And then at the height of her fame, she went into the ocean to swim and disappeared, and she was mourned for dead.

I have written profiles of celebrities and interviewed celebrities, Amy Winehouse or Prince.

I did a big story on Justin Bieber when he was having a meltdown.

I like Rock Bottom. I think it's very revealing.

Hello and welcome back to Rock Bottom. My guest today is Claire Hoffman. I'm very excited for this episode because Claire is an author who writes about Rock Bottoms. She is drawn to the public meltdown,

to the mega celebrity.

She's profiled Amy Winehouse, Prince Justin Bieber,

and her latest book is about Amy McPherson, a mega church Pentecostal religious figure who at the height

of her fame faked her own death to cover up an affair. It is a wide-ranging conversation

about the nature of celebrity, public buildup, takedown,

and the story of Amy, which I think is something that not a lot of people know, but it's certainly

a gripping, riveting story.

I've been here editing this on a houseboat in Copenhagen as I attempt to live out my The Bear Season 2 fantasies.

I wanted to record an intro for this episode because I know it's a little different.

We're not going to talk so much about something that Claire has experienced or done,

but all of the various stories that she's gotten to cover as a journalist.

So it's a fascinating conversation. One of my favorites, minimal editing also. She's a really wonderful speaker.

So please enjoy this conversation with Claire Hoffman.

Claire Hoffman, welcome to Rock Bottom.

Thank you for having me.

Great to have you on the show.

I feel like you are such a wonderful guest for this because you, it seems like throughout your work, you seek out rock bottoms. I like rock bottom. I think it's very

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