#25-Writing Sondheim: A Conversation with Art Isn't Easy's Daniel Okrent

Dan Okrent visits Matching Minds for his FIRST interview (woot! an exclusive) about his highly anticipated biography “Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy” (pub. March 17). Okrent explains the project evolved from a short biographical essay into a thematic, research-heavy contemporary biography, drawing on extensive archives and interviews (including 38 people, many close collaborators), with early praise from John Weidman and James Lapine. They discuss why a new Sondheim biography is needed since Meryle Secrest’s work, why James Lapine described it as “The best that has been written about Steve,” the value of Secrest’s Yale interview tapes, and new Library of Congress material clarifying Sondheim’s account of his mother’s letter (“guilt” vs “regret”). Okrent connects Sondheim’s alcoholism, inhibition, revenge themes (notably in “Sweeney Todd”), and life arc from alienation to connection. Finally, Okrent and Barry reflect on their unusual, and quite remarkable, multiyear relationship with each other and with Michael Mitnick that supported both Art Isn’t Easy AND Matching Minds with Sondheim.

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00:00 Art From Demons

00:55 Meet Dan Okrent

02:00 The Name Game

03:35 From Essay To Biography

07:39 Why Another Sondheim Book

09:26 Alcohol And Inhibition

12:23 Secrest Tapes At Yale

16:12 Sweeney Todd And Revenge

19:30 The Mother Letter Revisited

25:36 Password And Lee Remick