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The B.E.E. Podcast - 9/6/20 - Walter Kirn - SILVER (Patreon)

Published:
2020-09-07 00:23:38
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2026-06
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Content

Bret Easton Ellis reveals his reasons for revisiting the dark days of 1981 Los Angeles in Part 1 of The Shards. Writer Walter Kirn and Bret discuss the faded archetype of the classic American novelist, drinking hard in Montana and Ivy League deconstructionism damaging your love of literature.

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Comments

Sven Ackermann

IS THIS A VORTEX INTO REALISM YOU FOLLOW, CULMINATING WITH WATCHMEN?

Jim Seem

Good god I’m excited for this.

Chase

Phew that opening. If you wanted to get me excited about your upcoming novel, you've succeeded admirably.

jason smith

Please let it be another horror novel. Lunar Park was underrated.

Will Cross

So excited for Bret’s new novel

Thomas Rankin

Just finished the opening and it was beyond compelling. Can't wait for this novel.

Bazayer

This was a really great episode - I find some of the best podcasts have been with authors. Also really looking forward to the new novel after that awesome intro.

David Willis

Bret can you stop apologizing for the past. When you asked Todd why isn’t your generation making Apocalypse Now, there should be no look of disdain. They aren’t making art, Tik Tok is bullshit, modern movies are bullshit, social justice in everything is bullshit, music is bullshit, the death of the novel is, yes, bullshit. Recently I have been watching old Hollywood movies and the ambition and the brilliance of them far eclipse the garbage that is being made these days. Be proud of the past when talent and ambition meant something, and fuck this generation of losers and cry babies. Ps. can’t wait for your novel.

MikeE

This may be one of my favorites of all time. I could listen to the two of you talk for hours, Walter is just a great raconteur, a skill one is born with, or not. And his life and work then fills that function with form. Loved it. The poignancy of the moment when he discussed that it’s WORSE now knowing he’s good at writing for the screen and it’s still next to impossible to hit the jackpot in that world was so spot on. I used to see so many truly talented people actually get that ‘break’ (book a pilot lead with great auspices behind it that gets picked up, given massive support by network, the full you’re gonna be rich famous and maybe an Emmy winner etc) and after 13 episodes it’s all over, cancelled, and back to square one. A couple of those experiences especially while young... very few are emotionally equipped to handle. That’s why living in LA is like living in this giant haunted house, the ghosts of shattered souls and dreams shuffling to Ralph’s for cheap hamburger meat and generic cereal hoping their ATM card works at checkout. Loved cultural/political discussion as well...the D’s and their Big Media, Big Tech cohorts/masters have badly misread the room once again. I know SO many lifelong Democrats who will either skip it altogether or actually clothespin their noses and vote for Trump. That’s how disgusted they are. Not to mention the fact this has to be the worst D ticket in history. I lived in LA for 25 years until moving a few years back and when I still lived there people utterly DESPISED Harris as AG. Absolutely disastrous choice to go along with a literal senile man with a very dodgy track record. Incredible. Oh and the lead in re the upcoming book seriously creeped me out and was fantastic.

Fan

This was such a great episode! Such an engaging conversation these two had! Bret's new novel is going to be awesome

Alex Bielovich

Cannot WAIT for a new novel from Bret

Fernando

Possibly the best answer to the "Eagles" question , great guest transparent, open, smart, love it when you have literary guests!🤤

BUtterfield8
>>43630584

Came here to say the same about the Eagles question. Definitely a top-five response.

Billy Vega

There was one story in th Informers that hinted at some weird tragedy in the past that was never explained. I wonder if this true story is the same thing? Defo tantalising and rather chilling, making me think Bret and co were unknowingly in a room next to a serial killer while a murder took place or some such awful thing. Cannot wait to read it ! Now I am reading Heller - something happened. Was a bit disappointed there was no Tenet/I'm thinking of ending things review. Hopefully next time and I hope Bret artfully takes down these confusing messes while admiring the craft.

Julia lyons

When is this new novel coming out ?! I need something to look forward too!!!

McSpackle

Always appreciate your insights but the audio quality has gone down significantly in recent episodes. Lots of noisy hiss in background.

Andrew Hannaker

Great episode! Kirn is 100% accurate about Franzen. How was Bret fooled?

Ashley

Hey Bret! Great episode!! I just want to mention not all millennials are brain dead ding dongs foaming at the mouth over everything that happens in mainstream media. I gave up the “news” years ago, read avidly and have never once seen a “tik tok”...we do exist!

Anthony Giancola

Might be the best guest since Roger Avary. Funny, insightful, candid, and spitting fire every time he spoke.

Wilson

great episode (dude)

Brian Rooney

I don’t find Trump to be as fun as Bret and Kirn do. I don’t really see how he is better than Biden. But I will continue to listen and argue with Uber drivers :-)

Eric M. Rhein

A memoir by one of the smartest in Hollywood? I’m there. BEE has something to say.

Alistair Dean

Definitely excited for the new novel. Anyone have any idea what serial killer he might be referring to?

Dale Baker

Holy Shit!! What an amazing teaser!! Take my money! I need that book!! Love Bret!!!!!

James Reeves

GoFundMe on this new novel — I’ll pledge $100 for an autographed first edition. GoFundMe on this novel taken to screen — I’ll pledge $500. This novel reminds me of the BEE podcast interview on PodcastOne when the guest talked about Paul Thomas Anderson making There Will Be Blood; an idea and implementation so innate to the creator.

Jim Weaver

Bret, I don’t know where to begin so I won’t, I’ll skip right to the end and say that was one terrific podcast, Walter was great and can’t wait for your new book.

John24d

What were the books Kirn recommends? Red and the Black.....Sentimental History?

Jett

Great podcast. Great guest. But, sorry, Judas Preist will always be more listenable than Elvis Costello.

Claudia
>>43630584

I second that! It was so well put! 'The Last Resort' was never one of my favorite Eagles songs but after hearing Walter's take on it, I had to go back and listen to it again. So poignant, especially considering the eerie yellow haze that has descended on LA today. I'm still waiting for a guest who's actually expecting the question, though. My heart sinks a little every time a guest says, "The Eagles... you mean the band?" Didn't any of them listen to at least one full episode of the podcast before being a guest on it?

Erick

Can't wait for Bret's commentary on The Academy going full retard. Ideology over aesthetic times 999999

David

Wow the best monologue so far. Intense, imagistic, inspiring. And the interview was really great too!

David Einhorn

Excited by the idea of the book. Can't even begin to imagine the trauma. You've hidden it well.

Bobby Miller

Has anyone compiled a list of all the books BEE likes? Would love to see it.

Marc V.
>>43815836

The Red and the Black (Stendahl), A Sentimental Education (Flaubert.)

Neil with the Reel Deel

Hey Bret, totally off topic from Walter Kirn, but you always ask the question “what do you think of The Eagles”. I’m just wondering: what do you think of Led Zeppelin?

Matt Jones

Bret your shows have been excellent in the past couple months, I really appreciate it and don't mind paying for the show, regardless if I agree with your opinion. I'm a long time listener since your original podcast. There was a stretch there where I had to cancel because you got really caught up in complaining about the politics of Hollywood. But now it seems like you are back to talking about your love and criticism of movies, and writing, and it is an amazing listen. Thank you

Dave

One of your finest podcasts yet! Once again, your interview captures the essence of where we’re at in our culture.

Dina

Fantastic! Thank you Bret, discovering your podcast was like glimpsing a ray of light in an ocean of bullshit.

Alex Waller

Really appreciate that Bret is a big fan of Franzen's novels. Its always fun to hear him mention how great they are and hear the guest explode with professional jealousy which happens time and time again. No novel is perfect but Franzen deserves all the credit in the world. On the flip side, all this stuff about how DFW didn't enjoy writing fiction is a totally false narrative and totally made up by Bret. The dude was beyond intelligent and he could have made a hell of a lot more money and everything that comes with it doing something else besides writing a mega novel that only so many people were going to read and teaching at a midwestern state school.

Dave

Recommendation to BEE Podcast - make transcripts available after a week or so of posting podcast. I would pay cash money for a transcript of you and Kirn discussing “Trump and the Culture”. It’s as classic (especially the Priest-Costello comment).

bpvalentine
>>44067054

I'm with Dave in spirit. I don't personally have a lot of need for transcripts. However, I'd love for Bret to a kind of volume like the Portable Nietzsche or the Portable Stephen Crane. (Crane is my favorite author, in case you're wondering why of all names I pulled that one out of my ass. Just don't ask why it was IN my ass in the first place! *sad trombone*) I'm talking about collected works. More to my point, I'd love to read those profiles Bret frequently references as getting paid stupid money to write for the stinky gloss magazines of old. I think I've never read even one of those profiles, which is wild bc I was a magazine addict back in the day as well as a Bret fan. Anyway, Bret, that sounds reasonable, eh? I get why that might never occur to you since you sound like you don't hold that among your better material. I submit that possibly underestimate how interested your fans are, particularly those born too late for the slickers of empire, and would appreciate the opportunity to get a taste of what the world felt like back in that era. Food for thought.

James Reeves
>>44067054

A Bret Easton Ellis podcast online database would be epic. Since 2014(?), so many monologues, so many guests, so many topics — such an endeavor to catalog everything would be very appealing.

Peter Walker
>>43841947

“Aesthetics over Ideology” grenade on its way, although all films have an ideological positioning AND an aesthetic. Even if choosing to shrug off diversity/inclusion this IS an ideological decision. This week’s pod was excellent. Great guest.

Erick

Anyone else want Bret to record audiobook for American Psycho? I'd pay $50 for audio book with Bret reading it and maybe some other commentary

Chris cuddy

What are the Trawler Murders?

CRAIG GLASPELL

is where I'd wanna start for the TRAWLER murders story? so confused.

Mickey242

Real Monster In A Box vibe at the start.

Lucas

Your interviews with novelists are always by far my favorites!

Hagbard_Celine

I pretty much subscribed on patreon just to listen to this episode.

Juan Monasterio

This one pays off a bit more if you make it to the last 30-40 min of the interview.