Interview

Talking With
ALAN ALDA

"I'm used to talking for a living, so recording the audiobook of my own writing was not a chore," says award-winning actor, TV and film writer, and now book author Alan Alda. The recently released audiobook of his humorous memoir, NEVER HAVE YOUR DOG STUFFED AND OTHER THINGS I'VE LEARNED, demonstrates in superlative fashion that Alda is a curious and talented guy. So talented, in fact, that in the past year, he had the distinction of being nominated for an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy--and making the New York Times bestseller list--all in the same year.

From having his deceased dog stuffed with a hideous expression on its face to recalling his intestines becoming strangulated while on location in Chile for his PBS show "Scientific American Frontiers" and facing real death in real time, the stories recalled in his memoirs are a diverse lot and are more than colorful show business anecdotes.

Alan Alda was raised in the vibrant world of burlesque, Broadway, and the movies, the son of singer Robert Alda and a loving but mentally ill mother, Joan. He admits his journey to adulthood began in the dressing rooms of the strippers and ribald comics who became his extended family while on the road with his mom and dad.

He grew up listening to the great radio programs of the 1940s and '50s and watching the live performances of his father and his cronies, so it's no surprise that Alda has an affection for audiobooks that traces its origins to the world of radio. "What interests me most about audiobooks is a very simple thing. Personally, I understand and remember more through my ears than by reading. I believe a book, when read by its author, has an extra communication and understanding to convey to the listener," he says. "I felt that, since it was my life and my thoughts, I [and not another narrator] would be most connected to the writing."

Alda says the most intense part of the recording process was when he thought of his mother and remembered going through her belongings after her death. It turned out that what she treasured most, and what she kept in a locked box, was a picture of her only child, Alan. "In that moment," recalls Alda, "reading my own words was more than just about the writing. I was really feeling something. It was an emotional experience, but not in a bad way."

While his audiobook is recorded in an abridged version, he admits that not much was lost. "It would have taken too many discs for the whole book to be recorded. I believe curiosity will lead the listener to read the entire book. The stuff we had to leave out is better read than listened to."

As an award-winning TV and film writer and now author, does Alda have any advice to give to the young writer of today? Without hesitation, he relates that "Hemingway said you learn best by writing. How to get better as a writer is to write. Constantly challenge yourself."

Alan Alda continues to challenge himself as he combines his television and film acting, his writing, his adored family, and his curiosity. He appears to be winning that challenge.--Martie Ramm Engle

FEB/ MAR 06
© AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Photo © AP/ World Widw Photos/ Jim Cooper