i don't know there are a lot of people like eric hoffer or anyone like eric hoffer. the most fascinating figure of the 20th century because we know everything there is to know about everyone. we don't know anything about eric hoffer. we don't know when or where he was born. we meet him when he fills out a social security application when he is 4 years old. to the early life is a mystery. he had this -- the story about him that at 5 years old his father fell down a flight of stairs and the burly boy went blind and he and his mother died and miraculously he regained site and was reading everything he could get his hands on and it was believable because he was so articulate and well read and his father died and he went west and started like so many people in america. i am convinced 95%.

eric hoffer to the union as a second family. he had one family in the sand and cisco, the osbourne and a second family, the union. even though harry bridges was on the other side of the fence politically, eric hoffer never really raised his voice. he was more of a cause and a union it. >> strange? he wrote the book called the true believer. did he do that as a union member? when he got out and was known as the professor, . >> added know there's a lot of people like eric hoffer to be the most fascinating figure the 20th century because reno everything there is no about everyone. we don't know when iraqi was born. and two-- filling out a security and the big birthday boy a got blind then miraculously he regains his site and is reading everything he could get his hands on. it is believable because he was so ridiculous it. his father died then he went to west like so many people in america up. i am convinced 95% is made up.

he told a great story about himself but the amazing thing about eric hoffer is the real life eric hoffer is more interesting than the mythic one. that is why i say he is the most fascinating figure of the 20th century. >> really liked the presentation. easy to pull out a few interesting characters from a period of time and give them their due. is there any evidence that on the aggregate, america was more educated than they are today? >> give you one example. you might think this is silly. i don't think it is silly but tells you something about our society. last year was the first time in the history of hollywood that the top ten best-selling movies at the box office for only remakes, sequels or based on old comic book characters. we are living on the fumes of passed versions of us. there's a dearth of originality. not just hollywood. turn on the tv, never thought i would see hawaii and 50 in prime-time. listen to the radio. biggest song of last year. great song by this woman a dell. first time i heard it i thought why didn't i hear this song from the 1960s? new song. it is a real retro f

there's a book coming out about eric hoffer but there hasn't been a thorough biography of eric hoffer and i can tell you something eric hoffer is a lot more interesting than so many other people who have many biographies read about them. the point here is that non-blue-collar intellectuals have really overlooked the blue-collar intellectuals that i write about. they are not very interested in them because the blue-collar intellectuals for having a conversation with all of america and intellectuals tend to be distant people who are having conversations with other intellectuals and intellectuals love to write about other intellectuals. these guys not so much. and that is one of the reasons why i wrote this book. red berry is not shakespeare or anything like that but you would think a guy who has put together 600 stores and had his own televisions show in the 80's and wrote for radio in the 1940s, a career spanning decades and decades that they would be more written about this guy. there is a great biography of bradbury but there's not a whole lot out there so i hope at the very least in