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Bill Moyers plans to end his PBS show and retire from television at the end of next April, according to Nov. 20 story in the New York Times. That night, with no fanfare, there he was at the helm of his Journal, drawing out lessons for Pres. Obama from newly-released tapes of telephone conversations between Pres. Lyndon Baines Johnson and his advisors about the way forward in Vietnam in the early days of his administration. Moyers had witnessed that decision-making first-hand, as 30-year-old White House aide. You can catch the full episode here, but the conclusion is especially worth watching:
Although Moyers is 75 and has certainly earned the right to script his exit, there's no question that he's leaving a void. Veteran television producer and media critic Danny Schecter singled out Friday night's episode for particular praise:
:Elders are considered wisdom keepers in most of the world’s cultures, perhaps just not our own. They are repositories of important lessons, keepers of the collective memory, and as such, usually revered. In our own midst, in our own time, one man deserves all praises due for the role he’s chosen to play as the sage of the electronic stage, as our educator in chief, as the voice of the national conscience, as the best journalist on television.
His name is Bill Moyers and he proved again on Friday night why he is such a giant and national treasure.
Reflecting on Moyers' impact on my own life and work led me to come up with this list of favorite episodes that taught me, intrigued me, and entertained me over the course of his decades-long television career.
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1. The Joseph Campbell interviews. One of the things I most admire about Moyers is that he was willing to make television for those of us who find value in the life of the mind. With Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth, Moyers introduced millions of us to a scholar whose work we probably would never had known otherwise, and got us to think differently about the ways in which narrative shapes our lives. (Sorry I couldn't find a copyright safe excerpt from the series, but the link will take you to the Joseph Campbell Foundation website where you can purchase the book and DVD.
2. Poetry, the Language of Life. Moyers hung out at the Dodge Poetry festival and brought us magical performances and conversations with Sekou Sundiata, Naomi Shihab Nye, Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, and David Mura, among others. I wore out the the audio cassettes from that 1995 show. Now it's available for digital download. When Sundiata died in July 2007, Moyers aired a clip of one of Sundiata's unforgettable performances from that original show:
3. Capitol Crimes. If you really want to understand just how venal and far-reaching the Jack Abramoff scandal was, watch the 2006 documentary and the 2008 update. Here's an excerpt from the update:
4. Rage on the Radio. "Words have consequences," Moyers reminded us in September, 2008. With an introduction referring to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Moyers and his staff reported on the aftermath of a murder in Tennessee by a man who might have been influenced by inflammatory conservative media figures.
5. Isaac Asimov. Moyers recorded an extended interview with the acclaimed science fiction writer. He said some called Asimov, "the greatest explainer of the age," but Moyers' quiet, deliberate probing brings fresh insights:
6. Faith and Reason. This speaks for itself.
7. Broken. Just over a decade ago, Moyers, his wife and son William did a stunning and courageous thing - they went on national television to share their experience with William's addiction to and recovery from alcohol and drugs. The younger Moyers has a memoir, Broken, and he continues to educate others about addiction and recovery.
8. Genesis: A Living Conversation. Who else but Moyers could come up with the idea of doing a show that probes each chapter of the first book of the Hebrew scriptures, drawing upon the wisdom
