Ione Skye: I'm still working on being seen in the world – and I'm 50

The Shift with Sam Baker

Sam Baker Ltd

Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, Personal Journals

4.8 • 525 Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My guest today is a Gen X legend and someone I’ve been a little bit obsessed with ever since I saw her star in the definitive (late) 80s movie, Say Anything. Ione Skye. There was a time when It seemed like if there was a hot young actor - John Cusack, River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves - she got to snog them on screen. (I know, shallow, much.) Ione has spent her life in the centre of the Venn diagram of film, music and celebrity. The daughter of 60s superstar Donovan, she famously dated Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ Anthony Keidis finding herself both babysitter and breadwinner at just 16. She followed that with an ill-fated marriage to Beastie Boy Ad-Rock (Adam Horowitz). But there is so much more to Ione than all those male name drops. She has starred in some of the most significant movies of their generation. She has worked with the likes of Sofia Coppola, Chloe Sevigny, Lena Dunham and Madonna. She’s written children’s books, directed short films and is an accomplished painter. Not to mention podcaster. (She hosts the podcast Weirder Together with her partner, Ben Lee.) Oh, and I do just have to say that as a child she only lived next door to the iconic writer Eve Babitz! Anyway It all adds up to one fascinating tumultuous story. One she’s addressed extremely candidly in her new memoir, Say Everything. See what she did there? Ione joined me from LA to talk about growing up in the 80s and 90s, being a nepo baby before nepo babies were a thing, having it all, losing it all and getting some of it back, what she’s learnt from her Gen Z daughters and finally coming into herself in her 50s. * You can buy all the books mentioned in this podcast at The Shift bookshop on Bookshop.org, including Say Everything by Ione Skye and the book that inspired this podcast, The Shift: how I lost and found myself after 40 - and you can too, by me. * If you enjoyed this episode and you fancy buying me a coffee, pop over to my page on buymeacoffee.com. • And if you'd like to support the work that goes into making this podcast and get a weekly newsletter plus loads more content including exclusive transcripts of the podcast, why not join The Shift community, come and have a look around at www.theshiftwithsambaker.substack.com • The Shift (on life after 40) with Sam Baker is created and hosted by Sam Baker and edited by Juliette Nicholls at Pineapple Production. If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate/review/follow as it really does help other people find us. And let me know what you think on twitter @sambaker or instagram @theothersambaker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	There's no one like you, and there never will be.
0:03.0	From the producer of Bohemian Rhapsody.
0:06.4	There are many legends, but there is only one.
0:12.0	Michael, in IMAX in Cinema's Wednesday, April 22.
0:19.7	Hello, and welcome to The Shift, the podcast that aims to tell the no holds bar truth about being a woman post 40, created and hosted by me, writer and broadcaster Sam Baker.
0:31.1	My guest today is a Gen X legend and someone I've been a little bit obsessed with ever since I saw her star in the
0:38.8	definitive 80s movie say anything Ione's guy there was a time when it seemed like if there
0:45.0	was a hot young actor John Coutac River Phoenix Keanu Reeves I only got to snob them on screen
0:51.9	I know shallow much I only has spent her life in the screen. I know, shallow much.
0:59.7	I only has spent her life in the center of the Venn diagram of film, music and celebrity.
1:02.8	The daughter of 60s superstar Donovan,
1:07.9	she famously dated Red Hot Chili Peppers Anthony Kedis when she was just 16 and had an ill-fated marriage beastie boy Adam Horowitz.
1:12.0	Had I had something else like occupying me, even though it was the most negative, difficult
1:17.6	few years of my life for my little psyche, I'm happy that I know Anthony and Flea and that
1:25.1	scene, but I wish it had been 10 years later and I never dated Anthony.
1:30.4	I would love, I'm glad I know them, but it was just that scenario. But I think I didn't understand
1:35.4	that this interaction, yeah, it was one of those things. Even though it was negative, it was
1:40.0	something I was attached to because it was like, you know, a big thing that I was involved in.
1:46.2	But there's so much more to Ione than all those male name drops. She's starred in some of the
1:52.2	most significant movies of their generation. She's worked with the likes of Sophia Coppola,
1:57.4	Chloe Savini, Lena Dunham and Madonna. She's written children's books, directed short
2:03.2	films and is an accomplished painter. Oh, and I do just have to say that as a child, she only lived
	...

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