In this memoir, Werner Herzog recounts his life from his childhood in post-war Germany to his current status as a visionary filmmaker. The book is a personal record of his self-invented life, filled with captivating anecdotes about his unorthodox methods for capturing his vision on film. Herzog reflects on his experiences filming in perilous locations, his encounters with various cultures, and his relentless pursuit of what he terms 'ecstatic truth.' The memoir is a hypnotic swirl of memory, reliving his most important experiences and inspirations with empathy, fearlessness, and a unique artistic perspective[1][3][4].
In this ground-breaking book, Katy Milkman reveals a proven path to help readers move from where they are to where they want to be. Drawing on her original research and the work of her world-renowned scientific collaborators, Milkman shares strategic methods for identifying and overcoming common barriers to change, such as impulsivity, procrastination, and forgetfulness. The book offers innovative approaches like 'temptation bundling,' using timely reminders, and creating 'set-it-and-forget-it systems' to make change more achievable. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring solutions to specific roadblocks and using science to stack the deck in favor of successful change.
Sean Illing speaks with one of his heroes: Werner Herzog. Herzog is a filmmaker, poet, and author of the new memoir Every Man for Himself and God Against All. They discuss "ecstatic truth," a term invented by Herzog to capture what he's really after in his work. Illing also asks him a range of big questions, such as why he is interested in Mars and whether he thinks humanity is destroying itself.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Werner Herzog, author, Every Man for Himself and God Against All
References:
Every Man for Himself and God Against All by Werner Herzog (Penguin Random House, 2023)
Of Walking in Ice by Werner Herzog
Last Whispers by Lena Herzog (2022)
“Werner Herzog Talks Virtual Reality” by Patrick House (The New Yorker, Jan. 2016)
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Producer: Katelyn Bogucki
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Engineer: Patrick Boyd
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Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall
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The Gray Area with Sean Illing 
