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(The interview was conducted weeks before arecent social-media controversyover one of hisCBSSunday Morningsegments.)
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When I look at student writing … Im not a teacher, but people send me stuff.
You just see it crippling so many essays.
I like that it leads into the story, and its not the story that you expect.
I like that with an essay, too.
I just found that I liked not doing that.
Whereas when I wrote forEsquire, often theyd get an ad.
That sounds so old, doesnt it?
Getting an ad in a magazine.
And then they would say, We have to cut 200 words, which was actually a fantastic experience.
Ive been doing this thing forCBS Sunday Morning.
And I did it, and I felt at the end that I didnt even notice what was missing.
If theaters had been open, I would be out there, and I could test.
Being adored is what I miss.
I miss [the audience] as a teacher, too.
I miss even the traveling part.
Even the icky parts of traveling.
Even when youre in a shitty hotel, or even when your planes get canceled.
I miss all of that just all of it.
But one thing is, though, I sure appreciated it when I did it.
Thats who Im doing this show for.
Then you get excited, and you cant wait to get on the stage.
I miss all of that just terribly.
The greatest joy was going into the dressing room [of plays that he and Rakoff worked on].
And he would come out and he would recite not lines, but whole scenes everybodys dialogue, verbatim.
Sometimes people will say that Im witty, and Im not.
David Rakoff was witty, and you had to be as smart as him to be witty.
There was something old-fashioned about the way that he was funny.
His brand of intelligence, his moment, I felt was like a Golden Age.
People like him, they dont come around very often.
