The Power Broker: A Special Sneak Peek

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend

Team Coco & Earwolf

Comedy

4.8 • 57.5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 January 2024

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

If you're not already obsessed with Robert Caro, esteemed author and noted friend of Conan, you soon will be. Robert Caro's The Power Broker is the bible for people who think critically about cities and urban design: how cities are formed, neighborhoods are destroyed, bridges are erected, fortunes are made, lives are ruined, and power is amassed. The problem is it's over 1100 pages long. Undeterred, Roman Mars (99% Invisible) and Elliott Kalan (The Daily Show, The Flop House) are leading a monthly audio book club dedicated to examining this modern masterpiece, one section a month, all year long. As an intro to this series, Roman and Elliott invited fellow Caro-head Conan O'Brien to chat about what makes Robert Caro so special. You can find the full Conan O’Brien episode on 99% Invisible here, and subscribe to 99% Invisible to hear our first Power Broker episode, featuring extremely special guest…Robert Caro.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey Conan here with a quick message.
0:02.6	If you're a history buff or a fan of good podcast,
0:05.8	you should check out 99% invisible.
0:08.5	I'm excited about it because they invited me
0:10.5	to take part in a little mini series they're doing about the power broker.
0:14.5	Of course the famous book by Robert Caro that depicts the life of Robert Moses.
0:18.8	Anyway, I had an amazing conversation with them.
0:20.9	I really enjoyed talking to the hosts and this whole
0:24.8	series. They talked to Robert Caro. They're going to be talking to a lot of other
0:29.0	guests. So check it out. You should go to the 99% invisible feed. They cover I think a hundred pages of the book in every episode. You can read along.
0:39.0	It's a nerd fest all around and I think you'll enjoy it. In fact, here's a clip.
0:44.4	I have so much admiration for his process and I'm always trying to feel this get this sense of what
0:57.3	What is it about this guy that I like I want to try and emulate and obviously there's so in so many ways I can't emulate him but what I
1:04.2	but what I can emulate is it's important the importance of your work taking your
1:10.5	work seriously even if it's very silly work, taking it seriously and respecting
1:19.7	the people who might see it or appreciate it enough to try and put a little detail into it or a little
1:25.8	thought or feel how this is going to come across.
1:28.1	It's funny because when I finally did get to meet him and talk to him.
1:33.1	There's a real sweetness about him.
1:36.7	It's his enthusiasm.
1:38.1	Yeah.
1:39.0	So many of us are pleased with so much less, but he's a little like ahab he has that same kind of
	...

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