Hey, live. That's right. Live right here on Substack, YouTube, and today Instagram. Who knew? Um, so yeah, what a treat. I sometimes I I am literally like I'm moving the cursor with one thing. I'm also working a soundboard uh with another hand, multitasking. And for whom do I do this? You.
Um, hi guys. It is Let me just get this lovely screen thing out of our face. Isn't that great? Um, it is Friday the 16th of October. We're right. We're like, we're in peak Halloween season. And let's see. I just got finished recording this week's edition of No Mercy, No Malice for Scott Galloway. It's the thing I do it I do it every week, every Friday. Um, and for years I've been going down to Vox Media to record Scott's audio version of his weekly newsletter, No Mercy, No Malice. And you know, it just occurred to me there's only one reason to not do this at home and that is uh the noise or potential noise from across the street.
Look at this, YouTube contributor Trudy. Thank you very much. Dropped a little tip in the jar there. That is much appreciated. Helping me feed the dog. Trudy, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
Um, I uh usually would go downtown as I was saying, but the only reason to not record Scott's thing at home since it's just audio um is potential noise outside, sirens and stuff. I mean, I live on a, you know, a highway for ambulances and fire trucks evidently. So there's that. And the worst case scenario is that I have to stop and do what we call a pickup. You know, so if I'm in the middle of reading a paragraph and there's a horn honking or something happens outside, a siren goes by, it's like when you're, you know, shooting a film and you have to wait for an airplane to go by. Literally the same thing. And I would have to stop and, you know, retake the sentence or the paragraph because the editor in post-production can, you know, splice things together. But anyway, um, so I do that at home now and we did it today and that was nice and I'm just having a little coffee.
Look at this. Bill Kelly: 'George, check out your friend Kara Swisher's latest podcast with Secretary Clinton. Always great to hear what's going on with you.' Thank you, Bill. And yes, I heard I did listen to that episode. I'm very excited about it. For those of you who don't know what Bill is talking about, Kara Swisher, or I should say, well, yeah, Kara Swisher is helping Secretary Clinton, Hillary Clinton, with a new podcast venture. Um, the title of which is escaping me. Um, anyway, it is it's pretty terrific. So, um, if you haven't listened to it, give yourself um give yourself a little treat.
I think I find Hillary Clinton funnier than she gets the opportunity to show. Like she can afford now to play the zero-fucks-given card and kind of go whatever. Now, I got the distinct impression that this episode was recorded in front of an audience, and I'm wondering if it might even be even better if um um and thank you again, Bill, for that. Um, it might even be better if she's without an audience. So it's just she's just like one-on-one with Kara and um she can feel less inhibited or less obliged to be performative in front of people. I wonder if that might even be better. I mean, either way is great, but you know, I don't know. I'm just talking out my ass.
Um, Richard Catz here on Substack says that she's wonderful in person. Hillary Clinton, I presume she is. Um, I have met her as well and um had the same experience. I think she was delightful in person and smart and, you know, experienced, articulate, like all the things that you want really. Let me check on our um oh my goodness. We have a nice little cute little viewership over on Instagram. How random. Anyway, uh what was I going to tell you guys?
So, Friday, I went I I discussed this a little bit on Instagram earlier today, so I I apologize for any overlap that um may be annoying, but I am all about I am all about this series called Crystal Lake, which is sort of a precursor to Friday the 13th, the original film Friday the 13th, 1980, which I believe was directed by Victor Miller. Is this right? It's got Sean Cunningham produced it. I remember that. And Sean Cunningham is involved in this incarnation. Friday the 13th. Yeah. Um, yeah. Victor Oh, no. Sean Cunningham directed. Oh my god, I got it all backwards. Sean S. Cunningham directed the original. It was Victor Miller who wrote it. God, a nerd like me who takes pride in knowing some things should know this.
Um, anyway, the original film starred uh Adrienne King as our final girl, Betsy Palmer as our uh our killer, and let us not forget Kevin Bacon, who was I think doing soaps at the time. He was in Friday the 13th, the original. And um Harry Crosby, the son of Bing Crosby and brother of Mary Crosby, Mary Crosby, who shot JR. Yeah, you have to be a certain age to know what that means. Anyway, I'm connecting dots here that no one gives a fuck about, but um what I will say is that um uh Crystal Lake is really well done. It's super fun. At times it's campy. Um it will be very satisfying to nerd fans of the original film. It is very uh it's very respectful.
In fact, let me go back and see who I want to see who the creator is for this. All right. Creator Brad Kaine of the series. Brad is very respectful of the DNA and actually does one better than the movie. I think the movie has always been much maligned. I've always kind of like I think the movie gets a bad rap, but it's whatever. Maybe I'm cheap like that. But anyway, I am I am uh super into it and I'm going to watch um I've watched half of the episodes. I am about to watch the second half, the last four. It's an eight-episode arc and I am into it.
Um, but the other big news as I speak to you right now, you guys will know that Karoline Leavitt has is gone. She's already out. She lasted is it three days or four? I think it's been three days, right? She didn't like Anthony Scaramucci has been unseated. Anthony Scaramucci has been unseated as the shortest or the uh press secretary with the briefest tenure. Sorry, Mooch. You're out. It's all about the baby Leavitt. Um, so yes, uh, Karoline Leavitt fired.
Oh my god. Uh, yeah, we're done. You're done. You're done. What a fucking show. I love it when Donnie I love it when sleepy von shits-and-pants makes a decision that like this one just blew up in his, you know, like like blew up his diaper like this one did. Just delicious. Like, dumb. This administration is full of the dumbest people. We are on the dumbest timeline. She was the dumbest choice. Pete Hegseth is the dumbest defense secretary we've ever had. You know, I the dumbest um everyone within like 200 ft or more like when within 300 feet of the Oval Office, just the dumbest.
Oh my god, I can't believe it. I'm really Yeah, I want to be very like a lot of us. I'm going to be very happy when this is all over. I'm sorry. I got interrupted. You know, my excitement about Crystal Lake the series got interrupted uh by the uh confirmation that um the baby Leavitt is out. Um uh let's see. Bridget: 'a half a Scaramucci.' Yeah, I guess that is a half a mooch. Half a Scaramucci. Yeah, because for those of you who don't recall, a Scaramucci is 11 days. That's a Scaramucci. So if you like and and I think it applies to any job like if you work I don't care in a restaurant and you get fired on your 11th day, you lasted a Scaramucci. Um yeah, if you lasted 33 days, a month, you lasted almost three Scaramucci. You know what I mean? This girl didn't even last a Scaramucci. And I think that's hilarious.
Absolutely hilarious. Um, but yeah, the Times is reporting it. So is the AP. I got the first alert from Rolling Stone magazine um in the Apple News app. That's actually how I'm getting my news now. A lot of it lately. I sort of unsubscribed. I pulled the wires out of a lot of um uh subscriptions, individual standalone subscriptions like uh um Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, um and a couple of others because they're included in the Apple News subscription. So, yeah. Anyway, the Apple News app is what notified me via Rolling Stone. That was they were the first to break it in that app in case anybody cares. And why would you?
Uh, scrolling down here on Instagram. Do we have anybody? We got Joe Faria. I don't know what tonight's movie is yet, Joe, but I will get to it. Wendy Cameron is watching Crystal Lake. Yeah, nice to see other people who have taken a dip in Crystal Lake. You know what? It's fun. Yeah. Fun, fun, fun. That this girl is already gone. Um, let's see. Dumb, hideous, understand. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I just I feel terrible. I don't want to miss any comments. I want to thank you all for your subscription and your support. So, I want to get to all of your comments.
Um, Bridget O'Reilly here on Substack says, 'On with George for a split second and got myself two excellent recs.' Oh, you like the recs. Um, you're very welcome. Um, yeah, I'm working. Speaking of recommendations, I am uh polishing up my I'm the newsletter that I'm going to put out uh later today. Uh, the essay is about Sunday dinner because I had such a great time this past Sunday. I went out to have um uh I went out to have dinner last Sunday with Molly Jong-Fast, my friend Jonathan Wald, and our friend Carson Griffith, and Molly's son Max, and we went to Balthazar. I mean, you know, I don't that's that's a weird I'm not saying that as a flex.
Um, but it got me thinking about how much I enjoy the Sunday dinner ritual. Well, I mean, I love going out to dinner, period. But I love there's something about the Sunday dinner. And I grew up in a house where I'm the youngest of five kids, and when we were at like peak family, meaning we were all at home, so between the time I was born to the time I was about eight when my sister Tracy went off to college. Um, in those eight years, we were peak family, all living at home and dining at home. And I have a lot of fond memories of, you know, we all sat at the table and had dinner and we ate whatever mom made. There was no special dish for, you know, a finicky member of the family. There was none of that. No, mom made one dinner and we all ate it and you shut the fuck up and you'd be grateful.
Um, so and we Yeah, we bickered. I mean, we're siblings. There was bickering and some small, stupid, petty spats, but at, you know, my grand memory of all of it was a lot of was with a lot of laughter. I remember a lot of laughter at the table and conversation. Never really political. I do remember my dad laughing about Ronald Reagan. He thought it was such a joke that Ronald Reagan became president of the United States, but I suspect he voted for him. I'm not really sure. Um, I'll never know. And uh so yeah, Sunday dinner was like a thing.
And then going out I I had this nice Sunday dinner at Balthazar with Molly and Jonathan and Carson and Max. And I usually my usual Sunday drill is to meet with some other sober friends and then we go out to and we have a little gathering. That's all I'll say about that. And then we go out to dinner after said gathering. And sometimes it's just me uh myself and one other person um the two of us and that but often other people join and sometimes it's as many as um um five or six, you know, and it's a Sunday dinner and I love that ritual.
It's just there's something about the way um there's something about the way uh it just sort of punctuates the week and the weekend. It kind of caps it and it just sort of sets the pivot to okay, the weekend is over. And after that dinner I would go home and maybe watch some TV or read a book and take the dog out and then then, you know, go into bed and you're getting ready for the week. It's a like it's a cap for the weekend. The Sunday dinner for some reason has a, you know, it has a relevance to me personally. So, I wrote a thing about the Sunday dinner. Anyway, I'm carrying on.
Um, and that's in the newsletter and I've got some other recommendations like what am I uh the weekend listen is a Talking Heads album that I've just it popped onto my radar again recently and I've been I listened to it twice in a row the other day. Uh, Remain in Light. I love that album. Um, and then there was a new one by someone who was new to me. His name is Troy. I'm going to fuck up his last name, but I love this new record. Um, God, 'cause I'm stupid and old. Troy Sevan. Troy Sevan. He's got a new album and it is called She's the Best. There's a topless woman on the cover. You can't miss it. So that's one of my recommendations for the week. That's one of my weekend listens. She's the Best by Troy Sevan or Sivan, I think that's how you pronounce it. And then Talking Heads, Remain in Light. Great album.
Uh, my weekend viewing recommendations are I have to open my notepad here. Uh, my weekend viewing recommendations. Oh, well, Crystal Lake the series on Peacock. It is a Peacock exclusive, I believe. And then, um, the other recommendation, if you haven't gotten to it yet, I think a lot of people have already gotten to this and watched it, but I'm going to just throw out another recommendation for it. East of Eden streaming on Netflix, a limited series. It is really kind of, I guess, something closer to the complete novel. Uh, Zoe Kazan, actress uh and granddaughter of Elia Kazan, complicated man. Um, Zoe Kazan pulled all this together and she's not in it. She's completely behind the camera in this one. Um, with the writing and the she's the showrunner, I guess one would say. Uh, it is excellent. Florence Pugh. If you've not watched East of Eden, get on it. It is beautiful storytelling. It is exquisite acting. Um, it's so good. So, East of Eden, get in on that.
Uh, what else am I recommending for the weekend? Oh, and then on Sunday, uh, for one week only, starting today, um, Ken Russell's 1971 film, The Devils, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed, is hitting theaters for a week. It's a newly res like it's been fully restored, like a 4K restoration. It's in 35 millimeter, I think. Um, and I'm going to be seeing it this weekend at Lincoln Center Theater or not Lincoln Center Film at Lincoln Center. Um, it's also screening at some AMC theater. So, not just your arthouse, but it's also at some uh more mainstream. It's called The Devils. Um, this is all going to be in the newsletter. Um, if you're subscribing to me on Substack, you will get said newsletter. So, those are that.
And then, you know, guys, my weekend read is, don't laugh at me. I know you wouldn't laugh at me. There's no reason to laugh at me. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Um, I've never read it. Um, I'm about a quarter of the way through it as I speak here. And it's amazing how it really like the the film adaptation that we just saw uh last year um is very true to the novel. So that was refreshing. Uh, the one with um Jacob Elordi and um yeah, Joe Faria, that's going to be a weekend watch. The Devils. Um, God, you guys, who is the star uh who plays Dr. Frankenstein?
Um, Rory Kelch here on um um Martha Plimpton in uh East of Eden. Yes, Martha Martha Plimpton was so good. Episode 4, I believe, is all about Martha Plimpton and she's wonderful. That's what I mean. The casting on the show was so great. Um, let's see. Someone said, 'Didn't Kathy Florence Pugh, didn't Kathy look like Madonna as the madam?' A little bit. Thank you, Rory. Oscar Isaac's in Frankenstein. He plays Dr. Frankenstein. Anyway, the novel uh or rather the show I or the movie rather from last year that was adapted is a fairly faithful, very faithful adaptation of the novel. Um, if you've not seen the Netflix film, um, I recommend it. It's a very good movie.
Um, and then that's kind of it. I've got nothing else for you other than this delightful gem which I want to share with you. My friend cuz you got to have friends. Um, um, my friend Kelly, okay, she and I have a love for cigarettes and not in the sense that we have any designs on reigniting or have because we're both former smokers. Um, and I will just say this and I think Kelly would probably agree with me. I don't want to speak for anybody though, but I will say that if someone came up with a cigarette that was non-carcinogenic, that did not cause lung cancer, that did not cause heart disease, a cigarette that was not harmful, but gave you the same rush and gave you the same satisfaction. I don't know if there was some kind of tobacco that burned that wasn't terrible for you that didn't fucking kill you. I would go buy a pack now because I loved.
Oh, thank you, Curado. Look at that. Another gift. Trick or Treat is a Halloween guilty pleasure. Oh, Trick or Treat. Oh god. Yeah, you're talking about the movie. Yes, it is. And thank you for the tip in the jar. These little tips in the jar are coming from YouTube. Thank you. Um, yes, Trick or Treat is a sweet little movie. I know what you're talking about. Um, and thank you for your generosity there. Uh, but Kelly and I love cigarettes, right? So, I quit five years ago. I'm not about to start again. I don't miss that part of it. But I do miss like any former smoker that doesn't look back at some points in their smoking career and think like, 'Oh god, it was really good sometimes.' You're a fucking liar, because you know it was all right.
Kelly got me this little cigarette case. Right. Inside this cigarette case is a bunch of Let's see. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine fake cigarettes. Look at this. Look at this. Look at this. Look at these gorgeous, delicious fake cigarettes. Right. And I will just do this on the camera for you. And I apologize to people just listening to the audio of this later. You're not getting the visual. These Let me just tell you something. I have not held a cigarette like this for five years. It never leaves your body. It still feels like a natural extension of myself. It feels like a prosthesis. All right. Like this gesture feels so me, right?
And these things, like if you blow on them, look at this. Look at this. Watch this on camera. Look. They blow fake smoke. Could you die? Dying. This is amazing. Oh, and then in the kit that Kelly sent me included an ashtray. Isn't she considerate? They're totally fake. I want to do. But it's what's what's amusing to me and I am not tempted to go back and get a pack of cigarettes. No way. Uh-uh. But what I what is amusing to me is um how like it doesn't like how I hold it, the way I would the way I would manipulate it, the way it lives right here in either hand.
I was an ambidextrous smoker, but I probably smoked more with my right hand. I remember I started I generally hold my dog's leash. I walk the dogs with my left hand. The leash goes in my left hand because I knew when I when Smokey was a puppy, we're going back 16 years. Was it that long? 17 years. H um, I started with my left hand because I needed my right hand to smoke and hold my phone. So I'm a right-handed smoker, I guess, technically, but I can do both.
The smoke kills me. And um, I can there's nothing happening cigarette wise. These aren't these are fake. These are prop fake cigarettes. And I still I can still psychologically I can smell it. I can feel it. The way to hold it, it never leaves your body. Um, and also it is very annoying to me and to any smoker whether still active or quit when there is an actor in a show or a film who clearly is a non-smoker trying to smoke and it's when it's or on stage even worse. Um, if you are an actor and you're playing a character that smokes, who smokes, learn, spend time with it. Go hang get a thing like a little device like this so you learn.
And because when you smoke, when you really smoke, you do other shit with the cigarette in your hand. I when I was in high school, I used to eat Burger King drive-thru and have a lit cigarette and drive a stick shift. Like, you learn how to do this shit, right? Um, I would do I would almost smoke in the shower. I mean, I could if I would. I would if I could have. Uh, but if you're an actor and you got to smoke, learn how to light it like a smoker. Learn how to carry it, hold it, change hands like a smoker. Oh, and this combo. Oh, yeah. But if you're a non-smoker, don't. And I'm I'm not fond of the kids like learning to smoke now. Don't start smoking. Um, yeah, don't start. And the vaping is stupid. Just don't like there are better, you know, you don't I know it feels like a social thing, like an accessory. Look at me holding it like I'm just like I'm really having it. Anyway, thank you, Kelly.
Um, oh god, ridiculous and wonderful. It might be my favorite gift I've ever gotten. Just so much fun. Come on. Look at that. And I put it in the ashtray. Like, I got to finish smoking it. Look at this. Look at this. This is redonkulous. Look at that. So, what I'm going to do is probably I'm going to design some photos for Instagram or it's me just with a cigarette because it does look like a lit butt. Look at that. I mean, it's pretty good detailing. Does the camera pick it up? Yeah, look at that. It's pretty good detailing. It really does look like a lit butt. And the filter looks kind of genuine, right? This is great. Anyway, um, fun gift. Fun, fun, fun and harmless.
Anyway, that's it for this weekend, for this Friday. Thank you all for hanging out uh with me and enjoying my shit. If you have not already, please consider marching over to Substack if you haven't already and subscribing. It's five bucks a month or it's a little less than that if you do a whole year all up front. Um, you get a little discount. So I I like to put out you get the newsletter, you get the videos, you get the podcasts, you get like some exclusive members-only stuff for which I am considering acquiring a members-only jacket. So when I do members-only content, I should wear the members-only jacket. Don't you think? I think I should. This particular broadcast, this particular episode is free of charge. Everybody gets to chime in and whatever.
Um, Don Hollingsworth here on Substack: 'We love your shit.' I love you for loving uh your shit. Glenn says, 'Actually, it's a dangerous gift.' No, it's a harmless gift. I'm not going to start smoking. I have no desire to smoke. I don't I don't miss it. I feel so much better like since I quit. Oh my god, my energy. Um, um, yeah, I mean I love the clean lungs. I don't like I do I I do remember vividly uh for years and years and years and years there was like every day I wanted to quit. Every single day I wanted to quit for years and years and years. So I don't miss like I I also am reminded of that.
I with the smoking I get playfully caught up in the romance and the glamour of it if you will. But would I ever smoke? I mean, I, you know, it's one day at a time here. We don't say forever, but no. And I, you know, I stick with a lifestyle that is not conducive to it. Also, as time goes on, I think it would be a lot harder to quit smoking in a society or an environment where more people smoked. But we are in a place in our society and in America where let's just like it's not like you got to find a like you're stuck in an airport or you're in a train or something. You can't smoke. You can't smoke on a subway platform. You can't smoke anywhere. Restaurant, bar, you could still smoke. Well, no, that's what I was going to say. When I was still drinking, you could still smoke in bars cuz I got I got sober when smoking was still before smoking got banned indoors.
Um, but no, like finding a place to have a cig is a lot harder now. So, you know, it's just it's a lot of effort and the payoff is so short-lived. It's a second and it's also it's an escape. There are other ways to do it to escape like taking a breath. What do I do instead? I breathe. It is really nice to like as a non-smoker to inhale in inhale like a full bag of air into my lungs. Like that feels great to me and I don't miss the cig. I just like Kelly and I joke because like we get caught up like Jesus, the times are tough. Like if there's ever a time to start smoking it would be now. But realistically, no. I mean, we're just we're just fucking around. Uh, so yeah, don't start. It's a dumbass habit. It's the dumbest.
Um, the members-only jacket. I really might do it. I really might do it. Um, uh, Brooklyn Mo 718 says, 'I don't live in NYC anymore. Do they sell loose cigarettes in the bodegas?' I have not seen them. I'm sure there are probably some. I don't think it's legal when bodegas do sell loosies, but um I have not seen any loosies available in a bodega in a while. But I think cigarette sales are way down like I don't know the numbers. Maybe that's something to ask Claude. I don't use ChatGPT, but to ask Claude like how far have cigarette sales dropped in the last say 20 years, 25? I think the tobacco companies have taken a considerable hit. They had to have. I just I don't see people don't smoke anymore. I think we've smartened up.
Anyway, um, that's it. Thank you guys for hanging out and go over to gehahn.com if you haven't yet, uh, which is where my Substack is at gehahn.com and subscribe. All right. Um, and newsletter out later today. I love you guys. Um, what's we got? Exit music, right? Not like that. Um, this podcast was brought to you by, produced by, edited by, um, marketed by no one. Um, Jesse Thorn has the best sign-off. This this podcast was produced by speaking into microphones. I love that. I wish I had thought of it, Jesse. Um, and that's it. I'm going to slowly kind of like my exit out of my own podcast is like an Irish exit, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Hi, guys.
