Morning Meeting

This 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 satire and pyrotechnic prose. Peter Stevenson will tell us why, five years after Wolfe’s death, a flurry of projects based on his life and work are being released. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

September 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 week was a sad one, with the passing of Jimmy Buffett at age 76, but his good friend Tom Freston shares his memories of the incomparable singer-songwriter. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every 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 goes sour. And finally, your summer travel may be winding down, but Alexander Lobrano has an idea for an exciting new hotel restaurant to escape to this fall. It is a meal worth flying for, so don’t put your suitcase in storage just yet. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Summer 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 greatest magazine profile ever, and Talese is here to talk about the story behindthe writing of that story. And finally, Nicholas Foulkes will reveal why taste-makers and collectors are falling over themselves to get a certain kind of wristwatch from the 1980s. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It 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 Air Mail’s Arts Intel Report, our indispensable research tool for what to do and where and when to do it. Now, just in time for the fall and the explosion of culture that it brings, we’ve launched an exciting revamp of the site—your resource for all things culture—and Laura Jacobs, the Editor of the Arts Intel Report, tells us about it. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This 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 that right.) All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This 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 reports from the Riviera, where, in the late 19th century, the French and Italian coasts became places of refuge, thanks to their moderate climates. But with climate change destroying the Mediterranean fantasy, will vacationers go elsewhere? All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 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 your summer holiday that is far, far, far from the madding crowd, Marcia DeSanctis has just the place. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This 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 and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Julian 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 the ages. And then Rich Cohen joins us for a conversation about U.F.O.’s and what to make of the recent testimony of a whistleblower who claims the government has captured alien flying machines. Yikes! All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.