Ron Chernow

Hello, my name is Ron Chernow. And I feel very, very warmly about anyone who has won the Mark Twain Award for American Humor. Oh, wow. Including our friend Conan O'Brien. So it's a delight to be here.

Hello, my name is Ron Chernow. And I feel very, very warmly about anyone who has won the Mark Twain Award for American Humor. Oh, wow. Including our friend Conan O'Brien. So it's a delight to be here.

Hello, my name is Ron Chernow. And I feel very, very warmly about anyone who has won the Mark Twain Award for American Humor. Oh, wow. Including our friend Conan O'Brien. So it's a delight to be here.

I saw in your resume, Conan, that you had studied history at Harvard and I had studied literature at Yale. So you were in training for my career and I was in training for your career.

I saw in your resume, Conan, that you had studied history at Harvard and I had studied literature at Yale. So you were in training for my career and I was in training for your career.

I saw in your resume, Conan, that you had studied history at Harvard and I had studied literature at Yale. So you were in training for my career and I was in training for your career.

Yeah. People, you know, people always say to me at events, Mr. Chernow, did you imagine as you were writing the book that it was going to end up as a hip hop musical? And I always say, I think the question answers itself.

Yeah. People, you know, people always say to me at events, Mr. Chernow, did you imagine as you were writing the book that it was going to end up as a hip hop musical? And I always say, I think the question answers itself.

Yeah. People, you know, people always say to me at events, Mr. Chernow, did you imagine as you were writing the book that it was going to end up as a hip hop musical? And I always say, I think the question answers itself.

And then, of course, it became one of the most... No, in fact, you know, with that song, a few months earlier, he had come to my brownstone in Brooklyn Heights and he sat on my couch and he started snapping his fingers and he did the opening number of the song. And when he finished, he said, what do you think? I said, well, you've taken the first 40 pages of my book

And then, of course, it became one of the most... No, in fact, you know, with that song, a few months earlier, he had come to my brownstone in Brooklyn Heights and he sat on my couch and he started snapping his fingers and he did the opening number of the song. And when he finished, he said, what do you think? I said, well, you've taken the first 40 pages of my book

And then, of course, it became one of the most... No, in fact, you know, with that song, a few months earlier, he had come to my brownstone in Brooklyn Heights and he sat on my couch and he started snapping his fingers and he did the opening number of the song. And when he finished, he said, what do you think? I said, well, you've taken the first 40 pages of my book

and you've condensed it into a four-minute song. And I said, that's rather amazing. But what I was thinking, and I didn't say to him, I said, this is kind of embarrassing that it took me 40 pages to say what this guy has done in four minutes. And then a few months later, he said, go on YouTube. I performed it at the White House.

and you've condensed it into a four-minute song. And I said, that's rather amazing. But what I was thinking, and I didn't say to him, I said, this is kind of embarrassing that it took me 40 pages to say what this guy has done in four minutes. And then a few months later, he said, go on YouTube. I performed it at the White House.

and you've condensed it into a four-minute song. And I said, that's rather amazing. But what I was thinking, and I didn't say to him, I said, this is kind of embarrassing that it took me 40 pages to say what this guy has done in four minutes. And then a few months later, he said, go on YouTube. I performed it at the White House.

So there he is, not only performing it at the White House, but he got a standing ovation from Barack and Michelle Obama. And I thought to myself, I'm really strapped to a rocket with this guy. He's written one song in the show, and he's already performed it at the White House and gotten the standing ovation from the president and first lady.

So there he is, not only performing it at the White House, but he got a standing ovation from Barack and Michelle Obama. And I thought to myself, I'm really strapped to a rocket with this guy. He's written one song in the show, and he's already performed it at the White House and gotten the standing ovation from the president and first lady.

So there he is, not only performing it at the White House, but he got a standing ovation from Barack and Michelle Obama. And I thought to myself, I'm really strapped to a rocket with this guy. He's written one song in the show, and he's already performed it at the White House and gotten the standing ovation from the president and first lady.

Absolutely. One of the things that attracted me to the grand story was that I felt that all the people that I had written about up until that point were kind of built for success. I mean, you read about the early years of Alexander Hamilton. He has a focus, a discipline, and drive intelligence. You know, if he didn't do what, you know, he ended up doing, he would have succeeded at something.

Absolutely. One of the things that attracted me to the grand story was that I felt that all the people that I had written about up until that point were kind of built for success. I mean, you read about the early years of Alexander Hamilton. He has a focus, a discipline, and drive intelligence. You know, if he didn't do what, you know, he ended up doing, he would have succeeded at something.