The New Yorker Radio Hour: Christine Baranski on “The Good Fight,” and Kurt Vile on Songwriting

Episode Date: April 16, 2019
Host: David Remnick
Featured Interviews: Christine Baranski (with Emily Nussbaum) | Kurt Vile (with Amanda Petrusich)

Episode Overview

This episode features two in-depth conversations:

• Christine Baranski discusses her career, political storytelling in The Good Fight, and generational feminism with New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum.
• Kurt Vile explores songwriting, musical influences, and memorable career moments in a live interview with Amanda Petrusich, including a live performance.

Christine Baranski: Navigating “The Good Fight” and Beyond

Introduction & Career Highlights

[00:34]–[02:02]

• Emily Nussbaum introduces Christine Baranski as a “quadruple, and probably more, threat performer” and fashion icon, currently starring as Diane Lockhart in The Good Fight.
• Baranski’s distinguished background is highlighted: Tony awards, TV fame (Sybil, Frasier, Big Bang Theory), and roles in films like Mamma Mia! and The Birdcage.

Mamma Mia! and Escapist Joy

[02:11]–[03:21]

• Baranski reflects on the cultural role of the Mamma Mia! films amid global turbulence:

  “I realized the world really needs a couple of hours to still believe. Life is joyous…” – Christine Baranski [03:00]

The Political “Hellscape” of The Good Fight

[03:30]–[06:39]

• Clips from The Good Fight illuminate Diane Lockhart’s disillusionment post-2016 election. Baranski describes Diane’s unraveling and the show’s resonance with current liberal anxieties:

  “It really puts intelligent, liberal minded people…in a workplace and lets them bump into each other and mix ideas…not strident.” – Christine Baranski [04:35]

• She emphasizes the character’s journey from rationality to existential overwhelm:

  “To see that woman say, I can’t process this, I’m going crazy…I feel like I have to bear witness to this. It’s very, very interesting.” – Christine Baranski [05:37]

The Show’s Unexpected Pivot After 2016

[06:33]–[07:27]

• Baranski recounts how The Good Fight was initially conceived for a Hillary Clinton presidency. After Trump’s election, major rewrites followed:

  "...it was written as a line thinking that Hillary Clinton was going to be the president. And so that line was taken out..." – Christine Baranski [06:50]

Sybil: Breaking Type and Changing TV

[07:38]–[13:24]

• Sybil character clip showcases Baranski’s knack for sharp comedy.
• She describes her career crossroads, hesitating to move from stage to LA sitcom:

  “It was a huge psychological jump for me to go to Hollywood and to do a sitcom…” [09:59]

• The “Ab Fab” vibe of her Sybil character was groundbreaking for American TV, predating “Sex and the City”’s archetypes:

  “No one had seen that woman on American television…She was the first out of the gate.” – Christine Baranski [12:00] “I was a well known theater actress, but not a celebrity, not a star. No.” – Christine Baranski [13:12]

Reflections on Les Moonves and Network Change

[13:24]–[14:39]

• Baranski shares her complicated feelings about Les Moonves’s departure:

  “Leslie Moonves was loved and highly respected. It’s infinitely sad what’s happened…I will miss him.” – Christine Baranski [13:31]

Motherhood, Generational Feminism, and Law

[14:39]–[17:02]

• The scarcity of generational perspectives on feminism in her family:

  “I was raised ... in all girls Catholic high school…if you let a man touch you anywhere below the neck, he might turn into a uncontrollable wild animal…” – Christine Baranski [14:52] “That's just not the way I was raised. I would never go to a man's room late at night. I just assumed that he might very well behave badly." [15:30]

• Advocating for change from within the system:

  “You can rail against the world, but if you want to change things, you’ve got to know how the system works. And becoming a lawyer…you figure out how the system works…then you figure out how to change it.” [16:00]

Education Regrets and Oxford Dreams

[17:02]–[18:31]

• Baranski regrets not having an “academic” college experience.

  “I’ve always longed to go back to school and use more of my brain and my intellect.” – Christine Baranski [17:18]

• She’s enrolled for a summer course at Oxford:

  “...next year I’m signed up for the Duke of Wellington …and then the Meaning of Life the following week.” [17:52]

• Light banter: “The Meaning of Life, just as a subject matter.” “Yeah, why not?” [18:12–18:14]

Kurt Vile: Songwriting, Fan Moments, and Musical Influence

Introduction & Musical Roots

[19:43]–[20:31]

• David Remnick gives Kurt Vile’s backstory: founder of The War on Drugs, solo career with The Violators, and recent album Bottle It In.
• Live performance: “Loved You All A Long, Long While” [19:51]

Pop Culture Milestones & Jeopardy

[20:31]–[21:14]

• Amanda Petrusich shares her love of Vile’s quirky milestones: “You were a Clue on Jeopardy.” “Well, college Jeopardy.” [20:31–20:38]

Family, Upbringing, and Fatherhood

[21:14]–[22:18]

• One of ten children, Vile recalls chaotic, communal living:

  “Because of that, I can sleep through anything and I can just tune in and out whenever…” – Kurt Vile [21:28]

• On his own parenting:

  “Father of the year? No, it’s awesome having kids. And they’re really into music and reading…” – Kurt Vile [21:49]

Musical Genesis and DIY Spirit

[22:18]–[23:35]

• Started writing songs after picking up the banjo at 14:

  “My dad wished I was, like, a bluegrass musician…so I got a banjo, but I kind of just treated it like a guitar.” – Kurt Vile [22:53]

Songwriting Heroes and Opening for Neil Young

[23:35]–[26:17]

• Cites Dylan, Neil Young, Townes Van Zandt, John Prine as influences.

• Shares a fanboy’s memory of opening for Neil Young, mingling backstage:

  “It was like 80,000 people. I just kind of…came out real cocky…I was like, ‘I got the crystal vision…’” – Kurt Vile [23:49] “Down by the river, which was like 30 minutes long. It's like you were underground in outer space at the same time.” [24:46] “Oh yeah, we can go in outer space whenever we want.” – Neil Young to Kurt Vile [25:13]

• Highlights the surreal moments: trying to hand off a CD to Neil Young, almost getting “checked…like a hockey player” by Neil’s manager. [26:17]

Lyricism, Absurdity, and Songcraft

[26:30]–[27:18]

• Amanda Petrusich admires the “dryness and a kind of absurdist humor” in Vile’s lyrics:

  “A line like, girl, you gave me rabies. And I don’t mean maybe.”

• Vile responds with self-effacing candor:

  “And I don’t mean maybe. I plagiarized from like Bo Diddley…” – Kurt Vile [26:59] “Girl, you gave me rabies. That’s a true story.” – Kurt Vile [27:16] “How did you get rabies, Kurt?” – Amanda Petrusich [27:18] “From a girl.” – Kurt Vile [27:20]

Live Performance: “Pretty Pimpin”

[27:52]–[29:09]

• Vile performs his well-known track “Pretty Pimpin”:

  “Didn’t recognize the man in the mirror. Then I laughed and I said, aw, silly me, that’s just me...”

• The performance highlights his wit, languid delivery, and signature slacker style.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It’s very, very interesting. And I said to Michelle King, our head Writer last week I said, you know, we’re going to have to just go right into this again, given what’s happening.” – Christine Baranski [06:14]
• “No one had seen that woman on American television…she was the first out of the gate.” – Christine Baranski [12:00]
• “Channel the anger in an intelligent, clear, forward moving way.” – Christine Baranski [16:40]
• “Down by the river, which was like 30 minutes long. It's like you were underground in outer space at the same time.” – Kurt Vile [24:46]
• “Oh, yeah, we can go in outer space whenever we want.” – Neil Young (to Kurt Vile) [25:13]
• "Girl, you gave me rabies. That's a true story." – Kurt Vile [27:16]
• Live renditions of “Loved You All A Long, Long While” [19:51] and “Pretty Pimpin” [27:52].

Key Timestamps

• Christine Baranski with Emily Nussbaum

  • Main Interview: [00:34] – [18:31]
  • Mamma Mia! Discussion: [02:11]–[03:21]
  • The Good Fight and Politics: [03:30]–[06:39]
  • Sybil and TV Comedy: [07:38]–[13:24]

• Kurt Vile with Amanda Petrusich

  • Introduction & Song: [19:51]–[20:12]
  • Jeopardy Clue: [20:31]–[21:14]
  • Songwriting & Neil Young Story: [23:49]–[26:17]
  • Absurdist Lyricism: [26:30]–[27:23]
  • Live “Pretty Pimpin”: [27:52]–[29:09]

Tone & Language

The interviews are candid and humorous, blending insider reflections on art and politics with relatable personal anecdotes. Baranski is thoughtful, sometimes wry; Vile is self-deprecating, gently absurdist, and warm. Both panels engage directly with cultural change—with Baranski on the front lines of TV’s shifting narratives and Vile embodying musical exploration and indie authenticity.

For listeners wanting a window into creative lives shaped by current events and perennial artistic questions, this episode is a twofold treat: witty, heartfelt, and deeply human.