Jerry Stahl and Bret Easton Ellis continue their conversation about Nein, Nein, Nein! and also talk about preparing to write a book and the best way to score a coveted Hollywood writing credit when the competition is fierce. Part 2 of 2.
2022-08-15 22:15:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Unfortunately, sadness has struck the podcast yet again as we mourn the untimely passing of Anne Heche. We recorded with Anne on Election Day 2016 and she was an absolute delight to spend time with before, during and after we taped her episode. Here we have posted Anne's conversation with Bret, originally released on 11/21/16, free for all to hear. Condolences to Ms. Heche's family and friends. Shine on.
2022-08-13 21:40:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Jerry Stahl returns to the podcast to discuss touring Nazi death camps with strangers in Europe and the non-stop hijinks that promptly ensued. Bret and Jerry also talk about the raw horror of The Mill on the Floss and the slow motion suicide of heroin addiction. Part 1 of 2.
2022-08-08 23:29:24 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret Easton Ellis addresses the state of the podcast before Truman Capote, Neil Simon and Ferris Bueller all make cameos as Bret fields questions from Platinum members.
2022-08-01 20:07:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret Easton Ellis endorses some killer movies he saw last week while also doing his best to help everyone avoid a few films he endured that he just can't bring himself to recommend.
2022-07-25 19:23:43 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret Easton Ellis discusses the ruination of the King of Rock n' Roll and dining with Gore Vidal as he fields questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2022-07-18 21:04:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Writer Stephanie Danler and Bret Easton Ellis discuss Raymond Carver's exalted Cathedral and the pure joy of Gary Indiana's Resentment. Part 2 of 2.
2022-07-11 17:58:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Writer Stephanie Danler and Bret Easton Ellis discuss feasting on the kinetic glitz of Manhattan's bygone restaurant scene before it went stale and the challenge of changing up the flavor when everything on the menu tastes like vanilla. Part 1 of 2.
2022-07-05 01:49:47 +0000 UTC View Post
Depleted and listless from a nearing Shards deadline yet still basking in the unabashed spectacle of Maverick, Bret Easton Ellis struggles to care about anything else he's watched so far in 2022. Bret then fields questions submitted by Platinum listeners.
2022-06-27 19:38:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Author/Journalist James Kirchick and Bret Easton Ellis discuss uncovering a hidden cultural history of Washington, DC and writing a book about the sordid secrets long concealed beneath the ruthless ambition forever simmering inside America's capital city.
2022-06-20 19:48:20 +0000 UTC View Post
Episode Directory
The Shards... Listen to Bret read the unedited initial draft of his latest novel as originally serialized exclusively on the podcast from September 2020 - September 2021... Experience an unprecedented collision of audio and literature as Bret takes you on a mesmerizing ride back to 1981 Los Angeles:
Golden Classics... The previously elusive first season of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast from 2013-14, exclusively available to Gold and Platinum members:
GOLDEN CLASSICS - Episode Links
Season 9 Episodes:
S9E39: Slow Revelations with Bruce Wagner
S9E38: Blessed Dirt Roads with Bruce Wagner
S9E34: 1984 with Richard Shepard
S9E32: Motel California with Chino Moya
S9E31: Divine Touch with Scott Alexander
S9E30: Accidental Martyrs with James Frey
S9E29: Magnets with Kelly Loudenberg and Makiko Wholey
S9E27: Favorite Year with Richard Shepard
S9E26: Jolting Bolt with Richard Shepard
S9E22: Kabuki Skew with Ross Barkan
S9E21: Trojan Horse with Larry Karaszewski
S9E20: Relentless Thing with Daniel Waters
S9E19: The Key and The Code with Eugene Kotlyarenko
S9E18: Genius and Lust with Matthew David Wilder
S9E16: Odd Detail with Lili Anolik
S9E15: Laid Back Vibe with Sascha Ciezata
S9E13: Writing About Atlantis with Blake Bailey
S9E12: Pulped with Blake Bailey
S9E11: Masks Outrageous with Reza Sixo Safai
S9E10: Sacred Texts with Bruce LaBruce
S9E9: The Bull and the Boar with Bruce LaBruce
S9E8: The Bad and the Beautiful with Karina Longworth
S9E7: Saying Everything with Ione Skye
Season 8 Episodes:
S8E49: Going Native with Jamie Collinson
S8E48: Splinter of Ice with Jamie Collinson
S8E47: The Madness of Crowds with Justine Bateman
S8E46: Details and Remembrances
S8E45: Split Selves with Colonel Kurtz
S8E44: Strain of Thinking with Colonel Kurtz
S8E42: The Math of It with Josh Olson
S8E41: The Nexus with Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary
S8E40: From the Hip with Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary
S8E38: Fresh Idea with Randy Fertel
S8E37: Napoleon Complex with Matthew David Wilder
S8E36: State of the Art with Matthew David Wilder
S8E35: The Summer of Spielberg with Chris Nashawaty
S8E34: Proof of Concept with Chris Nashawaty
S8E33: A Strange Marriage with Stephen Soucy
S8E32: Bret's Best of 2024 (so far) - Part 2
S8E31: Bret's Best of 2024 (so far) - Part 1
S8E30: Polarizing Figure with Mikko Makela
S8E29: Tripping Down Memory Lane
S8E24: Another Kind of Truth with David Shields
S8E23: Beautiful Noise with Susanna Hoffs
S8E22: Playing With Dolls with Susanna Hoffs
S8E21: Problems With Translations
S8E20: One Is The Loneliest Wonder
S8E17: Mechanical Alien with Chandler Morrison
S8E15: Gimme Dread Till I'm Dead
S8E14: Hawking Some Tent with Robbie Banfitch
S8E13: Decent Poppins with Shane Cashman
S8E12: A Fly on the Wall with Lance Oppenheim
S8E11: Strange Dimension with Dante Colle
S8E9: The Hazing Ritual with Katherine Brodsky
S8E5: Mr. Lonelyhearts Returns
S8E2: Pure Wave with Roy Price
S8E1: Digital Dawn with Roy Price
Season 7 Episodes:
S7E47: Bad Dream Scenario with Brandon Graham
S7E46: The Baron of Marylou's with Drea de Matteo
S7E45: Elective Affinities with Sam Wasson
S7E44: Method Director with Sam Wasson
S7E43: Cinema Speculating with Quentin Tarantino
S7E42: Point of Departure with Quentin Tarantino
S7E39: Bruce Wagner and Beverly D'Angelo, Part 2
S7E38: Bruce Wagner Guest Hosts with Beverly D'Angelo
S7E37: Sam Wasson Guest Hosts with Colleen Camp
S7E36: Survival Tactics with Kat Timpf
S7E35: Hotel Oregon with Max Lawton
S7E34: Graphomaniacs with Max Lawton
S7E31: State of Surveillance with Alex Kazemi
S7E30: Algorithm Hellhole with Alex Kazemi
S7E28: Dance of Scorpions with Robert Asahina
S7E27: Image of an Artist with Robert Asahina
S7E26: 'Neath The Refinery's Glow with Warren Zanes
S7E25: Practically In The Present with Warren Zanes
S7E24: Word Dissociation with Alice Carriere
S7E23: Spilling The Rubied Yolk with Alice Carriere
S7E18: Investigating Creation with Kristoffer Borgli
S7E17: The New Economy with Kristoffer Borgli
S7E16: Theater of The Uncomfortable with Guinevere Turner
S7E15: Contradictory Doctrine with Guinevere Turner
S7E14: Impressions and Interiors with Jordan Firstman
S7E11: The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks
S7E9: Weird Protectionism with Matt Battaglia
S7E5: Menace To Society with Maria Semple
S7E4: Cherished Awareness with Maria Semple
S7E3: Guilty Pleasures and Secret Habits with Matty Healy
S7E2: Postmodern Tendencies with Matty Healy
Season 6 Episodes:
S6E37: Destination Pinnacle with John Shanks
S6E36: Missing the Bridge with John Shanks
S6E35: Levitating Home with Shane Cashman
S6E34: Sliding Into Existential Renaissance with Shane Cashman
S6E32: Sitting Through the End Credits
S6E29: Chronicling a Lost Continent with Walter Kirn
S6E28: Back In The High Life Again with Bruce Wagner
S6E26: Book of Ghosts with Sam Wasson
S6E25: The Birth of a Galaxy with Sam Wasson
S6E24: Typical Icarus with Max Landis
S6E23: Deconstructing the Blueprint with Max Landis
S6E22: Barbarian at the Gate with J.D. Lifshitz
S6E21: Star Charts and Biorhythms
S6E20: The Park Was Never Built with The Perfume Nationalist
S6E19: Dropping Names with Tom Holland
S6E18: Seeming Awfully Normal with A.M. Homes
S6E17: How To Psychoanalyze Your Neighbors with A.M. Homes
S6E15: The Mundane and The Luminous
S6E14: Positive Perversion with James Morosini
S6E13: My Father, My Catfish with James Morosini
S6E12: A Museum of Hell with Jerry Stahl
S6E11: The Many Gifts of Tender Shlomo with Jerry Stahl
S6E7: Frigid Cracks in the Statue with Stephanie Danler
S6E6: Serving the Algorithm with Stephanie Danler
S6E5: Nothing Anywhere All at Once
S6E4: James Kirchick & The Secret City
S6E2: William Friedkin Meets Bret Easton Ellis, Part 2
S6E1: William Friedkin Meets Bret Easton Ellis, Part 1
2022-06-15 16:08:52 +0000 UTC View Post
So Philip Baker Hall just landed a supporting role in that big Paul Thomas Anderson film in the sky, thus we look up to the movie heavens and salute them in his honor. Feel free to share your fondest cinematic memories of Mr. Hall in the comments section below.
2022-06-13 23:56:20 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret Easton Ellis revisits Tony Scott's soaring smash hit from 1986 before heading to a theater to watch Tom Cruise bring Maverick back to the big screen in 2022.
2022-06-13 17:12:10 +0000 UTC View Post
Filmmaker William Friedkin and Bret Easton Ellis discuss passing on Star Wars and the disheartening critical response to Sorcerer. Part 2 of 2.
2022-06-06 16:30:39 +0000 UTC View Post
In celebration of our 6th season premiere on Patreon, a poll question for you:
Let's say you recently bought a new car, and its license plates arrived in the mail today. You peel open the package and observe that the final three numbers on the plates are "666."
How do you react?
REMINDER: If you haven't signed up for one of our "NEW SEASON 6" tiers, you can party with this poll, but you can't listen to our new episode with William Friedkin, or any other episode on Patreon. The tier you are in now will be destroyed soon. It is not safe. Only the new tiers are available now. Choose one today, sign up and join the revolution!
2022-06-02 20:45:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Filmmaker William Friedkin and Bret Easton Ellis discuss the wrong way to watch Fellini and reluctantly casting Gene Hackman in The French Connection. Part 1 of 2. Patreon Season 6 premiere.
2022-06-01 17:19:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Thank you for your pledge! Season 5 on Patreon has officially come to a close. The mystery of Season 6 will soon be a mystery no more.
2022-05-31 06:59:35 +0000 UTC View Post
Thank you for your pledge! Memorial Day Weekend has just begun, but Season 5 is reaching its inevitable end. Don't be sad though, Season 6 is closer than you think. We love you.
2022-05-29 06:59:15 +0000 UTC View Post
Writer David Furth and Bret discuss cashing in on the cutting edge of the hedge fund game, exacting crude vengeance on an inconsiderate neighbor and dismantling your own life while you don't even know it. Patreon Season 5 finale.
2022-05-20 00:51:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Thank you for your pledge! This was a fun one. New episode coming your way in the extremely near future.
2022-05-17 06:59:20 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret recommends taking in the gothic, operatic grit of The Batman and visiting the long lost New York of sex, gloss and glamour delightfully depicted by Darren Star in his Sex and the City. We then travel back in time to 2014 to hear a classic conversation from the podcast's earliest days.
2022-05-04 00:23:36 +0000 UTC View Post
Thank you for your pledge! Wasn't Simon a peach? We are thrilled for his success with Red Rocket. Can't wait to see what's next.
2022-05-01 06:46:18 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret discusses the jagged career trajectory of Orson Welles, the admirable agility of David Bowie and the unheralded romantic prowess of Andy Warhol as he fields questions from Platinum members on the air.
2022-04-20 18:58:36 +0000 UTC View Post
Thank you for your pledge! Bret and Matthew brought the thunder.
2022-04-20 13:31:35 +0000 UTC View Post
Searching for Part 1 so you can finally experience The Shards? Dying to be captivated by a certain scene again? Look no further: This post contains links to all 27 individual installments of The Shards in the order in which they were serialized on the podcast during 2020 and 2021. Enjoy the trip.
Bret assails last week's Academy Awards broadcast as a disgusting display of the once-proud movie industry's agonizing death spiral. Actor Simon Rex and Bret discuss the gorgeous expressionism of Red Rocket and embracing the solitude of the desert to escape the relentless bullshit of Hollywood.
2022-04-06 15:34:47 +0000 UTC View Post
Thank you for your pledge! New episode out now with Matthew David Wilder, even newer episode coming next week with a killer guest as well as Bret's Oscar thoughts. Stay groovy.
2022-04-01 06:38:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret lauds Sam Levinson's second season of Euphoria as a thrilling leap forward after a promising but inconsistent season one. Screenwriter Matthew David Wilder and Bret discuss the fast approaching Academy Awards and size up this year's field of contenders chasing Hollywood's most coveted honor.
2022-03-23 02:14:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Thank you for your pledge! When you really think about it, we are all Zodiac.
2022-03-20 20:40:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret tells the haunting tale of a driven artist whose own ambition may have destroyed more than it ever could have possibly created. Writer Matthew Specktor returns to the show to discuss sharing a rare trajectory with Bret where their youthful creative desires forged their ultimate professional destinies. Bret and Matthew also talk about blending literary genres and mixing personal obsessions in Always Crashing In The Same Car.
2022-03-09 01:53:24 +0000 UTC View Post