Grey Matter with Michael Krasny

This episode began with a discussion of 2009 as a watershed year before major belief in diseases tied to genetics began to be replaced by ones tied to mitochondria, food and the role of insulin. Michael Krasny brought up the link of diabetes to genetics and Dr. Bob Lustig indicated that the causation factor is only 15%, whereupon he talked about genes and obesity and different kinds of fat and fat and sugar followed by Krasny asking his reaction to the appointment of Robert F Kennedy Junior as the head of HHS. Dr. Lustig revealed that he refused an offer to head NIH.A listener asked Dr. Lustig about glyphosate in the food supply and another about processed food in school lunches, which prompted Krasny to ask about processed and ultra-processed food. Dr. Lustig spoke of food industry strategies and the USDA. Krasny then asked him about eating habits and lifespan in Japan as well as fructose and calories and Dr. Lustig spoke about body temperature being down in the U.S. and a connection to mitochondrial dysfunction. Krasny went back to an interview he did with Nobel laureate James Watson in which Watson mentioned longevity and his Norwegian mitochondria and Krasny then asked Lustig about sugar and fruit, which prompted Lustig to pinpoint sugar as a primary cause of Alzheimer's and to speak about ways to mitigate fructose. Lustig then spoke of the effects of sugar in a 1953 UK study which followed sugar rationing. Michael Krasny brought up arguments against "the demonization of sugar" and seeing it as toxic and addictive and Dr. Lustig responded with an adamant defense of the dangers of sugar, including its addictive power and its toxicity.

A discussion of ongoing negotiations with Iran began this episode with the former leading Middle East negotiator and author of Statecraft 2.0 Ambassador Dennis Ross, and proceeded to dialogue about Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Israel and the shift in regional balances of power in the Middle East. Michael Krasny brought up President Trump and statecraft as well as Trump's tariff strategy, the way he views U.S. allies and his overall mendacity. Ambassador Ross spoke of leverage diminishing without geopolitical successes and the reality of our presently no longer being in a unipolar world.This rich and highly engaging conversation went on to include discussion of deterrence and compromise and working with China and leverage Trump has with Putin if he would use it, as well as the difficulties policy makers face in making objectives clear – Lyndon Johnson on Vietnam, Joe Biden on Iraq and Barack Obama on Syria serving as the Ambassador's examples. Former White House Chief of Staff James Baker and current Secretary of State Marco Rubio were discussed along with the tools of statecraft, including the role of kindness and empathy, the importance of focusing on issues and the role of social media. Krasny and Ross went on to talk about Yasser Arafat, which led the Ambassador to highlight what he could have done better with the PLO leader, and to reflect on the Camp David talks and what he wished he had done. This richly expansive dialogue concluded with reflections from Ambassador Ross on present day Saudi Arabia under MBS and what both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must do to move forward toward peace.In anticipation of Mother's Day, this episode added, following the Krasny-Ross conversation, an interview with Eva Hausman, co-founder of the Mother's Day Movement, which gives assistance to mothers around the world.

Why does this press call itself unnamed, how has it succeeded and what are the challenges of being an independent press? Along with asking about the role of multimedia, the vision of challenging the status quo and how the impact of published books is measured, those were the opening questions posed by Michael Krasny to publisher Chris Heiser. A dialogue followed related to the publishing of poetry and the importance of how a book looks and feels and Chris Heiser spoke of bookcases as embodiments of personal histories. A discussion of social media, marketing and book selling challenges then moved forward along with a question from Michael Krasny about a series from Unnamed Press on contemporary women's writing and what Chris Heiser believes the effects Artificial Intelligence will have on the book business and recent actions toward book censorship. What followed was a discussion of five unnamed books Chris Heiser felt were "truly representative" of the literary press he runs, including the classic imprint of an Edith Wharton novel and four other books all, as Michael Krasny pointed out, by academic authors with PhD degrees. Krasny then brought up the essential importance for readers of engagement and the size of different genres as well as John Barth's declaring the death of the novel. Heiser spoke of the diluting power over books of other media, whereupon Krasny asked him what it means to be literary and a rich conversation followed about the role of the reader. This vital and deeply informed and informative conversation concluded with Krasny asking about the role of translation, the influence on Heiser of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and how and why Heiser sought out a career in publishing.

Initial focus in this episode was on the devastating and tragic 2003 Rhode Island Station nightclub fire seen by hundreds of millions of people, how it happened, its takeaways, and the quest for justice as well as related issues on fire safety which continue to persist today. Scott James also spoke about "people without clout" and a frightful incident involving "the killing" of his mother by a driver driving on the wrong side of a one way street. He and Michael Krasny spoke of heroism, victims and survivors and the desire and need to assign blame for tragedies, humanization of villains and how tough it is in the present to be a journalist. Scott James related how his book on The Station nightclub fire became a major story on the television show 48 Hours and the stigma, anger and blowback that was directed at him as well as reported stories that never occurred and media demonizations. He also discussed the role of AI in newspapers now and up ahead, differences between fiction and non-fiction and what writing novels taught him. Michael went on to ask James about the pioneering digitalization of his novels and the early uses of video and YouTube to promote them. James also spoke of the major influence on his novel writing of Kurt Vonnegut, his experiences with homophobia as a young gay writer, why he came out of the closet, differences he sees between journalism and fiction and his work for The New York Times. He spoke nostalgically of New York being "a playground for journalists" and Krasny asked him what his thoughts were as a Columbia graduate on the $400 million held back from Columbia by the federal government. A highly intelligent and wide ranging deep dive interview!

Renowned sociologist Arlie Hochschild offers a penetrating analysis of contemporary American political and social dynamics. Through a nuanced exploration of working-class experiences, economic disparities, and political allegiances, Hochschild provides critical insights into why many traditional Democratic voters have shifted towards supporting Donald Trump. Her work illuminates the deep emotional and psychological factors that drive political choices, particularly among white working-class Americans, while emphasizing the importance of cross-class understanding and human connection in bridging political divides.Michael Krasny began by asking Hochschild what she believed had changed in the division of home labor for men and women, which she wrote about in her 1989 best-selling book "Second Shift". They went from there to delve into the communities of poverty Hochschild wrote masterfully about in her later work. She spoke of the ongoing challenges of blue-collar men and read a passage from one of her books to clarify why she believes many of lesser economic means voted for Donald Trump. She spoke of what she believed needed urgently to be done to bring back once-traditional Democrats from the working class who now support Trump and the GOP, and she spoke of what she called "the psychological power of loss."Krasny talked with her about Obama and his talk years ago of how the people in Pennsylvania only care about their guns and their bibles, and she spoke of her last two books being "an attempt to make us bilingual," with respect to creating greater understanding between the classes. Hochschild then explained what she called "the four-moment shaming ritual of Donald Trump" and Krasny asked her if she perhaps was possibly putting too much stock and hope in the resurgence of the Democratic Party and labor unions. Hochschild argued that the majority of working people and once-strong Democrats voted for Trump because Democrats had nothing to offer them. The two discussed economics, and Hochschild provided her view of what separates liberal from conservative thinking and the importance of human connection with what she ultimately advanced as her idea of how we best get out of our present major source of political stasis.

In this episode, Michael Krasny sat down with virtual reality and augmented reality expert and Stanford professor Jeremy Bailenson in an expansive and highly illuminating discussion about the present and future of both VR and AR and the ongoing and imminent connections to AI.Krasny began by asking Bailenson about his evolution as a VR pioneer and its present status. Bailenson spoke of "presence" and the filming of a Sixty Minutes episode complete with a real feeling earthquake and an accompanying panic attack, followed by a discussion of "the proteus effect" and the effect of avatars. Krasny then asked Bailenson about funding and his history with Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Bailenson spoke about NSF and NIH funding and concerns and safeguards he had if funding is hit under Trump, as well as his past experiences with politicians who sought to stop funding VR and AR research and what he (Bailenson) has done by way of preparation for that possibility. Krasny then asked Bailenson about the downsides and dangers of VR and AR, possible guidelines and his work with athletic teams through STRIVR. The two then spoke about visualization and uses of VR in different sports as well as "zoom fatigue," a phenomenon Bailenson coined the term for, and end of life VR use, and went on to discuss VR and mental health, VR and education and VR in the workplace, its effect on productivity, as well as VR and AR and sex. This rich and illuminating dialogue concluded with talk about the Sphere in Las Vegas, (which Bailenson has been very involved in), and immersive experiences in general, as well as Gen AI and talking in the future to figures from one's past. In the end of the interview, Krasny asked Beilenson to gauge and evaluate the effect and impact of the Stanford environment on his research.

In this episode, Michael Krasny sits down with political commentator and Washington Post columnist Max Boot for a wide-ranging discussion on contemporary American politics, international relations, and the evolving media landscape. Their conversation spans from immediate concerns about editorial independence to broader historical comparisons between presidential administrations and their foreign policy approaches.The episode began with a question from Krasny to Boot about the Washington Post's future editorials in light of the Jeff Bezos-ordered changes. It proceeded to a full discussion of the Reagan and Trump presidencies, Trump's attitudes toward Zelensky and Putin, and the present shift in relations between the U.S., its allies, and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.Questions emerged about China and Taiwan and the South China Sea; tests for presidents before assuming office; the inconsistent and mercurial nature of the presidency; and the influence of Ronald Reagan on fake news. The discussion also touched on Reagan and Trump's belief in divine intervention.Krasny told a funny story about Reagan and a Lebanese ambassador, while Boot spoke of social media regulation and editorial boundaries. Krasny then brought up the difference in cruelty between Reagan and Trump.The two concluded by discussing when the Russia-Ukraine war might end, Russian war crimes, and the economic views of Reagan and Trump. They also explored Boot's own political shift from the right, Musk and Vance's support for AfD in Germany, and where hope for the future may reside.

In a wide-ranging and provocative conversation that traversed the intersections of technology, politics, and social change, veteran tech journalist Sarah Lacy and host Michael Krasny engaged in a candid dialogue that explored the most pressing cultural and political issues of the moment.The conversation began with Lacy opining on venture capitalists investing in Trump. They went on to talk about the increase in hypermasculinity, and Lacy brought up the diminution of trans rights.Krasny asked Lacy about her falling out with Kara Swisher and why they aren't speaking. They then discussed press exclusions from the White House and the decision by Jeff Bezos to limit opinions on the editorial page of The Washington Post.Krasny inquired about Lacy's political views, including her feminist perspective, and asked for her major advice for working mothers. Lacy then spoke more about trans rights and shared her views on Gen Z, as well as the influence of her parents on her life.The conversation shifted to discussions of profit and money-making via chaos. They talked about Lacy's most recent book, her Palm Springs bookstore, and the future of tech journalism. It was an invigorating and illuminating hour!

We began this episode talking about Joan Didion as a Hollywood figure and the importance of John Wayne, as well as her importance as a political writer with early strong conservative political views. Didion's portrayal of Hollywood and her lesser-known film criticism also came up for discussion, followed by a consideration of the work of the legendary film critic Pauline Kael and how Wilkinson, a film critic for The New York Times, decides what films to review or critique. Alissa Wilkinson then spoke of what she views as the job of the film critic, and she spoke of her strong admiration for "Nickel Boys," which she called this year's best film. She and Krasny spoke of blockbusters, disaster and apocalyptic films, and Spielberg's "Jaws," and the larger question of the effect on our imaginations of the so-called Hollywood dream machine.Krasny and Wilkinson discussed villains and evil in contemporary films and Martin Scorsese's notion of too many films being like thrill rides and avoiding ordinary people and nuanced drama. They spoke, too, of the Oscars and discussed the history of the Oscars, and then went on to the impact of social media and streaming platforms and technology shifts and the question of misunderstood and too-long films and the tensions between art and commerce. They returned to Didion and her overall importance and concluded with a discussion of Wilkinson's view on faith and how she became a film critic and her film critic-filled Brooklyn neighborhood.

Tik Tok and data acquisition, scary topics on China up ahead. Michael Krasny featured leading Sinologist Orville Schell and began by asking Schell for his response to the Trump administration's imposed tariffs and their potential effects on a possible trade war, fentanyl out of China and U.S. China relations. Schell spoke of Xi Jinping's irrational actions and what appears to bind him and Putin together and Krasny asked Schell if he foresaw a role for Beijing brokering a peace between Russia and Ukraine. Krasny then proceeded to ask Schell about Tik Tok, data acquisition by China, Chinese surveillance and the AI race and Schell spoke of what he called "unequal relationships."Krasny asked Schell about China's persecution of the Uyghurs and whether it can be labeled as genocide. A subsequent listener question brought up population growth in China and what its effects are likely to be on the country's economic future. Schell addressed the question by speaking of China's internal labor shortage and its policy of not taking in immigrants, which he called a time bomb. Krasny then asked Schell to talk about soft power and Chinese projects in developing and third world nations as well as what profits accrued to U.S. politicians or Elon Musk via China.A discussion followed centering on the EV market in China and globally and on Teslas and the presence of Apple in China. China's ongoing role as a major market and geopolitical force then followed. Krasny wanted to know from Schell how much of a threat China posed and the status of ongoing tensions with Japan. The two spoke of long-term China grievances and grudges.After this decidedly rich and wide ranging discussion Krasny asked Schell about his recently published novel My Old Home, thirty-five years in the making, which centers on music and the cultural revolution. The two then wound up discussing the ongoing effects of the cultural revolution and China's leader Xi Jinping.