Overview of How Long Gone Episode 968: Derek Blasberg
Chris Black and Jason Stewart spend the first part of the episode riffing on pop culture, comedy, social media, and “old internet” behavior before welcoming fashion writer and media personality Derek Blasberg. The conversation centers on Blasberg’s new book Fast and Loose, a photo-and-caption collection drawn from his Interview magazine column (2009–2012), and it becomes a broader meditation on nightlife, pre-social-media culture, fashion week, celebrity ecosystems, and how the media landscape has changed.
Key Topics Discussed
Opening banter and current pop-culture commentary
- Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm legacy and the KidSuper collaboration.
- The Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce wedding discourse, Lena Dunham’s public image, and the idea of her as a behind-the-scenes social force.
- A lengthy takedown of Louis C.K.’s recent stand-up material, with the hosts arguing that some “comeback” material was simply bad rather than transgressive.
Derek Blasberg’s book Fast and Loose
- Blasberg explains that the book collects images and captions from his Interview column covering 2009–2012.
- He frames that period as a “sweet spot”:
- people were highly connected,
- but life was still being lived “inside the room,” not fully online.
- The book reflects nightlife, fashion, and celebrity culture before Instagram fully changed how experiences were documented and judged.
Fashion week, couture, and what couture is for
- Derek is in Paris for couture week and describes the intense heat and the absurdity of attending runway shows in full sun.
- The hosts and Derek joke that couture is less about practicality and more about concept and art:
- couture is “fashion’s laboratory,”
- it only needs one buyer,
- most ideas are bad, but the few good ones matter.
- They also joke about wealthy clients, climate-controlled closets, and bathroom fridges for beauty creams.
Media, social platforms, and the changing cost of attention
- Derek reflects on how social media transformed nightlife, magazines, and public self-documentation.
- He says he’s an “old influencer” and doesn’t want to totally demonize social media because it helped build his career.
- The conversation shifts to Gen Z work culture, mental health days, and how the internet now exposes people to constant bad news.
Derek’s personal backstory
- Grew up in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Went to NYU on scholarship after being a Missouri scholar-athlete.
- Played multiple sports, including soccer, swimming, and volleyball.
- Worked at Vogue after college, was fired, then freelanced widely.
- He describes his career as something he figured out by rolling with setbacks rather than following a straight path.
Celebrity, nightlife, and archival memories
- The episode revisits the late-2000s/early-2010s club scene:
- Bungalow 8, Beatrice Inn, Lit Lounge, and Lindsay Lohan-era celebrity nightlife.
- Derek says the book includes both glamorous nightlife material and more ordinary scenes from his life, including time in Missouri.
- He recalls being misty while finding photos of figures like Karl Lagerfeld, André Leon Talley, and Peaches Geldof.
Notable Insights
On the 2009–2012 era
- Derek sees that window as the last period before social media fully changed how people measured a “good night.”
- Back then, a good night could be measured by:
- hangovers,
- bruises,
- broken shoes,
- missed appointments.
- Now, the metrics are likes, engagement, and sleep scores.
On fashion and status
- Couture is presented as a high-concept, low-practicality world that only needs to please a very small audience.
- The joke throughout is that most people “opt out” of fashion, but the industry still shapes what everyone ends up wearing.
On staying relevant
- Derek emphasizes that his career evolved because he adapted instead of expecting the old magazine world to stay intact.
- He sees current media as even more unstable because AI is likely to accelerate change.
Guest Profile: Derek Blasberg
- Special correspondent at Vanity Fair
- Former Interview magazine columnist
- Author of Fast and Loose
- Longtime fashion/media figure with deep ties to celebrity, nightlife, and luxury culture
Closing Notes
- Derek shares that he’s headed from Paris to Rome for a Fendi show, then home to Long Island and family.
- Chris and Jason praise him as a strong broadcaster and say he’d be great with his own show.
- The episode ends with the usual playful, irreverent energy the podcast is known for.