I Couldn’t Throw It Out

Some of us just can't toss our furry friends from childhood. And we're not talking about a cute new collection of plushies. We're talking about stuffed animals with some history, saved for decades till fur and eyes are missing. Why do we save them? And what do we do with them now? To get answers, we've asked adults to tell us about their much-loved cloth animals, including the tale of two German teddy bears who escaped the Nazis, and brought a precious secret cargo with them. Hear their stories, then tell us about your own stuffed animal. Send us a message on Instagram @throwitoutpod – and we'll share selections so everyone can honor our enduring companions. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

When singer/songwriter Melanie Safka died in January, many people remembered her for the #1 pop song "Brand New Key" (also known as the roller skate song.) But those of us who loved her know that her biggest hit never conveyed the richness of her career and her talents. That's why I asked photographer Maddy Miller to join us on I Couldn't Throw It Out. Not only did Maddy take iconic photos of Melanie, including the cover photo on Melanie's gold album Gather Me, she also was Melanie's close friend for more than 50 years. While sharing some of the gifts she received from Melanie, Maddy tells never-heard stories about their adventures – including an excellent close encounter with The Who's Keith Moon. Though Melanie released dozens of albums and wrote new songs for six decades, little is known about the full scope of her life and music. Find out what you missed – and what you could still enjoy – as we look back on her performance at Woodstock, and the varied songs that won her a legion of passionate fans. Plus, I share my never-heard interview with Melanie and my authentic mementoes from the '70s. Will I toss 'em? Let's just say that Maddy figures out what to do with her own treasures. Listen and find out… MORE ABOUT MELANIE Maddy Miller's personal collection of Melanie photos: See the gallery My playlist of favorite Melanie songs: Listen now More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Why should you watch Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson in 1967's long-lost-comic gem The Tiger Makes Out? The surprise reason: After 50 years when you couldn't watch it anywhere, we just discovered that you can stream it for free. But wait! That's just a start. Before you dive into this satire from another era – which can be a challenge – let us give you a prep session, with help from our special guest: Katherine Wallach, daughter of Eli and Anne. Katherine shares the back story of The Tiger Makes Out, and her parents' wondrous performances in it. Then she talks about her family life, which included starring with her parents on Broadway, and a babysitter named Marilyn Monroe. We also point you to the highlights of The Tiger Makes Out, including a cameo by Dustin Hoffman, an unhinged performance by Charles Nelson Reilly, and comic twists hiding in every single performance and every tiny detail of the set. After decades of frustration when I couldn't share my favorite movie, now everything has changed. I could even throw out the sacred items I saved that remind me of The Tiger Makes Out, right? Well… we'll see about that. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to the invasion of the most entertaining people in Sweden -- who want all of us earthlings to start thinking about... death. Yup, it sounds kooky. But, in this episode, we have a blast absorbing the wit and wisdom of three experts on Swedish Death Cleaning. In case you wonder what that means, these Swedes are the hosts of the Peacock TV series The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning (produced and narrated by Amy Poehler). They're the ultimate experts on a philosophy of reducing your possessions in a way that's much more profound than a decluttering with Marie Kondo. Dialing in from Sweden, psychologist Katarina Blom, professional organizer Ella Engstrom, and designer Johan Svenson help us evaluate a sampling of stuff I've saved for decades, including treasures related to Andy Warhol, Billy Idol, and Joni Mitchell from my years as a People Magazine reporter. So now it's time to let it all go. Okay, maybe some of it... Along the way, these Swedes showed us how to laugh about death. But they also caught me off guard with a revelation so powerful that... I kind of lost it. Would a little Swedish Death Cleaning do wonders for you too? Listen and find out. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Covering live Olympic figure skating on TV is no easy task. Just ask Meg Streeter Lauck, who worked for 23 years as a director for ABC Sports and other networks. Her behind-the-scenes tales -- which she shares in this episode -- reveal how her team nabbed the perfect shot of Canadian skating champions Sale and Pelletier at the 2002 Olympics. Plus, she recreates the thrill of first seeing 13-year-old Dorothy Hamill on the ice, and the sadness of a visit to an NYC fire station after 9/11. Will telling these tales help Meg make the leap -- and toss some of her stuff? More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

How fun was VIP access to Diana's '80s concerts? Very -- if you liked chatting with Andy Warhol, stalking Richard Gere, and dancing with Diana on a party boat at 1:30 AM More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

With Danny DeVito and his daughter Lucy starring in her play about our favorite topic, Theresa tells us how she cast them, why she wrote it, what she saves, and what she tosses More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Tupac Shakur talks about his violent arrest for jaywalking; his Black Panther family; Hollywood hypocrisy; and his program for poor urban kids. Plus, special guests discuss his contradictions (explicit) More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Helen Keller’s friend, Hitler’s defier, Woody Allen’s teacher – the dancer who jolted America with moves you now see on TV, movies and music videos told me great tales in 1989. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

As Dustin Hoffman, Andy Warhol, and Robert De Niro watched, did I ruin Bill Murray's night at the 1982 post-screening party? Former SNL writer Tom Gammill helps us decide. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

With help from They Might Be Giants' John Flansburgh, it's time to toss treasures that I saved after writing the band's first 1985 review in People Magazine. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Hear the 1984 interview tape with this random trio: REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin, painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Gong Show host Chuck Barris More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

A 45-year-old tape recording about family ancestry leads to revelations about a kidnapped rabbi, a Johnstown drowning, two horrible car accidents, and connections to a hay barn in Lithuania, the New York Times management, Baltimore's symphony hall, and Joe Biden's junior high baseball team. And, hold onto your ear buds -- perhaps the greatest shock of all: This is an episode where I actually let go of some possessions and give them away. Just sayin'. There can be lots of surprises in life, and in family history. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

In 1983, 16-year-old Kiefer Sutherland met me in Nova Scotia to discuss his first big movie role. Hear how he felt about actor dad Donald -- and how I messed up my People Magazine story. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

When my wife Cindy's health declined after two kidney transplants, how would she find a third organ donor? The answer -- which involves my 33-year error -- could make you believe in miracles. And it also leads us to one last challenge: Can we toss the items that remind us of what happened? If you missed the first part of their death-defying tale, you'll find it here. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

At 20, my wife Cindy thought she was about to die. Following a lupus diagnosis at 15, her kidneys had shut down in a way that seemed fatal. But after devastating years on dialysis, many near-death experiences, and three kidney transplants, Cindy is going strong 46 years later. Her optimism and determination to survive, and the joy she got from painting and creating art, kept her going through each crushing health challenge. Reminded by cards and letters we saved, Cindy and I share in this episode -- for the first time -- the entire rollercoaster tale of our intertwined lives (including my own highly flawed behavior) after we met as college freshmen. This is part 1 of 2. Coming up in the second part: Just when it seemed that Cindy's health would improve, the most dramatic life-threatening challenges began. And then... we discovered a error that lasted 33 years. This was the start of a sort of miracle. Hear Part 2 wherever you get your podcasts, or listen here. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Compton's rap mogul and NWA founder Eazy-E hanging out with me? Unlikely. But it happened in 1991 when I interviewed him for my 1992 book Break It Down: The Inside Story from the New Leaders of Rap. Hear Dr. Dre (former Yo! MTV Raps host) explain Eazy's huge cultural impact, then hear Eazy's candid interview. This is part 1 of 2. Coming up in the second part: my followup interview with Eazy in 1992 as we drove through Compton, just after the L.A. riots. Plus, reactions from Method Man and others to Eazy's death from AIDS-related complications. Hear it wherever you get your podcasts or listen here. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Rap mogul Eazy-E's death from AIDS complications in 1995 was a shock. Hear reactions at the time from Wu-Tang's Method Man and others. Plus, hear my 1992 talk with Eazy while driving in Compton during the L.A. riots. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

When bestselling spy novelist Joseph Kanon was a book publisher and I was his assistant, I secretly sent out letters in which I pretended to be the boss. Until the Brooke Shields incident. Listen as Joe learns what really happened in 1979. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Broadway? Movies? TV? That's nuthin'. Stage and screen actress Donna Murphy first found fame on the high school literary magazine staff with Michael and Sally. Listen in as they read poems by Donna and others 50 years later -- and get a big surprise. More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.