meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

S2, Ep3 How to Fail: James Frey

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day

Sony Music

Society & Culture

4.79.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 October 2018

⏱️ 44 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week on How To Fail With Elizabeth Day, we're joined by the author James Frey who also just so happens to be my first American guest (hello, USA! I heart you!). Frey has written four critically acclaimed novels, and his fifth - Katerina, a sweeping love story set between 2018 Los Angeles and 1992 Paris - has just been published.But he's probably as well known for his notoriety as his talent. In 2003, Frey published A Million Little Pieces, a memoir of his criminal past and addiction to crack cocaine. An instant bestseller, it was picked by Oprah Winfrey for her influential book club. But when it was subsequently shown that Frey had fabricated large portions, Oprah brought him back on her show to give him an exceptionally public dressing down that made headines around the world.This is a man who has been a literary rock-star and a literary pariah; someone who has experienced public failure on a level most of us couldn't even begin to comprehend. He joins me to discuss what that felt like, what he learned from the fallout, what the difference is between factual truth and truth in fiction, living with addiction, what he has learned from failure, and he tells me about his peronsal motto: 'Fail Fast, Fail Often'. Along the way, he also reveals whether he'd vote for Oprah if she ran for President and his unlikely support for the England football team. How To Fail With Elizabeth Day is hosted by Elizabeth Day, produced by Chris Sharp and sponsored by 4th Estate Books Katerina by James Frey is out now published by John Murray Social Media:Elizabeth Day @elizabdayChris Sharp @chrissharpaudio4th Estate Books @4thEstateBooks     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This podcast is sponsored by Airbnb. Maybe you've stayed in an Airbnb before and thought

0:08.8

to yourself, this actually seems pretty doable. Maybe my place could be an Airbnb. It could

0:14.5

be as simple as starting with a spare room when you're away. Find out how much your place

0:19.8

is worth at Airbnb.co.uk forward slash host.

0:28.5

This episode is brought to you by Fevertree. Regular listeners will know that I am passionate

0:35.4

about a perfectly made margarita. It was my lockdown hobby. I basically perfected my margarita

0:40.2

technique. Well, I needn't have bothered because the clever people at Fevertree now make

0:46.3

these quality cocktail mixes that saves you so much bother. So finally, making fantastic

0:52.8

quality cocktails at home is just as easy as making a G&T. All you need to do is add one

0:59.5

spirit to a glass full of ice. So that's tequila for the margarita. And then you add your

1:05.0

Fevertree cocktail mixer. So the Fevertree margarita mix, they also do one for majitos.

1:11.1

Then you stir really well or you shake the margarita if you're feeling a bit adventurous

1:15.6

or want a bit more pizzazz. And then you add your garnish, a wheel of lime on the edge

1:20.6

of the glass. There is no need to squeeze copious amounts of lime or to buy niche liquor

1:26.6

or syrups that end up being half used and gathering dust at the back of the cupboard. It

1:32.0

is a time saver and it is also a space saver. And even better, they taste absolutely delicious.

1:40.1

I should know. And it should come as no surprise given Fevertree's reputation for quality.

1:45.8

As with any alcohol, please do enjoy responsibly. Go and find these products in your nearest

1:52.0

waitros, sainsbury's or on a cardo now. Thank you so much to Fevertree.

2:00.2

This season of How to Fail with Elizabeth Day is sponsored by Fourth Estate Books. In

2:06.4

what we're teaching are sons, Owen Booth unpacks received notions of masculinity in a funny,

2:13.1

sometimes surreal and very touching way. Exploring everything from heartbreak to volcanoes,

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Sony Music, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Sony Music and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.