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PODCAST

I Couldn’t Throw It Out

Revisit pop culture history as former People Magazine reporter Michael Small and guests share never-heard celebrity interviews and other treasures they"ve saved for decades -- as they try to toss their stuff. Will it be an epic case of Swedish Death Cleaning? Or an epic fail?

tv & film film interviews

All Episodes

99:21

My Fun, Strange Adventures with Fabio

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2026/04/02

How I helped the long-haired, bare-chested model leap from the cover of romance novels to the cover of People Magazine-------- In 1993, I spent a week in L.A. and Hawaii with Fabio Lanzoni, "The King of Romance," as I wrote a People cover story, then I ghostwrote his official biography. Now, for the first time, I'm sharing my never-heard interview tapes with revelations about cheating on his one true love, losing his virginity, and the upsetting experience that led him to utter an

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7:55

Olympics Outtake? The Treasure Toss

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2026/02/24

Craving more Olympics? I Couldn't Throw It Out has staged its own world-class event: The Treasure Toss.In our first mini-episode, photographer and collage artist Joyce Seymore commits to the daring feat of throwing out an artwork and maybe one other possession.This is no easy feat, considering that Joyce has spent a lifetime saving just about everything, including a huge collection of art materials, books, shells, and more.The outcome is as tense as an Olympic snowboard half-pipe competition

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36:56

What a much-loved partner left behind

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2026/01/19

Janny Scott explains how saving things helped her grieve – and preserve her connection with journalist Joseph Lelyveld ---------------When someone you love dies, the grieving process is different for each of us. But one thing is always the same: You've got to decide what to do with the things your loved one left behind.Janny Scott experienced this in January 2024 when Joseph Lelyveld, her partner of 19 years, died from complications of Parkinson's Disease.Joe had been a star at the New

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33:41

Happy Ending! A Violinist's Dream Comes True

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2025/12/16

You heard how I smashed violins as kid (in a previous episode). Hear how I saved one as an adult.-----These days, we all could use a story with a happy ending, right?Well, here's one that answers the question: What ever happened to a family heirloom I inherited from my father?When last we spoke of my father's treasured violin (previous episode: Listen up! A Violin Lesson with Strings Attached), I was headed off – once again – to learn how to play it. Did I find a way to make music that

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53:39

Salt-N-Pepa: We Talked About Sex

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2025/11/05

1991 flashback: Hear candid talk about female rappers, obscenity, sexism, and more with Salt-N-Pepa, 2025's newest members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -----------When I interviewed Salt-N-Pepa for my 1992 book Break It Down, they were among the most successful rappers on the planet. One platinum album and another coming soon. Sell-out concerts around the world.But did I include them on my list of the top 5 hip-hop groups? Nope.Oops. That was a mistake. Now that Salt-N-Pepa are

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39:15

Swedish Death Cleaning - A global challenge?

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2025/09/11

The director and cast of the TV series Waack Girls (Amazon Prime) explain why saving stuff is so common in India, and around the world--------------If you ever suspected that an obsession with saving things is a mostly American habit, here's proof that it ain't so.Sooni Taraporevala -- who wrote the screenplays for Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala, The Namesake, Yeh Ballet, and other movies -- recently told me that she's been saving treasures in Mumbai, India since she was 5.Not

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50:50

Carl Sagan and Stormy Daniels: Workplace gems?

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2025/07/12

Treasures saved from past jobs spark memories of a scientist, a porn star, The Pet Shop Boys, The Partridge Family, and long-lost websites-------------------------------Man, do we ever spend a lot of time at work. That's one reason why I felt compelled to save things from the places I worked, to remind me how I spent so much of my time.I always suspected that I wasn't the only one who did this. And now, I have proof.Four friends -- who worked at various offices with me -- agreed to join

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57:45

Nicolas Cage goes wild? Yes, and no. Hear him in 1994

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2025/05/02

Nic Cage delivers another explosive performance in the new movie "The Surfer." But the actor I interviewed was somebody else.----------When I talked with Nicolas Cage on the phone for an hour in 1994, he already had a bit of a reputation for going ballistic in movies. Just the crazed cockroach-eating scene in Vampire's Kiss was enough to give a guy a reputation.But lo and behold, he told me a lot of things I didn't expect. For starters, he's very shy off-screen and he felt

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74:25

The Lost Interview: Led Zeppelin’s Page and Plant

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2025/03/19

Hear my never-shared 1995 talk with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant about their music, books, diets, girlfriends, hair loss, Led Zeppelin myths, and their Unledded reunion-----If you find it hard to visualize Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in a People Magazine article, I’m with you. The People article I reported and wrote about them in 1995 was never published. So the cassette tapes of my interview went into a box, like a heavy metal time capsule.Until now. When I saw the rave reviews for

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29:55

Sending a Valentine's Day card? 10 rules to follow

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2025/02/09

Learn a lesson from the Valentine’s Day cards I’ve saved since the ‘70s: 10 important rules for sending cards to the ones you love, and tips for deciding which love notes to save-----If you’re sending Valentine’s Day cards this year, there are some key rules to follow -- and mistakes to avoid. I know this because I’ve been saving Valentines since the 1970s. So I can see which ones got right to the heart of it and which sent Cupid’s arrows slightly off target.Looking through my card collection,

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58:36

How Keith Haring Changed Art: Hear Him in '83

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2025/01/24

His graffiti in NYC subways made him a world-wide art star before his death at 31. Hear my 1983 interview as Haring answers his critics, plus: a chat about Keith with Andy Warhol Even if you don’t know one artist since Michelangelo, the chances are good that you’ll recognize the creations of Keith Haring. More than 40 years after he started drawing with chalk – for free – in New York City subway stations, it’s still easy to spot his cartoon-like symbols: radiant babies, barking wolves. Now, 35 years

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45:21

Christmas Gifts and Hanukkah Cards: Toss or keep?

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2024/12/23

Get out the holiday treasures you’ve saved for years, and join us as we decide why we kept them and what to do with them.---------Attention holiday revelers! Are you someone who just can’t let go of Christmas and Hanukkah gifts from the past? Even if they don’t fit? Or they’re ugly? Or they’re useless? What about holiday cards? Do you stash them somewhere year after year and never look at them again?Well, you’re not alone.On this episode of I Couldn’t Throw It Out, we’ve gathered friends to

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57:27

Listen up! A Violin Lesson With Strings Attached

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2024/11/27

Inheriting a violin is wonderful. But what if it comes with instructions that it must be played? And you resorted to violence as a kid to get out of playing? Then what?-------------- If you’re lucky enough to inherit something from someone you really love, that’s usually a good thing. But everyone once in a while, it’s not so simple.What happens when you inherit something that was loved by the person who gave it – but maybe you don’t feel quite the same way about it? That’s the puzzle we try to

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60:29

Kooky reunion: 67-year-olds perform their 5th grade play

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2024/10/11

Does a 1967 elementary school magazine -- or a fifth grade school play -- still have value? Only if you’re looking for lost memories, new insights, and hilarity- - - - - - - - - Somewhere in your home, you might have saved at least one treasure from elementary school. The question is: Why did you save it? The only way to find out: Hunt for your ancient objects and see what revelations they bring to your adult life. At least that’s what Sally and I decided to do.After I found a play and three copies

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68:13

Ice-T: Never-heard 1991 interview

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2024/08/30

Hear the rapper and actor talk about crime, Hollywood, racism, and more -- before he was a Law & Order SVU detective and just after he created the metal band Body Count---------In 1991, Ice-T had just appeared in the movie New Jack City -- and his rap albums were defining what was then an unusual style of west coast gangsta rap.That’s why I chose him as one of the top five rappers to lead off my book about hip-hop, Break It Down: The Inside Story from the New Leaders of Rap.Since then, I

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72:37

Scary! Stephen King and Peter Straub's lost interview

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2024/07/06

Send us a Text Message.When I interviewed Stephen King and Peter Straub in 1984 about their fantasy novel The Talisman, their book was breaking records for hardcover sales. But the fame of their collaboration has faded over the years.Most people recognize King's famous titles -- Carrie, The Shining, The Dead Zone, It, Pet Sematary. And they may be familiar with Straub's 1979 bestseller Ghost Story. But far fewer know about The Talisman. That's why Sally and I asked renowned horror

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42:51

Love, Mom: Mother's Day advice from a 98-year-old mom

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2024/05/10

Send us a Text Message.The best way to honor your mother -- on Mother's Day or any other day? We wanted to figure that out. So we got expert advice from family and friends, including 98-year-old Barbara Welsh, mother-to-be Emily Libby, the Von Klemperer family, and mom Debbie Baylin.As we realized, almost everyone -- including you -- has saved some items from mom. You may not even know what you've got. But when those treasures come out of the attic or the closet, something special

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45:14

Adults and stuffed animals: Can we bear to part?

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2024/04/19

Some of us just can't toss our furry friends from childhood. And we're not talking about a cute new collection of plushies. We're talking about stuffed animals with some history, saved for decades till fur and eyes are missing. Why do we save them? And what do we do with them now? To get answers, we've asked adults to tell us about their much-loved cloth animals, including the tale of two German teddy bears who escaped the Nazis, and brought a precious secret cargo with them

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61:22

Memories of Melanie: A friend shares fun times with...

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2024/03/21

When singer/songwriter Melanie Safka died in January, many people remembered her for the #1 pop song "Brand New Key" (also known as the roller skate song.) But those of us who loved her know that her biggest hit never conveyed the richness of her career and her talents.That's why I asked photographer Maddy Miller to join us on I Couldn't Throw It Out. Not only did Maddy take iconic photos of Melanie, including the cover photo on Melanie's gold album Gather Me, she also was

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49:49

Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson's Funniest Movie

I Couldn’t Throw It Out ·

2024/02/23

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