During his long tenure at WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, Alan Chartock has interviewed interesting people of every stripe. From Governors, Senators and top lawmakers, to newsmakers including World War II heroes and former UN weapons inspectors. Dr. Chartock has also had the chance for in-depth chats with artists, musicians, actors and directors...authors...you name it! Click the links at the right to listen to Alan Chartock Interviews.

Dr. Alan Chartock is professor emeritus at the University at Albany. He hosts the weekly Capitol Connection series, heard on public radio stations around New York. The program for almost twelve years, higlighted interviews with Governor Mario Cuomo and now continues with conversations with state political leaders. Dr. Chartock also appears each week on The Media Project on WAMC and offers commentary on other WAMC programs such as Midday Magazine.

Alicia Shepard
Alan is joined by Alicia Shepard, who has served as ombudsman for National Public Radio since 2007. They discuss NPR's reporting standards, dealing with online comments, and how the media transformation will influence future programming.

 

Steve Madarasz
Alan is joined by CSEA's Steve Madarasz, to discuss the union's first 100 years, which is now being commemorated in a new book.

 

David Black
Alan is joined by author, screenwriter, producer and journalist David Black, whose new book is The Extinction Event. They discuss Black's long career writing novels and screenplays.

 

Dr. Harry Odabashian
Alan is joined by leading cardiologist Dr. Harry Odabashian of Prime Care Physicians in Albany, New York. They discuss the keys to heart health.

 

Peter Elkind
Alan is joined by author Peter Elkind, whose new book is Rough Justice: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer.

 

 

Fred Hellerman, guitarist of The Weavers
Alan is joined by Fred Hellerman, best known for his time playing guitar for The Weavers. They discuss his long career in the music industry, including performing folk, Vaudeville, publishing, and production.

 

Dr. Sidney Simon
Alan is joined by Dr. Sidney Simon, Professor Emeritus at UMass-Amherst, an author and expert on progressive education. And he was also Alan's 10th grade teacher.

 

Dr. Michael Aziz
Alan is joined by Dr. Michael Aziz, who is out with a new diet called The Perfect 10, which stresses the importance of hormone management to your health..

 

Father Kevin Mullen
Alan is joined by Siena College president Father Kevin Mullen, himself a 1975 graduate of the school.

 

 

Dr. William Schlesinger
Host Alan Chartock is joined by Dr. William Schlesinger, president of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. They discuss the Cary's ongoing scientific projects, and how the Cary is using its findings to influence public policy.

 

Michael Kaiser
Alan is joined by Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser, who stopped at The Linda in Albany as part of his nationwide Arts in Crisis tour.

 

Michael Munger
Alan is joined by Michael Munger, Duke political science chair and 2008 Libertarian candidate for governor. They discuss Munger's recent criticism of Andrew Cuomo's tenure at HUD and Munger's experience running as a third-party candidate.

 

Lloyd Constantine
Alan is joined by former Eliot Spitzer advisor Lloyd Constantine, who has documented the fall of the New York Governor in his new book, Journal of the Plague Year: An Insider's Chronicle of Eliot Spitzer's Short and Tragic Reign.

 

Dr. Robert Holub
Alan is joined by Dr. Robert Holub, Chancellor of UMass-Amherst and a longtime German scholar and professor.

 

 

Jon Lipsky
Alan is joined by playwright and childhood friend Jon Lipsky, whose new book is Dreaming Together: Explore Your Dreams by Acting Them Out. Alan and Jon have been friends for more than 50 years.

 

Anita Walker
Alan is joined by by Anita Walker, executive director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, to discuss funding the arts in an increasingly difficult economic climate.

 

Lynne Olson
Host Alan Chartock is joined by author Lynne Olson to discuss her new book, 'Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour.'

 

Christopher Pyle
Alan is joined by professor and author Christopher Pyle of Mt. Holyoke College, whose book Getting Away With Torture explores how the Bush administration illegally pursued torture against captives.

 

T.R. Reid
Alan is joined by author and journalist T.R. Reid, whose book The Healing of America chronicles Reid's experiences with different health care systems around the world.

 

Allison Stanger
Alan is joined by Allison Stanger, professor of political science at Middlebury College and author of One Nation Under Contract: The Outsourcing of American Power and the Future of Foreign Policy.

 

Gina Kolata
Alan is joined by New York Times science and health reporter Gina Kolata, author of Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss -- and the Myths and Realities of Dieting.

 

Dr. James Gozzo
Alan is joined by Dr. James Gozzo, President of the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. They discuss the school's growth during Gozzo's tenure and his vision for the future.

 

Dr. Joyce Vergili
Alan is joined by Dr. Joyce Vergili, a doctor of education in nutrition education, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, and an adjunct assistant professor at Teachers College at Columbia University, where she is assisting in the development of an online Masters program in diabetes education.

 

David Kaczynski, Gary Wright and Patricia Fennell
Alan is joined by David Kaczynski, Gary Wright and Patricia Fennell to discuss the effects of trauma on the human mind. Wright, a survivor of Unabomber attack, has formed an unlikely friendship with David Kaczynski, the Unabomber's brother. Patricia Fennell is an expert on chronic illnesses and trauma.

 

David Bianculli
David Bianculli is a longtime syndicated TV critic, a frequent contributor and guest host of NPR's Fresh Air, and author of Dangerously Funny, a new biography on the Smothers Brothers.

 

Lynn Pasquerella
Alan is joined by the incoming president of Mt. Holyoke College, Lynn Pasquerella, who becomes the South Hadley, Massachusetts' school's 18th president in July. They discuss her hopes for the institution and Pasquerella's background as a philosopher and medical ethicist.

 

Susan Scrimshaw
Alan is joined by new Sage Colleges president Susan Scrimshaw, an expert social scientist who grew up in Latin America and has forged a career as a professor and administrator.

 

Lloyd Constantine
Alan is joined by corporate lawyer and Eliot Spitzer confidante Lloyd Constantine to discuss his book Priceless, about the credit card cartel he helped to break up.

 

Tony Trischka
Alan is joined by Tony Trischka, one of the premier banjo players in the world, who discusses his rise from childhood in upstate New York to the top of the folk and bluegrass worlds.

 

Jay Gallagher
Alan is joined by veteran Albany reporter Jay Gallagher, the author of The Politics of Decline. Gallagher is battling pancreatic cancer and has spent the months since his diagnosis chronicling his fight on a blog and writing his memoirs. They also discuss the state of politics at the Capitol.

 

Roger Sailant
Alan talks to Roger Saillant, a former Ford official and the co-author of the environmental novel Vapor Trails, about sustainability and how Saillant rose from virtually nothing to the top of the business world.