About this episode

Shilo Brooks discusses Joan Didion's novel 'Play It as It Lays' with Peter Savodnik, exploring its prescient themes about Hollywood and celebrity culture.

The perfect book to read around the Oscars this weekend? Joan Didion’s Play It as It Lays. In this episode, Shilo sits down with Peter Savodnik to discuss Didion’s 1970 novel—a book that seemed to anticipate everything ugly about Hollywood, celebrity culture, and the spiritual emptiness that we now take for granted on the red carpet and on social media. They break down why Didion’s story of an actress drifting through 1960s Los Angeles feels like it could have been written in 2026, how she saw the darker underside of feminist “liberation” long before it was fashionable to question it, and why the real problem with today’s young stars is that we hear from them constantly, leaving little of the mystique that once defined celebrity. Old School is proudly brought to you by the Jack Miller Center. If you believe in the importance of civic education and want to help prepare the next generation to carry on our democracy, join us at JackMillerCenter.org. Become a paid subscriber to The Free Press today to enjoy exclusive bonus episodes and reduced ads. Click here to subscribe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Shilo Brooks

Guest: Peter Savodnik

Topics covered

• Hollywood
• celebrity culture
• feminism
• literature
• Joan Didion
• Oscars

Keywords

• Joan Didion
• Play It as It Lays
• Hollywood
• celebrity culture
• feminism
• Oscars
• literature

Sponsors

Jack Miller Center

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Free Press

Books & works: Play It as It Lays

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