Some interviews can make a powerful impression. One interview that has stood the test of time is the one that I had in 1998 with Dr. Leonard Shlain about his book "The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image." Nearly twenty years later listeners will still mention it.
Leonard had a brilliant mind. When he spoke the flow of information and his ability to present it concisely and in an entertaining way was quite amazing. He was passionate about his work. There are occasions when a guest will go on and on for 10 or 20 minutes at a stretch and as an interviewer I'll try to interject a question or merely get in a few words to make it more conversational or even, heaven help me, to remind listeners that I'm still there. Leonard was not like that, he could carry the verbal ball the length of the field, scoring intellectual points over and over again, and I never got weary of listening to him doing that.
Leonard Shlain is no longer with us. He died in 2009. What an impressive man!
The Book Nook on WYSO is made possible by five local library systems in southwest Ohio: the Greene County Public Library, Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library.
