American Masters

History Series / 11 Seasons

American Masters, committed to producing comprehensive film biographies about the broad cast of characters who comprise our cultural history.

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Kris Kristofferson and Country Music at the Troubadour

2m 40s

Kris Kristofferson reflects on how the Troubadour launched his career, alongside artists who performed at the legendary club, Carole King, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, J.D. Souther, Richard "Dickie" Davis, and Barney Hoskyns. This scene is an outtake from Troubadours: Carole King / James Taylor & The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter airing Wednesday, March 2 at 8 p.m. (check local listings).

Interview with filmmaker Morgan Neville

3m 13s

Morgan Neville describes the making of the documentary Troubadours: Carole King / James Taylor & The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter, a riveting chronicle of the time, weaving archival footage, rare performances, and interviews from a veritable who's who. roubadours: Carole King / James Taylor & The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter airs Wednesday, March 2 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).

Life at the Troubadour

7m

In these deleted scenes from Troubadours, Roger McGuinn, former Troubadour staff, photographer Harry Diltz, Cheech & Chong, and Bonnie Raitt tell stories about the incredible energy and community that centered around the nightly performances and daily club life, including the time Joni Mitchell surprised Bonnie Raitt backstage and anecdotes of David Crosby's legendary pot smoking habit.

Jeff Bridges Answers a Question From Facebook

41s

Jeff Bridges is the subject of an American Masters documentary (airing on PBS 1/12). In connection with that broadcast, we asked PBS's Facebook fans what *they* would want to ask him. Here is his answer to one of the most interesting questions we received.

Interview: Jeff Bridges "The Dude Abides"

2m 15s

How much of "The Dude" is still in Jeff Bridges? In this interview, he talks about the surprising reasons why he agreed to be the subject of an "American Masters" documentary. "Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides" airs Wednesday, January 12, at 8 p.m.

Preview Excerpt from "Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides"

3m 15s

In this clip from "Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides" airing nationally Wednesday, January 12 at 8 p.m. (check local listings), Bridges visits the shop in New York's Greenwich Village called The Little Lebowski dedicated to collector items dedicated to The Big Lebowski and explains how he first got involved acting for the Coen Brothers.

Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould Preview

34s / TV-PG

A profoundly enigmatic musical poet, there have been many documentaries about Glenn Gould, but they were typically sidetracked, focusing on the pills and fashions - missing the man, the magic and the message of music. American Masters pierces through the misconceptions in Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould airing nationally, Monday, December 27 at 9pm on PBS (check local listings).

Ray Roberts & Mementos of Glenn Gould

3m 36s

Ray Roberts, one of oldest friends, shares family albums, old clothing, and photographs of Glenn Gould from his personal collection, as well as stories about Gould's incredible personality. This scene is an outtake from the DVD extras of Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould.

Lorne Tulk & Glenn Gould's Chair

2m 52s

Lorne Tulk, a former technician for CBC Radio in Toronto who worked with Gould, tells a story about Gould's attachment to the chairs sat in while recording and how he received one of those very chairs as a gift. This scene is an outtake from the DVD extras of Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould.

Kevin Bazzana and the Notes of Glenn Gould

2m 42s

Music historian and biographer Kevin Bazzana shares stories from his research, insights into Gould's reputation as a hermit, and Gould's true depth of character discovered while browsing the artist's notes from his private life. This scene is an outtake from the DVD extras of Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould.

A Letter To Elia - Preview

20s

Composed of clips, stills, readings from Kazan's autobiography and his speech on directing (read by Elias Koteas), a videotaped interview done late in Kazan's life, and Scorsese's commentary on and offscreen, A Letter to Elia takes a close look at the life of art and its creation - the work, the distractions, the inspirations, the complications, the intersections between art and experience.

Cachao: Uno Mas - Preview

31s

The Grammy-winning bassist Israel "Cachao" Lopez died on March 2008, almost 90-years old. A maestro of legendary status ultimately considered one of the greatest Afro-Cuban musicians of all time, he had made his home in the United States for the past four decades. American Masters' bilingual film, Cachao: Uno Mas premieres Monday, September 20, 2010 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings.)

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