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Fail Better with David Duchovny

Graydon Carter and The Editor’s Eye

Fail Better with David Duchovny

Grace Cohen-Chen

Society & Culture

4.6534 Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Graydon Carter, the editor whose two decades at the helm of Vanity Fair transformed the publication, sure knows how to curate. He made the magazine into the cultural touchstone it is today (think: the much-photographed Vanity Fair Oscars Party, the viral celebrity lie-detector tests), though not without trial, error, and lots of nerves. He and I talk about his long tenure, the pitfalls of a project not having a “point,” and what he gets out of being at the head of a completely new enterprise, the digital magazine Air Mail. It’s a creative conversation I didn’t know I needed, and one I’m very glad I had. Graydon’s memoir, When the Going Was Good, is available now wherever books are sold.  Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

It's morning in New York.

0:02.8

Oh, God.

0:06.2

Hey, everybody.

0:07.3

I'm Mandy Patinkin.

0:08.7

And I'm Catherine Grady.

0:09.8

And we have a new podcast.

0:11.7

It's called Don't Listen to Us.

0:14.1

Many of you've asked for our advice.

0:16.1

Tell me, what is wrong with you people?

0:19.2

Don't listen to us.

0:20.3

Our Take It or Leave a Device show every Wednesday out now.

0:24.7

A Lemonada Media Original.

0:36.9

I'm David Dukovni, and this has Failed Better, a show where failure, not success, shapes who we are.

0:44.5

Graydon Carter is the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, where he spent 25 years overseeing countless stories and photo shoots that became cultural touchstones.

0:54.4

Graydon's influence was instrumental in popularizing the magazine's unique style,

0:58.8

from candid portraits of Hollywood icons to bold investigative pieces.

1:03.8

Vanity Fair's content became a must-read under his direction.

1:07.6

I was lucky enough to grace the cover, June 1998, photographed by the great Annie Leibowitz,

1:15.4

who proceeded to glue dead flies all over my face.

1:19.7

I never looked better.

1:20.9

He was also behind what's considered one of the most exclusive soires in the entertainment world,

1:25.7

the Vanity Fair Oscar party.

...

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