On this week's Wild Card podcast, comedian Mark Maron reflects on being content-ish.

I can honestly say there's never been a better time in my life.

And I'm not even sure this one is that great.

I'm Rachel Martin. Mark Maron's on Wild Card, the show where cards control the conversation.

This is fresh air. I'm Terry Gross. For decades, one company in Manhattan told the world what to buy, what to value, what to wear, what to eat, even what to think.

That's how my guest, Michael Grinbaum, opens his new book about Condé Nass publications.

Grinbaum writes that, quote,

Vogue chose the designers whose clothes would be worn by millions around the world

and the models who became global icons of sex and femininity.

Vanity Fair determined which moguls we envied and movie stars we worshipped.

GQ made it okay for straight guys to care about clothes. Architectural Digest, pioneered real estate

porn, and the New Yorker elevated tabloid fair like the O.J. Simpson murder trial to the realm

of serious journalism. At the peak of

its powers, Condéinasse cultivated a mystique that captivated tens of millions of subscribers across

four continents with brands that became international symbols of class and glamour, unquote.

Grimbaum describes Condé Nass today as a husk of its former self, in part because of how

financial problems have reshaped tastes and how social media allows influencers to set trends

and celebrities to post their own news and photos.

Grinbaum's new book is called Empire of the Elite, Inside Kande Nast, the Media Dynasty

that reshaped America. He's a correspondent for the New York Times covering the intersection

of media, politics, and culture. Michael Grinbaum, welcome to fresh air. What is the larger

significance of Anna Wintour giving up her role as American Vogue's editorial director after 37 years, but keeping her title as global editorial director and chief content officer for Condé Nast?

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