Classic Sacks

I’ve just found this remarkable TV interview with Oliver Sacks from 1986, only a year after the publication of his famous book A Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.

It’s a fascinating discussion, not least because it’s something you don’t see much these days – an extended interview that focuses solely on a neuroscientist and his work.

There are no gimmicks or attempts to jazz it up with fancy editing and graphics. We see everything during the discussion, including Sacks’ many ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ and even hear a telephone going off half way through!

Still, it’s a really wide ranging discussion which covers everything from the effects of brain injury to the role of doctors in exploring their patients’ lives.

From what I can make out, the interviewer is Harold Channer who did the piece for a Manhattan-based public access TV network probably before Sacks became well-known.

The video quality is a bit ropey but Sacks has a spectacular beard and is as chaotically engaging as ever. Classic stuff.

Link to Oliver Sacks interview from 1986.