Morning Meeting
192 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago - ★★★★★ - 158 ratingsWelcome to Morning Meeting, where AIR MAIL’s Ashley Baker and Michael Hainey take you inside the stories people are talking about this week—and tip you off to the ones the editors are talking about for next week. We cover the people shaping your world that you want to know more about (and more often the stuff they don’t want you to know about). And we talk with friends of AIR MAIL—writers, reporters, and style-setters. So listen in every Saturday as Morning Meeting brings you what’s new and exciting from the world of AIR MAIL.
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Episodes
Episode 187: Kim Kardashian Gets Sued over Her (Alleged) Fakes
April 13, 2024 02:30 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBIt’s a dirty little secret that interior designers to the rich and famous love to make knockoffs of museum-quality furnishings, often with no penalty. Well, no more. And you can thank—who else?—Kim Kardashian. Dan Rubinstein reveals why she now finds herself tangled up in a messy lawsuit over a dinner set. Then, speaking of messy, Jack Sullivan tells us the temper tantrum Tucker Carlson threw at his alma mater, a very elite high school. And finally, Steve Garbarino tells us why New ...
Episode 186: Gen Z and the New Sexual Revolution
April 06, 2024 02:30 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBThis week, Kat Rosenfield explains how we are in the throes of a new sexual revolution. Yet where baby-boomers were obsessed with the practice of sex, Zoomers are more interested in the principle of it. Then the subject turns to Civil War, one of the most anticipated movies of the spring, from writer-director Alex Garland. It imagines what a second American civil war might look like. Michael Sragow has seen it and tells us about it. And finally, speaking of movies, Woody Allen has a...
Episode 185: What the Hell Is Gwyneth Cooking Up Now?
March 30, 2024 02:30 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBThis week, Jensen Davis reports on how Gwyneth Paltrow’s healthy-takeout restaurant chain—Goop Kitchen—is taking over Los Angeles. And even Gwyneth haters can’t get enough of it. Then John Arlidge reports from London to take us inside what might be called “A Tale of Two Royal Households.” How is it that Kate and William, the monarchy’s younger and—one would think—media-savvier generation, botched their communications about Kate’s illness, while King Charles of all people put on a ma...
Episode 184: Why Italian Could Soon Be an Extinct Language
March 23, 2024 02:30 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBThis week, Elena Clavarino has a fascinating and funny report on how English is conquering Continental Europe’s native languages. The problem is so pervasive that Germans can’t help but call it “ein shitstorm!” Then Louis Cheslaw joins from London with his report on the turmoil that has consumed one of the art world’s most influential publications, Artforum. And finally, from Washington, D.C., James Kirchick discusses the new book on gender by the writer Judith Butler. See Privacy ...
Episode 183: Princess Diana's Brother Lived His Own Special Hell
March 16, 2024 02:30 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBThis week, Andrew Ryvkin shares his thoughts on the election in Russia being held for Vladimir Putin. Then Pico Iyer gives us his review of A Very Private School, a new book by Princess Diana’s brother in which he details his brutal tenure as a young boy at a British boarding school rife with sexual and emotional abuse. And finally, the acclaimed documentarian Alex Gibney discusses the making of his poignant new film about the musician Paul Simon. See Privacy Policy at https://art1...
Episode 182: Is a Porn Star All That Stands Between Trump and the End of Democracy?
March 09, 2024 03:30 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MBThis week, Jeffrey Toobin explains how Stormy Daniels may just be the unlikely savior of American democracy. Then Alexandra Marshall joins us from Paris. Yes, the rest of the world is dreaming of seeing the Olympics sparkle in the City of Light when the Games open on July 26, but as Marshall reports, the construction and chaos have left the city and its residents on the verge of a nervous breakdown. And finally, John Mauceri shares the story of how an all-Black production of Hello, ...
Episode 181: Tales of Excess—What Happened to the Media Power Lunch?
March 02, 2024 03:30 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBThis week, Dana Brown reports on how and why one of New York’s great institutions—the media power lunch—seems to have seen its last days. Then, Linda Wells, knower of all things beauty-and-wellness-related, looks at an extremely unhealthy behavior too many of us engage in: lying to our doctors. And finally, Johanna Berkman tells us about a woman at the United Nations who is optimistic that peace can be achieved between Israel and Hamas. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva...
Episode 180: Why Do Today's Leading Men Dress Like Rent Boys?
February 24, 2024 03:30 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBThis week, Katya V. joins us from Moscow with her report on how those inside Russia’s opposition plan to confront Putin in the wake of Alexei Navalny’s death. Then Nicholas Griffin has the inspiring story of Rachel Silverstein, a determined environmentalist who went full Erin Brockovich on some of Florida’s most powerful players, and beat them. And finally, the always entertaining man of style George Hahn has answers to your burning questions, including: Has Joe Biden made Aviator s...
Episode 179: Meet the One Swan Truman Capote Did Not Betray
February 17, 2024 03:30 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBIf you have been watching the limited series Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, you know the famed writer betrayed every one of his friendships with those women. Yet, as Joseph Rodota reveals, there was actually one woman Capote did not sell down the river; he tells us who she was and why. Then, speaking of feuds, Kurt Wagner has the untold story of the lengths to which Twitter founder Jack Dorsey went to sway his company’s acquisition in Elon Musk’s favor. And on the subject of the rise a...
Episode 178: Have You Flown Britney Spears Airlines?
February 10, 2024 03:30 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBIt’s been a year of meltdowns in the media, and Brian Stelter has the scoop on how—and why—a start-up called the Messenger, which promised to re-invent journalism, burned through $50 million in funding in less than 12 months and went down the tubes. Then, we all know Vladimir Putin wants to win at all costs, but it’s not just with his troops in Ukraine. As Andrew Ryvkin reports, the Russian leader is now forcing Russian musicians to support his war in Ukraine. And finally, it wasn’t...
Episode 177: The True Story Behind Truman Capote's Feud with the Swans
February 03, 2024 03:30 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBThe new mini-series about Truman Capote and his destructive feud with “the swans” is out. Who better to tell us about the gossip behind the feud than Sam Kashner, who details how Capote committed social suicide when he spilled the secrets of New York’s most powerful and beautiful women. Then, speaking of beautiful, hard-to-please women, Paul Campbell tells us what you learn when you date a supermodel. And finally, it has now been more than three years since Jennifer Dulos disappeare...
Episode 176: Is This the World's Most Annoying Nepo Baby?
January 27, 2024 03:30 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBIf you hate lawyers, this week we have a story for you. Jeffrey Toobin will tell us how and why partners in New York City’s big law firms are now acting like players on George Steinbrenner’s New York Yankees. Then, if you are looking for a mid-winter-break destination that’s different from all the usual locales, Marcia DeSanctis has just the ticket: a long-overlooked place that’s rich with history, architecture, and dazzling new developments. Finally, Stuart Heritage joins us from t...
Episode 175: A Very, Very British Scandal
January 20, 2024 03:38 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBThis week, Alexandra Marshall joins us from France, to tell us about the dashing new prime minister who is 34 years old and why seemingly everyone in the country can’t stop talking about him—including the man who bullied him in high school. Then John Arlidge joins us from the U.K. with the shocking details about the worst miscarriage of justice in British history, when 700 people were convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. And speaking of the U.K., Ashley Baker has the scoop on th...
Episode 174: What Is Angelina Jolie Hiding?
January 13, 2024 03:30 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBIf you’re suffering from withdrawal from the end of The Crown and are in need of some monarchy drama, Joseph Bullmore has just what you’re looking for, with not one but two stories about dysfunction among European royalty and aristocrats. Then, speaking of drama, let’s talk about Angelina Jolie. The always insightful Dana Brown tells us how he sneaked into her new, invitation-only store in New York City and what he discovered once he got inside. And finally, David Christopher Kaufma...
Episode 173: #MeToo Comes for Gérard Depardieu
January 06, 2024 03:30 - 37 minutes - 34.7 MBThis week, Alessandra Stanley looks at how Vladimir Putin punishes women in order to crush dissent. Then, speaking of bad behavior by prominent men, Alexandra Marshall joins us from France to tell us why #MeToo allegations have finally caught up with the country’s most decorated miscreant, Gérard Depardieu. And continuing on the subject of miscreants, Patrick Kidd joins us from London with the crazy story of a woman known as “Baroness Bra.” She made millions when she created the Ult...
Episode 172: Are You an Attention Whore?
December 30, 2023 03:30 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBIf you are an avid reader of Air Mail, you are surely familiar with our Attention-Whore Index, where we rank the most offensive attention-seekers of the week. As 2023 draws to a close, the man who compiles that list, our own George Kalogerakis, reveals who takes the prize as the biggest windbag of the year. Then George Pendle tells us how he and Elena Clavarino solved the battle between Gen Z and baby-boomers. And speaking of boomers, Sam Kashner takes us inside American Graffiti, t...
Episode 171: The Movie Nerd on Trial for Manslaughter
December 23, 2023 03:30 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBThis week, Linda Wells tells us what you need to know about looking great in 2024 and why everyone seems to be very nosy these days. Then John von Sothen joins us from Paris with his report on a flamboyant Frenchman who rose to fame for saving and restoring lost film classics—but then found himself on trial for manslaughter. And finally, speaking of classic films, Josh Karp looks at the making of The Long Goodbye. Directed by Robert Altman and starring Elliott Gould, this reimaginin...
Episode 170: Confessions of a Trump Ghostwriter
December 16, 2023 03:30 - 27 minutes - 25 MBThis week, Charles Leerhsen takes us back to the early 1990s and tells us what he learned while being a ghostwriter for a young (and friendless) Donald Trump. Then Alexander Lobrano joins us from Paris with a report on the reopening and rejuvenation of one of the city’s most treasured restaurants. And comedy writer Alan Zweibel has some thoughts on Jewish humor now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sel...
Episode 169: Life Lessons from an Italian Countess
December 09, 2023 03:30 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MBThis week, Johanna Berkman reports on the turmoil rocking Harvard. Then, Bill Keenan has the wild story of what happened when the Pittsburgh Penguins had the crazy idea to try to profit off of what remained of the vaunted Red Army hockey team following the collapse of the Soviet Union. And finally, Bob Colacello remembers Marina Cicogna, an Italian countess who transcended her gilded background to become Europe’s first major female film producer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19...
Episode 168: A New York Power Player Reveals the Secret She Hid for Decades
December 02, 2023 03:30 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBThis week, Christopher Mason has the amazing story of how (and why) a trusted confidante to New York’s most elite and powerful hid her true identity. Then Dan Raviv discusses his jaw-dropping report from Israel: how the men who led the country’s vaunted security forces ignored intelligence alerts—because the reports were from female soldiers. Finally, the always witty Linda Wells stops by to talk about all the latest news in beauty and wellness. See Privacy Policy at https://art19....
Episode 167: A Family from Hell—the Shocking Story Behind a Child-Rearing Empire
November 25, 2023 03:30 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MBThis week, Jensen Davis takes us inside her shocking story about an evangelical-based parenting program that has been operating for 40 years and teaches parents that babies are morally corrupt and must be broken of their waywardness. Then, speaking of incredible stories, acclaimed screenwriter Scott Z. Burns tells us just what A.I. gets wrong about creativity. And finally, John Mauceri has the tale of the unforgettable night Jacqueline Kennedy went to the opera and watched the inamo...
Episode 166: It's the Divas Episode: Streisand! Kardashian! And ... Napoleon?
November 18, 2023 03:30 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBThis week, Flora Gill discusses why all of us will soon be unable to avoid Kim Kardashian’s nipples. Then, while we’re on the subject of divas, it’s been impossible to avoid the new memoir by Barbra Streisand. Yet there’s one problem with the book, which clocks in at almost 1,000 pages: there’s no index. No way to find out if you are one of the thousands of people she mentions. Luckily, here at Air Mail, we’ve solved that problem for you, and George Kalogerakis will tell us all abou...
Episode 165: It's the London Issue! With Graydon Carter
November 11, 2023 03:30 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBThis week, Graydon Carter takes us inside a special edition of Air Mail that is all about London, and he shares the places he loves there. Then the acclaimed writer Will Self will share his version of “the Knowledge”—London cabbies’ ability to navigate their streets without a map—by sharing treasures he’s discovered over a lifetime of walking his native city. And speaking of knowledge, Stuart Heritage tells us about his afternoon with the gentleman who is often called “the best-conn...
Episode 164: The Fight Between Millennials and Gen Z–ers
November 04, 2023 02:30 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBGen Z–ers and millennials have grown up agreeing on where to stand on seemingly every social and political issue. But now they find themselves divided. Kat Rosenfield tells us how the fighting in Israel has become the first true wedge issue for those under 40. Then filmmaker Mickey Rapkin explains why he made a dark comedy about Anne Frank. And finally, Linda Wells reveals everything you need to know about looking good this fall. And if you’re getting ready for the new season of The...
Episode 163: A Billion-Dollar Scandal Rocks the Art World
October 28, 2023 02:30 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBCan we all live to 100? The new Netflix hit Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones looks at areas on the planet where there are clusters of centenarians and makes it seem pretty easy. This week, the always funny Cazzie David reveals whether these secrets to living longer will (or will not) help her do so. Then John von Sothen reports on the court trial that has Paris buzzing. For four generations the Wildenstein family reigned over a colossal art-market dynasty in near-total secrecy...
Episode 162: Why Crypto Bro Sam Bankman-Fried Is Going Down
October 21, 2023 02:00 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBThis week, Jacob Silverman reveals why the chances of accused grifter/crypto bro Sam Bankman-Fried beating the government’s rap in his trial for fraud grow slimmer by the day. Then, speaking of revealing, William D. Cohan tells us about a rather curious law in France that he learned of the hard way. Let’s just say that it forbids men from wearing their own bathing suits in some public spaces. And finally, Jill Kargman shares everything you need to know about the under-the-radar outd...
Episode 161: The Craziest Grifter Story. Ever
October 14, 2023 02:30 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBHere at Morning Meeting we love nothing more than a juicy grifter story. This week, our colleague George Pendle joins us to share a whopper of a tale that involves shifting identities and a shocking endgame. It’s a story we call “The Grift, the Prince, and the Twist,” and it needs to be heard to be believed. Then Jeffrey Toobin reveals how the key to understanding Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s quest for the Oval Office can be found in a nearly 50-year-old murder case. All this and more ma...
Episode 160: The Idaho-Killer Case: Has a Victim's Father Found New Evidence?
October 07, 2023 02:30 - 32 minutes - 29.6 MBIt’s been 11 months since four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in the middle of the night, and this week Howard Blum has a riveting story about how the grieving father of one of the victims has turned amateur sleuth and made a surprising discovery. Then Nancy Jo Sales has a report on Wellington, Florida, a place she describes as like the twilight zone, but with horses, and how new-money real-estate developers there are duking it out with the old-guard horse set th...
Episode 159: Could This Woman Replace Biden?
September 30, 2023 02:30 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MBTrump is trouncing his Republican challengers; Democrats are fretting about Biden’s age. This week, Peter Osnos has a look at a woman who many believe is a future presidential candidate: Gretchen Whitmer. Then Flora Gill answers the question: Why do so many men think about the Roman Empire all the time? And she explains why this preoccupation among men has become the hottest trend on social media. And finally, George Kalogerakis will share what he’s learned about a woman whom you mi...
Episode 158: How Tom Wolfe Became the Master of the Universe of Literary Feuds
September 23, 2023 02:30 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBThis week, Alexandra Wolfe, daughter of the writer Tom Wolfe, reveals why her father excelled at the literary feud, skewering everyone from Norman Mailer to Anthony Haden-Guest. Then Alessandra Stanley explains why the people who just might save humanity are also the most loathed people on earth: lawyers. And finally, J. Clara Chan reports from Los Angeles on Harvard-Westlake, the prestigious prep school that has seen three student suicides in the past six months—and left administra...
Episode 157: The Rise of the Chefluencer: Social-Media Stars Cook Up New Ways to Eat
September 16, 2023 02:30 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBThis week, Lynn Q. Yu has an enlightening report on the rise of “chefluencers”—food-based content creators who have generated billions of views on social media and are turning that clout into real-life restaurants. Then, speaking of influence, Stuart Heritage reveals how Britain’s foremost soccer star has built a podcast empire. And finally, the writer Tom Wolfe was the pre-eminent chronicler of the United States in the late 20th century, dissecting social mores with razor-wire sati...
Episode 156: Jimmy Buffett's Life Lessons
September 09, 2023 02:30 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBSeptember means school is back. But this year something’s very different. Nicolaia Rips reveals why so many teenage girls no longer sound like squeaky girls from the movie Clueless, and instead sound like raspy-throated lawyers from Staten Island. Then the always enlightening James Wolcott discusses a new book that details the kaleidoscopic cultural influence of drag in New York City, from the Harlem ball scene to Stonewall, to Wigstock, to Kinky Boots on Broadway. And finally, last...
Episode 155: A Love Gone Very Bad: Putin's Banker and the English Socialite
September 02, 2023 02:30 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBEvery summer has its anthem, but this year it wasn’t a Beyoncé or Taylor Swift song that broke through; instead, it was a country ballad by a 31-year-old unknown that has already racked up 50 million views. Diana B. Henriques shares her thoughts on “Rich Men North of Richmond.” Then, on the subject of rich men, Joseph Bullmore comes to us from London with the story of an oligarch’s revenge. Specifically, what happens to an English socialite when her love affair with Putin’s banker g...
Episode 154: Gay Talese Reveals How He Captured Frank Sinatra
August 26, 2023 02:30 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBSummer is the time for camp—and shenanigans. And this week William D. Cohan has a report on the controversy swirling at Bohemian Grove, the ultra-exclusive, all-male campground for some of the most powerful men in America. Then the literary legend Gay Talese will join us. Along with Tom Wolfe and other magazine writers of the 1960s, Talese created the New Journalism with profiles such as the one he wrote for Esquire entitled “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.” It is now considered the great...
Episode 153: Hot Mess! This Summer's East Hampton Drama Gets Very Physical
August 19, 2023 02:30 - 34 minutes - 32 MBIt would not be summer if there were not a bizarre, ego-fueled drama in East Hampton, and this one says it all. Linda Wells will tell us how—and why—the scene in posh exercise classes out East has gotten physical. Very, very physical. Then Johanna Berkman shares new reporting on the scandal surrounding Wall Street titan Leon Black and his very expensive—and highly curious—multi-million-dollar payments to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And finally, many of you are fans of Ai...
Episode 152: He's "the Cheese"—the Man Who Laid Out the Plot to Subvert the 2020 Election
August 12, 2023 03:00 - 26 minutes - 24.7 MBThis week, Jeffrey Toobin reveals how a Harvard-trained lawyer nicknamed “the Cheese” laid out a plot to subvert the 2020 election—and helped spark the January 6 riot. Then Joseph Bullmore reports from London on the secretive and somewhat strange world of blueblood banks, where the U.K.’s very rich keep their money from commingling with the filthy lucre of the common man. And finally, Linda Wells explains why women are giving men in their life the gift of a threesome. (Yes, you read...
Episode 151: Did Jeffrey Epstein Blackmail This Wall Street Titan?
August 05, 2023 18:42 - 31 minutes - 29 MBThis week, Johanna Berkman shares the details of her shocking report on Leon Black, the billionaire titan of Wall Street who now stands accused of raping a teenager at sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s Upper East Side town house. Then Ash Carter discusses an unflinchingly honest new memoir by Martin Peretz, one of the most influential media figures, a man whose New Republic magazine was read by presidents and shaped policy but later came on difficult times. Finally, Elena Clavarino rep...
Episode 150: Why the Idaho-Murders Suspect Could Walk Free
July 29, 2023 03:00 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBThe murder of four students at the University of Idaho is an open-and-shut case, right? No, say the attorneys for Bryan Kohberger, the accused killer. On this week’s episode, Howard Blum takes us inside the defense team’s audacious strategy to win an acquittal. Later, Lesley M. M. Blume has the story of the author of some of the most beloved children’s books ever—who was also the forgotten prophet of nuclear doom. And finally, if you’re still looking for somewhere to escape to on yo...
Episode 149: The Prince Who Got Away with Murder—A True Story
July 22, 2023 03:00 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBThis week, Beatrice Borromeo joins us from Italy with the shocking story of the prince who got away with murder. Then Alexandra Marshall reports from France on the Rupert Murdoch of French media. Later, James Fox takes us back to the Swinging 60s and explains how horses, of all things, brought together everyone from the Rolling Stones to the biggest names in British society. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy a...
Episode 148: Simon Callow Remembers Julian Sands
July 15, 2023 03:00 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBJulian Sands, one of the great actors of the past 50 years, died while hiking in Southern California. This week, his friend and fellow actor Simon Callow shares memories of the man who left a mark on him, beginning with their time together while filming A Room with a View. And speaking of movies, William J. Mann reveals how a breathtakingly beautiful 20-year-old starlet and a thrice-divorced alcoholic more than twice her age created that rarest thing in Hollywood: a love story for t...
Episode 147: The Book That Shocked and Skewered Hollywood's Elite
July 08, 2023 03:00 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBThis week, Rich Cohen tells us about the time he was sent to Woody Creek, Colorado, to check in with the godfather of gonzo, Hunter S. Thompson. Then, speaking of writers, many of you may know the Jackie Collins book Hollywood Wives, which skewered the Beverly Hills elite and sold more than 15 million copies. Now, on its 40th anniversary, Jackie Collins’s daughter Rory joins us to reveal what she learned about life from her powerhouse mother. Finally, Ravi Somaiya has the incredible...
Episode 146: The Murder That Shocked Swinging London
July 01, 2023 03:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBThis week, John Glatt has a shocking story of sex, drugs, and a bloody murder by a rich American playboy that sent shock waves through Swinging London in the late 1960s. Then, because it’s summer, it’s time for summer reading. Who better to chat with on that subject than one of our favorite guests, Jim Kelly, the Books Editor here at Air Mail. Jim will tell us about a book he’s loving this week, and a few others. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss. See Privac...
Episode 145: The Chilling Crime That Fueled Trump's Rise
June 24, 2023 03:00 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBIt was a crime and a trial that riveted New York and defined an era: the case of the Central Park jogger, when a young woman was brutally assaulted in the park in 1989. This week, Jeffrey Toobin discusses his eye-opening piece on how the fates of two people involved in that horrendous crime have taken shockingly divergent paths. And how the attack sparked Trump’s interest in politics. Then we have the incredible tale of the boy who fled Saigon as a 12-year-old refugee during the Vie...
Episode 144: Welcome to The Era of The Butt (for Better or Worse)
June 17, 2023 03:00 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBHow did it come to pass that we find ourselves living in “The Era of The Butt”? Linda Wells, the editor of Air Mail Look, explains all. Then fans of great food no doubt remember the Spotted Pig. For 16 years it was one of New York’s most acclaimed restaurants. After management was accused of sexual misconduct, it closed up. Now the West Village building that housed it is home to a new restaurant, the Golden Swan, and Alan Richman has a report on it. And speaking of restaurants, Bruc...
Episode 143: Welcome to the Decade of Anger—It's the Raging 20s!
June 10, 2023 03:00 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MBThe 70s were the Me Decade, and the 80s were the Greed Is Good decade. But what is this strange decade of the 20s we are living in now? Here at Air Mail, we’re calling it “the Raging 20s,” and Bruce Handy explains why. Then John Glatt has the bizarre true-crime story of a Utah mother of three whose husband died from poisoning. She then wrote a bereavement book for kids, and you won’t believe what happened next. And speaking of wild: Legs McNeil has the inside story of two very stran...
Episode 142: Should You Be Moving to Athens?
June 03, 2023 03:00 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBIt’s officially summer, which means the blockbuster movies are here. But will any of them win an Oscar for best picture? As Sam Wasson reports, the gatekeepers in Hollywood just made it a lot harder for any movie to win an Academy Award for best picture. He’ll tell us why. Then, if you’re still undecided about your summer-escape destination, Catherine Fairweather has a great idea for where to go in Greece. And the answer may surprise you. Finally, here’s a question: How did a once g...
Episode 141: What Went Down Inside Our Big Cannes Party
May 27, 2023 03:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBThis week, Lauren Bans tells us why the best thing on social media these days is the Instagram account of Michael Keaton, which is loaded with … dad humor?! Then, if you live in New York City, you know there is a rat problem. A very big one. And the always funny David Kamp will discuss what to do with one of the city’s most pervasive constituencies. And finally, Alessandra Stanley, a Co-Editor at Air Mail, takes us inside the big party of the week—Air Mail’s bash at the Hôtel du Cap...
Episode 140: It's the South of France Issue
May 20, 2023 03:00 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBThis week is our South of France episode, which coincides with the Cannes Film Festival. Graydon Carter, a Co-Editor at Air Mail, tells us about the inspiration behind this special issue and takes us inside our party at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc. Then we have two great stories about movies: Josh Karp has the scoop on a film Dame Helen Mirren called “an irresistible mix of art and genitals”—the 1979 erotic historical drama Caligula, which starred Mirren, Malcolm McDowell, more than a...
Episode 139: Is This the French Riviera's New Fantasy Island?
May 13, 2023 03:00 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBThis week, William D. Cohan, our man on Wall Street, reveals why the head of Goldman Sachs has cozied up to a man who’s built super-exclusive homes for Tom Brady, George Clooney, and other big names. Then, on the subject of property and places to hide out and unwind, our man in France, Alexander Lobrano, reports on a private island in the French Riviera that’s being transformed into the setting of a luxury hotel. And finally, Bruce Handy discusses the legacy of Bruce McCall, the ill...
Episode 138: The Inside Story—How the Idaho-Murders Suspect Was Nabbed
May 06, 2023 03:00 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBThis week, Howard Blum, who has been reporting for us on the horrific murders of four young college students in Idaho, reveals the series of improbable breakthroughs, as well as the unlikely cast of unsung heroes, that led to the capture of the suspect in those killings, Bryan Kohberger. Then Emine Gözde Sevim, a photo editor here at Air Mail, shares her insights about what might well be one of the most consequential elections of the past two decades. No, it’s not in America. It’s i...