One of the most idiosyncratic and charismatic musicians of the twentieth century, pianist Glenn Gould (1932-82) slouched at the piano from a sawed-down wooden stool, interpreting Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart at hastened tempos with pristine clarity. A strange genius and true eccentric, Gould was renowned not only for his musical gifts but also for his erratic behavior: he often hummed aloud during concerts and appeared in unpressed tails, fingerless gloves, and fur coats. In 1964, at the height of his controversial career, he abandoned the stage completely to focus instead on recording and writing. Jonathan Cott, a prolific author and poet praised by Larry McMurtry as "the ideal interviewer," was one of the very few people to whom Gould ever granted an interview. Cott spoke with Gould in 1974 for Rolling Stone and published the transcripts in two long articles; after Gould's death, Cott gathered these interviews in Conversations with Glenn Gould, adding an introduction, a selection of photographs, a list of Gould's recorded repertoire, a filmography, and a listing of Gould's programs on radio and TV. A brilliant one-on-one in which Gould discusses his dislike of Mozart's piano sonatas, his partiality for composers such as Orlando Gibbons and Richard Strauss, and his admiration for the popular singer Petula Clark (and his dislike of the Beatles), among other topics, "Conversations with Glenn Gould" is considered by many, including the subject, to be the best interview Gould ever gave and one of his most remarkable performances.

乔纳森•科特（Jonathan Cott）是一名作家和诗人，《华盛顿邮报》曾将他誉为“最理想的采访人”。他是屈指可数的几个有幸采访过古尔德的人之一。1974年，科特代表《滚石》杂志对古尔德进行了一次访谈，而在古尔德逝世之后，他将这一次的访谈资料加以整理，并配上了一篇引言、一组图片、一张古尔德的录音曲目清单、作品年表及其参加过的广播和电视节目清单，结成了这本《格伦•古尔德对话录》。从书中可以看到，古尔德对诸多话题直言不讳，包括自己对奥兰多•吉本斯（Orlando Gibbons）、理查德•斯特劳斯（Richard Strauss）和佩杜拉•克拉克（Petula Clark）的钟爱，也包括对莫扎特的钢琴奏鸣曲和披头士乐队的反感，言谈之间充满智慧、妙语连珠。而《格伦•古尔德对话录》也被包括古尔德本人在内的许多人视为是他最出色的一次访谈，亦堪称是他一生中最令人难忘的演出之一。