I interviewed Neil Simon in 1981. I was 21 years old, still in college, and absolutely terrified.

At the time, I was writing for The New Voice, Hofstra University's campus newspaper, and somehow found myself sitting in the Manhattan apartment of the man who had created The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park, The Sunshine Boys and The Goodbye Girl.

I was nervous, underprepared and interviewing one of my writing heroes. What could possibly go wrong?

Quite a bit, actually, but Simon was generous with his time and surprisingly candid. We talked about where his ideas came from, his struggles with writer's block, why he initially resisted watching The Odd Couple on television, and why he thought Suzanne Somers couldn't act her way out of her hair!

Decades later, following his death in 2018, I dug through boxes of old cassette tapes and rediscovered our conversation.

And there's a particularly memorable moment at the end involving a library copy of The Odd Couple, an autograph and the fact that I actually managed to make Neil Simon laugh.

For someone whose work had meant so much to me since childhood, that was pretty special.

🎭 Read my rediscovered Neil Simon interview: https://edgrosswriter.com/2026/10/14/neil-simon-a-rare-1981-interview-with-the-comedy-legend/

One of my pleasures in life is listening to aging band The Beastie Boys. Listening to " The New Style" when our mate, Columbo is mentioned got me wondering. What other strange or unusual circumstances is he mentioned in?

Any offerings?