I Couldn’t Throw It Out

• The Lost Interview: Led Zeppelin’s Page and Plant

  Hear my never-shared 1995 talk with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant about their music, books, diets, girlfriends, hair loss, Led Zeppelin myths, and their Unledded reunion-----If you find it hard to visualize Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in a People Magazine article, I’m with you. The People article I reported and wrote about them in 1995 was never published. So the cassette tapes of my interview went into a box, like a heavy metal time capsule.Until now.  When I saw the rave reviews for the 2025 documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin – about the early career of the band –- I dug out everything I had saved from my canceled story, and I’m sharing it with you now.In 1994, Page and Plant had reunited after a 14-year hiatus to record an unplugged session for MTV. This resulted in an album called No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded.  Then they went on a 1995 U.S. and European tour, performing some new songs and several Led Zeppelin songs that had been re-conceived with an orchestra, a team of Egyptian musicians, some young rockers, and a hurdy gurdy player. The project raised some questions:  Why did they wait 14 years after the death of drummer John Bonham to reunite? Why was bass and keyboard player John Paul Jones not included? Would they still live out the wild myths of rock’n’roll excess that supposedly took place in their heyday?Because this assignment was for People Magazine, I also had the courage to broach the truly vital issues:  what they ate for lunch, who they lived with, what they read, and how they kept in shape.The big belated surprise:  Because Led Zeppelin's music was ubiquitous for my whole life, I viewed them as a cliché.  But, after hearing my tapes again and listening to their music, I finally get what many of my high school classmates knew back in the 1970s. And I understand why Page and Plant are among the bestselling artists of all time, nearly up there with the Beatles and Michael Jackson.It’s because they're extremely smart and talented, and they're amazing musicians. I now hear the technical difficulty and the perfectionism in their performances. They aren't dinosaurs of rock. They're innovators, who invented something new and powerful.Joined by Led Zeppelin aficionado George Meyer – who also happens to be my friend and a renowned TV, movie, magazine, and theater writer – I revisited everything I saved from my ill-fated story and determined what I could throw out.  Yes, some things got tossed.  But you can see what I saved at:  throwitoutpodcast.comAfter all these years, I hope you enjoy hearing these lost interviews.Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a textMore info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

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• Sending a Valentine's Day card? 10 rules to follow

  Learn a lesson from the Valentine’s Day cards I’ve saved since the ‘70s: 10 important rules for sending cards to the ones you love, and tips for deciding which love notes to save-----If you’re sending Valentine’s Day cards this year, there are some key rules to follow -- and mistakes to avoid.  I know this because I’ve been saving Valentines since the 1970s.  So I can see which ones got right to the heart of it and which sent Cupid’s arrows slightly off target.Looking through my card collection, co-host Sally Libby and I came up with 10 rules that could help you find the right words for romance this year. We also try to show some love for the art of Swedish Death Cleaning -- by including tips about which Valentines Day cards to save, and which to toss. Like, what should you do with romantic cards from a former partner in love? We have strong feelings about that. In the end, we experienced a sort of Valentines Day miracle.  After two years of podcasting, I finally had the urge to toss my treasures. Okay, not all of them.  But my stash did get smaller.  So I've shared why I sent some treasures to the trash can, and what might motivate you to do the same.As Sally points out in our quick look at Valentine's Day history, a celebration of love can be traced all the way back to the Roman holiday Lupercalia.  Considering the chaos and ugliness we've seen in 2025, it seems important to preserve any holiday that increases our love and laughter.  I know I’m not the only one who wants a little more love in the world right now.To see the most lovable and funniest Valentines Day cards I received during the past five decades, go to throwitoutpodcast.com.  (And while you’re there, we’d really feel the love if you’d sign up for our newsletter – so we can update you whenever there’s a new episode.)Thank you for listening!(Farting Cupid card from Carlton Cards, Cleveland Ohio.)Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a textMore info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

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• How Keith Haring Changed Art: Hear Him in '83

  His graffiti in NYC subways made him a world-wide art star before his death at 31. Hear my 1983 interview as Haring answers his critics, plus: a chat about Keith with Andy Warhol Even if you don’t know one artist since Michelangelo, the chances are good that you’ll recognize the creations of Keith Haring. More than 40 years after he started drawing with chalk – for free – in New York City subway stations, it’s still easy to spot his cartoon-like symbols: radiant babies, barking wolves. Now, 35 years after his death in 1990 at age 31 (from complications related to AIDS), his paintings sell for millions, and you’ll see them in museums around the world.When I interviewed Keith for People Magazine in 1983, he was at a turning point.  Major galleries wanted his work. But some high-brow critics called him a self-promoter. They hated the  fact that he put his icons on buttons and posters that he gave out for free, and on t-shirts that he sold at his NYC store The Pop Shop. So I pushed Keith to answer back, which he did. I also had a brief phone call with Andy Warhol, who explained to me what he saw in Keith’s work.When I listen to my interview tapes 41 years later, I don’t feel qualified to explain why Keith Haring’s art still deserves your attention.  So I got help from Brad Gooch, author of the authoritative 2024 biography Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring.  (Both Sally and I loved the book, which was a New York Times bestseller.) Brad talked with me about Keith's art and career, sharing useful insight before I play highlights from my 1983 interview with Keith.Of course, there's another reason for this episode:  I’ve held onto many treasures related to Keith – and I can't decide what to do with them.  This is where I need your help. I’ve posted pictures of my Haring treasures, along with a poll, asking for your guidance about what to save or toss.  Please weigh in on our website. For me, Keith’s art still looks lively and young.  I hope you’ll enjoy flipping back in time to hear the energetic 25-year-old tell me about his art, his life, and his dreams.Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a textMore info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

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  58:36
• Christmas Gifts and Hanukkah Cards: Toss or keep?

  Get out the holiday treasures you’ve saved for years, and join us as we decide why we kept them and what to do with them.---------Attention holiday revelers!  Are you someone who just can’t let go of Christmas and Hanukkah gifts from the past?  Even if they don’t fit? Or they’re ugly?   Or they’re useless? What about holiday cards? Do you stash them somewhere year after year and never look at them again?Well, you’re not alone.On this episode of I Couldn’t Throw It Out, we’ve gathered friends to wrestle with age-old question of what to do with our holiday treasures. Our four guests -- college teacher Louisa Campbell, writer/chef Mark Ganem, entrepreneur Ginger Thomson, and storyteller/actor Eric Weiner -- share some treasures they’ve saved for years.Though no one brought an ugly Christmas sweater, we did determine the fate of an ugly porcelain elephant, an ill-fitting jacket, two ancient dreidels, some Christmas ornaments, and 76 Christmas and Hanukkah cards dating back to 1967. (This includes a 1991 card showing co-host Sally Libby’s two children and two dogs, with her candid note on the back:  “What kind of mother sends out a card where the dogs look better than the kids?”)Along the way, we made some surprising discoveries about what was important to us and why.Listen along, then dig out all the treasures you saved from Santa’s previous visits and revisit your own holiday memories as you decide:  Can you throw it out?See all the treasures we share in this episode on the website for I Couldn’t Throw It Out.Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a textMore info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

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  45:21
• Listen up! A Violin Lesson With Strings Attached

  Inheriting a violin is wonderful. But what if it comes with instructions that it must be played? And you resorted to violence as a kid to get out of playing?  Then what?-------------- If you’re lucky enough to inherit something from someone you really love, that’s usually a good thing.  But everyone once in a while, it’s not so simple.What happens when you inherit something that was loved by the person who gave it – but maybe you don’t feel quite the same way about it? That’s the puzzle we try to solve as we consider the fate of two violins I inherited a few years ago from my father.  One of them came with a heartfelt note he wrote, asking for it to be played daily and kept in the family forever.That’s a tall order.  Especially for me, considering that I studied the violin for 10 years as a child to please my father.  And secretly committed acts of violence to try to get out of it.To determine what to do with my father’s violins, I needed expert help.  So I consult Diane Mellon, the manager of David Segal Violins, a wondrous stringed instrument purveyor in New York City. Not only has that shop serviced several genuine Stradivarius violins, but they also have provided violin consulting for top performers like Midori, Joshua Bell and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg.  To get a different perspective, Sally and I also consult Rachel Kuklinski, a cousin of mine who, like me, was persuaded to play the violin as a child.  But she rebelled much more openly than I did.Why is music so important to some families? And why the violin?  Can anyone learn to make beautiful music?  And what should I do with my father’s violins – along with stacks of sheet music and other mementos of musical events?If you played an instrument as a child, the conclusions we reach just might be helpful to you too.  Listen and find out. Watch a video of 96-year-old David Small playing his violin and see photos of treasures mentioned in this episode on the website for I Couldn't Throw It Out.Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a textMore info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

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