Grey Matter with Michael Krasny

Michael Krasny
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  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Grey Matter with Michael Krasny

Award winning broadcaster, author, and professor Michael Krasny shares in-depth interviews with leading newsmakers, scholars, authors and intellectuals.

  1. Janine Zacharia - The Middle East, the Era of Noise and the Future of Journalism

    MAY 30

    Janine Zacharia - The Middle East, the Era of Noise and the Future of Journalism

    Are we at an inflection point in the Middle East and what lies ahead for fact based journalism? Those two questions dominate the interview with long-time Middle East journalist, analyst and former bureau chief Janine Zacharia, who spoke in depth with Michael Krasny about President Trump's trip to the Gulf region; the $400 million jet gift from Qatar; Hamas held hostages and Israel increasingly viewed as a pariah state. First-rate insightful and timely analysis from the Stanford based journalist who spoke about why she obsesses over the diminution of fact based news and fears for her students as well as suggesting what needs to be and can be done. Her mission, which she argues should be all of our mission, is to have a better news or media diet and she tells why citizens need to know who is behind the news. Janine Zacharia and Michael Krasny continue in a wide range and highly illuminating dialogue which also touches on the Yemen Signal scandal as well as the question of who will defend a free press; the Washington Post under Jeff Bezos and for profit versus public media. They speak, as well, of Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine; the so-called Jerusalem syndrome and the Joe Rogan's podcast.

    1 hr
  2. Paul Liberatore - "I look like a rock and roller. I am a rock and roller."

    MAY 20

    Paul Liberatore - "I look like a rock and roller. I am a rock and roller."

    Marin County, north of San Francisco, CA, was a haven for rock stars in the 70s. A veritable treasure trove of rock and roll talk about Marin then and beyond with one-time aspiring rock musician and rock journalist Paul Liberatore takes place in this episode. Liberatore talked to Michael Krasny about his life and career with a focus on rock greats he knew and wrote about. He also talked to Krasny about getting kids involved in rock music and major changes in the music business. The two also exchanged thoughts on who the greatest guitarists were and are and the greatest rock journalists as well as of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen; the Beatles versus the Rolling Stones, and the greatest rock songs. They talked about interviewing, including the importance of listening, and Liberatore spoke about Billy Joe Shaver, Nick Gravenites, and Huey Lewis. An unusually rich, captivating, and nostalgia filled conversation.

    1h 20m
  3. Illiberal Nationalism, What Trump and Putin Share, and the Russia Reset With Former Ambassador Michael McFaul

    MAY 13

    Illiberal Nationalism, What Trump and Putin Share, and the Russia Reset With Former Ambassador Michael McFaul

    Michael McFaul, Obama's Ambassador to Russia, tells Michael Krasny a new cold war is shaping up in a kind of three way with China, Russia and the U.S. as main players. While the geopolitical dynamics are familiar, the stand-off between autocratic regimes and the self actualizing west is different. Grey Matter host Dr. Krasny got specific. How does Trump's tilt toward Russia explain what’s going on? What about the Ukrainian mining deal? Is it the key to Ukrainian security? Ambassador McFaul spoke of liberalism and illiberalism and the effect of sanctions on Russia, including those proposed by the Trump administration. He and Dr. Krasny spoke, too, about the present state of the Russian economy, the weaponization of space, nuclear programs – including the giving up of nuclear weapons by Ukraine – and Ukraine being kept out of NATO. In a thought-provoking turn, Michael Krasny inquired into McFaul's long-time rivalry with the late Russian scholar Stephen Cohen. Though a respectful adversary, McFaul detailed how Cohen aligned himself with Putin. Ambassador McFaul provided a historical analysis of Russian attitudes toward NATO and emphasized that Putin's real problem has been democratic expansion. Dr. Krasny brought up Putin's weighted view of World War II and his charge of Ukraine having been Naziified. Ambassador McFaul highlighted the profound historic importance in Russia given to May 9th – the day this podcast episode occurred. Statements by President Trump and Vice President Vance were singled out by Ambassador McFaul as well as mistakes made by the U.S. in the cold war and present mistakes being made with the U.S. toward its allies, with McFaul emphasizing the U.S. need for its allies. Krasny quizzed McFaul on his notion of "hot peace," Trump's tunnel vision of Putin's expansionist ambitions, and President Trump's peremptory shut-down of the U.S. Agency for International Development. A range of topics were covered with Ambassador McFaul talking about the stages of revolution, the need for civil debate, Trump's takeover ambitions for Greenland and European history coming to a stop in 1945 with the advent of the cold war. Dr. Krasny brought up Mutually Assured Destruction and a podcast he did with Mideast peace negotiator Ambassador Dennis Ross who claimed an Iranian nuclear deal may be in the offing. Dr. Krasny went on to ask Ambassador McFaul about the present efficacy of Intelligence agencies and McFaul spoke of surveillance technology versus human intelligence. McFaul wound up defending the reset with Russia during the Barack Obama administration – emphasizing the ways he believed diplomacy ought to be judged. This episode concluded with Dr. Krasny asking deeply committed basketball Warriors fan Ambassador McFaul what he thought the chances were of a series victory for Golden State. A not to be missed conversation with Ambassador Michael McFaul on his sweeping geopolitical world view!

    59 min
  4. Sugar Is Toxic and Addictive - Dr. Robert Lustig

    MAY 9

    Sugar Is Toxic and Addictive - Dr. Robert Lustig

    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.

    58 min
  5. Ambassador Dennis Ross - Statecraft 2.0 and the Middle East

    APR 30

    Ambassador Dennis Ross - Statecraft 2.0 and the Middle East

    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.

    1h 12m
  6. Chris Heiser - Inside a Small Press

    APR 24

    Chris Heiser - Inside a Small Press

    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.

    1 hr
  7. Scott James - Who Gets 18 Months for Killing 100 People?

    APR 17

    Scott James - Who Gets 18 Months for Killing 100 People?

    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!

    58 min
  8. Arlie Hochschild - The Other Side of the Cultural Pay Wall

    MAR 27

    Arlie Hochschild - The Other Side of the Cultural Pay Wall

    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.

    48 min
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4.6
out of 5
91 Ratings

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Award winning broadcaster, author, and professor Michael Krasny shares in-depth interviews with leading newsmakers, scholars, authors and intellectuals.

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