journalist Nicolas Niarchos may be the grandson of a famous Greek shipping magnate, but he can be found covering challenging and dangerous subjects like conflicts, minerals, and migration in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He is a reporter at large at The New Yorker and a contributor to TIME, The Guardian, The New York Times and The Nation. Niarchos speaks with Alec about his upbringing, his journalistic path and his reporting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which exposes exploitation in the cobalt mining industry - and the importance of this crucial element in our global supply chain.  Originally aired December 14, 2021 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Victor Garber is a prolific actor and singer who seamlessly traverses theater, film, and television. He originated roles in iconic musicals such as “Sweeney Todd”, “Godspell”, “Noises Off”, and “Assassins”. Garber also appeared in Oscar award-winning films such as “Titanic”, “Argo”, and “Milk”. You may also recognize him as Jack Bristow from the long-standing ABC series “Alias”. A six-time Emmy award nominee and recent recipient of the Forest City Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, Victor Garber has done everything from perform on the Ed Sullivan Show with his 1960’s band “The Sugar Shoppe” to defend a murder trial in “Legally Blonde”.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recorded July 29th, 2012. Billy Joel has sold more records than The Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna—though the “rock star thing” is something he can “take off.” Joel started playing piano when he was about four or five years old. He admits that he doesn’t remember how to read sheet music anymore saying it’d be like reading Chinese. That doesn’t stop the third best-selling solo artist of all time in the U.S. from plunking out a few tunes with Alec.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Parnther is a conductor, bassoonist, and music educator prominently known for his work conducting and playing for critically acclaimed film scores. In 2019 he was appointed music director and conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and concurrently serves as the music director of the Southeast Symphony in Los Angeles, California, a position he has held since 2010. His notable film and TV work includes the scoring sessions for critically acclaimed films and TV shows such as “Avatar: The Way of Water”, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, “The Mandalorian”, Grammy Award-winning film “Encanto”, and Oscar winning film “Oppenheimer”. Notably, Panther led the scoring session for “Oppenheimer” which won Best Original Score in addition to Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Against the backdrop of soaring stock prices and multi-million dollar executive packages, the labor movement is undergoing a resurgence. A Starbucks location in Buffalo, NY became the first within the coffee chain to unionize in 2021, and since then, more than 330 stores in 39 states have followed suit – with more elections underway. All the while, the Starbucks corporation was engaging in controversial labor-busting practices: the National Labor Relations Board found that Starbucks violated federal labor laws and a federal judge ruled that Starbucks engaged in “egregious and widespread misconduct.” Guest Gianna Reeve is an employee of the Camp Road Starbucks in the Buffalo area – and an organizer with Starbucks Workers United. Reeve joins Alec Baldwin to share her experience at one of the first stores to organize, the conditions that led to the unionization efforts, and what the Starbucks Workers United organization hopes for the future.    Gianna Reeve is a featured participant in the upcoming documentary “The Baristas vs The Billionaire.” To learn more, visit: www.baristasvsbillionaire.com   Originally aired June 27, 2023See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oskar Eustis is a theater director, dramaturg, and the current Artistic Director of the renowned Public Theater in New York City. Throughout his career, Oskar Eustis has been dedicated to making the theater more accessible, uplifting new voices in playwriting, and the development of new plays in addition to directing and producing the classics. Among the productions he has helped bring to life are “Angels in America” and the Tony-winning “Hamilton”. Oskar Eustis has worked as a director, dramaturg, and artistic director for theaters around the United States. He has also produced and directed Shakespeare productions nationwide, notably The Public Theater’s annual (and free) Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. He is a professor of dramatic writing and arts and public policy at New York University and has held professorships at UCLA, Middlebury College and Brown University, where he founded and chaired the Trinity Rep/Brown University consortium for professional theater training.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.