>>> MALCOLM GLADWELL WAS A
MAGAZINE WRITER WHEN HIS FIRST
BOOK WAS RELEASED IN 2000, "THE
TIPPING POINT," WHICH SOUGHT TO
EXPLAIN HOW A SIMPLE IDEA OR
BEHAVIOR CATCHES FIRE AND
SPREADS IN SOCIETY BECAME A
SENSATION, SELLING MORE THAN 5
MILLION COPIES TO DATE.
ON AND OFF THE BOOK SPENT AN
ASTOUNDING 435 WEEKS ON "NEW
YORK TIMES" BEST SELLER LIST.
SINCE THEN, GLADWELL HAS WRITTEN
FOUR MORE BEST SELLERS, BECOME
AN INTELLECTUAL CELEBRITY,
EXPLAINING THE WORLD WITH HIS
BRAND OF POP SCIENCE, A TERM OF
DERIGS FOR SOME BUT HE ACCEPTS.
HIS DEEP DIVE INTO DAILY LIFE
AND APPRECIATION FOR GOOD DEBATE
FIT INTO THIS AGE OF THE
PODCAST.
HE IS OUT WITH A NEW SEASON
CALLED REVISIONIST HISTORY.
NATURALLY IT IS NUMBER ONE ON
THE iTUNES LIST.
MALCOLM AND I GOT TOGETHER NEAR
HIS STUDIO IN BROOKLYN FOR A
SUNDAY SIT DOWN.
>> YOU SHOULD BE CONSTANTLY
REVISING YOUR CONCLUSIONS.
>> MALCOLM GLADWELL WANTS TO
MAKE YOU THINK.
>> THERE ARE SITUATIONS WHERE
BEING BAD IS HIGHLY
ADVANTAGEOUS.
>> WITH HIS PODCAST, HE WANTS
YOU TO THINK AGAIN ABOUT WHAT
YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW.
>> IT'S A SHOW ABOUT THINGS
FORGOTTEN AND MISUNDERSTOOD.
SO IF YOU HAVE TWO CATEGORIES,
FORGOTTEN, MISSTUNUNDERSTOOD, THAT'S
EVERYTHING.
>> GLADWELL REVISITS HEAVY
TOPICS LIKE THE CIVIL RIGHTS
MOVEMENT AND PROBLEMS WITH
HIGHER EDUCATION, BUT ALSO
THINKS DEEPER THAN MOST OF US
ABOUT SUBJECTS THAT CROSS OUR
DAILY LIVES, SUBJECTS LIKE FAST
FOOD FRENCH FRIES.
>> A SLICE OF POTATO, CRISPY ON
THE OUTSIDE, PILLOWY SOFT ON THE
INSIDE.
RIGHT THEN AND THERE I GAVE MY
HEART TO McDONALD'S.
THEN McDONALD'S BROKE IT.
>> WHAT DID YOU FIND SO
INTERESTING ABOUT THE FRENCH
FRIES THAT YOU HAD TO DO AN
ENTIRE EPISODE OF THE PODCAST?
>> BECAUSE THEY CHANGE.
THE FRENCH FRIES I GREW UP ON
AND YOU GREW UP ON WERE
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM FRIES
THEY SERVE NOW.
IN 1992 THEY CHANGED THE RECIPE
AND TURNED FROM BEING THE
GREATEST FAST FOOD FRENCH FRIES
OF ALL TIME TO BEING I THINK
THEY TASTE LIKE CARDBOARD NOW.
>> I AM EMBARRASSED TO SAY I
DIDN'T KNOW THEY CHANGED.
WHY WOULD THEY GO CHANGE
SOMETHING SO PERFECT.
>> EXACTLY.
THAT'S WHAT THE SHOW IS ABOUT.
THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE MAKING
THEM HEALTHIER.
WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE SUPPOSED
TO BE HEALTHY.
WE DON'T EAT IT BECAUSE IT IS
NUTRITIONALLY SUPERB.
WE EAT IT BECAUSE IT TASTES
GOOD.
IF IT NO LONGER TASTES GOOD, IT
IS NOT THE SAME.
>> HE WAS BORN IN ENGLAND,
RAISED AN ONLY CHILD IN CANADA
WITH HIS FATHER A MATHEMATICIAN
AND HIS MOTHER A THERAPIST.
>> I GREW UP IN A VERY SMALL
TOWN, RURAL CANADA.
I HAD THE MOST UNEVENTFUL,
BASICALLY RODE MY BIKE, READ
LOTS OF BOOKS.
WE DIDN'T HAVE A TELEVISION,
DIDN'T HAVE A STEREO.
NEVER WENT TO THE MOVIES.
IT SOUNDS MEN AS PARTICULAR.
I WOULD TELL MY MOTHER I WAS
BORED, SHE WOULD SAY GOOD, YOUR
BRAIN NEEDS A REST.
I WAS LIKE NEEDS A REST?
I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
COUNTRYSIDE, NOTHING HAPPENED.
>> HIS FIRST WRITING JOB WAS AT
THE CONSERVATIVE MAGAZINE "THE
AMERICAN SPECTATOR."
HE WENT ON TO WRITE FOR "THE
WASHINGTON POST" AND THEN "THE
NEW YORKER" WHERE HIS ARTICLE,
"THE TIPPING POINT," BECAME THE
BASIS FOR THE BOOK THAT CHANGED
HIS LIFE.
WHAT ABOUT THAT BOOK CAUGHT ON?
>> I HAVE NO IDEA.
I WAS BAFFLED AT THE TIME AND
HAVE GROWN MORE BAFFLED.
>> REALLY?
>> I DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT
BOOK.
HAVEN'T READ IT SINCE IT WAS
PUBLISHED.
OF ALL MY BOOKS, IT IS THE ONE I
HAVE THE LEAST AFFECTION.
>> YOU DON'T GO BACK AND
REEVALUATE SOME ARGUMENTS YOU
MADE AND WONDER IF IT HOLDS UP
TODAY?
>> ONLY REEVALUATE ONES I THINK
ARE WRONG.
>> WERE THERE SOME?
>> OH, YEAH.
>> AFTER THE INTERNATIONAL
SUCCESS OF "THE TIPPING POINT,"
GLADWELL DID IT AGAIN IN 2005
WITH "BLINK."
A BOOK ABOUT DECISIONS WE MAKE
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
THREE YEARS LATER, ANOTHER
MONSTER BEST SELLER CALLED
"OUTLIERS: HE IS A JOURNALIST,
THINKER, TEACHER, CULTURAL
TRANSLATER, SCIENTIST OF SORTS."
>> YOU HEARD GRUMBLING FROM
PROFESSORS AND SCIENTISTS THAT
SAY IT IS POP SCIENCE AND THE
REST OF IT.
HOW DO YOU ANSWER THAT?
>> IT IS POP SCIENCE.
I ANSWER THE CRITICISM SAYING IT
IS NOT A CRITICISM, IT'S TRUE.
I MEAN, THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT,
RIGHT?
IF I WAS WRITING IT THE WAY THE
PROFESSOR DID IT, THEN I SHOULD
BE A PROFESSOR, BUT I AM NOT.
OF COURSE I AM TRYING TO FIND
SOME WAY TO MAKE THEM RELEVANT
TO PEOPLE.
>> WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT,
GLADWELL'S ACCESSIBLE WRITING
MADE HIM A POP CULTURE STAR.
>> IT IS NOT LIKE I WAS JAILED
AND TRAILED BY PAPARAZZI.
>> YOU HAVE MORE PEOPLE
LISTENING TO YOU, GAVE YOU A
HUGE AUDIENCE WAITING FOR WHAT
YOU SAID NEXT.
>> PEOPLE STOP ME FOR SELFIES IN
THE AIRPORTS.
THAT'S HOW I DEFINE THE MAJOR
LIFE CHANGE.
MY NAME IS MALCOLM GLADWELL.
YOU'RE LISTENING TO REVISIONIST
HISTORY.
>> WHAT DO YOU GET OUT OF
PODCASTING THAT YOU CAN'T GET
FROM THE OTHER PLATFORMS YOU
HAVE?
>> IT'S A PERFORMANCE IN A WAY
THAT WRITING THE BOOK IS NOT.
THERE'S THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH
YOUR VOICE YOU CAN'T DO ON THE
PAGE.
>> PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW YOU DON'T
ROLL IN, SIT DOWN, START
TALKING.
HOW LONG IS IT?
>> PROBABLY 6200 WORDS.
MANY, MANY WEEKS OF WORK.
EVEN MORE WEEKS OF FRETTING.
>> ONE OF THE TOPICS ON HIS MIND
TODAY, THE MOOD OF THE COUNTRY.
>> AS YOU TAKE A STEP BACK, LOOK
AT THE WORLD, AMERICA, THE
CULTURE THE WAY YOU DO, WHAT DO
YOU THINK RIGHT NOW IS SORT OF
THE GUIDING IDEA UNDER GIRDING
EVERYTHING OUT THERE.
>> ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS
BACK.
VERY AMERICAN TYPE THING.
I WONDER IF WE AREN'T AT THE
BEGINNING OF AN EXTENDED PERIOD
OF BACKLASH IN THIS COUNTRY, IN
THE FACE OF OVERWHELMING AMOUNTS
OF CHANGE IN A SMALL TIME, WHAT
PEOPLE BASICALLY DO, THEY SAY
STOP, ENOUGH, PROCESS THROUGH
THIS.
THERE'S THIS ANGRY, VICIOUS
BACKLASH.
BUT WHEN CHANGE HAPPENS IN A
HURRY, THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE HAVE
TO FIND SOME WAY TO MAKE SENSE
OF IT.
I FEEL LIKE MAYBE WE ARE ON THE
CUSP OF SOMETHING SIMILAR NOW,
AND WE JUST HAVE TO GET THROUGH
IT.
>> ON THE PODCAST HE AVOIDS
DIRECT CONTACT WITH POLITICS.
>> YOU KNOW HOW YOU HEAR THAT
CEOs PLAY A LOT OF GOLF.
THAT'S GOLF, CRACK COCAINE, RICH
WHITE GUYS.
>> AUDIENCE CAN READ INTO THAT
WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.
>> EVERY SEEMINGLY SMALL SUBJECT
LIKE THE FRENCH FRIES, IS A WAY
TO GET AT SOMETHING BIGGER.
>> THE SHOW IS A LAMENT FROM
WHAT WAS LOST.
FRIES ARE THE REASONS McDONALD'S
EXIST.
THAT WAS THE FOUNDATIONAL CORE
OF McDONALD'S FRANCHISE AND THEY
THROW IT AWAY.
>> THIS IS WHY PEOPLE LOVE YOU.
YOU HAVE PASSION FOR THINGS MOST
WOULDN'T BE PASSIONATE ABOUT.
>> I FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THE
FRIES.
>> AS FOR CHANGES TO THE FRIES,
WE GOT A STATEMENT OFFICIALLY
FROM McDONALD'S.
THE COMPANY SAYS WHILE OUR OIL
BLEND HAS DHANGD OVER THE YEARS
ALONG WITH CUSTOMERS' EVOLVING
PREFERENCES, ONE THING IS FOR
CERTAIN, OUR FRICH FRIES
CONTINUE TO DELIVER GREAT TASTE
USING PREMIUM POTATOES KNOWN FOR
PRODUCING FLAVORFUL FRIES,
COOKED TO PERFECTION USING A
CANOLA OIL BLEND.
FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH, ALL DUE
RESPECT TO MALCOLM.
I FIND THEIR FRIDAY'S EXCELLENT.
DOWNLOAD HIS NUMBER ONE PODCAST
ON iTUNES NOW.
TO HEAR HIM TALK ABOUT WHAT IN
HINDSIGHT HE GOT WRONG IN THE