This concludes our program. I would like for you to join with me in one final applause in recognition for our honoree tonight who brings us great honor with his presence, great honor with his work, and great honor how he helps the next generation of americans. Thank you. [applause] this week on q a, historian ron chernow. Area he talks about hamilton and the consulting work he did on it. Linmanuel miranda based the musical on mr. Chernows biography of Alexander Hamilton. Brian ron chernow, when did hamilton, Alexander Hamilton first get on your radar screen . First get on your radar screen . Ron well, i started writing it back in 1998, brian. It seems rather comical because the reason that i chose to do Alexander Hamilton, aside from the fact that it was the most extraordinary personal story among the founding fathers, was that he seemed to be fading into obscurity. People were coming to regard him as a sort of secondtier founding father. Most americans knew he was on the 10 bill, mayb
With him, is in those cases where he felt obliged to use dramatic license, he would always try to incorporate as many authentic elements into the scene as he could even if he had changed something. Brian if you get on the website today, first of all, you cant buy tickets. Theyre sold out for how far are they sold out . Ron sold out as we talked, through january 2017. Brian so all of this year and then january of next year. Ron yeah. Brian but if you get on and get on these resale websites, 1000 might get you a ticket. Ron yeah, i mean and people have been scalping tickets for 1,500 to 2000, 2500 a ticket. They are certainly routinely scalping for 1000 or 1,500 a ticket. Brian what do you think of that . Ron well, you know, its been frustrating for us because we didnt create this show exclusively for Hedge Fund Managers and private equity [laughter] people, and we have been doing what is within our power to try to offset that. For instance, theres a lottery every night, where the entire
Alexander hamilton aside from the fact that it was the most extraordinary personal story among the Founding Fathers was that he seemed to be fading into obscurity. People were coming to regard him as a sort of second tier founding father. Most americans knew he was on the 10 bill, maybe that he had died in a duel with aaron burr, but that was about it. It seems comical that i was, felt as if i was lifting him out of obscurity. Now his name is on the marquee of a broadway show. Brian where were you at the time . What were you doing . Ron i just finished writing my biography of john d. Rockefeller, titan, and what happened i had done a series of books about moguls of the gilded age, and i found that when i would go out to give lectures, people in the audience would start shouting out, do vanderbilt next. Do carnegie next, and i really felt that i was becoming terribly stereotyped as this biographer of gilded age tycoons, and i decided that i wanted to switch periods. And so, Alexander Ha
We are waiting to find out if power has been restored to the terminal and if trains will be running on time today after going completely dark yesterday. The lights back on in Grand Centrals upper level overnight as police blocked access to the lower level which was still without lights after a rarity for the historic station. Lights are out. Atm, ticket machines. Everything out. A partial power outage as an off site pipe six inches in diameter flooded a transformer around 9 30 monday morning. Lower level train tracks restaurants bathrooms and shops all closed as a result. Ive never seen it except for the black out night in 2003. Continuing upper level and the more than 60 retailers the outage meant a loss in business and spoiled food. A good amount of product especially for all of the other businesses on the market too. Passengers just eager to get to their destinations. As long as the trains are running thats all i care about. Yesterday the trains were running on time and schedule but
Well check in in minneapolis in a moment live. We have seen someing uglier scenes in philadelphia, in los angeles, and other Great American cities thus far. I want to begin this hour back in brooklyn where brian llenas joins our coverage. We are at bedford. This is three blocks away from where it started. It has been a standstill. You can see the police here. We are behind part of the police line. And across from them are the present testers. And there has been a standstill for 20 minutes. But this was an incredibly ugly scene. At 7 30 p. M. With what was a tense standoff, it turned violent after people started getting on top of nypd vehicled. There was a charge from the police down bedford police. We were in that charge. They were trying to stop people from throwing things. A fire started, a Police Cruiser was lit on fire at one of the intersections down there. They had to call in the firefighters to protect them as they took out that fire. At that point there was still tons of debris