The Moment with Brian Koppelman

In this previously unaired episode, Brian joins Adam Carolla in his Carolla Digital studios for a chat about what he thinks people get wrong about him (5:00), why he always answers the question that's asked of him and the problems associated with that (16:00), and the two ponder the question of a "level-playing field" (22:00). Plus, the two discuss racial representation in careers and institutions (32:00), how Adam thought about himself when he was young (43:00), and to wrap things up, Adam gives us an example of a time he admits he was wrong (54:00).This conversation was taped in April 2016 and is being aired for the first time today.

Back for his 2nd appearance on The Moment, James Altucher joins Brian to hammer out why this show (yes, this one — The Moment) went on a hiatus after the election. Here, James tries to convince Brian as to why these conversations are of importance in a world where Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States (2:00). Also, Brian and James discuss a moving piece written by James about why he believes he wasn’t a good parent and how James goes about checking in with himself in times of stress (14:00). Later on the two talk about how to best use their time and their resources once the new President enters office to make real tangible changes in the world (26:00) and address their concerns with the incoming administration (30:00). And finally, James talks about his new book, Reinvent Yourself (48:00).James’ new book can be purchased by clicking here.What happens to our digital lives when we’re gone? LifeAfter, a new series from GE Podcast Theater and Panoply, the creators of last year’s award-winning The Message, explores these very questions. Listen and download LifeAfter wherever you find your podcasts.Shownotes: Slate.com/TheMomentTwitter: @BrianKoppelmanLeave a Review: itunes.com/themoment

John Grisham is the internationally known best selling author of some of the best legal thrillers of our time (A Time To Kill, The Firm, The Pelican Brief). In his first longform podcast interview, John joins Brian to talk about whether or not he has a mission in his writing (1:30), when he first started thinking of himself as a writer (14:30), and how he structures his stories (23:45). Plus, John tells us why he didn't take it personally when he received numerous rejection letters for his first novel (36:00), what keeps him up at night and wanting to write the next book (41:30), and finally whether or not he sees the appeal for Donald Trump (48:00).John's new book The Whistler can be purchased by clicking here.Shownotes: Slate.com/TheMomentTwitter: @BrianKoppelmanLeave a Review: itunes.com/themoment

Daniel Negreanu is one of (if not the best) poker player in the world today. He has set all kinds of records in the poker community, but today he tells us how he did it. To kick things off, Brian and Daniel discuss their old spat from Tilt and how their relationship has changed since then (5:00), when Daniel decided to become a professional poker player (17:00), and how he observes people to pick up information (27:00). Also, the two talk about how Daniel's definition of success has changed over the years (32:00), what he's interested in outside the poker table (45:00), and how the Rocky movies help get him ready to make a run at the WSOP Final Table every year (54:00).Shownotes: Slate.com/TheMomentTwitter: @BrianKoppelmanLeave a Review: itunes.com/themomentThe Moment is brought to you by Freshbooks. Small business owners, FreshBooks wants to make dealing with your day-to- day paperwork ridiculously simple and quick. For your 30 day free trial, and all the simple and quick cloud accounting you can handle, go to FreshBooks.com/MOMENT and enter MOMENT in the “how did you hear about us” section.

Richard Shindell is a singer-songwriter who is best known for telling deeply human stories with his songs. His latest album, which you can purchase by clicking here, is Careless. We kick off today's show with Richard playing a song off the new album titled "All Wide Open." Then, Brian and Richard talk about the themes which Richard keeps revisiting in his songs (10:30), the time he spent in the seminary (20:30), and why this new album is a kind of departure for him creatively (34:00). The two round out the conversation talking about Richard's writing process (44:00) and why the dispossessed are so often featured in his music (54:00). Richard ends the podcast by playing one of Brian's favorite songs "Kentworth of My Dreams."The Moment is brought to iBooks. iBooks is the place to find the books that people are talking about right now, including Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen’s memoir. It's a mix of beautiful nostalgia and straight talk about family, fame, and music. Get it on apple.co/brucespringsteen, where you’ll find all his music too.Panoply SurveyWe want you to tell us about the podcasts you enjoy, and how often you listen to them. So we created a survey that takes just a couple of minutes to complete. If you fill it out, you'll help Panoply to make great podcasts about the things you love. And things you didn’t even know you loved. To fill out the survey, just go to: www.panoply.fm/survey.

At 24, Will Toledo is the lead singer-songwriter for one of this summer's hottest bands, Car Seat Headrest. He's also the youngest guest to ever be on The Moment. Today, Will talks about how he thinks about structuring an album (6:00), trying not to repeat the narrative of his predecessors (14:00), and how he receives feedback for his songs (28:30). Plus, Will and Brian discuss the wide audience Car Seat Headrest is reaching with its new album (37:00) and why it's important for artists to shape their own work rather than be shaped by their audience (41:30). And on a final note, Will is already working on the next album and he's thinking it may be a little different (55:00).You can check out Car Seat Headrest's latest release, Teens of Denial, by clicking here.Shownotes: Slate.com/TheMomentTwitter: @BrianKoppelmanLeave a Review: itunes.com/themomentThe Moment is brought to you by Blue Apron. For less than 10 dollars per meal, Blue Apron delivers meal kits right to your door to make cooking at home easy. Get your first THREE meals FREE by going to BlueApron.com/MOMENT.

Back for his 3rd appearance on the show – New York Times best-selling author and entrepreneur, Seth Godin, joins Brian this week to talk about his upcoming book, "What Does It Sound Like When You Change Your Mind?" (3:00). You can preorder Seth's book by clicking here. To start things off, Seth and Brian discuss the concept of "certainty" in creation (11:00), whether or not writer's block really exists (20:00), and why Seth used to ask the question "How many gas stations are there in the United States?" when interviewing potential employees (36:00). To round out the conversation, the two reflect on different artists and how they approached creating their art (40:00) and why fear is signal that you're doing something right (54:00). The Moment is brought to you by Upstanders, a new podcast from Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran. Hear stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to create positive change in their communities. Listen and subscribe to Upstanders on iTunes now.

Glen Phillips is a singer-songwriter best known for his work with Toad the Wet Sprocket. He has a new solo album coming out called Swallowed by the New which you can pre-order by clicking here. Today, Glen & Brian jump right into it and talk about Glen's recent divorce and other catastrophic changes in his life (4:00), writing songs about these difficult moments in life (11:30), and how hope makes its way into his music (25:00). Plus, Glen takes a look at his career and how he's now in the business of reaching less people more deeply (35:00). Also, Brian talks about a letter he sent to Glen when he was having complicated feelings about his success (45:00) and asks Glen about the advice he would give his talented daughter about entering the music business (56:00). Glen ends the show by playing an incredible rendition of a song off the new album, "Criminal Career."Shownotes: Slate.com/TheMomentTwitter: @BrianKoppelmanLeave a Review: itunes.com/themomentThe Moment is brought to you by Blue Apron. For less than 10 dollars per meal, Blue Apron delivers meal kits right to your door to make cooking at home easy. Get your first THREE meals FREE by going to BlueApron.com/MOMENT.

Michael Chiklis is an actor and a musician best known for his work on FX's The Shield and Gotham on FOX. He has a new album coming out called Influence which you can pre-order by clicking here. Today, Michael talks about the commencement speech he gave at his daughter's graduation this past spring (5:00), growing up in New England with a working class father and a mother who aspired to be in the Opera (12:00), and why he became filled with rage when he auditioned for the lead role in FX's The Shield (24:00). Plus, Michael discusses the performance aspect of performance art and how he channels his energy like a great athlete to live up to and completely in the moment (38:00). The two round out their conversation by discussing Mike's latest venture, a new album called Influence, and why the theatrical bands of the 70's and 80's made an impression on him as a young actor (45:00).Shownotes: Slate.com/TheMomentTwitter: @BrianKoppelmanLeave a Review: itunes.com/themomentThe Moment is brought to you by Freshbooks. Small business owners, FreshBooks wants to make dealing with your day-to- day paperwork ridiculously simple and quick. For your 30 day free trial, and all the simple and quick cloud accounting you can handle, go to FreshBooks.com/MOMENT and enter MOMENT in the “how did you hear about us” section.

Mike Birbiglia is a comedian, actor, writer, and filmmaker. His latest film, produced alongside This American Life's Ira Glass, is Don't Think Twice and is out for limited release this week. Today, Mike talks about workshopping the script for Don't Think Twice (5:00), how he absorbs story notes (16:00), and how fatherhood changed his priorities and his writing (23:00). Plus, Mike discusses how he tries to find a balance between being selfish and selfless (30:00) and how long the good feeling of making people laugh actually lasts (43:00).Shownotes: Slate.com/TheMomentTwitter: @BrianKoppelmanLeave a Review: itunes.com/themomentThe Moment is brought to you by Freshbooks. Small business owners, FreshBooks wants to make dealing with your day-to- day paperwork ridiculously simple and quick. For your 30 day free trial, and all the simple and quick cloud accounting you can handle, go to FreshBooks.com/MOMENT and enter MOMENT in the “how did you hear about us” section.

Mark Halperin is the co-host of With All Due Respect on Bloomberg TV and the Executive Producer of Showtime’s The Circus (Sunday nights at 8PM). Today, Mark talks about his beginnings as a journalist (2:00), makes his argument about why the media is liberally bias (14:00), and questions how much longer he’ll be covering politics (26:00). Plus, John talks about why he believes most politicians are in public office to do good (35:00) and what his number one question would be if he had the chance to interview Justice John Roberts (42:00).The Moment is brought to you by Open Account, a podcast that gets personal about making, losing, and living with money. Created by Umpqua Bank and hosted by SuChin Pak, download and subscribe to Open Account wherever you get your podcasts. And by FreshBooks. Small business owners, FreshBooks wants to make dealing with your day-to-day paperwork ridiculously simple and quick. For your 30-day free trial, and all the simple and quick cloud accounting you can handle, go to FreshBooks.com/MOMENT and enter MOMENT in the “how did you hear about us” section.

Savannah Guthrie is the co-anchor of The Today Show and the Chief Legal Correspondent of NBC News. Today she joins Brian for a conversation about her life as a young adult, landing her first gig on TV, and how she prepares to interview the likes of Donald Trump. Savannah also talks about how she views her position in the media and tells a great story about deciding to go law school and making the decision that changed the course of her life.Shownotes: Slate.com/TheMomentTwitter: @BrianKopplemaniTunes: itunes.com/themoment

Alan Furst is the bestselling author of Midnight in Europe, Night Soldiers, and Spies of the Balkans. His latest book, A Hero of France, is out now and available by clicking here. Today, Alan discusses how he first came about creating his own fictional world in the tradition of William Faulkner and William Kennedy (2:00), the question he asked himself which opened him up as a writer (10:30), and the idea of a certain kind of heroism in his books (24:00). Plus, Alan talks about why he hasn’t returned to France in years (34:00) and the creative routine he established to become a master of historical spy fiction (44:00).The Moment is brought to you by Open Account, a podcast that gets personal about making, losing, and living with money. Created by Umpqua Bank and hosted by SuChin Pak, download and subscribe to Open Account wherever you get your podcasts.And by FreshBooks. Small business owners, FreshBooks wants to make dealing with your day-to-day paperwork ridiculously simple and quick. For your 30-day free trial, and all the simple and quick cloud accounting you can handle, go to FreshBooks.com/Moment and enter “Moment” in the “how did you hear about us” section. Shownotes: Slate.com/TheMomentTwitter: @BrianKoppelmaniTunes: itunes.com/themoment

Andrew Zimmern is best known as the creator and host of the Bizarre Foods franchise on Travel Channel. New episodes of Bizarre Foods begin June 21st at 9PM and his new show, Driven By Food, premieres in August. On today's show, Andrew talks about the transformative power of travel (7:00), a life changing trip to Madagascar (15:00), and the decision he made to be himself, rather than a character of himself, on Bizarre Foods (27:00). Plus, Andrew and Brian discuss his love of tussling with the network (35:00), a story behind the first episode of his new show, Driven By Food (47:00), and how show business is the perfect business for Andrew to grow spiritually and artistically (55:00).Shownotes: Slate.com/TheMomentTwitter: @BrianKoppelmaniTunes: itunes.com/themoment

Hayes Carll is a singer-songwriter who just released the best album of his career called Loversand Leavers. You can purchase it by clicking here. To kick off the show, Hayes plays a song from the new album called “Sake of the Song” and then talks to Brian about getting out of his creative comfort zone (8:00), the process of creating the album (16:00), and the fear of not doing what was expected of him (30:00). Plus, Hayes and Brian learn about the death of Guy Clark (38:00) and discuss how his new songs are being received and what it feels like to reconnect with his music and fans.Shownotes: Slate.com/TheMomentTwitter: @BrianKoppelman