I Couldn’t Throw It Out

What a much-loved partner left behind

Janny Scott explains how saving things helped her grieve – and preserve her connection with journalist Joseph Lelyveld ---------------When someone you love dies, the grieving process is different for each of us.  But one thing is always the same: You've got to decide what to do with the things your loved one left behind.Janny Scott experienced this in January 2024 when Joseph Lelyveld, her partner of 19 years, died from complications of Parkinson's Disease.Joe had been a star at the New York Times, eventually becoming executive editor (the top editorial position) and winning a Pulitzer Prize for Move Your Shadow, his 1985 book about apartheid South Africa. From his career and travels, he left behind some genuine treasures. But mostly, Janny was surrounded by everyday items that filled their apartment, especially the contents of Joe's tiny home office.So Janny made a deliberate decision.  She'd leave Joe's office exactly as he left it, creating what Janny calls The Museum of Joe.In this episode of I Couldn't Throw It Out, Janny – a former New York Times and L.A. Times reporter and author of A Singular Woman, the bestselling biography of Barack Obama's mother – shares what she saved and why.  Listen in to understand how one of us – and maybe all of us – can keep a connection to people we've loved through the things we never plan to throw out.Find out more about Joseph Lelyveld and Janny Scott at: throwitoutpodcast.comHave thoughts about this episode? Send us a textMore info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Happy Ending! A Violinist's Dream Comes True

You heard how I smashed violins as kid (in a previous episode). Hear how I saved one as an adult.-----These days, we all could use a story with a happy ending, right?Well, here's one that answers the question: What ever happened to a family heirloom I inherited from my father?When last we spoke of my father's treasured violin (previous episode: Listen up! A Violin Lesson with Strings Attached), I was headed off – once again – to learn how to play it. Did I find a way to make music that wouldn't hurt your ears? Or did something much better happen?To answer those questions, I have expert help from violin virtuoso Amelia Bailey – who worked in the shop that repaired my father's very old violin. She also dared to be my violin teacher.Amelia shares with us a fascinating world that few people see:  the inner-workings of the famous New York City workshop, David Segal Violins. She walks us through the intricate and excruciatingly difficult task of restoring violins, and then solving the mystery of their origin.How does this relate to my musical family saga? Maybe you'll understand after you hear the tape of my father playing his prized violin... at age 96. His dream was for his violin, which he valued more than any object on earth, to be played beautifully by a family member. And what happened at David Segal Violins determined if his wish could come true.Ultimately, it all comes down to a solo violin performance that might blow your mind. It would certainly thrill my father, who may be listening in some kind of heaven. I hope it'll bring some joy to you too.Watch the entire performance: throwitoutpodcast.com Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a textMore info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Salt-N-Pepa: We Talked About Sex

1991 flashback: Hear candid talk about female rappers, obscenity, sexism, and more with Salt-N-Pepa, 2025's newest members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -----------When I interviewed Salt-N-Pepa for my 1992 book Break It Down, they were among the most successful rappers on the planet. One platinum album and another coming soon.  Sell-out concerts around the world.But did I include them on my list of the top 5 hip-hop groups? Nope.Oops.  That was a mistake.  Now that Salt-N-Pepa are getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it's clear that they changed everything. With their DJ Spinderella and their producer Hurby Love Bug, they helped push hip-hop into the pop charts, where we've heard it ever since.If you missed "Shoop," "Push It," "Whatta Man," "Let's Talk about Sex" and other Salt-N-Pepa hits – or if you still love those songs – here's some good news: I saved my audio tapes for 34 years.  Now you can listen to my never-heard interviews, as Salt (Cheryl James) and Pepa (Sandra Denton) talk about their music, their private lives, and share their thoughts about sex, pregnancy, AIDS, abortion, friendship, and on and on. To give some perspective to Salt-N-Pepa's 1991 thoughts, I'm joined by Clover Hope, author of the 2021 book, The Motherlode, 100+ Women Who Made Hip-hop.Not only does Clover help explain what Salt-N-Pepa contributed to our culture, she also helps me make the fateful decision: In my latest round of Swedish Death Cleaning, should I toss my Salt-N-Pepa possessions? Or should I keep them? Of course, there's one gift from Salt-N-Pepa that I'll never lose – their famous song hooks that latch onto my brain:  "Ah, push it! Push it real good!" "Shoop, shoop-a-doop, shoop-a-doopa-doopa-doop." Want to bounce to those and other songs we discuss?  You'll find links at throwitoutpodcast.com.Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a textMore info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Swedish Death Cleaning - A global challenge?

The director and cast of the TV series Waack Girls (Amazon Prime) explain why saving stuff is so common in India, and around the world--------------If you ever suspected that an obsession with saving things is a mostly American habit, here's proof that it ain't so.Sooni Taraporevala -- who wrote the screenplays for Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala, The Namesake, Yeh Ballet, and other movies -- recently told me that she's been saving treasures in Mumbai, India since she was 5.Not only that, but when Sooni checked with the young Indian cast members of her new TV series Waack Girls, they insisted that they've also been saving things since they were kids.In other words, it's an intergenerational, international pastime. Who knew?As it turns out, Sooni and Waack Girls stars, Mekhola Bose and Rytasha Rathore, have profound insights into why we save things. But then, I'm sorry to say they were exposed to a bad influence: me. Yes, I could have taught them to clean out their closets with some Swedish Death Cleaning.  Alas, that isn't exactly what happened when they joined as guests on  I Couldn't Throw It Out.Hear the stories behind the things they've saved for years. Plus, find out about the wild dance style called waacking, which inspired Sooni to co-write and direct the TV series Waack Girls (on Amazon Prime).  It's based loosely on the life of the main character, played by our podcast guest Mekhola Bose.Maybe hearing and watching Mekhola will inspire you to try some new fancy moves. That -- like saving treasures for decades -- is something you can do in any country around the world.(To see Sooni, Mekhola and Rytasha's treasures, go to throwitoutpodcast.com.)Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a textMore info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.

Carl Sagan and Stormy Daniels: Workplace gems?

Treasures saved from past jobs spark memories of a scientist, a porn star, The Pet Shop Boys, The Partridge Family, and long-lost websites-------------------------------Man, do we ever spend a lot of time at work.  That's one reason why I felt compelled to save things from the places I worked, to remind me how I spent so much of my time.I always suspected that I wasn't the only one who did this.  And now, I have proof.Four friends -- who worked at various offices with me -- agreed to join in a little Swedish Death Cleaning, to decide what we should do with the treasures we saved. The result: Some plot twists that I never would have predicted.For instance, journalist Alan Carter, who worked with me at People Magazine, had forgotten that he reported a story about a 2007 porn convention.  But the memories came back when he uncovered a pile of press badges, including his porn credentials.  Suddenly, Alan remembered having a long chat with Stormy Daniels. Did he imagine she'd become famous world-wide? No. Was he wrong? Yes.  And that's why it pays to save things.Then there's former website manager Brett Mickelson – who now owns a Boston-area skydiving company called Boston Sky Dive Center. Brett brought out a photo of Carl Sagan, previously on display in the office that he used to share with me at NBC News. Why Carl Sagan?  Well, only Brett can explain.  But this prompted me to enlist a surprise guest who also loved Carl, but in a different way.Unlike Brett and Alan, graphic designer Berndt Abeck – who worked with me on a redesign of Rolling Stone's website -- didn't save little things from work.  Berndt saved only huge things.  Specifically, massive 6-foot paintings of 1990s album covers for British new-wave bands, which are still on the walls of his San Francisco design firm Abeck Inc.  Now that's what you call commitment to your savings.Another graphic designer, Stella Anastasia, who worked with me at Entertainment Weekly's website, is now making greeting cards you can eat, with her New York company Tart Break. Clearly, Stella's got the genetics of a saver. She actually saved print-outs of all the website designs she created in the 1990s, depicting search engines and ancient technology that is now long gone.  It's Internet history that would have been lost, if Stella hadn't kept it for future generations.  Go, Stella!Last of all, I decided to revisit an awkward gift from my days as a People Magazine reporter. The giver -- Marty Ingels -- was a well-known comedian. Plus, his wife actress/singer Shirley Jones – who starred in movie musicals like Oklahoma and Carousel and later became the mom on 1970s TV series The Partridge Family – was a kind of superstar. But – considering that you probably haven't heard of either of them – let this be a lesson.  Fame is fleeting. Unless, of course, you give a gift to me. Then I'll make a podcast episode about it, and you'll live forever!If you've got stuff you saved from work, dig it out!  Share the memories with your own friends, and put your treasures on display. Or maybe – do better than we did – and throw them out?Stormy Daniels photo: Lukeisback.com, CC BY-SA 2.5, Have thoughts about this episode? Send us a textMore info, photos, and transcript: throwitoutpodcast.com Don't miss a thing: Join our mailing list Do you save stuff you can't throw out? Tell us about it Want to show support? Please rate/follow us wherever you get your podcasts.