I recently had the honor of interviewing Larry King, who is the former host of CNN’s Larry King Live, the first worldwide phone-in talk show. The Emmy-winning King has been dubbed “the most remarkable talkshow host on TV ever” (TV Guide) and “the master of the mike” (Time). King also founded the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, which has raised millions of dollars and provided lifesaving cardiac procedures for nearly sixty needy children and adults. His latest book is called Truth Be Told: Off the Record about Favorite Guests, Memorable Moments, Funniest Jokes, and a Half Century of Asking Questions. In this interview, Larry King reveals his biggest accomplishment, biggest disappointment, some of his favorite interviews, and more.

What did you learn about yourself through the process of writing Truth Be Told?

I learned that I have a lot of endurance and that I can go through a lot of things. I can deal with loss, which is the giving up of something I loved for 25 and a half years, but I felt it was necessary. That I can do comedy on a big scale in big rooms and make people laugh. I learned that I can have prostate cancer and not be frightened. It was the early stages and I took the aggressive approach by using radiation. Some doctors said that I didn’t need to do that but I felt that I wanted to clear it and have it done. I learned that anytime you do a book, if you’re honest, you learn a lot about yourself.

Looking back at your career, what do you feel is your biggest accomplishment and your biggest disappointment?

My biggest accomplishment is fathering children. I don’t think there’s any bigger accomplishment than that. I have three grown, and two young ones plus a step child. I’m very proud of my career. 54 years in the business, five halls of fame, and three Peabody awards. It’s a pretty good slice for a little kid from Brooklyn that just wanted to get on the radio.

My biggest disappointment was that I didn’t leave Miami sooner. I think I could have been on the national scene sooner than when I came on the scene. There are probably one or two women I didn’t have to marry.

What do you believe differentiated you from all other radio and TV show hosts over the years?

The New Yorker did a story on me once and they called it “street questions.” I asked good, solid, simple questions that the guy on the street would have asked. I asked a lot of “why” questions. I left myself out of it. I never used the word “I.” I never had an agenda. I let it flow. I went to the moment. I was never afraid to take risks. I understood pacing and my voice was different than most voices. A lot of things were god-given. I never took a speech lesson. I never copied anyone, which is what I say when I speak to students. Don’t try and be someone else; just be yourself. In fact if I had a motto, I would say that the only secret in this business is there’s no secret, just be yourself.

What are your three favorite interviewing techniques?

1. Leave yourself at the door. Leave your ego at the door.

2. Listen to the answer because the answer can often give you the next question.

3. Remember it is your baby. You’re controlling the interview, not the guest. The guest should be the star and you should learn a lot about the guest, but you are always in control.

Which celebrity interview most surprised you? Who inspired you the most?

I was most inspired by Nelson Mandela, who I thought was the greatest figure of the 20th century for what he went through, for what he endured, and for his forgiveness. I was able to interview him and then go to his house as his guest. That was all just mind-blowing to me. It was inspiring!

The biggest surprise was Barbara Streisand who, before we started, was very nervous. On every break she would wonder how she was doing. She had a lot of self-denial, when in fact she was a great guest and is one of the greatest artists of our time.

Do you feel as though you have a personal brand? If so, how does that brand live on after your recent departure from CNN?

I do have a brand. We’re all branded today, but there’s definitely a Larry King brand. It’s international. I’ll be doing other things. I’m doing comedy now. We’re meeting with other people about doing other things in media. I’m doing four special a year on CNN. The first on has already aired on Alzheimer’s.

The second one will air on July 10th and will be an exclusive on the making of the last Harry Potters because it’s the end of the Harry Potter era. We’ll have all the principles and it will be very exciting. In the fall, we’re going to have Johnny Depp on for an hour. He typically doesn’t do interviews, but he’s a fan. I just did a keynote speech at two major digital conferences; one in Portugal and one in South Korea. I discussed my look and amazement of what’s going on. I tried to emphasize that nothing beats human contact. You can text all day but there’s nothing like talking to someone.

How do you use social networks for your career?

I have other people do it. I have assistants. I dictate my tweets and then they send them out. I have Facebook, but they do all of that. I don’t do emails; others do them for me. I’m not a technical person at all. I’m certainly aware that computers are in life and you have to deal with them. My favorite thing every day is reading the newspaper. I’m sad over the loss of the newspapers. I understand modern technology and miss the typewriter. But most of all, I want more direct communication. The basic thing I use is the cell phone, but I’ve never sent a text. It’s impossible not to use a cell phone today I find. Although, if someone proposed banning cell phones, I would be the first to sign. I would ban them and return the old fashioned pay phones on streets. I find that we were able to live without them before.

Source: Forbes

After 25 years on CNN, Larry King misses the limelight.

"When you've been part of the mix, you miss the mix," King said.

At INSIDE EDITION'S interview with the talk show legend, Deborah Norville spoke with King as he promoted his new memoir, Truth Be Told. So, what was the newsworthy event King wishes he covered?

"Osama Bin Laden, in a walk," he said.

King was also open about his separation from wife Shawn last year, which was enshrouded in rumors of infidelity on both ends. Now, they're back together.

"I learned that it's sometimes good to get apart for a while, get your head together, and really find out what you really want in life," King commented.

And since he's no longer hosting his own nightly show, he can talk freely about the events of the day. King says that there are some interviews he wishes he hadn't done, like his exclusive chat with Paris Hilton after she was released from jail in 2007.

"I was thinking halfway through it: why is this important," King said.

In King's book, he discusses the first two years of the Obama presidency. He says that the President has been "governing without a focus."

"I like him, and I think he'd be favored to be re-elected based on the current crop as I see them, but he campaigned better than he runs the government," King said.

Today, at 77, King is touring the world and trying his hand at stand up comedy. The break from TV seems to have given King a new perspective on fatherhood: his focus is on spending as much time as possible with his two young sons.

"A day you miss with your boys, you never get back," he said.

Source Inside Edition

Broadcast legend Larry King has released a new memoir called “Truth Be Told” (Weinstein Books). But anyone who expects his writing to be more coherent than his interview style will be disappointed. Some of our favorite non sequiturs include:

* “Anybody who was at Michael Jackson’s memorial service will never forget Usher singing ‘Gone Too Soon.’ The thing most people don’t know about Usher is that this guy really knows his politics.”

* “This is a serious topic. So let me ease into it with a funny story. The topic is crime.”

* On Robin Williams: “He’s so fast you can’t even remember afterward what he said. But you were laughing.”

* “I’ve never thought much about time, because I’ve always been too busy looking at my watch.”

* “If I had to compare myself to a ballplayer . . . I’d identify myself with New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.”

* “Why do people close their eyes when they sneeze? Do we still make razor blades in America?”

* “Not only did I dance with Janet Jackson but she gave me suspenders with the nipples cut out.”

* “I came to understand the Beatles’ music through the conductor of the Boston Pops.”

* “Tiger Woods. No story. Whatever happened between Tiger, his wife, a golf club and their car is a private matter. Of course, I called up his lawyer to try to get Tiger to come on the show.”

* “I’ve interviewed everybody once. How did I miss Bruce Springsteen?”

* “I never met Elvis. Never saw him in concert. But there are at least three times I wish I could have been around him.”

* “I don’t like funerals, but Frank Sinatra had a great funeral.”

* “I had Jim Morrison on the show the night after he was arrested in Miami. What a handsome guy. His father was an admiral, and he was a rebellious poet. He died in a bathtub of a drug overdose.”

Source: New York Post