The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast from patreon

The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast patreon

S7E14: Impressions and Interiors with Jordan Firstman

🕑 Added 2023-05-23 03:05:56 +0000 UTC

Comments

Justin

Finally watched Rotting In The Sun. Enjoyed it.

Francesco Nucci

Music people and influencers are the worst guests IMO.

Harold B

I wish you guys were more open minded instead of putting your heads in the sand and saying no no no entertainment don’t ever change. Film was once a joke tv was once a joke. Hell podcasts were once a joke. Do you not see the hypocrisy?

Ben

Interesting conversation. I enjoyed this episode.

Keith campbell

I find myself in the middle of the views expressed here. This guy was interesting but also appalling.

Virgin Marie

Manhattan Murder Mystery

David Schur

This guy sucks. So boring yet so self important. What has he done some instagram videos? Snore

Harold B

I asked him about the details related to the show and bret almost didn't answer the question! lol (Adam said it was fault he didn't see it but I tend to think Bret didn't want to get in trouble talking about things he shouldn't even in the abstract--until I made a fuss about it.) Idk man I have a hard time believing Tarantino was going to do the shards even though he said on the podcast that he's a big fan of the book. He strikes me as one of those directors who still looks down on tv as an inferior storytelling medium. Has he even done tv before??

Harold B

Well, I think Bret tends to prefer "literary" novels just like he prefers "auteur" films. But literary novels don't do well anymore, especially among millennials who greatly prefer "genre fiction." Also, novelists aren't the rockstars they used to be, today the publishing scene strikes me as more business centric, where the most famous writers are heralded for their business acumen running their respective book empires rather than their "literary talent."

Stephen

Wouldn't not? English, do you speak it, motherfucker?

Paul Richardson

I wondered that but doubt it. QTs heart is in the 70s and also HBO wouldn’t not pay him his going rate.

Nikki Ferrari

He’s not going to say. He has couth.

Nikki Ferrari

This conversation was organic, easy, entertaining, raw. Loved it.

Iain

Can someone who’s part of the platinum posse just flat out ask Bret if Tarantino was the director who pulled out of The Shards? Just a yes or no answer?

Stephen

Christ these guests have been mediocre. I'd rather listen to Bret and Adam bullshit about whatever.

Neil G.

most people don't know what Citizen Kane is, period...the 20th century was the DECLINE OF WESTERN CULTURE...get used to it.

Neil G.

you can't take it too literally. As a general trend, people don't read as much as they used to, but there are plenty of great novels being written albeit in the derided "genre" category. Remember, no one thinks of art in any formal way beyond the 19th century, since modernism is where formalism left off...and that's a general fact of the last 100 years. So don't take everything Bret says TOO literally 😂😂

Neil G.

Schrader is a pseudo intellectual POS and that's a fact so whoever Jordan Firstman is, he is objectively better than that nonsense...

Thomas Matich

Ok, Tim Dillon has book coming later this year, “Death by Boomers…” — we need him on the BEE podcast. It’s time.

Phoenix

Yup, I see a huge difference between elder millennials and those born in the 90s, they might as well be two different generations. I have a bunch of friends both ages. I’m on the tail end of gen x myself so fall into the xennial bracket too. The same could be said for elder gen Xers and those of us born in the mid to late 70s. Two different versions of Gen x. So anyway, a lot of these recent 90s baby guests, I’ve noticed, have this chip on their shoulder and seem very whiny :) to be fair, I’m not saying all. I have many friends that age that aren’t. Maybe it’s a Hollywood thing lol

Collin Myers

im an older millennial--born in late 1985--and i recently typed up a list of all the books i've read going back to when i was 8-9 and starting elementary school. i came up with just over 1000 titles and im sure im forgetting some. if you love books, you read books. regardless of age or genertation

Collin Myers

Annie Hall Match Point The Purple Rose of Cairo

Paulo Lorca

Probably the worst guest to date. Mediocre at his best and completely self-absorbed.

Brian Rooney

Deconstructing Harry Stardust Memories Sleeper

Billy Schafer

True. Leone and Kirchick are 80s babies, like me. When I say younger Millennials I mean in general anyone Bret considers born after the Gen X bracket. I've yet to hear him acknowledge the distinction between X-ennials like Adam and true Millennials like Todd. I'm about Adam's age, and our teen years in the mid - late 90s were still fairly analogue. Also, his name escaped me before, but Lance Oppenheim is Bret's youngest guest. He made that documentary about The Villages. Now there is a guest on the cusp of Gen Z who I thought was really interesting.

Mike

like, millennials, mediocrity is, like lionized, literally

Roscoe

Agreed! Will check out the Maron episode

Phoenix

Those aren’t younger Millennials. I’m talking those born in the 90s, I’ve just noticed a theme to those particular guests. Maybe it’s just me, idk

Alex Waller

honestly the question about whether millennials have read books is kind of silly. This age group had Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight, Divergent, Lemony Snicket and that's just the tentpole stuff that sold in massive quantities. Also, 2021 and 2022 saw more print books sold than in any year since the new millennium began, with YA fiction being a huge percentage of that and adult fiction being a huge percentage. Let's not forget that David Foster Wallace and Jonathan Franzen both had days jobs all throughout the supposedly glorious nineties, and for DFW until his passing. I remember Jay McInerney said on his episode that he just wanted a teaching job and to be able to publish while he was coming up. Bret knows tons of stuff I don't about the publishing world, but I also think the massive wave he rode on Less Than Zero's success is messing with his perceptions a little

Happyhead

Nice to heat Bret gay it up from time to time

Kristeen

Why is learning songs from a musical and playing them on piano shameful? Why does someone start a conversation with an apology for their age? I’m sure I have 74 other questions about human beings.

Billy Schafer

I don't mind younger Millennial aged guests. I thought the late Ryan Leone had a compelling story about finding his voice as a writer while struggling with addiction. James Kirchick is another one, and I found his research about "closeted" D.C. politicos fascinating. Jordan Firstman just seems shallow and dull.

Michael Anthony Rainey

Great

Billy Schafer

I listened to the entire Jerry Stahl episode despite all of his Trump derangement ranting because he's an old pro TV writer with a fascinating background. This Jordan Firstman guy was just insufferably boring. He's done nothing I find even remotely interesting.

Matt

Crimes and Misdemeanours Hannah and Her Sisters Husbands and Wives Manhattan

Vin Bravo

He was just on Maron. Maron not being as dialed in on writing and film as Bret, asked just basic open ended questions and pulled some great new Schrader insights and anecdotes. Guy is truly a genius - they just don’t have filmmakers or many artists in general on his level anymore

Roscoe

maybe should have recorded dinner with schrader instead ? not hating on the man - just completely disinterested in everything they talk about. good questions by Bret but couldn’t finish. respectfully: the guest game has been mediocre at best this season. Always prefer Bret solo.

OSOS

But I do think the trend of booktok is interesting in the way it’s brought books like American psycho, secret history, etc into mainstream audiences who if they were reading at all, wouldn’t even be books like that. I guess I think the cultural pressure to follow book trends now is interesting in the ways it makes people read things they might not have.

OSOS

Yeah, I mean even if it’s dumb booktok romance books, I just think it’s a good thing people are reading at all, supporting book stores etc

sasha

Yeah i just think a lot of Gen Z tends to hyperaestheticize books with little substance and read moreso to prop up a persona/aesthetic than to read. But at least they’re reading at all

Phoenix

I enjoyed the episode, he was entertaining. Although the outlook that people have a vendetta against him seems a recurring theme with young millennial guests. But I’m curious to see his movies, Rotting in the Sun sounds interesting and fun. Can I make some requests for writers? Delicious Tacos, Kelly Oxford, Alicia Erian, Chandler Morrison

Alex Bielovich

"French Onion Soup"

OSOS

I actually think Gen Z & Gen X are actually the two generations who still seem to read in large quantities. With the rise of tiktok and social media posting, it has made reading a cool and shareable thing amongst Gen Z, as stupid as that is, it’s almost always people of this demographic you see in bookstores nowadays.

Joe Paluck

Jordan, if you’re reading this, I also wanted deep sea creatures in avatar 2 like wtf they swam in a baby pool for most of the movie

Paul Richardson

Took me a while to warm to this guy. “Write what you know, girl” made me chuckle. He obviously hasn’t seen Cameron’s The Abyss.

Jorge Espinha

I'm not a Maga bro, I'm not even American. I suspect the MAGA bros are really cool with porn at least the hetero variant. I hated it as I do whenever Bret interviews an actor. Any actor, male or female. Gay or straight. Bags of hot air. As interesting as ventriloquist's dolls

Jorge Espinha

Amen Janice!

Jorge Espinha

😆

John

LOVED this episode. The goofy MAGA Bret bros will hate it, of course.

Ashley

Really disliked this episode, hardly ever feel that way but this was just god awful.

Patrick

I enjoyed this chat. 👍

Steve

Ugh. All time worst episode.

Vin Bravo

“He became famous without ever having to leave the house, a millennial win-win” lol

N.M. Janice.

Hell yeah!

Stuart Chivers

Bruce LaBruce would be a great guest.

Jon A.

Excellent interview. I’ve always liked Bret A.) because of his great artistry but also because rebellious, counterculture gay men have such an interesting perspective on everything (and are usually very witty). Jordan is definitely of this ilk. Mainstream gay guys in this culture who play all the games to stay in good graces are largely insufferable.

N.M. Janice.

I hardly ever bail on an episode, but I couldn’t finish this one. I am a 34 year old millennial myself, but I guess I have an older sensibility. Instagram and porn really aren’t that interesting to me. More writers, directors and musicians and less internet celebrities please.

Dustin

Let’s be honest, it’s primarily a walk.

Chris De Burgha

Jees talk about a self absorbed bleak guest

Jonathan Davis

That’s unfortunately most people now.

richard owain roberts

am going to listen on my run. will say more later, after my run.

Jorge Espinha

I don’t like interviews with actors. The chat about cornholing isn’t inspiring. I don’t think porn is a great subject. I’m also not as open minded as I like to think. I leave it at the 40 min mark