I Couldn’t Throw It Out

Learn a lesson from the Valentine’s Day cards I’ve saved since the ‘70s: 10 important rules for sending cards to the ones you love, and tips for deciding which love notes to save

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If you’re sending Valentine’s Day cards this year, there are some key rules to follow -- and mistakes to avoid.  

I know this because I’ve been saving Valentines since the 1970s.  So I can see which ones got right to the heart of it and which sent Cupid...

His graffiti in NYC subways made him a world-wide art star before his death at 31. Hear my 1983 interview as Haring answers his critics, plus: a chat about Keith with Andy Warhol

Even if you don’t know one artist since Michelangelo, the chances are good that you’ll recognize the creations of Keith Haring. More than 40 years after he started drawing with chalk – for free – in New York City subway stations, it’s still easy ...

Get out the holiday treasures you’ve saved for years, and join us as we decide why we kept them and what to do with them.
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Attention holiday revelers!  Are you someone who just can’t let go of Christmas and Hanukkah gifts from the past?  Even if they don’t fit? Or they’re ugly?   Or they’re useless? What about holiday cards? Do you stash them somewhere year after year and never look at them again?

Well, yo...

Inheriting a violin is wonderful. But what if it comes with instructions that it must be played? And you resorted to violence as a kid to get out of playing?  Then what?

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If you’re lucky enough to inherit something from someone you really love, that’s usually a good thing.  But everyone once in a while, it’s not so simple.

What happens when you inherit something that was loved by the person who gave it – but maybe you d...

Does a 1967 elementary school magazine -- or a fifth grade school play -- still have value? Only if you’re looking for lost memories, new insights, and hilarity

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Somewhere in your home, you might have saved at least one treasure from elementary school. The question is:  Why did you save it? The only way to find out: Hunt for your ancient objects and see what revelations they bring to your adult life. 

At le...

Hear the rapper and actor talk about crime, Hollywood, racism, and more -- before he was a Law & Order SVU detective and just after he created the metal band Body Count

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In 1991, Ice-T had just appeared in the movie New Jack City -- and his rap albums were defining what was then an unusual style of west coast gangsta rap.

That’s why I chose him as one of the top five rappers to lead off my book about h...

When I interviewed Stephen King and Peter Straub in 1984 about their fantasy novel The Talisman, their book was breaking records for hardcover sales. But the fame of their collaboration has faded over the years.

Most people recognize King's famous titles -- Carrie, The Shining, The Dead Zone, It, Pet Sematary. And they may be familiar with Straub's 1979 bestseller Ghost Story.  But far fewer know about The Talism...

The best way to honor your mother -- on Mother's Day or any other day?  We wanted to figure that out. 

So we got expert advice from family and friends, including 98-year-old Barbara Welsh, mother-to-be Emily Libby, the Von Klemperer family, and mom Debbie Baylin.

As we realized, almost everyone -- including you -- has saved some items from mom.  You may not even know what you've got.  But when those trea...

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 w...

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, ...

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: ...

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...

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...

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

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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

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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More info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com
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Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it
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