Sept. 30, 2009 : Author Dan Brown

WHEN WE CONTINUE, THE DAN

BROWN PHENOMENON.

IN THE FICKLE WORD OF FICTION,

FEW AUTHORS HAVE BECOME

WORLDWIDE SENSATIONS QUITE

LIKE DA VINCI CODE AUTHOR DAN

BROWN.

IN HIS LATEST BOOK, THE LOST

SYMBOL, SEEMS TO BE FOLLOWING

SUIT.

MORE THAN ONE MILLION COPIES

SOLD ON THE FIRST DAY.

MORE THAN TWO MILLION IN THE

FIRST WEEK.

AND MORE THAN 5.5 MILLION ARE

IN PRINT.

DAN BROWN HAS DONE IT AGAIN

WITH HIS LATEST THRILLER, "THE

LOST SYMBOL." IT'S BROWN'S

FIRST BOOK SINCE THE DA VINCI

CODE TOOK THE WORLD BY STORM

IN 2003.

THAT BOOK HAD SOLD OVER 81

MILLION COPIES.

THE MOVIE VERSION WAS RELEASED

IN 2006, GROSSING OVER $750

MILLION.

DESPITE HARSH CRITICISM FROM

THE VATICAN FOR THE MOVIE'S

LOOSE INTERPRETATION OF THE

CATHOLIC CHURCH'S HISTORY.

REGARDLESS, THE DA VINCIS CODE

CRACKING SIM BOLGS HAS BECOME

A WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON.

TOURISTS CAN NOW TRACE HIS

STEPS IN DA VINCI CODE THEME

TOURS IN PARIS, LONDON AND

SCOTLAND. THIS TIME AROUND

BROWN FOCUSES ON THE

FREEMASONS WHOSE KRET

FRATERNITY LIES AT THE HEART

OF "THE LOST SYMBOL." WITH ME

NOW IS BOSTON COLLEGE

PROFESSOR MARTHA BAYLES,

LITERARY AGENT LORIN REES, AND

GRAND MASTER OF THE

MASSACHUSETTS FREEMASONS,

ROGER PAGEAU.

MARTHA, WHAT'S BEHIND THE

PHENOMENON OF THIS?

>> I THINK DAN BROWN IS THE

SON OF A TEACH, A MATH TEACHER

AT EXETER ACADEMY IN NEW

HAMPSHIRE AND I THINK HE HAS A

KIND OF TEACHERLY DESIRE TO

MAKE LEARNING FUN.

THIS IS THE POSITIVE SIDE.

I THINK HE DRAWS PEOPLE IN

WITH THE PROMISE THAT THEY'RE

GOING TO LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT

OUR HISTORY IN THE CASE OF THE

DA VINCI CODE, THEY'RE GOING

TO LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT THE

HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY, ABOUT

THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED

STATES AND FOUNDING FATHERS IN

THE CASE OF THIS BOOK.

SO THERE'S A SENSE THAT

LEARNING WILL BE FUN, IT'S

GOING TO BE A GREAT PAGE

TURNER AND ALONG THE PAY

YOU'LL PICK UP STUFF YOU

DIDN'T LEARN IN SCHOOL BUT YOU

WISH YOU HAD.

THERE'S A NEGATIVE SIDE TO IT,

TOO, THOUGH BECAUSE I THINK HE

KIND OF, IT'S A KIND OF RIPOFF,

IT A CON TO SOME DEGREE

BECAUSE HE ALSO OFFERS YOU ALL

THIS OCCULT KNOWLEDGE AND THIS

IDEA THAT SOMEHOW ALL THIS

LEARNING IS STUDDED WITH ALL

THESE LITTLE CLUES AND THINGS

AND THAT SOMEHOW THE END OF

THE BOOK YOU'RE GOING TO GET

THE KEY THAT HELPS YOU TO

UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING.

AND THAT'S A CON.

>> THE ENDS ARE WAIDS --

THE ENDS ARE ALWAYS

DISAPPOINTING.

>> I'M NOT SURE PEOPLE CARE

BECAUSE THEY ENJOY THE RIDE.

>> LORIN, WHAT'S THE STORY ON

SELLING A BOOK LIKE THIS?

ONCE THE DA VINCI KOH TOOK OFF,

PEOPLE WENT BACK AND PICKED UP

ANGELS AND DEMONS.

SO A BOOK LIKE THIS WAS, WHAT

ARE THE EXPECTATIONS OF

SUCCESS?

>> WELL, A COUPLE THINGS TO

NOTE.

ONE IS THAT FOR FICTION

AUTHORS, REAR SUS NONFICTION

AUTHORS, THE AUTHOR IS THE

REAL DRIVER OF SALES.

SO IN THE PUBLISHING WORLD

DANIELLE STEELE, STEPHEN KING

AND DAN BROWN, THEY HAVE A

HUGE AUDIENCE AND THAT'S HOW

PEOPLE BUY BOOKS.

SO ONCE THESE AUTHORS ARE BIG,

PEOPLE WILL FOLLOW THEM AND

BUY ALL THEIR BOOKS.

THIS ISN'T THE CASE WITH

NONFICTION.

SO ONCE THE DA VINCI CODE HIT

THERE WAS GREAT EXPECTATIONS

FOR THIS BOOK BECAUSE PEOPLE

WILL BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR

HIS NEXT BOOK.

>> WILL IT MATTER WHETHER IT'S

DONE AS GOOD?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR

NOT IT'S GOOD IS SUBJECTIVE.

IS IT TAKEN SERIOUSLY AS A

WORK OF LITERATURE?

YOU KNOW, THAT'S A QUESTION

FOR THE CRITICS.

BUT I DON'T THINK IT REALLY

MATTERS.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS FOR

PUBLISHERS IN THIS DAY AND AGE,

WILL IT SELL AND WILL IT, YOU

KNOW, EARN THE MONEY THAT THEY

NEED RIGHT NOW.

>> ROGER, TO MARTHA'S POINT,

IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS BOOK

DAN BROWN MAKES A LIST OF

THINGS HE SAYS ARE FACT, TRUE.

AND HE TALKS ABOUT THINGS THAT

EXIST AND ONE OF THEM OF

COURSE IS FREEMASONS AND SOME

OF THE STUFF HE BRINGS UP,

ASSOCIATED WITH IT.

YOU'VE READ THE BOOK.

I JUST READ PART OF IT TODAY.

BUT IN SOME CIRCLES THERE'S

BEEN A PUSHBACK FROM THE FREE

FREEMASONS AS THERE WAS FROM

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WITH SOME

OF THE STUFF.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT

PERSONALLY?

DO YOU FEEL LIKE I CAME OFF

PRETTY WELL IN IT?

>> YES, THE FREEMASONS DO COME

OFF FAIRLY WELL IN IT BECAUSE

HE TALKS ABOUT THIS ISSUE OF

SECRECY, AND HE COMPARES IT

WITH COCA-COLA WHERE YOU CAN'T

WALK BOO THE COCA-COLA OFFICES

AND ASK TO SEE THE FORMULA FOR

COKE.

HE SAID THERE ARE

ORGANIZATIONS WITH SECRETS.

WELL, IF ANYTHING, I THINK THE

FREEMASONS ARE PROBABLY HAVE

PAST THAT MANY MANY YEARS AGO.

EVERYTHING THAT WE DO,

EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE FOR

RITUALS AND ALL THESE THINGS

ARE AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET.

THE FIRST EXPOSURE CAME OUT

ROUGHLY NINE YEARS AFTER THE

FIRST GRAND LODGE WAS FORMED.

SO THERE REALLY ISN'T A LOT OF

SECRETS THERE, BUT IT'S

PERCEIVED TO BE THAT WAY, SO

IT'S A VERY ATTRACTIVE TARGET

FOR SOMEONE WHO IS WRITING

FICTION.

>> IT'S GOT SOME GREAT, YOU'RE

IN GREAT COMPANY, MOZART,

GEORGE WASHINGTON, BENJAMIN

FRANKLIN, I WAS SURPRISED TO

SEE HOW MANY POLITICAL FIGURES

OF A CERTAIN TIME WERE MEMBERS

OF THE FREEMASONS.

BUT PICKING SOMETHING LIKE

THAT THAT HAS KIND OF, PEOPLE

KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE

FREEMASONS, THEY DIDN'T KNOW

ANYTHING ABOUT SOME OF THOSE

--

>> THE ILLUMINATI.

>> YES, AND ONCE YOU'RE SAYING,

WELL, IT'S EDUCATION, IT'S NOT,

BOUGHT IT IS BECAUSE HE'S

TEACHING YOU SOMETHING.

WHETHER IT'S ACCURATE IS

ANOTHER THING.

BUT YOU ARE LEARNING SOMETHING

YOU COULDN'T BELIEVE EXISTED.

DO YOU DISAGREE WITH THAT?

>> NO, I THINK PEOPLE ENJOY

SLEUTHING.

AMATEUR LOOUTING.

AND THERE'S A COTTAGE TRY OF

STRAIGHTENING OUT DAN BROWN.

OR BIGING DOWN UNDERNEATH WHAT

HE TELLS YOU TO SEE WHAT'S

TRUE AND THEN ARGUING ABOUT

IT.

IT JUST KEEPS PEOPLE VERY

OCCUPIED.

IT'S ENTERTAINING, IT'S

DIVERTING, IT'S A DISTRACTION

FROM YOUR REAL PROBLEMS, AND

HE SAYS ALL SORTS OF LITTLE

THINGS LIKE THAT UP FOR PEOPLE

TO CHASE DOWN.

THERE'S A GOOD SIDE TO IT.

THE TOUR IN THE LOUVRE, THE

DAN BROWN DA VINCI CODE TOUR

ACTUALLY TAKES TO YOU SEVERAL

GREAT WORKS OF ART AND IN THE

COURSE OF TELLING YOU WHAT

HAPPENED IN THE NOVEL THEY

STEP BACK AND TELL YOU, WELL,

ACTUALLY, THIS PAINTING IS

BLAH BLAH BLAH AND TELL YOU

SOMETHING YOU MIGHT NOT

OTHERWISE KNOW THAT IS

ACTUALLY TRUE.

>> ONE INTERESTING THING ABOUT

DAN BROWN IS THAT HE'S

SOMETHING OF A MYSTERY HIMSELF,

TALK ABOUT THE OCCULT.

HE DOESN'T LIKE TO DO

INTERVIEWS, HE DID ONE LAST

WEEK WITH MATT LAUER ON THE

TODAY SHOW.

BUT HE REALLY DOESN'T DO ANY

PUBLICITY, HE DOESN'T HAVE TO.

DO YOU THINK THAT'S PART OF

THE ALLURE THAT THE GUY

HIMSELF IS SO MYSTERIOUS?

>> I DON'T THINK SO.

I THINK THERE'S AUTHORS OUT

THERE WHO ARE VERY BIG AND WHO

ARE ACCESSIBLE, AND THEY HAVE

A LOT OF SUCCESS.

IT MIGHT ADD SOMETHING TO THE

WORK, BUT I THINK PEOPLE BUY

FICTION BECAUSE OF THE.

AND BECAUSE OF THE WORK.

AND IF THEY'RE ATTRACTED TO

THE AUTHOR, SURE.

BUT YOU KNOW, HIS WORK

RESONATES, SOMEHOW HIS WORK

CONNECTS WITH A LARGE

POPULATION.

A LARGE AUDIENCE.

HE HAS A LOT OF ELEMENTS.

>> DO YOU FEEL IN SOME WAYS IT

WAS A GOOD THING THAT HE CHOSE

THE FREEMASONS?

>> INITIALLY, YES.

I THINK IN THE END IT IS.

INITIALLY THERE WAS A GREAT

DEAL OF QUESTIONS, FOR MANY

PEOPLE, ABOUT WHAT THE TOPIC

WOULD BE OF THE BOOK.

IT WAS, GOING TO BE ABOUT THE

FREEMASONS, BUT NO ONE KNEW

WHETHER IT WAS GOING TO BE

POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE IN TERMS

OF THE WAY HE TREATED THE

CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE DA VIN

CHICAGO CODE.

AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE VERY

POSITIVE.

BUT IT WAS VERY INTERESTING.

>> I JUST STARTED IT BECAUSE I

HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT WHICH

PARTY IS THE BAD GUY.

I'M SURE HE MUST BE SOME PLIBLER

--

>> THE ROGUE MASONS.

>> HE'S NOT THOUGH.

>> DON'T RUIN IT.

I WILL GET THROUGH IT.

IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE NE THE

NEXT EIGHT MONTHS.

>> DON'T BOTHER.

FIRST HE'S AN INDIVIDUAL, HE'S

NOT PART OF A GROUP.

>> OKAY, ALL RIGHT, THAT'S

ENOUGH.

I ALREADY READ ONE "NEW YORK

TIMES" REVIEW THAT GAVE AWAY

MOST OF IT.

THAT IS IT FOR "GREATER

BOSTON".

FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO OUR

WEBSITE.

TOMORROW NIGHT, THOSE PINK

BREAST CANCER RIBBONS AND HOW

CHARITIES PROFIT.

F AT ALL.

PLUS JARED BOWEN WITH THE

ACTRESS DREW BARRYMORE, THAT

AND MORE TOMORROW NIGHT AT

7:00.

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOOD NIGHT.