memoir

Frank McCourt

Bill Thompson

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

As I was mulling over all of the Irish or Irish-American people I’ve interviewed through the years, one name kept coming to the forefront: Frank McCourt.

McCourt burst onto the literary scene in 1996, with his memoir of his early childhood, a powerful book called Angela’s Ashes. It also became an award-winning movie.

He followed that up with volume two of his memoirs, a book called ‘Tts/. Then, in 2005, the third volume, a book called Teacher Man. And that’s when I met him.

So here now, from 2005, Frank McCourt:

died in 2009. He was 78.

Rain Pryor

Bill Thompson
Rain Pryor (center) with Hillary Thompson and Bill Thompson

Next Sunday is Father’s Day, so all of this week on Now I’ve Heard Everything, we are featuring interviews about fathers.

The late Richard Pryor was a hugely talented comedian and brilliant entertainer — but, by his own admission, a failure as a father.

In 2006 his daughter Rain Pryor wrote a memoir, a sympathetic portrait of the man, failings and all.

So here now from November 2006, Rain Pryor.

Richard Pryor died in December 2005, at the age of 65.

Rain Pryor is 50, and is active as a comedian, actor, and singer.

Samantha Bee

Bill Thompson

Canadian-born comedian Samantha Bee was a fixture on TV’s The Daily Show or twelvve years. Indeed, she was Most Photo: Senor Correspondent.

Photo: Montclair Film

I met her tewn years ago next week, at the height of her popularity on that show, when she wrote a breezy memoir, a hilariously guided tour of her childhood and adolescence.

So here now, from 2010, Samantha Bee:

Samamtha Bee left The Daily Show in 2015, to launch her own show, Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,

She became a U.S. citizen in 2014, but also retained her Canadian citizenship.