Sunday, September 7, 2014

Malcolm Gladwell Interviewed by Michael Lewis

The two best writers of their genre.

The interview by Michael Lewis of Malcolm Gladwell is one of the most intimate and personal that you will see of any of Gladwell's public appearances. I've watched many, many, many of them (New Yorker, Google, conferences) on YouTube and this one is by far the best.

How a paperwork snafu allowed Gladwell not to be deported from the United States back to Canada.

Gladwell reflects on his experience working on a Reverend Moon publication with his rendition the Police song - "Walking on the Moon"
 
Despite his success, Gladwell never will be mistaken for an American. He is very much Canadian and espouses Canadian virtues.

His journey to becoming a writer started with the creation of Wexford Harding, intramural football coach, who commuted from Alabama to the University of Toronto.

 How he was forced to be a right winger because other forms of rebellion were cut off, for a variety of reasons. His mother sounds incredibly wise.

On his drive to Washington DC from Indiana after believing he blew his chance to make it in America, his insight that the lyrics to the Foreigner song - "I Want to Know What Love Is" is a decent psychological test when making the statements into questions.


The interview by Gladwell of Michael Lewis is just as good. Gladwell's introduction of Lewis is exceptional. Gladwell explains his testimonial for Lewis' newest book, Flash Boys. Lewis' book Moneyball was fantastic and something I think about when doing my day job of making health care better.


My absolute favorite Gladwell books are below.