Graydon Carter on ‘Vanity Fair,’ ‘Spy,’ and the Glorious Excess of the Magazine Era from The Press Box

Graydon Carter on ‘Vanity Fair,’ ‘Spy,’ and the Glorious Excess of the Magazine Era

50 minutes Posted Mar 24, 2025 at 4:00 am.

The idea behind 'Spy Magazine'

Who took the stories the hardest from 'Spy'

His perception of Donald Trump

If Spy could have worked in the early 2000s

Being offered a choice between 'Vanity Fair' and 'The New Yorker'

How writers were treated like stars

How 'Vanity Fair' was able to land the”deep throat” story, the source behind the Watergate scandal

Creating the Vanity Fair Oscar Party

Why he left 'Vanity Fair' in 2017

What we lost from the magazine era

0:00

50:25

Download MP3

Share at current time

Show notes

Bryan kicks off the week with a conversation with Graydon Carter, who comes on to discuss ‘Spy Magazine’ going to ‘Vanity Fair’ and more. They discuss the following:

The idea behind 'Spy Magazine' (2:46)

Who took the stories the hardest from 'Spy' (9:57)

His perception of Donald Trump (10:36)

If Spy could have worked in the early 2000s (13:20)

Being offered a choice between 'Vanity Fair' and 'The New Yorker' (14:19)

How writers were treated like stars (23:26)

How 'Vanity Fair' was able to land the”deep throat” story, the source behind the Watergate scandal (29:10)

Creating the Vanity Fair Oscar Party (38:00)

Why he left 'Vanity Fair' in 2017 (40:50)

What we lost from the magazine era (43:33)

Host: Bryan CurtisGuest: Graydon CarterProducer: Brian H. Waters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

← See all 1296 episodes of The Press Box