I Couldn't Throw It Out
Revisit pop culture history as former People Magazine reporter Michael Small and guests decide the fate of the treasures they've saved for decades, including never-heard celebrity interviews, rare memorabilia, and maybe a little junk. Co-host Sally Libby helps decide if they should keep or toss their stuff. Will it be an epic case of Swedish Death Cleaning? Or an epic fail?
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Check out some of our most popular episodes
Scary! Stephen King and Peter Straub's lost interview
The writers discuss their friendship and trade bloody tales during a never-shared 1984 interview about their hit book The Talisman. Plus, horror expert Bev Vincent on the chances of a new Talisman sequel or TV series
Kiefer Sutherland's Very First Interview
In 1983, 16-year-old Kiefer Sutherland met me in Nova Scotia to discuss his first big movie role. Hear how he felt about actor dad Donald -- and how I messed up my People Magazine article.
Invasion of the Swedish Death Cleaners
The hosts of Peacock TV's The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning give us a lesson about life as we laugh about death and try to reduce my possessions. And then -- surprise! -- there are tears.
Joni Mitchell: Our Day Together in 1985
For my People Magazine interview, Joni talked about flunking high school, Woodstock, Bob Dylan, her Chelsea apartment, poetry, painting, and much more. Do not ask me to toss those tapes. (Part 1)
2Pac's 1991 Interview: Kindness and Rage
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)
Recent Episodes
The Lost Interview: Led Zeppelin’s Page and Plant
Sending a Valentine's Day card? 10 tips to follow
How Keith Haring Changed Art: Hear Him in '83
Christmas Gifts and Hanukkah Cards: Toss or keep?
Listen up! A Violin Lesson With Strings Attached
Kooky reunion: 67-year-olds perform their 5th grade play
Listen On
Recent Blog Posts
Ancient Reads: My 3 Keith Haring Articles
The one Keith Haring treasure I have that no one else seems to have: my People Magazine articles. So I'm posting them here for anyone who wants to read them. By the way, if you're on Facebook, be sure to check out the very active Keith …
Vote now! Which Keith Haring treasures should I save?
The signed catalogue? The one-of-a-kind puzzle? The poster? The t-shirt? Tell me what should stay and what should go. Loading…
Why I save Christmas and Hanukkah cards
Since the 1960s, I saved every letter I received -- and any greeting card that had more than a signature inside. But here's the problem: I rarely go back and look at them. So this holiday season, I decided to sort through the 76 C…
About the Hosts
Michael Small
Host
Michael Small, the host of I Couldn't Throw It Out, was a PEOPLE Magazine reporter for 15 years before becoming a manager of websites for Wired, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone, among others. Most recently, he was a product manager at MSNBC.com and NBC News Digital.
Michael can be seen telling stories on Youtube in the NYC storytelling showcase Tale. His plays have been presented in the New York International Theater Festival and The HOWL Festival. He and BT McNicholl co-wrote the book for the musical The IT Girl, which debuted Off Broadway in 2001 and is now performed regionally. His new musical The History of Light, which updates Gilbert and Sullivan songs with pop and hip-hop, was performed in a public reading at L.A.'s La Mirada Theater.
Michael's 1992 book Break It Down: The Inside Story of Rap included interviews with more than 60 hip-hop artists. And, yes, he also ghostwrote the biography of the superhunk Fabio. If you need a copy, let him know.
Sally Libby
Co-Host
Sally LIbby, the co-host of I Couldn't Throw It Out, has a book of humorous verse in the works about the movers and shakers in world history. She and Michael Small co-wrote a parody of tax preparation manuals called Up Your Income Tax. (Unfortunately, the publisher went out of business when the book was being printed. More on that in the podcast.) After college, Sally worked at ad agencies in Boston and Miami before deciding to focus on raising her two children, including the podcast's art director Riley Welsh. Sally is a life-long lover of puns and dogs, and an inveterate question asker, which earned her a major role on I Couldn't Throw It Out.