Graydon Carter: ‘The closest I've come to death? A tense argument with Russell Crowe at an Oscar party'

The Guardian

21-06-2025

Born in Canada, Graydon Carter, 75, moved to New York in 1978. He became a staff writer on Time magazine, followed by Life in 1983; in 1986, he co-founded the satirical publication Spy. He edited the New York Observer for a year before becoming editor of Vanity Fair in 1992; he retired in 2017. His memoir, When the Going Was Good, is out now. He lives in New York City with his third wife and has five children.
When were you happiest?
My first week in New York in 1978, when I was about to start as a writer at Time. And my first week in the south of France after retiring from my job of 25 years as editor of Vanity Fair.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
It will be the one or two or three senior Republican leaders who take a public and forceful stand against the ugly lunacy of the Trump administration.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Intermittent laziness.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
That time I congratulated a waitress on being pregnant.
Aside from a property, what's the most expensive thing you've bought?
My children's education.
Describe yourself in three words
Content. Cheerful. Appreciative.
What would your superpower be?
To be able to fall asleep in five minutes.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
That I didn't go to Turkey during the pandemic for one of those male hair treatments.
What is your most treasured possession?
A cardboard Leica camera my then 13-year-old daughter made for me for Christmas. Inside was an accordion strip of photos of the two of us.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Thinning hair. And thickening everything else.
What is your most unappealing habit?
My wife has weaned me off most of them.
What is the worst thing anyone's said to you?
'Didn't you used to be Graydon Carter?'
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Hermès handkerchiefs – and two scoops of vanilla ice-cream after every dinner.
To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
Canadians are trained to say sorry to almost everything and everyone.
What did you dream about last night?
I dreamed that my penis was much larger than it is.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
It's all good – which is code for the opposite.
How often do you have sex?
Like most people my age, hourly.
What is the closest you've come to death?
Getting into a tense argument with Russell Crowe during one of the Vanity Fair Oscar parties.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
The metabolism I had in my 20s.
How would you like to be remembered?
With dozens upon dozens of beautiful women weeping over my casket.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Be generous and kind. Honestly, those two things did everything for me.
Tell us a secret
I still smoke a cigarette every morning at 11. It sets me up for the day.