Remembering ‘free-thinking’ writer Nat Hentoff

On January 7, 2017, The Associated Press announced that “Free-thinking author and columnist Nat Hentoff is dead at 91.”

For well over 60 years, Hentoff was a one of America’s foremost public intellectuals and a familiar byline to free speech advocates and jazz aficionados.

The First Amendment was a way of life for Nat Hentoff. He would have been 100 years old this year. To reflect on his life and legacy, we are joined by his son Nick Hentoff and filmmaker David Lewis, whose 2013 documentary, “The Pleasures of Being Out of Step,” explored Nat Hentoff’s embodiment of free expression as the defining characteristic of the individual.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:52 Who was Nat Hentoff

03:48 Nat’s early life & influences

18:20 Jazz, writing, & finding his voice

31:24 Free speech as a way of being

35:15 Being out of step: Controversy, courage, and consequences

41:56 Rage, compassion, & moral clarity

51:53 Nat Hentoff’s legacy of dissent

55:20 Outro

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