From the pages of Vanity Fair to the red carpets of Hollywood, editor Graydon Carter’s memoir revives the glamorous heyday of magazines when they were the vanguard of culture.
When the Going Was Good is Graydon Carter’s lively recounting of how he made his mark as one of society’s most talented editors and shapers of culture. Carter arrived in New York from Canada with little more than a suitcase, a failed literary magazine in his past, and a keen sense of ambition. He landed a job at Time, went on to work at Life, cofounded Spy magazine, and edited The New York Observer, before catching the eye of Condé Nast chairman Si Newhouse, who tapped him to run Vanity Fair.
With his inimitable voice and raconteur’s quips, Carter brings readers inside the drawing rooms of the great and not-always-good of America, Britain and Europe. He assembled one of the best-ever stables of writers and photographers under one roof, and here he re-creates in real time the steps he took to ensure that Vanity Fair during his 25-year run cemented its place as the epicenter of art, culture, business and politics. Charming, candid and brimming with humor, When the Going Was Good perfectly captures the last golden age of print magazines from the inside out.
Graydon Carter will discuss all this and more in his conversation with the Divine Miss M herself, Bette Midler.
Graydon Carter is the founder and coeditor of Air Mail. Before this, he was a staff writer for both Time and Life magazines. He cocreated Spy, edited The New York Observer, and for twenty-five years was the editor of Vanity Fair. He is the Emmy and Peabody Award–winning producer of more than a dozen documentaries and one hit Broadway play, I’ll Eat You Last, starring Bette Midler. He and his wife live in New York, not far from the Waverly Inn, and have five children.
Bette Midler is a legendary performer who has excelled across entertainment. Her accolades include four Grammys, three Emmys, two Tonys, three Golden Globes and a 2021 Kennedy Center Honor. One of the bestselling female singers of all time, she's sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Some of her iconic films include The Rose, Beaches, Hocus Pocus and The First Wives Club. On Broadway, she won a Tony for her starring role in Hello, Dolly!, one of the most celebrated musicals in theater history.
In 1995, she founded the New York Restoration Project, which protects community gardens and green spaces across NYC. The organization manages 52 gardens, maintains over 80 acres of parkland and has planted more than 1 million trees in partnership with NYC Parks.