>>>
>>> STEVE
>>> STEVE ALMOND IS 4@A WRITER WHO COVERS A LOT OF GROUND, HIS WIFE WRITTEN ABOUT CA4@NDY
BARS, SEX AND ROMANCE AND LOVE
AND A LOT OF OTHER THINGS
INCLUDING FOOTBALL.
HE'S WITH US 4@TONIGHT ON 207,
STEVE ALMOND, GOOD OF YOU TO
COME IN, THANKS FOR BEING HERE
.
>> EVERY TIME I'M 4@IN PORTLAN
YOU ARE ON MY DANCE CARD.
>> THE FIRST TIME WE TALKED TO
YOU IS MORE THAN A DECADE AGO,
JUST WRITTEN A BOOK CALLED
CANDY FREAK WHICH LOOKS AT
OBSCURE NOW IN MANY CASES
EXTINCT CANDY BARS IN THIS 4@
COUNTRY.
IT WAS A DELIGHTFUL4@ PIECE OF
WORK, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE
CANDY BAR SEEN IN AMERICA THESE
DAYS?
>> WHAT IS HAPPENING IS
BASICALLY THAT THOSE CANDY
BARS, THE BEAUTIFUL BLESSED
IDAHO SPUD,4@4@ THE MILK, THE T
BEING ARE HANGING ON BY A
THREAD.
AND WHEN THEY ARE GONE, THERE
WILL BE NO TRACE OF THEM LEFT.
>> I WAS THINKING ABOUT THIS 4@
BEFORE YOU ARRIVED AND WE HAVE
THIS EXPULSION OF CRAFT BEER IN
THIS COUNTRY . WE HAVE 4@MORE
WINERIES THAN EVER, WE HAVE
CRAFT CHEESE AND MAPLE SYRUP IN
ALL THIS KRAFT FOODS.
BUT WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A
RESURGENCE OF CANDY BARS.
WHY NOT?>> BECAUSE BECAUSE YOU
HAVE IT GOURMET PIECES OF
CHOCOLATE,4@ YOU KNOW WONDERFUL
PIECES BUT THEY4@ ARE MORE
GOURMET.
TO SCALE IT UP AND COMPETE WITH
THE BIG THREE WHAT I CA4@LL THE
BIG THREE MARS, HEARST G AND
NESTLCWOULD NEED BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS AND THEY HAVE
ESSENTIALLY PART OF WHAT
CANDYFREAK IS ABOUT, THE
DARKER STORY BEHIND THE CATTLE4
CRUNCH, IS THE BIGGEST WALL OF
THE LITTLE GUYS AND IT IS
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE THAT THERE
ARE ALL THESE BARRIERS TO
MARKET.
IF YOU HAVE A4@4@ MAINSTREAM CA
BAR TO COMPETE WITH HERSHEY'S
OR SNICKERS IT WOULD BE
VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE.
THE ON THE RACK, THE 4@ON THE
CHOCOLATE, THEY ON THE SUGAR
AND THEY CAN PRODUCE MASS-
PRODUCE THOSE AT A PRICE POINT
THAT4@ NO SMALL CANDY COMPANY
COULD COMPETE WITH.
>> THE SECOND TIME 4@I TALK TO
YOU HAD WRITTEN A BOOK ON ROCK @
'N ROLL. 4@
YOU ARE A PASSIONATE MUSIC FAN.
>> GEEK 4@I WOULD SAY.>> WHAT D
YOU MAKE OF THE MUSIC SCENE 4@
RIGHT NOW?>> IT IS AMAZING,
WHAT IS HAPPENING 4@NOW WHICH I
HAPPENING THE ROLLED TOO IS THE
MEANS OF PRODUCTION FOR MAKING
MUSIC HAVE BEEN DEMOCRATIZED.
EVERYBODY ESSENTIALLY 4@YOU CAN
BUY A COMPUTER WHICH I HAVE, MY
SON MAKES MUSIC.
HE 4@IS DEADLY4@ RIGHTS BEAUTIF
SONGS HE PLAYS UKULELE AND
GUITAR AND PIANO AND WE RECORD
THEM AND I'M NOT GOING TO SAY
THERE READY TO COME HE'S READY
TO COMPETE WITH THE ROLLING
STONES BUT I CAN PUT THOSE OUT
ON iTUNES.
SO THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF MUSICIANS WHO
ARE JUST DREAMING OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF PUTTING MUSIC
INTO THE WORLD AND NOW THROUGH
THE INTERNET AND THE WONDERS OF
TECHNOLOGY, THEY CAN DO THAT.
SO I WANT 4@TO SAY THAT EVEN
THOUGH IT IS A BIG4@ CONFUSING
CACOPHONY THERE IS MORE
INTERESTING MUSIC BEING MADE
NOW THAN EVER.
AT LEAST THAT IS AVAILABLE TO
US.
>> PEOPLE AS NOT ONLY ARE
WRITER4@ BUT A PODCAST.
THEY KNOW YOU FOR THE ADVICE
YOU HAVE GIVEN OVER THE YEARS 4@
PARTICULARLY THROUGH THE SUGARS
COLUMN4@ PODCAST ON 4@THE SWEET
SPOT COLUMN THAT RAN IN THE NEW
YORK TIMES FOR SEVERAL YEARS
AND ENDED BACK IN DECEMBER.
YOU WERE GIVING ADVICE TO
PEOPLE4@ WHO WERE LOOKING FOR
LOVE, ROMANCE. COMPANION SIBS,
SEX AND EXETER4@ . PEOPLE ARE 4@
INVITING YOU AND YOUR CO-AUTHOR
DEEP INTO THEIR LIVES AND
HEARTS.
WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE
FOR YOU?4@
>> IT WAS HEAVY BECAUSE IT
WASN'T SO MUCH PEOPLE WRITING
IN THE TRADITIONAL LETTER TO AN
ADVICE COLUMNIST SAY I WANT TO
FIND LOVE IS IS LOVE HAS
WRECKED ME AND I DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO DO.4@
AND IT WAS PEOPLE THAT WERE
OFTEN TIMES STRUGGLING DEEPLY.
PSYCHICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY IN
THEIR LIVES.
THAT'S A LOT OF TRUST FOR
SOMEONE TO PUT IN A 4@COUPLE OF
YOU KNOW, WRITERS BASICALLY WHO
ARE THOUGHTFUL AND CARING BUT
WE ARE NOT PSYCHIATRIST OR
PSYCHOLOGIST.
SO WE WERE VERY CAREFUL TO
BASICALLY LISTEN TO THE STORY
AND ALSO 4@TO LOOK, I TRIED TO
LOOK TO LITERATURE AS ONE WAY
OF SORT OF TELLING STORIES THAT
MIGHT4@ INFORM.
IF SOMEONE IS STRUGGLING
BECAUSE THEY FEEL LOVE ISN'T 4@
GOING TO WORK FOR THEM AND IS
DOOMED BECAUSE THEY GREW UP
POOR, YOU READ THE GREAT
GATSBY.
THAT'S THE4@ BOOK YOU READ WHIC
IN SOME WAYS SAY YES YO4@U CAN'
ESCAPE YOUR PASTOR REINVENT
YOURSELF.
SO THAT'S WHAT I TRY TO DO AND
CHERYL TOLD STORIES, WE BOTH
TOLD STORIES FROM OUR OWN
LIVES.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT CHANGED
THE WAY THAT THAT I PARENT, THE
WAY THAT I FUNCTION IN MY
MARRIAGE.
I BECAME MUCH MORE AWARE4@4@ OF
EMOTIONAL LABOR THAT MY WIFE
DOES, OF MY PRIVILEGES OF A
WHITE MAN MOVING TO THIS BODY
IN THE WORLD.
AND IT REALLY SORT OF MOMENT TO
MOMENT, IT WASN'T JUST THE4@
LETTER WRITERS GETTING ADVICE
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
I WAS FORCED TO THINK OUTSIDE
OF MY OWN EXPERIENCE REGULARLY
ENOUGH THAT I HOPE ANYWAY, I
GOT MORE HUMBLE ABOUT WHAT AN
IDIOT I OFTEN AM.
>> YOU STARTED THE CONVERSATION
BY TALKING ABOUT CANDY BARS.
I WENT TO THE STORE AND THE
CLASSIC MAINE NEEDHAM'S. 4@
I HAVE THREE OF THEM FOR YOU.
AND THESE ARE NOT MADE BY A
LARGE CORPORATION.
YOU HAD THIS BEFORE?
>> I 4@NEVER HAVE HAD 4@AND
NEEDHAM.
>> STEVE ALMOND IS IN FOR THE @
BETTER EXPERIENCE OF HIS WEEKLY
>> IT IS4@ POTATO AND APPEARED
>> IT IS THE MAIN VERSION.
THANK YOU STEVE.4@
>>> IF YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE
ABOUT4@ STEVE ALMOND AND 4@HIS @
BOOKS AND OTHER