Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

Learn to connect better with others in every area of your life. Immerse yourself in spirited conversations with people who know how hard it is, and yet how good it feels, to really connect with other people – whether it’s one person, an audience or a whole country. You'll know many of the people in these conversations – they are luminaries in our culture. Some you may not know. But what links them all is their powerful ability to relate and communicate. It's something we need now more than ever.

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Episodes

Cheryl Strayed Shares Her Advice on How to Give Advice

Cheryl Strayed, one of the most exciting and uplifting authors of our time, is funny, down to earth, complex, and the perfect person to offer Alan Alda solid advice about how to give good advice. She's the author of Tiny Beautiful Things and the co-host of the New York Times/WBUR podcast Dear Sugars, which originated with her popular Dear Sugar advice column, and she's the co-author of The Sweet Spot advice column in the New York Times Thursday Styles section. Her novel, Wild, about her life in ...

Sep 04, 2018•46 min

George Mitchell on Bringing Together Enemies - Part 2 Northern Ireland

George Mitchell helped end decades of lethal violence in Northern Ireland with the historic accord known as the Good Friday Agreement. In this episode Alan Alda talks with Sen. Mitchell about how he achieved that agreement through effective communication, and an understanding of human nature. He describes the essential elements of effective communication that brought together the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom as well as the political parties of Northern Ireland, bringing an end t...

Aug 28, 2018•38 min

Tina Fey and the Transformative Power of Improv

Two icons of improv and comedy together on the same podcast. Alan Alda and Tina Fey - do we need to say more? This episode was originally recorded live on stage. Tina also joined Alan in studio to answer 7 questions about herself. Her answers are profound and funny and show why she's one of the great comedians of all time. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

Aug 21, 2018•32 min

Ann Patchett on Novelists and the Sources of Empathy in Story

Ann Patchett is a best selling author with an uncanny ability to write amazing characters, who capture our imagination and hold us in their emotional grip. Alan Alda talks with Ann about her approach to writing and how empathy influences both her stories and her personal life. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

Aug 14, 2018•40 min

Bringing Together Enemies - Part 1: The Middle East

Author and activist Letty Cottin Pogrebin reflects on the modern state of feminism and the #MeToo movement – and how she’s brought people together in the Middle East through experiences that change their understanding of one another. (In Part 2 of these conversations on “Bringing Enemies Together” Senator George Mitchell discusses bringing peace to Northern Ireland.) Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

Aug 07, 2018•41 min

Is Empathy Good or Bad? A Conversation with Paul Bloom

Yale Professor Paul Bloom doesn't think empathy is such a good thing. He's even written a book about it called, The Case Against Empathy. However, he does have an interesting theory about what he calls rational compassion. Paul and Alan Alda discuss their views for and against empathy and find out that they have more in common than they thought. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

Jul 31, 2018•45 min

Renée Fleming and the Healing Power of Music

Surprisingly, Renée Fleming has been using her iconic voice to help scientists discover how music heals us. Alan talks with Renée about their mutual interest in science, her new starring role in Carousel, and what it's like to really be present as a performer. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

Jul 24, 2018•39 min

Judge Judy on How to Figure Out Who’s Telling the Truth

Every day, 10 million Americans watch Judge Judy on TV. Her style is direct and to the point. Her job is to know how to quickly separate fact from fiction. She talks with Alan about justice and what it's like for a judge to have such an impact on the lives of others. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

Jul 17, 2018•46 min

Kate Bowler and How to Handle the Worst News of All

Alan talks with Kate about the awkward, funny, and often misguided, ways people approach the subject when they know someone is seriously ill. New York Times Bestselling author and Duke University divinity professor, Kate Bowler tells Alan how stage 4 cancer led her to write a humorous, and graceful book about communicating with someone who’s received the worst possible news. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

Jul 13, 2018•42 min

Itzhak Perlman on the Spontaneity and Connection of Performance

In this delightful and spirited conversation, Alan Alda talks with his good friend the world-renowned violinist, Itzhak Perlman. They explore the power of spontaneity in both music and acting, and what happens when a musician talks to the audience. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

Jul 09, 2018•44 min

Sarah Silverman and the Joy of Enjoying People You Don't Agree With

Alan Alda talks with comedian Sarah Silverman about how she befriended someone who was hateful toward her on Twitter, and how her new series on Hulu challenges her to connect with people that she doesn't agree with. Her question to us is “Can Americans put down their "porcupine needles" and really listen to one another again?” Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid

Jul 09, 2018•47 min

Clear + Vivid™ with Alan Alda - Official Trailer

Clear and Vivid is a series of Alan Alda’s spirited conversations with people who know how hard it is, and yet how good it feels, to really connect with other people – whether it’s one person, an audience or a whole country. You'll know many of the people in these conversations – they are luminaries in our culture. Some you may not know. But what links them all is their powerful ability to relate and communicate. With his unique blend of humor and insight, Alda explores the ways we can connect b...

May 23, 2018•1 min

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