This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von

Episode #615 - Ken Burns

Release Date: October 7, 2025
Guest: Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker
Main Theme: Exploring the process and meaning behind Ken Burns’ documentaries—particularly his new “The American Revolution” series—and discussing the deeper purpose of U.S. history, the responsibilities of citizenship, and how the past continually “rhymes” with the present.

Episode Overview

In this engaging, wide-ranging conversation, Theo Von hosts legendary filmmaker Ken Burns to discuss his upcoming epic, "The American Revolution," as well as the meaning of documenting American history, the importance of self-examination as citizens, and the lessons that the past offers for our present era. The episode is rich in stories—personal, historical, even technical—illuminating not just U.S. history but also the role of grief, virtue, and storytelling in our lives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Ken Burns Effect: Origin and Storytelling Philosophy

• [03:04-08:05]
  • Ken shares the backstory of how the famous “Ken Burns Effect” (pan/zoom photo technique) came to be named, including Steve Jobs’ personal outreach and their subsequent friendship.
  • “Our idea was to energetically explore the landscape of a painting and treat old photograph like it was a feature filmmaker's master shot...to wake up the image, to wake the dead.” (Ken Burns, 04:13)
  • Ken emphasizes he doesn’t do endorsements, but allowed the naming as it represented a philosophy of image manipulation, not a product push.

2. Personal History & The Power of Grief

• [08:05-11:38]
  • Ken recounts losing his mother to cancer at age 11, his father's mental illness, and how seeing his father cry at a movie inspired his career.
  • “I seem to be keeping my mom alive...and my late father-in-law said, 'Look what you do for a living. You wake the dead...Who do you think you're really trying to wake up?'” (Ken Burns, 09:59)
  • Discussion dives into how love and grief fuel creative work and lifelong quests to “wake the dead” through storytelling.

3. Documentary as National Self-Examination

• [11:39-15:53]
  • Ken talks about U.S. history as both the U.S. and “us”—intimate and grand—and the responsibility of diving into big topics like the Civil War or the American Revolution.
  • Conversation shifts to Huey Long, power, corruption, and how documentary holds space for empathy and warning.

4. The Roots and Relevance of the American Revolution

• [16:08-24:09]
  • Ken details how his new series covers not only the events, but the philosophy behind the Revolution, explaining why he ranks it “the most important event since the birth of Christ” (17:09) due to the invention of citizenship and equality.
  • Discussion of the “pursuit of happiness” as process, not acquisition, and how the Founders’ fears about virtue and self-improvement still echo.

5. Modern Resonance and Civic Responsibility

• [24:10-32:18]
  • The Revolution is explored as a civil war—with communities and families split—and as the origin point for self-government and democratic ideals.
  • “It is in the interest of an authoritarian to have everybody be a kind of superstitious peasant. Right. Uneducated, not improving, not in pursuit of happiness and lifelong learning...” (Ken Burns, 22:59)

6. Process of Becoming & Continuing the Experiment

• [39:00-50:28]
  • Lincoln's warnings about self-destruction (“...if destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher” (39:00)) brings the discussion current: The only way America can fall is by suicide—internal division, loss of virtue, or abandonment of the civic project.
  • Theo and Ken repeatedly return to the theme of self-examination, the necessity of dialogue, and the idea that democracy is never “done” but always a work in progress.

7. Storytelling: Myth, Fact, and Everyday People

• [52:06-77:44]
  • Ken debunks common myths (“Paul Revere did NOT say ‘the British are coming’...” (52:06)), underlines the inclusive, collective reality of historical events, and explains the logic behind significant casting choices for narration.
  • The idea that documentary storytelling is “sharing the process of discovery” rather than rote teaching is emphasized.
  • Notable: Many A-list actors read voices in the Revolution series, but all for SAG minimum—emphasizing collaboration, not commerce. (70:40-72:29)

8. Reflecting on Colonialism, Modern Media & Public Trust

• [77:44-99:59]
  • The conversation tackles the persistence of colonialism, the dangers of media “noise,” and the crisis of trust in institutions versus people.
  • “We are being told things that aren't true...the greatest danger is that we are being told things that aren't true. And...there's not anybody saying, 'Well, actually, that's not true.'” (Ken Burns, 83:07)
  • Public Broadcasting’s virtues and Ken’s painstaking process for ensuring factual accuracy are discussed in depth.

9. The Importance of History, National Parks, and Ongoing Experiments

• [99:59-104:32]
  • Connection drawn between the Declaration of Independence, the creation of National Parks, and America's unique “civic compact.”
  • “That gives you access to all time, which then gives you a perspective...” (Ken Burns, 102:29)

10. Information, Algorithms, and Civic Health

• [104:32-108:28]
  • Discussion about algorithmic poisoning and the lack of an “Internet Bill of Rights” for social media—comparing digital dangers to public health concerns.
  • Both agree on the need for “an overarching sense of discipline” in information and a recommitment to shared facts and values.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Grief and Creativity:
  “Grief is only love that's got no place to go.” —Stephen Wilson Jr., quoted by Theo (10:38)
  “I'm waking the dead... Everything is a conversation with this woman that has not been around for 60 years.” —Ken Burns (09:59)

• On the Radicalism of the Revolution:
  “There was nothing self evident about what Jefferson was about to say, that all men are created equal. No one on earth had made that proposition.” —Ken Burns (17:10)

• On the ‘Us’ in U.S.:
  “If there's one thing I learned about making films about the us and us is that there's only us, there's no them.” —Ken Burns (21:51)

• On Leadership:
  “Washington understood that the actual highest office is citizen, and he was determined to go back to that and to not claim for himself.” —Ken Burns (74:24)

• On Division Today:
  “We are a nation of free men who will live forever or die by suicide.” —Lincoln (quoted by Ken Burns, 38:59)
  “Turn off your social media, go out into nature, hug somebody you know...” —Ken Burns, relaying advice by Governor Spencer Cox (87:23)

• On Fact-Checking and Trust:
  “We don't even want to slander the past because the past, our greatest teacher...” —Ken Burns (93:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:30] – Ken Burns shares the Steve Jobs/Ken Burns Effect story
• [08:05] – Ken’s childhood, loss, and inspiration to become a filmmaker
• [16:08] – The “American Revolution” series, origin story, and relevance
• [17:10] – “The most important event since the birth of Christ”
• [21:51] – The U.S. as “only us,” not “them”
• [39:00] – Lincoln: “die by suicide”—internal threats to democracy
• [52:06] – Debunking Paul Revere myths
• [70:40] – Celebrities reading for documentary, humility of contributors
• [99:57] – PBS as applied Declaration of Independence
• [104:32] – Algorithmic poisoning and the need for a digital “health department”
• [110:23] – Ken’s story about his mother, and the “pilot light” rekindled

Tone and Style

The conversation is warm, contemplative, and often humorous, consistently returning to questions of meaning, identity, and responsibility—never shying away from complexity or contradiction. Ken’s erudition and firsthand anecdotes are matched by Theo’s candor and “everyman” wonder.

Summary for New Listeners

Whether you love American history, wonder about the nature of citizenship, or just want to hear extraordinary storytelling and philosophical reflection, this episode is a masterclass. Ken Burns not only demystifies the process of making world-class documentaries but also argues—through story and example—that understanding our past is key to navigating our present. The American Revolution, like all of Ken’s work, is an invitation: to question, to empathize, to take up the civic work of “the pursuit of happiness,” and most of all to remember there is only us—never them.

For more, watch "The American Revolution" premiering November 16th, and revisit Ken Burns’ many other explorations into the American soul.