Now that I have real broadband internet I’ve been devouring video through Youtube, Dailymotion, Vimeo and (scarily)Hulu. What I’ve really enjoyed has been to be able to go after then talking heads that interest me most. This list has included Bill O’Reilly[1], Christopher Hitchens[2], Ann Coulter, Albert Hoffman and so forth.
What I tend to do is to, once I watch one good interview with a pundit/journalist/etc, I then pursue them across the videosphere, wanting to see more and more of their ideas until I’m either satisfied that he/she is an idiot(O’Reilly) or interesting[3].
But none of these talking heads have impressed me as much as Zbigniew Brzezinski – a renowned international affairs and foreign policy expert[4]. I first came across him in an interview with the BBC when he endorsed Obama in the 2008 US Presidential campaign. What impressed me about him was how resolutely serious he was – clearly not someone who blabs lightly. Sure, he may come across as severe, but isn’t that what we really want; serious analysis of complex situations? I appreciate the fact that he refuses to simplify or condense reality. The major network pundits would never stand a chance against him and his brutal put-downs. In the video below his words to the interviewer are “You have such a stunningly superficial knowledge of what went on that it’s almost embarrassing to listen to you”. Priceless.
Here he is, interviewed by Charlie Rose.
