Photo of The Sweet Remains via the band’s website.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Sweet Remains—a folk-pop trio that has amassed more than 65 million streams on Spotify—will play a sold-out show at Caffe Lena on Jan. 22. The last time they played there, on July 11, 2025, they also sold out the famed folk venue. In other words, they’re kind of a big deal.
The group’s history is rich, with each band member having his own compelling origin story. One of those band members, Greg Naughton, spoke with Saratoga TODAY ahead of Sweet Remains’ stop in the Spa City.
Naughton seems to have been surrounded by artists and performers from the moment he entered the world. His father James Naughton starred in the “Planet of the Apes” TV series, won two Tony Awards for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, and played Meryl Streep’s soon-to-be-ex-husband in “The Devil Wears Prada.” Greg’s wife Kelli O’Hara is a Broadway superstar and eight-time Tony Award nominee.
Greg himself has worn many hats, including filmmaker, actor, and musician. But as his directorial debut, “The Independents,” a 2018 film about The Sweet Remains, seems to indicate, music may be his greatest calling.
Saratoga TODAY’s interview with Greg Naughton is presented below in Q&A format, edited for length and clarity.
Saratoga TODAY: I guess now you’re coming up, maybe in the next year or two, on two decades with Sweet Remains. What keeps all of you coming back together? Is there some kind of secret to keeping a group intact this long?
Greg Naughton: The reason I started to write [“The Independents”] is because I was fascinated by this relationship I have with these two guys, which is more like brothers/spouses than other relationships I have with any other men. You have to have all the same things. You got to negotiate. There’s plenty of times, when you spend a lot of time with each other in small spaces and in each other’s creative space, you’re going to have hurt feelings. You’re going to have conflicts… We have a very similar sense of humor. I think that’s the main thing. Anytime things get difficult or uncomfortable for us, we just have a way of breaking through that with humor. It keeps it fun. If it wasn’t fun, we certainly wouldn’t be doing it. There’s enough to getting on the road with a band and trying to get into clubs in the snow and the whatever, and all of the details of that wouldn’t add up unless you were having fun.
ST: When you go into a studio, do you go into it trying to achieve something specific? Are you looking for a certain sound or hoping to accomplish a certain objective? What’s that process like of creating a new studio album?
GN: It has varied, and I think quite often, as with even writing a song, we go in with one objective, and it finds its ways around the preconceptions that we had and becomes something else. Most of the albums didn’t stick to a strong sense of, ‘We’re gonna make this kind of album this time.’ We have a couple of ideas for the future where we might try and stick more strictly to a certain thing. Like, what if we did a rock and roll album? These are pretty folk-rock, more roots, acoustic-oriented [albums]. That’s been our main genre and main output. But what if we did a rock album where it’s really rock and roll, and did it as a collaboration with another group that we like that does that sort of thing? Or, what if we did a kids album? We all have kids. Well, [Brian Chartrand] doesn’t have kids, but we have between us seven kids in the pan at this point. So, those are concepts that, we haven’t quite done them yet, but [they’re] things I would personally be excited to do at some point.
ST: Your upcoming show at Caffe Lena is sold out already. And I see you sold out the last time you performed here in July. What is it about playing these folk houses that kind of jives with your group?
GN: [Caffe Lena] is a special room. That room has defied the march of time… Since the pandemic, for sure, a lot of clubs like that one have not made it through. There’s a lot of reasons why a club like Caffe Lena shouldn’t make it. It’s kind of too small to make good money, I would imagine. But, I find that there’s a real enthusiasm with the audience there for being in that room and being that intimate with the music, which is infectious, I assume, as much for the audience as it is for us. That, and probably somebody who runs and owns the place cares and has managed to keep that alive.
ALSO COMING SOON TO CAFFE LENA:
The Dust Bowl Faeries will return for their second appearance at Caffe Lena on Jan. 25, playing with their new drummer and debuting new songs. Infused with dark humor, theatrical costumes, and mystical lyrics, Dust Bowl Faeries perform songs spun from the very fabric of faerie culture and lore. Hailing from the Hudson Valley, Dust Bowl Faeries present original songs nuanced by tango, flamenco, Klezmer, Balkan, and Romani swing music. Singing saw, accordion, bass, acoustic guitar, and drums combine to create the Dust Bowl Faeries’ unique sound.
The Wolff Sisters—a sibling-fronted Americana outfit from Boston—will perform at Caffe Lena on Feb. 5. Their gig in Saratoga is the first in a string of shows they’re playing around New England this winter. The group recently released their latest single, “Where Am I (To Call My Home)?” on all platforms, and just released a live music video to accompany it.
Two local events this weekend will pay tribute to the music of Bob Weir and the Grateful Dead. At Putnam Place on Jan. 17, the tribute band Bearly Dead will perform. At Yoga Mandali on Jan. 18, a celebration/memorial yoga class will be held in Weir’s memory. Images via Putnam Place and Natalli Amato, respectively.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir faded away on Saturday, though, as any true Deadhead knows, his music will never stop.
Weir launched one of the most beloved bands in American history, one that inspired countless people to pile into vehicles and explore their country, trailing the Grateful Dead on tour. With the group’s improvisation, experimentation, and innovation also came new ways of performing and thinking about music. Their influence on American art and culture is vast and impossible to measure.
One could not truly experience the Dead without hearing them play live, in an environment that, more often than not, inspired warm feelings of community and, at times, even spirituality. The Grateful Dead’s very name seemed to suggest that although life is brief, it’s still an experience to appreciate (“Such a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there,” sang Phil Lesh on “Box of Rain”).
The group made its mark almost everywhere, from its origins in San Francisco to the Giza pyramids in Egypt, the site of two 1978 Dead shows. It’s unsurprising then that the Dead’s influence can still be felt here in Saratoga Springs.
The band holds (and may forever hold) the record for the largest crowd to ever gather at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). In 1985, 40,231 Deadheads convened in the Spa State Park, surpassing the previously held attendance record (also set by the Grateful Dead) of 37,801.
Since then, both SPAC and Saratoga at large have become jam band hotspots. Phish and the Dave Matthews Band have played here dozens of times, stopping by almost every summer. Rising acts such as Goose, Dogs in a Pile, and Eggy have all performed in the Spa City multiple times. Grateful Dead tribute bands play here so frequently that one might think they’ve somehow stumbled into Haight-Ashbury circa 1967.
Weir brought Dead & Company (a successor group to the Grateful Dead that featured John Mayer on lead guitar) to Saratoga for the final time in the summer of 2023. He’d been here many times with several different bands. His sound—which could sometimes be joyful, haunting, tender, and invigorating all at once—seemed to fill the air of the park, swaying the leaves of towering trees and hovering above the ancient mineral springs. For those who enjoy this sound (Jerry Garcia famously compared the Dead to licorice, quipping, “Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice”), witnessing Weir play in a bucolic setting was practically nirvana.
Though few can faithfully replicate Weir’s singular playing style, the songs he wrote and sung will be played long after his departure, which is exactly what he wanted.
On Jan. 17, Bearly Dead will take the stage at Putnam Place for an 8:30 p.m. show. The group describes itself as “not just another Grateful Dead cover band,” but rather, “a cosmic exploration of the Grateful Dead catalog.”
“I truly believe that Bob Weir is the most important rhythm guitar player in rock history,” wrote Bearly Dead guitarist Nick Swift in a social media tribute to Weir. “It’s amazing to me how he kept playing music and touring this long into his life. I keep reading tribute posts from musicians who knew him who cite his ‘need’ to play music – that it wasn’t just something fun to do, that it was something that filled a deep void in his soul and he couldn’t stop. He basically lived his life on stage, but not in some need to be an inauthentic celebrity. He just wanted to make music with people for people. And there’s something very magical about that… I look forward to finally getting to play again this Saturday in Saratoga. I’ll give it all I’ve got. We’ll miss you Bobby. We will do what we can to carry your spirit forward into the future.”
Another local tribute to Weir will come in the form of a special, celebratory memorial yoga class at Yoga Mandali on Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m. The event, organized by yoga teacher and writer Natalli Amato, will send proceeds to the Rex Foundation, which was created by the Grateful Dead in 1983 to provide philanthropic grassroots support.
“I was born in the post-Jerry era,” Amato told Saratoga TODAY. “For me, the person at the spiritual center of the Dead has been Bob Weir. Over the past ten years, Dead and Company gave me some of the best memories and adventures of my adult life. But more important than that, loving this music has brought me into deeper connection with friends, family, and even strangers. Our yoga class Sunday is a place to celebrate that!”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Emmy Award-winning author Deborah Roberts will stop by the Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga on Feb. 7 with her husband, famous weather anchor Al Roker, to discuss “Sisters Loved and Treasured.”
In her new book, Roberts, an ABC News journalist and New York Times bestselling author, curates a collection of conversations, meditations, and anecdotes from her own sisters, celebrity friends, and everyday people who share deeply personal accounts of how their relationships as sisters shaped their lives.
Roberts previously authored the bestselling “Lessons Learned and Cherished: The Teacher Who Changed My Life.” She also co-wrote “Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times” with her husband.
Also visiting Northshire (on Feb. 20) is Oscar-nominated filmmaker John Sayles, whose latest book “Crucible,” is described as a “complex and sweeping historical novel about Henry Ford and his attempt to rule not only an automotive empire but the rambunctious city of Detroit.”
Sayles (a Schenectady native) has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and once for the National Book Award. He has written eight novels. His most popular film, “Lone Star,” was released in 1996 and starred Chris Cooper, Kris Kristofferson, Frances McDormand, and Matthew McConaughey.
Tickets for both author events are available at www.northshire.com/upcoming-events.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Universal Preservation Hall (UPH) recently announced an eclectic lineup of upcoming performances that include a Grammy-winning rock band, classic Broadway tunes, and even naked magicians.
UPH will present Sing Along Broadway on Feb. 5, inviting audiences to take part in an interactive concert celebrating popular songs from the Broadway stage. The performance encourages audience participation as singers and hosts lead numbers from classic and contemporary musicals.
JJ Grey & Mofro will bring their signature blend of Southern soul, blues, funk, rock, and roots music to the UPH stage on Feb. 13.
On Feb. 20, the Naked Magicians will bring their Las Vegas act to the Spa City with an adults-only show that combines comedy, audience interaction, and illusions. Fresh off sold-out performances around the globe, the duo presents a humorous take on magic.
On April 9, Croce Plays Croce will celebrate the catalog of Jim Croce while his son A.J. Croce showcases his own musicianship. The performance features classics alongside original material, offering audiences an evening of storytelling, piano-driven music, and legacy.
Soul Asylum’s acoustic show will bring their alternative rock sound and decades-spanning catalog to UPH on April 26. The group is perhaps best known for its 1993 hit “Runaway Train,” which won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song, as well as its musical contributions to three classic Kevin Smith films: “Clerks,” “Clerks II,” and “Chasing Amy.”
Tickets for these shows are currently on sale through the Box Office at Proctors in person, via phone at (518) 346-6204, or online by visiting atuph.org.
“Another Day, Another Diner” host Pat Fleming outside Compadres Diner in Gansevoort. Photo provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — In a world increasingly filled with AI slop, there may be something refreshing about social media content that feels authentic.
Pat Fleming, a self-described “Troy boy” and newly-minted Saratogian, has been to more than 100 diners, filming his experiences at 73 of them.
His lifelong love of a good greasy spoon led to “Another Day, Another Diner,” an ongoing video series that features Fleming stopping by small-town diners to enjoy whatever the establishment recommends, plus his signature “big black coffee.” Sometimes he devours the meal accompanied only by a cameraperson, other times he’ll be joined by mayors, local politicos, or even a UFC fighter. His videos have earned him tens of thousands of followers, and, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of viewers.
“I just loved going to diners, and then one day, I looked around and noticed that almost all the diners I was in were either empty or had an older crowd, and I realized that they were kind of dying out,” Fleming told Saratoga TODAY. “I had this idea to try to attempt to connect the next generation to these family-owned restaurants, these diners, which are unique to American culture.”
Despite having little experience in the content creation world (Fleming said he had only been on social media for a few months before launching his video series), “Another Day, Another Diner” quickly took off. Fleming attributes this to the series’ authenticity.
“It’s nothing fancy, but it’s sure not fake either,” he said. “I’m not going to record the best videos or have the best editing…the food might not always look the best, or whatever it is, but I think that’s what people are drawn to nowadays. It’s getting back to the authentic greasy spoon-style restaurants. I think social media is full of AI and fancy stuff. I just think people want the real thing.”
Part of capturing that authentic experience entails Fleming typically arriving at a diner anonymous and unannounced, although he said that since his video series has become popular, he’s often recognized at Capital Region eateries.
As a connoisseur of local restaurants, Fleming has eaten just about everywhere in the Saratoga area. Compadres Diner is not just an under-the-radar gem, but “one of my favorite diners of all time,” Fleming said. He also named Manory’s and Duncan’s Dairy Bar, both in Troy, as two of his top picks.
With a GOAT diner located near Saratoga, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Fleming now lives in the Spa City. “You have the racetrack, you have awesome food, excellent nightlife culture, the cafe scene is really cool…I mean, Saratoga is awesome,” he said.
But Fleming isn’t limiting himself to just the Saratoga area. He’s been to greasy spoons all over the country, and has trips planned to New York City, Salt Lake City, Tampa, and Vermont, where he’ll likely shoot more videos.
Of course, there is one, sometimes hotly debated issue Fleming must contend with: What exactly is a diner? In a series of man-on-the-street-style interviews filmed in downtown Saratoga during the annual SantaCon event, Fleming quizzed locals on their favorite diners. Many named Compton’s or Triangle, but a few may have stretched the definition of “diner” by naming Sweet Mimi’s, The Merc, and the Charlton Tavern.
“Typically, booths and countertop seating are very big metrics,” Fleming said. “That’s how I try to weigh it out. Does it have a booth or countertop seating, and is it cheap food?”
As his diner-going adventures continue to generate buzz, Fleming’s “Another Day, Another Diner” brand has branched out. On his website, Fleming now sells merch that includes sweatshirts, t-shirts, and his very own ground coffee.
To follow along with Fleming’s diner tour, visit anotherdayanotherdiner.com, or you can find him on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is seeking “passionate, curious, and creative” students and emerging professionals to work alongside its team this June-August in its programming, development, education, communications, and marketing departments.
Applications for the SPAC summer internship program will be accepted through Feb. 13.
To learn more or to apply, visit spac.org/internships.
The Allman Betts Bandheadlined Saratoga’s New Year’s Eve music lineup, taking the main stage at the City Center at 8 p.m. Introducing the group, which includes the sons of three founding members of the Allman Brothers Band, was outgoing Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran. “The Allman Brothers, for me, pierced me like no other band,” Moran said. “I think you’re all sitting here for a reason. I actually was, I would guess, the youngest person that was at the famous 1971 concert up at Skidmore. As a 10-month-old, I was taken to that concert by my dad. Apparently, I was drinking Mateus wine all day and eating cigarette butts. Nothing’s changed since, but it brings me extreme pleasure to introduce the progeny of the band that makes me love music, The Allman Betts Band.” Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
Ally the Piper, a Capital Region native who plays the bagpipes, rose to fame thanks to millions of social media followers. She played in the second-floor room at the City Center around the same time as Allman Betts. Her proud mother was in the audience, issuing the occasional “whoop!” of encouragement. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
Glass Pony, an Albany-based group that bills themselves as a “psychedelic groove circus,” opened for Allman Betts on the main stage. The jam band featured Greg Pittz on lead guitar, who impressed the cheering audience by shredding some solos. Glass Pony’s drummer, Chanda Dewey, states on the group’s website that she “was born in an oyster shell off the coast of New Zealand.” Saratoga TODAY is still working on fact-checking that biographical claim. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
Heard— a world jazz band that incorporates influences from West Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean—played in the City Center’s second-floor room prior to Ally the Piper. The group led audience members in several dance sessions, one of which included a modified “Macarena.” Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
Rosa Love and BenZo, two seasoned performers in this male/female cover duo, are multi-instrumentalists, seamlessly trading between instruments throughout the night while delivering rich, layered harmonies and a sound that feels full, fresh, and engaging.
6 p.m. — Brian Kane Duo @ Dock Brown’s Lakeside Tavern
Brian Kane, on acoustic guitar and vocals, teams up with Tony Pellegrino on electric guitar to deliver dynamic live music experiences. Together, they entertain audiences with covers of iconic artists like Chris Stapleton, Van Morrison, Marshall Tucker Band, and The Grateful Dead.
8 p.m. — Richard Baratta Gotham City Latin Jazz Sextet @ Caffe Lena
Richard Baratta’s career spans both music and film, with an impressive list of Hollywood credits, including “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “The Irishman,” “Joker,” and several Spider-Man films. After decades in the film industry, Baratta made his return to jazz, earning a Grammy nomination for his 2020 album, “Music in Film: The Reel Deal,” which reimagined iconic movie soundtracks in a jazz setting. His follow-ups, “Music in Film: The Sequel” and “Off the Charts,” solidified his place as a boundary-pushing bandleader and musician. The drummer-bandleader’s most recent album, “Looking Back,” is a jazz reinterpretation of classic rock and soul hits from the 1960s and ‘70s.
Saturday, Jan. 3
6 p.m. — Tapestry @ The Galley Bar & Grill
Tapestry (Dave Render, Aimee Harrell, and Hans Dirzuweit) plays all songs uniquely with 3-part vocals. They’ll make their first appearance at The Galley in Ballston Spa.
8 p.m. — Goodnight Moonshine @ Caffe Lena
Goodnight Moonshine is a guitar and vocal duet, and a musical marriage in all senses. The duo combines the evocative voice and songwriting of Molly Venter of Red Molly fame, with Eben Pariser’s adventurous guitar playing. The result is folk music with a depth of improvisation and tonal subtlety usually reserved for jazz.
8:30 p.m. — The Schmooze @ The Night Owl
Playing all the songs that made a lot of bands really famous, The Schmooze has been a popular upstate dance and party band for more than 20 years.
9 p.m. — Rustic Spirit @ The New Star Bar
The Southern/Country/Classic Rock sound of Rustic Spirit returns to The New Star Bar in Corinth. Expect music from Garth Brooks, Hank Williams Jr., Lynyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, The Rolling Stones, Bad Company, and lots in between.
Sunday, Jan. 4
7 p.m. — Misty Blues @ Caffe Lena
Led by vocalist Gina Coleman, Misty Blues delivers original music inspired by Koko Taylor, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and the great American blues tradition. Gina’s story is as compelling as her voice: from a dare to sing in 1990 to performing at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, NYC’s Bitter End, and recording with Charles Neville and Joe Louis Walker, she brings decades of artistry and authenticity to the stage. Her band has earned two Independent Blues Award nominations, opened for Tab Benoit, John Primer, Albert Cummings, and Michael Powers, and continues to push the genre forward with their signature blend of blues, gospel, jazz, and funk.
Author/journalist Susan Orlean discussed her memoir “Joyride” at Skidmore College’s Palamountain Hall on Nov. 17. The event was presented by Northshire Bookstore and recorded for WAMC radio.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Susan Orlean, a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1992, has lived a life worth documenting.
She was portrayed by Meryl Streep (albeit in a highly fictionalized fashion) in the brilliant 2002 film “Adaptation.” As a journalist, she’s spent time on cult compounds, soaked up waves and wisdom with Maui surfers, and maintained decades-long employment at one of the world’s most esteemed magazines.
Her latest book, “Joyride,” is a memoir that offers both a deeper understanding of the author herself and the many fascinating figures she’s profiled. What does it feel like to be welcomed into a cult commune? How did a horticulturist come to be arrested for poaching rare flowers? What is the life of an ordinary 10-year-old suburban boy really like? What exactly goes on at the World Taxidermy Championships?
To promote the release of “Joyride,” Orlean embarked on a coast-to-coast book tour that included a stop in Saratoga Springs. On Nov. 17 at Skidmore College’s Palamountain Hall, Orlean fielded questions from the audience and was interviewed by WAMC radio’s Joe Donahue. The event was presented by the Northshire Bookstore (the shop’s Director of Events Rachel Person called Orlean a “longtime Northshire staff and customer favorite.”)
Below are highlights from Orlean’s chat in the Spa City, edited for length and clarity.
Joe Donahue: At what point did you think to yourself, “Oh, that may be a good idea [to write a memoir]?”
Susan Orlean: I never thought it was a good idea [audience laughs]. What happened was, I had begun thinking about writing a book about writing, and the more I thought about it, the more it sounded like the process of writing a book about writing wouldn’t be very interesting. It sounded really pedantic and dry. At that same time, I was reflecting on this astonishing realization that I had written “The Orchid Thief” 25 years earlier. I was so struck by that, it seemed so monumental. So, it put me in the mind of reflecting on that period of time. “The Orchid Thief” wasn’t even my first book, but I just thought, “Boy, I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve collected so many stories, not only what’s on the page, but the stories of how I did those stories.” It occurred to me that I could write a book about writing that, at the same time, sort of traced the path that I’ve taken and be a conversation with readers that was more personal than what I’m usually doing.
JD: You write in the book: “Being a writer is so much fun.” And this is a line I love: “It’s Make-A-Wish for the curious.”
SO: It really is. I sometimes am humbled by realizing how crazy it is that I can conjure a thought, like “I really want to learn about taxidermy,” and the next thing I know, I’m learning about taxidermy. Maybe that doesn’t appeal to everybody here, but to me, it was extremely exciting. It’s almost—if I can think of it, I can write a story about it.
JD: How did you write “The Orchid Thief”? You have the book in your hand. Someone from Hollywood takes the book. They go off, and the next thing you know, Meryl Streep is playing you.
SO: Yeah, it was a different experience [audience laughs] than a lot of people have… I thought the whole thing was a joke that it got optioned. Because when this book got optioned, I thought, “This is so not a movie. I cannot imagine why you’re optioning it.” But of course, you’re not going to say “No.” I just thought, “Good luck. I have no idea how you’re going to make this into a movie.” The book was a very interior kind of meditation on orchids, on passion, on Florida. The crime at the center of it is relatively small. No one gets killed. There are no car crashes. I remember at the time that it got optioned, saying to my husband, “They’re probably going to make the crime a murder, they’re probably going to jazz it up and make it a Hollywood movie,” which they kind of did, but not at all the way I pictured that it would be made into a Hollywood movie. The thing is that I never thought it would really get made. Most things that get optioned don’t get made. The percentage is maybe 1% of the things that get optioned. That’s just the way Hollywood works. So, when I got a call and they said, “Well, we’ve got the script.” I thought, “What? Seriously?” And then when they showed me the script, I said, “Seriously? No. Absolutely not.” I said, “You’re going to ruin my career, and I don’t want to be a character in a movie.” I got a lot of puppy-dog eyes. “Really, are you sure? Everybody else said ‘Okay.’” And I kept saying, “No, no, no, no, no, this is nuts.” And then my curiosity got the better of me. That feeling that I have, which is, I’d rather not not do something. I don’t always want to do things, but I don’t want to not do them. So, given this kind of knife edge that I was on, I finally, in the last minute, said, “All right, fine.” And then it was this crazy ride and obviously the film is a very complex meditation on the nature of the book. I’m far more glad that that is the movie that got made than what I pictured, which was basically taking my book, kind of amping up the drama a bit, and making a typical Hollywood movie.
JD: Who were the writers that you were reading in The New Yorker and thinking, “Man, they got it?”
SO: Oh gosh, it’s a long list. Calvin Trillin, Ian Frazier, Marc Singer, Alec Wilkinson, and then the older writers, Joseph Mitchell, A.J. Liebling, E.J. Kahn. I mean, it’s a long list and I’m probably leaving out lots of people. It was an awe-inspiring and, of course, somewhat humbling, rogue’s gallery to be joining. These were the people when I think about John McPhee, and in fact, my first office at The New Yorker was right across from his, and I really felt like, how do I get to sit in an office across from John McPhee? I’m not worthy. That’s why when I wrote the introduction of “Joyride,” I really did feel that I was in the land of giants, that these were the giants of nonfiction writing, and to be in their presence was truly inspiring. They’re in the office regularly, people like Roger Angell and Marc Singer, they were all in the office all the time. So just being around them and also seeing that when they turned stories in, they got nervous. That was actually somewhat comforting to see that even when you reach those pinnacles that they had reached, they still went through all of the same emotions of figuring a story out, not being sure whether it worked or not, waiting to hear from their editor. I remember one day seeing Roger Angell kind of pacing in the office, looking very unhappy. I said something to my editor, and I said, “What’s going on?” He said, “Well, he’s waiting to hear about a Talk of the Town piece he wrote.” The Talk of the Town pieces are these short little pieces. Roger Angell, at that point, had done millions of features, millions of books. He was one of the great writers of The New Yorker and he was still pacing the hall nervously waiting to hear if a Talk piece had worked.
JD: To this day, when you see your work in The New Yorker…still a thrill.
SO: Oh, an absolute thrill. Absolute thrill. I think it’s as exciting, seriously, as exciting as the very first time. I still, after having been there now for a long time, I still see my writing in The New Yorker typeface, and I kind of can’t believe it. I still feel like I can’t believe this. This is so, so exciting.
Audience member: Before, when you were talking about all the different writers that you worked with and that influenced you, it seemed most of them were men. When you started at The New Yorker, were there many women? And would you consider yourself a trailblazer in that way?
SO: No, The New Yorker has always had a very healthy number of women writing for it. In fact, the first, I believe, deputy editor back when the magazine was founded, was a woman. In collaboration with a man, but she was definitely at the forefront. Early on, you had writers like Janet Flanner. When I arrived, there were a lot of women writers. It happens that the list that I gave you, I mean, I could add to that Lillian Ross, Joan Didion. There were a lot of women writers who I really admired. Lillian Ross was a really important figure at the magazine. But also at that time, they had Andy Logan covering City Hall, Pauline Kael. There were a lot of women and there always have been, even at a time when maybe that wasn’t as true at other publications.
Audience member: How does one get a job as a writer in today’s market?
SO: This has been the question that has dogged me on my book tour because, without realizing it, in writing my book, I kind of trace an arc that no longer really exists. I started at alternative news weeklies, which by and large are gone. I wrote a lot for Sunday magazines, which are almost entirely gone. It’s a different world. I don’t have a quick answer to that. I should try to devise one because I’m asked a lot, and I think there are ways that being published has become somewhat easier. Not getting paid but getting published. Anyone can start a Substack. Anyone can post online. There are all sorts of easy ways to get published, but that’s not the same as supporting yourself as a writer or getting editing. One thing that has changed that I recommend to young writers is every magazine has a website that has infinitely more room for writing than the print publication. It’s just a matter of dollars and cents. You can have a gigantic website and it doesn’t cost you the way printing pages costs. So, younger writers have a bit of an easier time getting in through the website. But I don’t have an easy answer. I feel lucky that the things existed when I was coming up because those seem so much more accessible than what is going on today. I remain optimistic about people’s desire to read good writing. I will continue believing that until I’m absolutely proven wrong. But is it easy to make your career that way, or is it harder than it used to be? I think it has become harder.
THOUGHTS ON EDITORS
During her conversation, Orlean also shared her thoughts on some of the well-known editors she’s worked with at The New Yorker.
On Tina Brown: “When Tina came in, she had a completely different attitude. She wanted the writers to be stars. She commissioned fancy headshots of everybody with the idea originally that they were going to run in the front of the magazine. It never ended up happening. But she just didn’t understand why you wouldn’t want to promote your writers as stars.”
On David Remnick: “He knows me well and he knows that if I get really excited about something, that I could probably figure it out. He doesn’t always immediately get what I’m trying to do with the story, but he’s willing to let me take a shot at it. I remember when I had, through an accident, coming across a taxidermy catalog, and I got really excited, and I thought, “Oh my God, taxidermy. Who thinks about taxidermy and who knew that it was such a thriving business that it would have an industry catalog this thick?” I was super excited about it. I Googled taxidermy, and lo and behold, the World Taxidermy Championships were coming up. So, the next day, I burst into the office, and I said to Remnick, “Can I cover the World Taxidermy Championships?” And he said, “Let me think if I already assigned it to someone.”
On Robert Gottlieb: “He was wonderful. He’s a brilliant man and also very playful and very open to eccentricity because he was eccentric himself. He didn’t edit my pieces. He read everything. He wasn’t my hands-on editor, but he absolutely was open to the ideas that I was bringing early on that were pretty out there. He let me go at them. My first full-length feature, which I did under his reign, was I had heard about a cab driver in New York who was the king of his African tribe. I just thought, this is a fantastic story and I really want to do it as a feature. He just said, ‘Absolutely. Go ahead, that sounds great.’ So he was very open to ideas that push the boundaries of what maybe was a typical magazine piece and I loved working with him.”
Photo provided by the Ballston Spa Committee on the Arts.
BALLSTON SPA — Now in its third year, the “Sounds in Winter” Concert Series will continue with a Jan. 17 performance by the Eribeth Trio at the Brookside Museum.
Based in the Capital District, the Eribeth Chamber Players have performed throughout the northeast, as well as in Germany. With flexible instrumentation, the group presents a variety of programs, from string quartet and piano trio concerts to collaborations with actors and dancers. The Eribeth Trio is made up of local musicians Elizabeth Silver on violin, Erica Pickhardt on cello, and Kristen Tuttman on the piano.
The group’s Jan. 17 performance will feature “Music for a Victorian Tea.” All audience members are encouraged to bring “that beautiful unused teacup from your china closet” as tea and cookies will be served as part of the event.
The concert will begin at 3 p.m. in Brookside’s Long Room. The performance is free, however registration at brooksidemuseum.org is required as seating is limited.
