S6E6: Serving the Algorithm with Stephanie Danler

paul dakota

One of the host's less compelling guests. Never mind the vocal fry.

Mady Armet

Sexist

Andrew McGovern

Decent interview but her condescending remark about vanilla heteronormative sex took me out of it. What’s with all the self loathing?

Rafael Diaz

loved Stephanie Danler. Ordered both books

Yorick van Wageningen

So I got into podcasts and listened to this and listened to that and then got so over it. Got so bored with them all. And I can’t quite get a grasp on why this podcast is the lone surviver. This is the only one I keep coming back to. I regularly don’t agree with Brett (I firmly believe in the resurrection of cinema) but I just love hanging with you guys. And miss Danler was just a delicious guest. I have thrown away all my other podcast and will just keep hanging here. Thanks. I am super grateful.

Darren Ankenman

finally some Salter love. Another great (and funny) writer of sex scenes — Nicholson Baker , The Fermata.

Joe Gasz

Great guest, especially since I wasn’t aware of her before the interview.

BUtterfield8

She is not vapid and shallow. There are very, very often these kinds of comments about female guests.

clay

I liked Stephanie a lot, nice convo

clay

Liis Vilipson

Love her writing, especially Stray, and really enjoyed the episode! Also, to me personally, there’s nothing more fascinating than hearing about where rich people are in 80’s New York :)

James__

Be cool, Dadio.

M. Nero Nava

I love when BEE has guests like this; someone that stirs up all the incels, and paint chip eaters. It’s all right, guys…he will get back to making fun of wokeness again. I liked this episode, the guest was candid and honest. I also enjoy hearing BEE enjoy himself.

John

They're weekly now brah.

Mark DeCaro

A runtime of an hour seven minutes is really disappointing for a BEE podcast.

Elizabeth

Really enjoyed this conversation. Having lived in NYC and worked in the restaurant & spa scene of the late 90’s this definitely resonated with me. Not sure what all the negative comments are about…it’s kind of refreshing to hear an older millennial talk about sleeping with co-workers without the reflexive “Me Too” cringe. There was a time when young people had fun at work and it wasn’t sexual harassment. It was coming of age, free spirited fun, nothing more

Michael Walsh

OK. Next interview a Hooters waitress.

Harold B

My fave was "I loved having sex with my boss." Yeah, I'm sure he had enjoyed having sex with someone he literally had authority over as well. I'm no prude, but that's a really weird sentence to say aloud. I think she might have thought she was on the Call Her Daddy podcast.

Harold B

She's definitely vapid and shallow. The one girl who told you it's not, judging from the sassiness with which the comment was written, is probably upset that you're a man critiquing a woman. (How dare you?!) But hey, I'm at least glad BEE keeps us guessing with the sort of guests he brings on to the Pod.

Erik Jerrard

But what does she think of the eagles ?!?!? 🦅

Steven

Pretty and personable but not a good writer

D Michael Hardy

I saw her in person for her Sweetbitter tour years ago. Intelligent, friendly, and not too bad to look at either. Her memoir Stray is phenomenal. Looking forward to her next book and to part II.

kh

Stephanie is a badass. You guys nailed it having her as a guest.

john m

“someone who lives in the middle of Kansas can feel like they know how a restaurant works” Seriously? A fucking restaurant? What a truly awful person.

Nikki Ferrari

It’s you

Alex Bielovich

Not sure how Sweetbitter was recommended to me, but vividly remember enjoying it. Pleasant surprise listening to this because I didn't immediately recognise Stephanie's name.

Keith campbell

“Great anal sex scenes written by women” is my new Amazon wish list

Seneca Garcia

How is this guest not relevant to the podcast - a new author published by Knopf, who also wrote a series - so what she did not mention DePalma or new Hollywood -

Daniel Liu

But what does she think of the eagles?!

James__

Donna Tartt as young fiction. MIAOW! I liked Stephanie. Engaging, articulate and detailed on a different time and things we didn’t all experience. Cute as well- though not relevant to the podcast. Looking forward to next week.

Jorge Espinha

Depictions of sex on screen...As a child of the 80s I have a large bank account of such scenes, I don't look forward for it. In a book...meh...BEE wrote a few in the Shards, gay sex mostly and a very intense straigh sex scene . BEE is an artist but most writers aren't. Mostly such scenes bore the hell out of me, in movies I fast forward. I'm not particularly curious about the great anal sex scenes written by women. Food on the other hand , the experience of good food or wine can be really trilling

Jorge Espinha

You must be the leader of the Athletic wing of the BEE fan club.

MikeE

Shallowness can be quite fabulous and wonderful, and is a huge contribution to humanity re: how beautifully well it distracts us from the fact that at some totally unknown point in the future, we will all cease to exist…there’s no ‘reason’ for us ‘being here’ and as such, life has absolutely no inherent meaning-may as well enjoy its pleasures. So it’s all a matter of how good the shallow person/city/movie etc’s surface really is. Oscar Wilde has a nice quote roughly about it if interested. Anyway, I’ll reserve judgement on this episode’s subject until I give it a listen.

Alex Waller

I enjoyed the Sweetbitter show on Starz. I can't say I agree with Bret or Stephanie's reservations about it. Bret pretty much says everything should be more explicit, and I'm not sure what that really would have accomplished. Sweetbitter could have been a CBS show and all the best aspects of it still would have been present. Maybe HBO used to be edgier but at the same time tv had never been like that before in the late 90s/early 2000s. There was a shock value to it that just isn't present anymore as its been done so many times. In some ways I think we're circling back around to where the next thing that feels fresh and relevant will be a more episodic network show with solid storytelling that manages shake the artifice and over generality of modern network tv.

Fernando

You want to party?

Joel Kyle

I would have listened to another three hours of this conversation! Fantastic

slimshadyfan666

You guys are right. I love Bret. I'll never say anything not astounding about him again.

slimshadyfan666

I don't want you guys to think I'm poor. I used to eat around Union Square Park. No big deal.

slimshadyfan666

no see that's valid cuz when i was a teenager i'd imagine my waitress wanted to fuck me in the restroom

bpvalentine

Cool. I think Fernando and I have the same problem with our screen calibration. It came through like you were bellyaching about it to me, too. Honestly, Marshall, fine dining doesn't do much for me either. But I don't come to BEE expecting anything less than to see Bret follow his muse (ugh, somebody give me a wedgie). The guy is an artist with a broad fan base (I'm assuming that because the big B has been around forever) and if he's not speaking to us one week, relax. Bret's cranking these episodes out. I'm just glad Bret didn't put the show on hiatus while he finished editing The Shards. In the meantime, let's ponder a version of BEE where Bret did pander to every suggestion and whim of his fans. Mmm. * read in the voice of psychic little person, Zelda Rubinstein from Poltergeist * "I see... is that YOU, Bret? It's a flat. So much light. Is that the sun? Oh, such beautiful light. Floor to ceiling windows. 'Bravo,' Bret? He keeps saying the word 'Bravo.' Excuse me, Bret. Oh, it's the Bravo logo. The cable network. I see the BEE Podcast is on telev-- No, streaming! A streaming reality show for Bravo. No! Stay away from the light, Bret! Do go toward the light!"

Thomas Matich

As someone who worked in a “rich people restaurant” during undergrad in the middle aughts this resonated with me. It really was the dawning of a renaissance. I made great pocket change working a few hours on Friday and Saturday night (I was a expediter). It was fun to be in the kitchen. Best college job I had for sure.

Dal Rhoads

that’s how restaurant people are

Dal Rhoads

“That’s what restaurants run on, is sexual tension” wut

slimshadyfan666

I already knew Bret Easton Ellis was interested in rich people restaurants. I've read his books.

Fernando

Did you hear the part where he said this is the Bret Easton Ellis podcast and this is what he is interested in?

Fernando

Yum ice

slimshadyfan666

man oh man an episode about restaurants that rich people in '80s ate in, just what i've been looking forward to

Chase

I see what you're doing with these 2 parters, Bret. What would normally be 1 episode is now 2 so you can take a week off

richard owain roberts

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

Jorge Espinha

Is it just me or she comes out a little bit shallow?