The Howard Smith Interviews
We have more offline! Contact us.
Howard Smith and pop culture had converged in the mid-1960s. He was the man Vanity Fair called the “preeminent reporter on the counterculture.” Smith wrote the influential and much-read SCENES column for the Village Voice and was a WPLJ radio personality.
During the tumultuous period 1969-1972, Smith recorded in-depth conversations and candid interviews with scores of iconic and influential personalities. He then left the audio reels untouched in the back of his West Village loft, to be rediscovered over forty years later. The Smith Tapes are these recorded conversations—most never before heard.
Smith’s interviews draw on a wide range of important figures at important moments - Mick Jagger right before Altamont; Janis Joplin a few days before her death; Jim Morrison just before his Miami sentencing.
Smith recorded discussions with filmmakers, actors, writers, politicians, entrepreneurs, activists and musicians including Margaret Mead, Buckminster Fuller, Andy Warhol, Norman Mailer, Jimmy Breslin, Dick Gregory, Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Jane Fonda, John and Yoko and scores of others
Smith was a trusted interviewer who produced open, honest and insightful responses and these raw and unscripted interviews can contribute added depth to your storytelling.
Transcripts and copies of the interviews are available upon request.