Stephen Colbert interviewed Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on The Colbert Report yesterday:
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jim” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Woz and former Apple execs buy Jazz Semiconductor – September 27, 2006
The Wall Street Journal interviews Apple co-founder Woz – September 26, 2006
iWoz autobiography hits bookstores – September 26, 2006
Woz to speak at Philadelphia Library on September 30th – September 14, 2006
Woz’s new autobiography coming in September – August 25, 2006
Woz plans 2007 Hummer ride to South Pole with Buzz Aldrin, James Cameron to film in 3D – August 04, 2006
Video: Woz playing Segway polo (and bonking pedestrian on head) – July 08, 2006
Apple CEO Steve Jobs declines to write foreword for Woz’s autobiography – April 14, 2006
Apple Computer co-founder Steve Wozniak autobiography ‘I, Woz’ coming this fall – April 11, 2006
I thought it was amusing. Colbert tends to romp over most of his guests – all in good fun – but Woz didn’t let that happen.
As for those who think Woz was “at the right place at the right time”, get a CLUE! He may not have “invented the personal computer”, but he certainly was responsible for designing many of the chips/combinations that made the Apple ][ all that it was. Jobs is brilliant, charismatic, and a great concept man, but it was Woz who built the hardware. And that was back in a time when there were no schools – no ‘shop’ courses, no college courses, no tech school courses – and no books (except tech manuals) to show you the way. You want to dump on him? First, tell me what your design insight has been – any field!
“and in this case a thing that don’t unless powered by a Segway)”
The world can tell you wrote that, yourself.
Colbert; “ok I’ll bite”
Hey Santa, when I get like that, kill me, PLEASE!
Very funny interview!
Clearly Woz is some kind of nutty genius. He exists on a different plane than the rest of “reality”.
I was actually shocked that Colbert let him talk. it was almost as if he were honored and awed by Woz’s presence.
Colbert is charming and brilliant and the Colbert Report is one of the best things on TV!
Woz was clearly in complete control of that interview. I’ve seen a couple of folks go toe-to-toe with Colbert in his inteviews, but never anyone completely control one.
Good for Woz!
Wow. What a total jerk. That guy has serious problems. Woz, I never knew you. But now that I know you, I’m going to forget you.
BuriedCeaser, You get it.
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Someone said “.that interview didn’t really go all that well.” Hmmmmm, I thought it went great. Colbert always tries to make his guest look stupid as they try to sell what ever they are selling.
Woz nailed him everytime. I still don’t know if the metal business card is a prank or not. Well done Woz!!
At the end, I then Colbert even gave up and congratulated Woz for the great job. Colbert was on the taking end for a change. Neat.
JMHO.
N.
I agree with DL Meyer and Newsreader. Colbert usually walks all over the interviewee. Didn’t do that to the Woz. I thought it was refresing because he didn’t or couldn’t ( not sure which)
And yes Woz definately has a wierd sense of humor – or should we just say that he has retained his childhood sense of humor and delight.
Anyway, I thought the interview was great.
I once told a stewardess that I could hammer nails with mine.
I watched this last night. Seriously one of the worst interviews I’ve ever seen. Woz just seemed like an asshole and there was no point to any of it. Not funny, not informative, not watchable. I love The Colbert Report, but that was just complete garbage.
I thought it was a great “interview”.
Both funny and surreal – the show is a comedy afterall.
If anything, the Woz came off as really shrewd or completely insane – but I didn’t think that he was an ass.
Woz ain’t Einstein, folks. Was he in the right place at the right time? You bet he was. Was Jobs able to use him? You bet he was. Was there someone else who could’ve been Woz? You bet there was, but Stevo didn’t bump into him. Right now, there is no indication that the past is a direct path to the future. What we saw on Colbert was _not_ someone getting the better of Colbert, because he will play into whatever you’re dealing- what we saw was a prick being a prick.
Nice buisness card. I want one; the feds won’t see it coming!
Not only did Woz do the hardware for early Apples, he later gave away chunks of his money to Apple employees to low on the total poll to benefit from the IPO, taught grade school for years as a service, went back after getting rich to UC Berkeley under a pseudonym and still graduated top of his class. The guy is a national treasure.
Wade, and others.
I read your critiques, and I don’t get it.
I sincerely don’t understand your rancor.
Woz was being a ‘prick’? Woz was at the right place at the right time? WTF?
Care to elaborate? I hope that you will.
[FWIW, and as has been mentioned a few times in this thread — Woz didn’t have an instruction book to guide him in the developement of the first Apple computers. No one did]
My first computer was a TRS-80. Who made that? Noone ever gave a history of that. One of the FIRST.
“to low on the total poll”
Or, “too low on the totem pole” but I guess your way IS more politically correct (for all “in tents and porpoises”).
I now know why Woz isn’t part of Apple. he’s completely insane. might be a genius and rightfully deserves to be revered amongst us Mac heads…but wow.
Some of you better get your heads out of your asses. It just shows how narrow-minded some of you are. If you are intolerant of other’s difference then you’re no better than those who wear explosives on their bodies and blow themselves up.
As far as I’m concerned Woz is just another guy who did what he loved and got attention for it. Even with the success he didn’t do what most of you probably would do: act like an asshole. Steve Wozniak is still the prankster and genius that he is even after some thirty plus years.
The interview was damn funny since you can see Colbert trying catch up. Woz was just too fast for him. This is a classic.
“Some of you better get your heads out of your asses.”
Not until my prostate self-exam home kit tells me it’s time. This is too important to screw up. Man, it’s hard to type this way.
Sjeez, how can anybody get upset about an interview like this?
Never saw this Stephen Colbert (Colbert = Jacket in Dutch btw…) but he is just another gimmick on tv talking, running and pulling faces to be funny imho. Assuming that he’s always this way, I can imagine Wozniak allowing the interview for matching him and beating him in his own game.
Anybody taking this serious is more nerd and geek than Wozniak could ever be called in a life-time.
That SUCKED really hard. Woz is as dry as a popcorn fart. Does he know what FUNNY means???
I’ll never get that time back.
I’ve read some of the other Steve Jobs books bio’s, and one time they said Steve Jobs was working for HP and was asigned to make a motherboard for something with a certain amount of transistors. Steven jobs had no idea how to make it, and was crying or showed worry on his face. Woz saw that and said he can help out. Woz ends up finishing the assignment and did it in one night (week project to finish). The funny part was he doubled the amount of transitors that was needed. When jobs gave it to his bosses they were very impressed. I think that was the time Jobs said that he was going to give him 50/50 split on the money for that project, and jobs gave WOz $400 to jobs $5000. Thats when Woz cried for days cause Jobs would do something like that. Pretty smart guy at his time.
“The funny part was he doubled the amount of transitors that was needed. When jobs gave it to his bosses they were very impressed.”
They were impressed that he doubled the number of transistors, thereby greatly increasing the cost of production? I think you mean to say he used half as many transistors.