Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson and politician Joel Wachs look back on their LA careers

Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie, “Licorice Pizza,” is about growing up and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s. He looks back on growing up in LA and realizing he didn’t need to go to film school to make movies, and explains why winning awards is the last thing on his mind when trying to finish a 10-hour work day.

Also, KCRW speaks with a real-life politician portrayed in “Licorice Pizza” — Joel Wachs, who sat on the LA City Council from 1971 to 2001. He explains the dramatic shift in LA politics during the 1970s, and why he chose to stay closeted for most of his life.