“My agent called me about a year and a half ago. He said, ‘You know, you’re the only actor in Hollywood who doesn’t have a podcast.’”
That’s how Jeff Daniels described the origins of his new audio memoir, Alive and Well Enough. The Emmy-winning actor sat down with KNX In Depth’s Rob Archer and Charles Feldman to discuss what he learned while working on his most personal project yet.
Daniels describes Alive and Well as a “one-man musical,” combining stories from his life with original music and comedic skits. It was recorded at his Michigan home with his son Ben as the producer.
“I've been playing out, as they say, with an acoustic guitar since about 2001 or so,” he said. “I thought the acting career was gonna end. It wasn't going great in 2000 or 2005, it was slowing down. And I thought that's where I'd end up, you know, playing clubs all over the country.”
Daniels said he would have been happy continuing on as a musician, but a starring role in HBO drama The Newsroom shot him back into the spotlight as an actor in 2012. Then came an Emmy Award, a flurry of high-profile film and miniseries roles, and a return to Broadway.
Working on his memoir gave Daniels a chance to step back and reflect on his nearly five-decade career.
“I’m 68 years old now and there's a lot behind me,” he said. “It reminded me how far I’ve come, and it’s a great chance to also leave behind my definition of a legacy.”
Daniels said he was inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s 2016 autobiography, Born to Run, and his subsequent one-man show.
“I went to see Springsteen’s Broadway show where he was on stage just by himself, and I watched him and I said, he’s defining his own legacy,” Daniels said. “He's going, no, this is my story and this is how I want it told, and that felt like what we were doing.”
When it came time to record Alive and Well Enough, Daniels turned to a familiar collaborator to help with production: his son, Ben.
“We have a studio, and that’s what I grew up doing is recording and doing music,” Ben said.”We kind of always recorded music together, and played in a band together a lot.”
The 12-episode audio memoir explores moments from Daniels’ career and personal life, including encounters with fellow stars like Meryl Streep and Robet De Niro. And this is just the beginning – Daniels said if the audience wants more, he has enough songs and stories for “10 seasons easily.”
Alive and Well is available exclusively on Audible.
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