You Have 4 Minutes: My life as an unlikely celebrity interviewer

by Michael MacKie, Cindy Wilson of The B-52s (Other)

Michael Mackie will tell you living in the middle of the map is good for business if you’re an entertainment reporter. Famous people often pass through Kansas City, and he’s been blessed to have interviewed most all of them. While he still isn’t quite sure how he’s been lucky enough to chat with celebs like Jennifer Lopez, Samuel L. Jackson, Cameron Diaz, and John Travolta, he’s pretty sure it’s what he was put on this earth to do. He’ll tell you why "The Bionic Woman’s" Lindsay Wagner was one of his favorite interviews, and why Andrew Dice Clay was the worst interview ever. "You Have 4 Minutes" explores the art of interviewing, dishes a bit of gossip about the stars, and dives deep into Mackie’s navigation through his life’s biggest suffering a major stroke at age 40, the beast that is alcoholism, and (this is a big one, friends), a year denied of all refined sugar.

240 pages, Paperback

Published September 9, 2025

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, there are laugh out loud moments in this book. Second, I have known the author for over 20 years and managed to learn quite a few things about him in this book. Third, this is more than fun snippets about famous people... it is an amazing journey a single person has made so far in their life and I loved every page. Read this book!!!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I waffled between 3 and 4 stars. Great book - no. Fun holiday weekend read - yes.

I laughed a lot in the first half; less in the second. And there are a few factual errors/inconsistencies that bugged me (notably, in the Melissa Etheridge chapter her correctly identifies her as a native of Leavenworth, KS but in a later chapter when he sees her perform at the Iowa state fair he says that she's from Topeka, KS????)

My honest recommendation is that you go to your public library, find this book on the shelf, read the Lindsay Wagner chapter, put the book on a cart to be reshelved, and move on with your life.