Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Listen Again: Julia Gets Wise with Darlene Love

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Show Notes

Christmas may be over, but we're still playing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on repeat, so let's take the opportunity to listen back to Julia's conversation with the Queen of Christmas herself, Darlene Love.

This week on Wiser Than Me, Julia is joined by 84-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer Darlene Love. From her early days singing gospel music in her father’s church to backing up icons like Elvis Presley to finally going solo at age 40, Darlene is a case study in never giving up on your dreams. She tells Julia about raising her sons while building her career, how to balance being strong and kind, and what motivates her to give her best performances. And Julia shares a story with her mom Judith about getting the wrong kind of laugh on the set of Hannah and Her Sisters.

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Keep up with Darlene Love @darlenelovesings on Instagram.

Pre-order the latest book from Julia’s mom Judy Bowles here: https://finishinglinepress.com/product/they-spoke-of-the-river-by-judith-bowles/

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More from Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus

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Julia is joined by 85-year-old folk legend and lifelong activist Joan Baez, who is still dancing, still showing up, and still refusing to be quiet. They talk about singing before a quarter million people at the March on Washington in 1963, what made Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. laugh, and what real courage feels like from the inside. Joan opens up about her decades-long struggle with anxiety, forgiveness, and dissociative identity disorder. Oh, and she sings. Three times. Afterwards, Julia calls her 92-year-old mom Judy — who, it turns out, was playing folk music on a portable Victrola in Sri Lanka when Julia was young.

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This week, Julia sits down with 78-year-old Janet Mills, Maine's first female governor, first female DA, and first female AG in the state's history. Governor Mills, who recently suspended her Senate campaign, takes Julia behind the scenes of that legendary White House moment when she looked Trump in the eye, said "see you in court," and won. Julia also learns how Janet navigated the ups and downs of becoming a stepmom to five young girls, and what her Republican family said when she became a Democrat. Plus Julia and her 92-year-old mom Judy talk about the broad appeal of Mary Oliver and Judy's own journey to becoming a Democrat.

See all episodes →