There's a lot going on right now.

Mounting economic inequality, threats to democracy, environmental disaster, the sour stench of chaos in the air.

I'm Brooke Gladstone, host of WNYC's On the Media.

Want to understand the reasons and the meanings of the narratives that led us here and maybe how to head them off at the

pass? That's on the media's specialty. Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Jane Pauley.

You've heard the name.

Now meet the man.

Sunday mornings Tracy Smith is talking with media visionary Barry Diller about his past, present, and future.

Big picture question first.

You say, in this book, you say you're not introspective.

And yet, this book is incredibly introspective.

It's candid, it's heartfelt, it's juicy in parts.

Did you have to force yourself to look inside?

I guess I did, but it seemed all to come oddly, naturally, meaning in other words, once I started, it's, first of all, I thought I wouldn't be able to remember anything because, God, it's

2,000 years ago.

I mean, no, I mean it's 50 years ago or 60 years ago that I'm trying to remember things

or even go even further to when I was a little kid.

And I thought, I don't remember anything.

You know, if you ask yourself, what do you remember?

Nothing.

It's kind of blank.

...