I Couldn't Throw It Out

I Couldn't Throw It Out

Do you save stuff? So does former People Magazine reporter Michael Small. But he and co-host Sally Libby can't throw it out till he shares the stories behind his celebrity interview tapes and other treasures.

Recent Episodes

Three Interviews: Cronin, Basquiat and Barris

Jan. 9, 2023

Hear the 1984 interview tape with this random trio: REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin, painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Gong Show host Chuck Barris

Surprising Immigrants: The Untold Family History

Dec. 28, 2022

A 45-year-old tape recording leads to revelations about Michael's family, including a kidnapped rabbi, a Johnstown drowning, and Joe Biden's junior high baseball team

Kiefer Sutherland's Very First Interview

Dec. 17, 2022

In 1983, 16-year-old Kiefer Sutherland met me in Nova Scotia to discuss his first big movie role.  Hear how he felt about actor dad Donald -- and how I messed up my People Magazine article.

Perfect Match, Part 1: A Kidney Transplant Tale

Nov. 26, 2022

Inspired by saved cards and letters, Michael and his wife Cindy share the tale of her survival – and their daily lives – as lupus led to kidney failure and her first two transplants.

Perfect Match, Part 2: A Kidney Transplant Tale

Nov. 26, 2022

The tale of Michael's 30-year error – and Cindy's miraculous third kidney transplant – leads to their latest challenge: Can they toss what they saved from a life-changing event?

Gangsta rapper Eazy-E and Me – Part I [Explicit]

Nov. 5, 2022

Compton's rap mogul and NWA founder Eazy-E hanging out with Michael?  Unlikely.  But it happened in 1991.  Hear Dr. Dre (former Yo! MTV Raps co-host) explain Eazy's huge cultural impact, then hear Eazy's candid interview.

Recent Blog Posts

Excuses, Excuses - Why Season 2 Is a Little Bit Late

I know I said that Season 2 of I Couldn't Throw It Out would be released by March.  And we're now nearing the end of April.  But I've got all kinds of excuses. For one thing, I had to prepare by sorting every card and letter I've saved si…

Clara Levitt's 22 Expressions For Many Situations

While I was editing our podcast episode about my family's surprising immigrant story, I remembered many funny and useful expressions that were constantly repeated by my 4'8" grandmother Clara Levitt. She was - as my cousin Jim puts it -- the Yogi Be…

Bloody Good: Kidney Transplant Playlist

Music was always important to Cindy Ruskin and me, before, during and after all the challenges and triumphs of her three kidney transplants (which we share in two podcast episodes of I Couldn't Throw It Out). At times, it felt as if we were living …

About the Hosts

Sally LibbyProfile Photo

Sally Libby

Co-Host

Sally LIbby, the co-host of I Couldn't Throw It Out, has a book of humorous verse in the works about the movers and shakers in world history. She and Michael Small co-wrote a parody of tax preparation manuals called Up Your Income Tax. (Unfortunately, the publisher went out of business when the book was being printed. More on that in the podcast.) After college, Sally worked at ad agencies in Boston and Miami before deciding to focus on raising her two children, including the podcast's art d

Michael SmallProfile Photo

Michael Small

Host

Michael Small, the host of I Couldn't Throw It Out, can be seen telling stories on Youtube in the NYC storytelling showcase Tale. His plays have been presented in the New York International Theater Festival and The HOWL Festival. He and BT McNicholl co-wrote the book for the musical The IT Girl, which debuted Off Broadway in 2001 and is now performed regionally. His new musical The History of Light, which updates Gilbert and Sullivan songs with pop and hip-hop, was performed in a public readi