In his long career, magazine writer and biographer Bill Zehme had one white whale: the enigmatic TV giant Johnny Carson, whom Zehme called "The Great American Sphinx." In 2002, Zehme landed one of the most coveted assignments for a magazine writer: an interview with Johnny Carson-the only one he'd granted since retiring from hosting "The Tonight Show" a decade earlier. Zehme, who had been a diehard Carson fan since childhood, was tapped for the Esquire feature story thanks to his years of legendary celebrity profiles that included several high-profile show hosts-the resulting piece portrayed Carson as more human being than showbiz legend. Shortly after Carson's death in 2005 and urged on by many of those closest to Carson, Zehme signed a contract to do an expansive biography. Unfortunately, Zehme died 2023 and Mike Thomas was able to finish the book entitled CARSON THE MAGNIFICENT. Thomas has spent 14 years as the arts and entertainment features writer at the Chicago Sun-Times and joined Mike Pomp on the Morning Information Center to chat about the Tonight Show and the one and only Johnny Carson.
