Barry on Barry

WASHINGTON - For many people, Marion Barry symbolizes Washington, D.C. -- for better or worse. The four-time mayor and current Ward 8 Council member is despised and adored, admired and vilified.

A new documentary called "The Nine Lives of Marion Barry" airs next week on HBO.

WTOP's Neal Augenstein sat down with the man some consider the most polarizing politician of our times.

You can hear the interview on the left or watch the videos.

In this segment, Barry describes why he was willing to participate in a documentary about his life, and he recounts why he chose D.C. as a place to live and continue his work as a civil rights activist. He acknowledges Washington wasn't his first choice.

Barry recalls developing his loyal and large political powerbase, soon after moving to Washington in 1965. In the video below, he also fondly remembers meeting the woman who would become his third wife, Effi.

Barry acknowledges that for many people, his life's defining moment was the drug sting at the Vista Hotel. In the video below he discusses the embarrassment of hurting his wife and voters, and recalls his reelection shortly after getting out of prison.

Barry reflects on how he hopes history will remember him and on his mortality in the final video segment.

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