An Interview With Neil deGrasse Tyson...fountain pens, work, and a new book
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- Опубликовано: 11 фев 2025
- An interview where we discuss Dr. Tyson's work, his passion for fountain pens, and his upcoming book, "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry"
Congratulation to Jimmy Ellis for winning the drawing for the book.
To enter the drawing for a copy of his new book; 1) Be a subscriber to this channel. 2) Leave a comment in RUclips. Winner will be randomly selected sometime after 11:59pm on Friday, April 14th.
Namiki Emperor Nightline photo courtesy of Andrea Sagagni (Towelfree)
AWESOME job. Seriously, awesome! It was engaging, light but educational, and I could tell you really did your homework. I have interviewed a few people myself and I know how hard it is to stay in the conversation while also thinking of the next question, and I thought you did a phenomenal job here. No doubt it helps that he does a lot of interviews, so he knows how to roll ;) but man, the talk of pens was really engaging, I hope this goes viral in the pen world!
Congrats again, this was really cool and I'm honored to have even watched it :) -Brian Goulet
The Goulet Pen Company it would be awesome if Dr Tyson designed a pen😊
41:30 He practically begs for someone to ask him to help design a pen.
A Goulet - Edison - Tyson cooperation maybe?
How about Visconti?
Tyson is more about encouraging the masses, and visconti is too poncy. I'd be much happier with Edison. (though I do have and love my viscontis) also because thy're an american company, and what have the italians ever done for space!
Aside from basically invent the concept.
I feel like no one has ever asked him about his pens and he has been so bursting to talk about them.
Yeah he gave the impression he's been waiting to geek out over some pens.
I would agree. It was so fun to watch. He really lit up. 😃
Agreed, I've seen many interviews where he mentions his pens, but no interviewer ever bites and asks him about them.
I've seen a similar video on a different channel where Alton Brown talked about his watch collection. I would love to see an entire series where celebrities talk about their hobbies or collections unrelated to their profession.
Hahaha yeah.
David, this was absolutely delightful. Thank you so much. It was so fun seeing Dr. Tyson geeking out over his special pens like the rest of us. Kudos on the interview.
Thanks, Matt...appreciate it!
It was amusing to see him want to keep showing off each next pen. You can always tells when someone is passionate about something. Fantastic job on this interview and video!
My life is actually so much better now that I've seen Dr. Tyson geeking out fountain pens. His opinions on iridium ball tips-- nothing short of amusing.
David...you are the man!!!!!!!!
Quills too..sthu..omg
It’s been 7 years. You need to get him to do another video about fountain pens WE NEED TO KNOW what new pens he has now.
I never expected to hear Neil deGrasse Tyson gasp "OH MY GOSH" at the mention of oblique nibs. Knowing such a cool and inspiring person of science is just as nerdy about pens as I am really just made my day!
Niel just infodumping about his pens is just so adorable. Definitely worth watching even 7 years later.
Agreed! I could have watched the uncut 2 or 3 hours of pen chatting that could have been had. 😂
Not many celebrities would take the time to actually put in an effort to engage like how Neil Degrasse Tyson does. You can tell every reaction is humble yet brutally honest and down to earth.
Awesome interview. I like the "Oh, just one more-- Oh, just this one more--" Yep, a true pen geek. Also, get Neil Gaiman for an interview.
We were running overtime and his assistant was hovering outside his office. I knew he had a meeting to get to, so I was trying to wrap things up. Didn't work! :-)
As a Physics undergrad with a passion for fountain pens, this is fantastic!
You.
Fist.
Bumped.
NDT
'nuff said...
Kudos for an awesome interview (landing it and doing a great job throughout). Dr. Tyson confirms he is a great person, and in addition to all he does, also speaks FP-geek!
Jaime Calleja Alderete Major fist bump!
Yes completely jealous!
Tyson's excitement about how pens both express and can be used to express ideas was so visible. Thank you for making this contribution.
Loved this interview. Great to see two guys from totally different backgrounds come together over fountain pens. Mr. Tyson is one of the most articulate FOUNTAIN PEN LOVERS I HAVE EVER HEARD. Hearing this man speak gives me confidence that I am not crazy buying this wonderful instruments.
Absolutely agree
I'm late, but I'm ready for the 6 hours extended version of this interview.
Hahahaha im making some popcorn
Great interview! Mr. Neil didn't want to stop! AWESOME
OMG, never saw this coming. Speechless! This video is definitely underrated and under-watched. Tyson preaching a New Gospel on fountain pens and their real amazing potential.
Thanks for watching!
The periodic gazes right at the camera are cracking me up. I keep imagining the thought "I cant believe Im interviewing THE Neil DeGrasse Tyson!"
I didn't have anyone there helping me on the production side of things. That is me checking to see if the camera is still recording. 🤣
This man is pure gold. What a personality! He comes up with the vulture feather and says: "One day I'll be ready for this"... I fell off my chair laughing. Then later, being right handed, he explains his Waterman's left handed oblique: "I like to see where that angle takes me"... I love how precise he is with what he likes, and how he has a reason for it. Thank you so much for such a great interview!
16:07
"I don't like lines, I can make my own damn line"
I'm watching this for like the 10th time now and I'm still cracking up with laughter lmao I love this guy
Thanks for watching!
As a scientist, I loved seeing his note book. Thank you for the interview.
I'd pay for a photocopy of his notebook!
What a wicked sense of humour Neil has! And an absolute pleasure to listen too.
David. Seriously, I am a big fan of Dr. Tyson and am peanut butter and jealous that you scored a video with him. This tops your charts. I follow him on RUclips as well. Only other fountain pen celeb that I can think of is Neil Gaiman. I know he is a fan of the Pilot 823. Man. Man. Man. You met Neil Tyson. Man. (Have I said Man enough?)
Here's a panoramic photo I took of his office before I set up all my equipment: i.imgur.com/IVyPFLK.jpg
I pre-ordered his book. ;)
What an awesome office! Did you see anything in there that just jumped out at you, that you had to comment on, to Neil deGrasse Tyson? Which item was it? What did he say? Any interesting story he told you off camera? Inquiring minds, baby, inquiring minds
Don't forget Neil Gaiman writes with his Lamy 2000 often!
Famous fountain pen authors:
Salman Rushdie (vintage FPs)
Stephen King (Waterman Hemisphere)
Neal Stephenson (Jorg Hysek or Rotring for drafts, vintage Waterman for editing)
Peter Straub (Visconti)
Haruki Murakami (Sailor)
Joe Haldeman (Pelikan)
Jonathan Carroll (Parker 51)
Joe Hill (Pilot Metropolitan)
Christopher Paolini (Lamy Safari)
Claire Messud
It wasn’t a normal interview instead a really great discussion between 2 interesting guys as well as showing interesting objects and a book snippet - what a gas
This was fascinating. I met Tyson several years ago while he was filming the pilot of Cosmos. It was all completely accidental. I was called up at 2am in the morning to go to the production area and complete a few tasks because they were going to be underhanded. When I got there, I set myself to doing any one of the many things I needed to do, when I heard someone gossiping ''So we were at this restaurant in carmel, and the waiter comes up and very hesitantly asks... are you Niel Degrasse Tyson?'' Everyone began to chuckle. I looked up and responded, ''Well, was he?''
''Of course.''
Me: ''Wow. Lucky waiter!''
Everyone looks at me oddly....
Them: ''Erm.... he's over there...''
I look up and a giant of a man comes walking over, and my tongue choked. All I could manage were a few slight pleasantries, but it was an awesome minute or two. His hands are enormous and he isn't afraid to drop a curse word here or there for effect in his stories.
Stumbling across this was a gem. I have seen many many interviews with him over the years, it's singularly fantastic to see that same passion about something else entirely!
I know Bill Nye is a thorough fountain pen writer, as well as Keven Spacey and Stephan Fry (British Comedian and 13 year host of Quite Interesting). All three would be wonderful personalities to include in an interview tour!
You wouldn't say that about Kevin Spacey now, would you?
@@freetobe3 "That didn't age well"
@@Dosbomber bahahahahahahaha
I already adored this man and he just got exponentially more wonderful to me! Another pen nerd! And his answer to the final question… just wow.
I could listen to him all day long. He’s got an unashamed childlike wonder about the universe that’s infectious and inspiring. My day is brighter having watched this interview, and it’s saved for those days I could use a little more joy. Thank you for sharing with us!
Thank you, David. I did not expect this.
Hope you enjoy watching!
Excellent, David. And my thanks to Neal as well. I hope that you advised Neal that there are many nibmeisters that could help him use more "cosmic pens" to his specifications,
Who the hell knew Tyson was into pens? I love his and Sagan's work - lovely to run across this. Great to see his passion applied to our relatively anachronous hobby.
Unbeforkinglievable! Not only is everything about this extremely wonderful, you also got a big genuine spontaneous laugh from him right at the top of the show! Legend status, this is. Beautifully done, thank you!
Great interview...stumbled upon it....now I have a pen obsession to add to my watch obsession.
This is going to get expensive!
"You've got to have good flow to feed a broad" -NDT
Wise words
such a collision of my nerd worlds! you should do more interviews. i'm sure you could find other professionals who love the pen and paper world. (perhaps there are even composers who still use pens to write their music.) but this was great, especially seeing that NDT has the same passion for pens as he does for the stars. and that he's cool enough to share his time with you.
One of the greatest interviews done, being a physicist and a fountain pen lover i highly appreciate your effort in putting this interesting interview together . I had no idea that Neil degrasse Tyson was a fountain pen addict like us , this is why i appreciate the details put in the informative questions . Keep up the good work
This was such a great interview. Loved seeing him show off his pen collection. It was like Show and Tell. I've always loved fountain pens and recently got into buying and using them. Sometimes i wonder should i be spending money on this isnstead of something else. But the Doc was able to explain why i like using fountain pens
Great job! Made me laugh when near the end you say one more and he's so excited to be talking about his pens that he does three more. Made me think of how I am when someone actually shows an interest in my small collection. I'm fairly new to the hobby so I don't know any celebs that use fountain pens, but I'll definitely watch anyone you think we would enjoy. Keep up the great work.
Thanks! I mentioned it previously in this thread, but we were running a bit long. I knew he had a meeting he was late for already. His assistant was pacing around outside the office and so I made an attempt at "just one more"...but he wanted to show more. So at that point I thought, okay...if you're late it's now on you, not me! :-)
3 years later I find this extremely enjoyable interview and discussion on fountain pens. Wow!
This was such a wonderful video to watch. Im still new to fountain pens, but even as a kid i enjoyed the feeling of writing by hand. Now I get to experience this connection with others--especially someone like NDT. ❤️ Thank you for sharing this with us!
A guy who understands the universe deserves some celestial pens.
This was a damn good interview David. Really, freaking good, and more professional/thoughtful than many television interviews. For someone with 5700 subs on a youtube channel, you've succeeded in doing something more relevant and fresh than most people with millions of subs.
But get that blazer tailored! your sleeves look like MC hammer pants!
Thanks...appreciate it. I set out to do something fun...and it was a lot of fun!
BUT GET THAT BLAZER TAILORED.
I completely agree with Neil about using "fun" nibs. I do have a fine, a medium and a broad, but I get most of my enjoyment out of my subs and flexes. They really do bring a level of " this is what these are for" to the writing experience. And as always, your video was engaging, informative and so much fun. Thank you.
Dr SBREBrown would be a perfect interviewee and maybe HE'D bring HIS Emperor!
Fantastic interview with Neil, one of my favorite smart folks.
I am so honored to be sharing this esoteric passion with Neil deGrasse Tyson. I'm a computer technologist that provides fun and humor to my coworkers whenever I break out my pen and paper at our "Agile Design Sprints".
I'm still working my way up to oblique nibs. In the meanwhile, I absolutely have fallen in love with the experience of writing, have written more in the past year than I have in the past 10 years. I'm a wicked fast typist that did not know what I'd given up until fountain pens came into my sphere of enjoyment. Writing with a fountain pen SLOWS ME DOWN... that is its STRENGTH.
Hope I get to tell him in person at the DC Fountain Pen show!
One of the most fascinating interviews I've ever seen. Melding fountain pens and astrophysics. Bravo.
I love how he lights up when he talks about his pens.. clear love. thanks for the video
This interview was a great idea, and I would like to express my thanks both to you and the amazing Dr. Tyson for putting in the time and effort required to make it happen. I am genuinely grateful. I have always wondered what kind of pen J. R. R. Tolkien used, both for his calligraphic work and his day to day paper grading.
I came here out of curiosity and learned a great deal about how creativity and science intermingle. Wow.
David, I must say I am extremely happy to see you connect to one of the greatest minds in modern times over a hobby that has everyone here enthralled. It's amazing to see how different yet devout everyone in this community is.
Happy to see physicist who love fountain pen
Great interview! I saw Neil Tyson and fountain pens and nearly fell out of my chair to watch it. I think Neil would like the Visconti Homo Sapiens. While it doesn't feature designs of space, it's formation from basaltic lava is something any scientist would appreciate. Plus it comes in a 1.3mm!
This is the video that is responsible for me getting into this hobby. I've watched a lot of interviews with Neil deGrasse Tyson so RUclips recommended your interview and I was interesting since at the time I loved art supplies and was really particular about my pens so I was really excited about finding a pen channel that got an interview with this amazing scientist.
You did an amazing job with this interview and I was so excited to watch more of your videos to figure out if fountain pens would be right for me.
Several years later I have a modest collection of affordable pens and I'm having so much fun mixing up my own ink colors.
Thanks for all your passion and dedication to making all these videos. I know that they take a long time to set up, make, edit, and keep up with all the comments.
Thanks for watching...I hope you are enjoying your new hobby!
Thanks David, you've done well. You have combined two of my favourite interests and I look forward to watching more of you shows. The interview was very professional and relaxed. I connected with Dr Tyson's attitude and of course found his pen collection most interesting. I do appreciate his emotional link to the pens and I also share his fondness of different nibs. Although I have never seen most of the pens discussed, (and rarely likely to) it was nice to see the bond to his fountain pens. My interest is in vintage pens (without the flair) and am particularly fascinated by the engineering behind the early designs. Thank you once again.
By half an accident, being a Neil deGrasse Tyson fan, I clicked on your video.
I was first surprised your interview was truly about fountain pens, and clearly you were knowledgeable, and doubly excited to learn my hero had a love for fountain pens.
It was in grade school while first learning how to write I became mesmerized how the line a lead pencil drew changed dramatically and even beautifully to me, as the lead wore. Then I saw how I could rotate the pencil and magically control the lines appearance.
60 years later after a lifelong dissatisfaction, for many reasons, with the ball point pen; it was your interview that made me realize it is going to be the search for my first fountain pen that will have a profound impact on my ability to compose.
Having a chance to receive Neil's book is a bonus to what you have already given me.
Thank you in advance for the new joy that awaits me because of your passion for the fountain pen.
Appreciatively,
Jim Butt
Thanks for watching, Jim...appreciate it!
Interviews with fountain pen collectors/users is brilliant idea. I truly enjoyed this one. Thank you.
This was an incredible interview! We ALL know about his work....but to hear that he enjoys Fountain Pens?! To hear him talk about WHY specifically he likes a pen? It makes me SO HAPPY that I can geek out with Mr. Tyson with fountain pens?! YES!!!
Amazing video! Although the pens shown are out of reach for most people, it is great to see the collection of a renowned personality. I wish there were more such interviews on fountain pens with celebrities.
This was very entertaining. I saw that this was 50 plus minutes long and did not intend to watch it all but I did. Neil is very jovial and charismatic. Thank you for your time, David.
Oh wow. This is amazing. My worlds just collided! Thanks for putting this interview together. I loved hearing you guys geek out about pens!
It seemed like he wanted to keep going and talk more about the other ones he had in his case!
Why am I watching this 4 years after? Such a great YT video. THANK YOU!
"You need a great volume and good flow to feed a broad" - Neil deGrasse Tyson, talking about his "master stick"...
240snusit Snusaren I see what you did there -_-
lmfao
😉🤣😂
Meisterstück or Master piece.
After watching this interview... I'm speechless. I'm not used to watching an interview nor I know much about fountain pens, but I just enjoyed it. Very good job!
Great video, I loved hearing why he liked pens the way he does. Seeing his old lab notes was awesome, they are much neater than mine were.
I am a huge fan of Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and I am delighted to find out he is a FPN collector. Love that Namiki he owns but did not take to the interview. Great interview, thank you! Suggest you interview Neil Gaiman? A very, very interesting personality.
Thank you for a very interesting interview with a very interesting man. As a Norwegian I was not familiar with him, but I have already preordered his book. And it was a fine collection of pens he had.
BE STILL MY HEART. Not literally. I want to live long enough to read all of Neil deGrasse Tyson's books that will ever be written. Thank you so much to everyone who made this interview happen!
I think an interview with Neil Gaiman would be most excellent.
I just found this interview. I can't stop watching.
Great job. You did your homework and knew your pens.
Had no idea NDT was so into fountain pens! Great video with a great theme, keep up the excellent work
Neil's concept of communiing with the past is a passion of mine. I want to read the books my inspirations read, write with what they wrote with, and drink what they drank. What an excellent interview!
I thought this must be an April Fool's joke. What a fantastic interview. It is so interesting to see the another side of a well-known person.
Wow...just wow! Thank you so much for reaching out to do this video - Neil is a super nice guy. I really enjoyed this interview you had with him. You, as well, were wonderful! Thank you for your hard work and dedication. And most of all, thank you for sharing this with all of us!
I am an admirer of Neil. And knowing he is a fountain pen user as well raises my esteem to another level.
Thank you for the interview! I did not know sir Tyson was a pen enthusiast. His passion for the universe and all it encompasses knows no bounds.
Very enjoyable Interview! I really like that you don't ask many standard questions. I'd love to see an Interview with any professional calligrapher.
I just saw this. Fabulous interview. Dr Tyson is a hero of mine. If I'm not mistaken, the Waterman he shows at (33:10) is the one he removed from his pocket and was using to demonstrate some point on the Daily Show (3/6/2013) that Jon Stewart made a pretend "grab" for and Neil quickly and humorous put back in his pocket. Lucky to be there in person. Another great interview.
I have found in my fountain pen collecting efforts that finding pens that are pure mathematics themed is substantially more difficult for some reason. A reason escapes me, since there are so many visually appeal mathematical properties or identities or constructs that could be used as themes. A graph depicting the roots of polynomials of infinite order is a rather breathtaking graph, even if I do say so myself. The structure of most Lie groups is often considered beautiful, aesthetically. The Fibonacci Spiral is a classic go-to. Bifurcation maps are fascinating. Yet most pens that are science-themed are physics, biology, or chemistry related. Such a shame.
Neil deGrasse is so easy to understand as he comes from the place of a young mind, someone simple and uncomplicated. All this and he’s so highly educated and aware of the latest knowledge.
"I love me some flexible nibs" lol -Neil DGT!
I’m seven years late to the party, but I enjoyed this video so much I had to say thank you for your creativity and hard work. It’s a wonderful interview and such fun watching Neil deGrasse Tyson geek out over his pens. Astrophysics + Merlin + fountain pens ticked all my boxes. Much gratitude! 🖊️🌖✨🪐☄️💫💥
I keep finding more and more reasons to love NdGT.
I LOVE Neil deGrasse Tyson! The fact that he is a fountain collector adds yet another reason to love his work. Thank you sooooo much for making this video. I enjoyed it immensely!
That was an awesome interview!
Keep it up!
Did he actually bought or was interested about the classic pen?
I didn't make the sale. Guess I should just stick to reviews. :-)
This interview was a joy. Thank you for putting this together. Neil's enthusiasm for pens was a surprise (at least to me it was) and a joy to watch.
It would be amazing if you could do an interview with Richard Binder.
Landed an interview with Mr. Tyson! ... SWEET. Imagine what it would be like to own pens like he's got in his kit!! Well done, Figboot!
Thank you for doing this! Do you know what kind of notebook he wrote his graduate notes in? It looked very interesting!
Sorry...I didn't notice the brand. It was very nice, though.
Donovan Peterson you would think that's what a fountain pen channel would pay attention to. I could see Figboot completely out of his element here. Perhaps because Neil's presence was daunting.
@@neilfischer3957 Not really. It just looks like a typical lab notebook. They're a dime a dozen.
David, I only discovered you recently and totally loved this video and the whole concept of interviewing famous people who love fountain pens. I believe you have stumbled on something totally original and you show continue doing this. It gives the pen loving community a different angle of how wide spread pen loving truly is. Therefore, I suggest you continue doing this and maybe you could try interviewing Dr. Tyson's fellow scientist - Dr. Michio Kaku. I don't know if he loves fountain pens, but maybe you could check it out. Maybe interview Andrea Mitchell, famous reporter - maybe she writes her notes instead of keyboard use. That would be fascinating to know because she has been a reporter for decades. I really think you should pursue this because it is fascinating. But I do recommend that you don't spend too much time looking at your notes and just look at the interviewee - it's more polite. I hope you don't mind my long post. Loved your video! Cheers!
Thanks for the kind words. I'm working on nailing down additional interviews...we'll see what happens.
You're very welcome. David, I really think you're onto something big! By highlighting famous person who used fountain pens, you could very well put a spotlight on the magic of using fountain pens, and even possibly get sponsorships from the major fountain pen manufacturers to provide you with what you need (planes, trains, lights, accommodations, etc.). It was a lot of fun watching awesome Dr. Tyson droll over his pens. I'm sure if you did other interviews, we would all be watching. However, I strongly recommend looking directly at the interviewee and not your notes, well as little as possible. For example, Dr. Tyson is VERY aware of people paying attention or not. Congrats again!
14:45 Well, actually, even rigid nib fountain pens offer a very different feedback on paper. They are simply less slimey and uncontrolled ;)
So, for people like me who are just starting out, they're like training wheels on a bike.
@@almostfm Nerd father mode engaged! :D *ekhem* Well, actually, training wheels are sabotaging devices. Those small "bicycles" without pedals and the drive train actually effortlessly learn kids the whole mechanism of balancing a bicycle, turning and everything apart pedaling, which turns out to be the least difficult part.
This is an absolute gem. Neil is one of my favorite role models and this just adds to the many reasons that make me respect him.
"You need good flow to feed a broad." - Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson (2017)
I listen to Neil's podcast and knew he wrote his speeches with a quill but didn't know he had such a collection. Glad this video was made looking for the next one
I think pen 0000 should be given as gift to Dr. Tyson!
Luan Cardoso dos Santos same thought
Yeah, I thought he was going to give it to him.
I am going to show this video to anyone who thinks fountain pen people are not "cool". Thank you., Loved it.
Studio PP Glad you liked it...thanks for watching!
"You gotta have a good flow to feed a broad" -- That moment when you realize there's an overlap between good penmanship and becoming a rap star.
I'm in love with this man (Dr. Tyson), well that is, his mind, but now I love him even more now that I found out that he loves fountain pens as much as I do, as much as we all do! David, great job and I am so jealous that you got to meet him. Awesome interview.
Save the human race #ElectAScientist #Tyson2020 I can see him signing executive orders with that pink flamingo pen
That would be so wonderful! The scientist for president, the flamingo pen.... why oh why did you have to dangle that in front of me lol
I know I'm super late to the party, but this was delightful
David, don't look at your notes so much while interviewing someone. It distracts. Pretend like you're engaging rather than worrying about the next question.
That's exactly the first thing I noticed and so did Dr. Tyson. Thank God Dr. Tyson didn't get pissed off at that because it does appears as if he is not listening to Dr. Tyson and only concerned with his notes. Still, it was a great interview.
Great interview David! Thanks for sharing it with us. I had no idea NdGT was such a fountain pen enthusiast... very cool! After reading the late author and neurologist Oliver Sacks' memoir published just before his passing, I was happy to learn he too hand wrote all his notes and book drafts with fountain pens.
This was an excellent video, combining both knowledge and entertainment. Listening to Tyson talk was endlessly charming; the man clearly has a passion for a great many things, and it is refreshing to hear him speak deeply about something that may seem so trivial to others. The passion and joy he has for the interconnectedness of nature and art and humanity comes across abundantly here. Thank you for a lovely video.
David, thank you for putting this interview together, I didn't think that Dr. Tyson could get any cooler.. and then I find he's into Fountain Pens as well, this just made my week.
Love that he wanted to show you ALL the pens :) Really great interview and time well spent watching. Thanks for sharing this with us!
This is fantastic.... the way he talked about the Namiki... the skyline behind the skyscraper... that just shows there is more than just physics. The passion. He clearly is a great of our time... and he likes fountain pens!!!!! Thank you so much for doing this. Great interview and well done by you. Thank you for this!!!!