19 May 2023
The Debutante
It's a transatlantic podcast this week as Richard chats to fantastic author and journalist Jon Ronson, in a typically unlikely location in New York. They are chatting about his new Audible audiobook/podcast Debutante, a deep dive into the extraordinary life of Carol Howe, the former debutante who became a Neo-Nazi and then an informant and then… well who can be sure? It's a fascinating and often harrowing investigation into whether the Oklahoma bombing might have been prevented, who might have been involved and the often compelling conspiracy theories that have sprung up. Rich and Jon discuss how he copes with the dangers he puts himself in, the fight between rival strippers that provided a possible clue to whether Timothy Mcveigh was a lone wolf, the importance of keeping a sense of balance and not going down the rabbit hole, how Jon is the Simon Cowell of investigative journalism and whether, as middle aged men, Richard and Jon are in danger of getting obsessed with some mad theory and ruining their lives. It's a lot of fun.
Listen to Debutante on Audible https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Debutante-Audiobook/B0BV18S28C. It's up to you whether you do that with your free book for joining or not!