Ira Glass

George Clooney, Barbara Streisand, Jennifer Aniston, Vidal Sassoon, Jodie Foster, Jason Momoa, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Sharon Stone, and John Travolta. Also, George Burns, Bob Hope, Gene Kelly, Gina Rowlands. Also, Quentin Tarantino, John Waters, Nora Ephron, Margie Rocklin has interviewed all these people. She's written big feature stories for all sorts of big magazines and newspapers.

But the very, very first big feature assignment that she was actually sent out on was by a publication in 1982, the Los Angeles Reader. They sent out a very nervous, very youthful Margie Rocklin to interview Moon Unit Zappa. Remember her? Daughter of Frank Zappa.

But the very, very first big feature assignment that she was actually sent out on was by a publication in 1982, the Los Angeles Reader. They sent out a very nervous, very youthful Margie Rocklin to interview Moon Unit Zappa. Remember her? Daughter of Frank Zappa.

So you get there and you're a bit nervous and the pressure is on, which is, of course, the setting for a possible triumph or a possible fiasco. Right. And what happens next?

So you get there and you're a bit nervous and the pressure is on, which is, of course, the setting for a possible triumph or a possible fiasco. Right. And what happens next?

Right. Well, we have a recording of it because you had a tape recorder rolling during this.

Right. Well, we have a recording of it because you had a tape recorder rolling during this.

I've been a reporter for 20 years and nobody's ever given me the Heimlich maneuver while I've been on the story.

I've been a reporter for 20 years and nobody's ever given me the Heimlich maneuver while I've been on the story.

It's interesting, you know, because one of our criteria for a fiasco is that all social order, the normal social structure breaks down. And literally that's what happens here. The normal interview stops and the social structure of the moment completely changes. The mom gives you the Heimlich maneuver and then suddenly it stops feeling like an interview.

It's interesting, you know, because one of our criteria for a fiasco is that all social order, the normal social structure breaks down. And literally that's what happens here. The normal interview stops and the social structure of the moment completely changes. The mom gives you the Heimlich maneuver and then suddenly it stops feeling like an interview.

That moment.

That moment.

Yeah. To me, the thing about it that's useful is that it shows the useful purpose of a fiasco. That is, when social order breaks down, that can be a force not just for chaos and for entropy and for evil, but in fact, that could be a force for good. Right. It can bring people together.

Yeah. To me, the thing about it that's useful is that it shows the useful purpose of a fiasco. That is, when social order breaks down, that can be a force not just for chaos and for entropy and for evil, but in fact, that could be a force for good. Right. It can bring people together.

Valley-speak terms.

Valley-speak terms.

And most of the quotable stuff that you ended up using in your story happened after squirting the coffee through your nose.

And most of the quotable stuff that you ended up using in your story happened after squirting the coffee through your nose.

Margie Rocklin. She covers film and television in Los Angeles. Moon Unit Zappa's memoir, Earth to Moon, was published in August. Today's program was produced by Nancy Updike and myself, with Paul Toffoli, Spiegel, and Julie Snyder. Attributing editors for today's program, Jack Hitt, Margie Rocklin, and Consigliere Sarah Vow.