“I do love the activity of writing, which is very different from editing. Editing is a social thing that you get right or you get wrong. It’s an imaginative one— and a deeply collaborative one. In writing, you are out there on the diving board all by your lonesome. I find that thrilling.”
–David Remnick, episode 438 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
In the first 100 years of The New Yorker, only five have edited the magazine. Since 1998, it’s been David Remnick at the helm, shepherding the publication into the 21st century.
We discuss Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral win in New York City (3:24), the new documentary, The New Yorker at 100, chronicling the magazine’s evolution (11:00), how comedian Jon Stewart understands the rising influence of the podcast Manosphere (26:20), and the future of media (47:00).
Then, we turn to our first talk with Remnick from 2023, reflecting on the art that influenced him growing up in New Jersey (54:00) to his pathway to journalism at Princeton University (1:03:30) and his start at The Washington Post under the tutelage of legendary editor Ben Bradlee (1:09:00). We close with lessons from his early days running The New Yorker (1:14:30), why he cautions against despair (1:26:20), and a tribute to the creative longevity of musician Joni Mitchell (1:34:00).
Subscribe to our new YouTube channel. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com.
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Show-notes:
- Watch the new documentary The New Yorker at 100.
- Read David’s books: Holding the Note, Reporting, and The Bridge.
- Listen to The New Yorker Radio Hour.
- Find more of his reporting.
- For more, listen to our conversations with Terry Gross, Natasha Lyonne, and Hilton Als.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Illustrations by Krishna Shenoi.
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