Elite Old Guy Excellence with Stephen Rodrick

The Distraction: A Defector Podcast

Variety’s Stephen Rodrick joins Drew and Roth to talk about his most recent profile of director Paul Schreder. As Stephen is one of the premier profile writers of our time, there are a lot of parallels to draw: this Schreder profile to the one in The Canyons era; what it is like writing profiles in 2024 as compared to 20-year-old Rudy Giuliani article; and the alcoholic similarities between his Johnny Depp profile and the recent Rolling Stone piece on Kidd Rock. In the second half, they dig into the wild drama of the NBA playoffs with Bill Simmons’ takes as the swirling weathervane. And as always, they dive into the Funbag, answering real questions from real listeners.

Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!

Stuff We Talked About

• Paul Schrader On 'Oh, Canada,' Defending Kevin Spacey, Richard Gere
• Lost in the Music - The New York Times
• Here Is What Happens When You Cast Lindsay Lohan in Your Movie - The New York Times
• Profile of James Dean by Wells Tower in GQ
• Paul Schrader declares that Roger Corman is overrated right after Corman’s death is announced : r/Letterboxd
• How Kid Rock Went From America's Favorite Hard-Partying Rock Star to a MAGA Mouthpiece
• The Trouble With Johnny Depp
• Francis Ford Coppola’s $100 Million Bet | GQ
• What America Sees in Rudy Giuliani -- New York Magazine

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Credits

- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth

- Producer: Eric Silver

- Editor: Brandon Grugle

- Production Services & Ads: Multitude

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About The Show

The Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.