Mike Safo

Joined today by award winning author of "Down and Out in Paradise: The Life of Anthony Bourdain", Charles Leerhsen. Charles and I talk about growing up in New York, becoming an editor for Sports Illustrated, and when he knew the time had come to move on from SI. We discuss his time writing for Newsday, venturing out on his own projects and how he convinced Simon and Schuster to allow him to write about about a horse from the 1890’s, Dan Patch. Charles shares when and why he decided to write a book about Anthony Bourdain, the hurdles he faced in getting people to talk about Tony and how he called an audible and reached out to Bourdain’s high school friends and characters from Kitchen Confidential to create this book. We chat about the “Bourdain Brand”, becoming famous at an older age and why Tony’s brother didn’t want this book published. Charles talks about the controversial Asia Argento, what she meant to Tony, his obsession and how she made him lose his dignity. All this and a bunch more with the award winn