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The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast
The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast

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CONTEST: Win a copy of the new 40th anniversary edition of Less Than Zero!

What's another song Bret could have titled his first novel after if the Elvis Costello classic didn't exist? Love In An Elevator? Crosstown Traffic? Moon River? The five best answers will win a copy of the new 40th anniversary edition of Less Than Zero! Shipping cost will be covered by the publisher. ONLY U.S. RESIDENTS CAN WIN, BUT ANYONE CAN LEAVE A SONG TITLE FOR THE FUN OF IT. Sorry about that. They made me type it. Winners to be chosen and notified on Monday, 7/28/25. Best of luck to you.

Comments

For real though, who won?

Christopher Irving

Heart of Glass, Blondie

Liam Lenihan

Depeche Mode's "Master & Servant" would be solid.

Juan Flores

I think the early '80s song that captures the theme of Brett's first novel is "the Ghost in You" (1984) by the Psychedelic Furs.

Bashir

Many of the Smiths and New Order songs came after "Less than Zero" was published si Brett wouldn't have known their message.

Bashir

Yeah, give us the wit of the winners!

Sarah Lippek

Were winners ever announced or notified?

D Michael Hardy

Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

Gail Williams

Sway

James Beatty

Too late, but All Tomorrow's Parties -- Velvet Underground and Nico

Louella

Who won?!?!

M. Nero Nava

How Soon is Now? - The Smiths. Or more obvious selections: Bizarre Love Triangle, Age of Consent and Blue Monday - New Order.

Thomas Edwards

The Soft Parade - the Doors

Seneca Garcia

Countdown to Ecstasy (Steely Dan)

Mark DeCaro

Zero Below Sunset

UK

Don’t Come Around Here No More

Alexander Ekström

Doesn't Mean That Much to Me by EG and Alice

Window View

Haha i went to one of their last shows. Seth was out of his mind.

Tommy Stronach

Too Far Down (Hüsker Dü)

Laura

Are you ready to get heartbroken? (Bret) From Rattlesnakes 1984/85 Lloyd Cole and the Commotions or any song from that legendary album❤️💔What to do being semi🇺🇸🇸🇪😂like myself?

Pia Dykert

Gentleman Take Polaroids-Japan

James R Webb

Is It Day or Night?- The Runaways

Charles Wright

"All the Way Down" - The Primitives

Still

"All of This and Nothing" - Psychedelic Furs

Still

“Cause in Nothing There’s Something I Feel” -

George Chumo II

Always Crashing in the Same Car - Bowie The Damned Don’t Cry - Visage

CitizenToxie C

BRET YOU SHOULD READ THE NOVEL FOR THE PATREONS in the weeks up to the 40th ANNIVERSARY! That would be a treat. Your novels works best with your voice. The voices in the audiobooks are seldom right. They don´t get the tone of the characters /the books. Always too much... too excessive... or just wrong...

TimAnder

Pretty Vacant by the Sex Pistols

Tracey Porter

Is there something I should know?- Duran Duran

David Clement

"Straight Edge" Minor Threat It's a passable title, but would be ironic on a couple levels

Trezerand

White Christmas-Bing Crosby

Jack Wheatley

"This Town" - The Go-Go's

Steve

"Try A Little Kindness" Glen Campbell (1969)

j

Walk A Thin Line. Off Bret’s favorite Fleetwood Mac album (Tusk).

Tommy Stronach

Just Another Day - Oingo Boingo

Rebecca

Barbarism Begins at Home - The Smiths Over the Wall - Echo and the Bunnymen Someone, Somewhere, in Summertime - Simple Minds

Rebecca

Vienna- Ultravox

honker_2021

The Windmills of Your Mind

nkta

The Drowners - London Suede

honker_2021

“One Thing Leads to Another” (The Fixx)

Dylan Grant

Damaged Goods (Gang of Four)

kris

The Passenger siousie version

Mary Walker

Crankin’ My Band’s Demo on a Box at the Beach - A.C.

David Jaudon

Love Me Two Times

Austin Dooley

Fade to Black Metallica

Dave Mason

Yup, I said “Going Under” as well!

Ryan Peck

strange notes - the germs

Louie Angel

King of Pain—The Police

Peter

Under Pressure—Queen and David Bowie

Peter

The Tracks of My Tears—Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Peter

‘Just Out of Reach’ The Jesus and Mary Chain

Justin

-Ghost without memory -Avenues Whiskeytown

Dan Heath

Left of the Dial -The Replacements

Dan Heath

"Against the Wind" by Bob Segar

Peter Jarvis

"Total Control" by the Motels

Peter Jarvis

"Going Under" by DEVO

Peter Jarvis

"Call Me" by Blondie

Peter Jarvis

"Dangerous Type" by the Cars

Peter Jarvis

All the Young Dudes

Justin Coffman

"Fade to Grey" by Visage (1980)

Peter Jarvis

SUBCULTURE by NEW ORDER

Matthew

stranger in the house, elvis costello by way of george jones

oliver parker

Slowdive by Slowdive

Steven Mills

Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers

slimshadyfan666

Temporary Beauty - Graham Parker (1982) I Want More - Can (1976) Straight into Darkness - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1982) A Taste of Honey (standard)

Moz

XTC- when you’re near me I have difficulty. Joy Division- Unknown Pleasures X - We’re Desparate Sex Pistols- No Feelings Nico - No One’s Here

Jason N

"California Dreaming." The Beach Boys.

Steven Volynets

Sex and Dying in High Society - X

slimshadyfan666

"back to the old House", The Smiths

Gabriel González Sánchez

Under the Big Black Sun (X)

Richard Tayson

Saturday Night in the City of the Dead (Ultravox)

Richard Tayson

I Can’t Tell You Why- The Eagles

Vickie Lynn Marshall

Okie from Muskogee

J K

White Punks On Dope

Will Barlow

Do They Know It's Christmas?

Steven Hamilton

Fade to Grey - by Visage

SF Sam

Never Say Never by Romeo Void

MrPink1996

Don't Get Excited - Graham Parker

Thomas Davidson

A Million Miles Away - The Plimsouls

Thomas Davidson

“Life in the Fast Lane” by The Eagles

Harry Trustman

"Are We Ourselves?" -The FiX

sHANE tEA fRENCH

Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night — Tom Waits

Eric Forman

Best one yet. 🙌

Patrick

More Than This

Christopher Viner

“Back to December” Taylor Swift “Snow on the Beach” Taylor Swift ft Lana Del Rey

Andrew Sweet

Sitting Still (R.E.M.)

D Michael Hardy

Sex and Dying in High Society - X To Live and Die in L.A. - Wang Chun

KCDC

The Chain

++MAX++

Moods for Moderns

Neil Anderson

Rainbow in the dark - dio

Paris P

Sex and dying in high society - X

Gianni Schepens

Heart of Glass - Blondie (1978)

Nick

Surrender - Cheap Trick

Evan Williams

Dreaming - Blondie Fire and rain - James Taylor Icehouse - Flowers All tomorrows parties - VU Dirt - Lou Reed Yesterday - The Beatles

Evan Williams

Remember the nights, the motels

Mohammed

Fuck The Pain Away - Peaches

Gavin Buxton

Hole in the World (Eagles)

Hugues

In Every Dream Home A Heartache, Roxy Music

rbkhe

Separate Ways (Journey)

D Michael Hardy

"Somewhere They Can't Find Me" - Simon & Garfunkel

Daniela

Perfect Skin, Lloyd Cole

Richard Joines

Blank Generation- Richard Hell & the Voidoids

BRC

One Thing Leads to Another, ABC

Richard Joines

Invisible Sun, The Police

Richard Joines

"Loveless Love" The Feelies (1980)

Brett bennett

I'm A Faggot! - 13Pisces

slimshadyfan666

Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing? - Frank Zappa

Paul Blair

Suburban Relapse (Siouxsie and the Banshees)

Kyler Bingham

Goodbye Stranger, Supertramp Slave to Love, Bryan Ferry Save a Prayer, Duran Duran

frickenzees

The Lost Art of keeping a Secret

Stephen

"Dead Souls" Joy Division

Still

Stuck Between Stations - the hold steady

Amanda C

New Day Rising - Husker Du

Anthony

In Every Dream Home a Heartache - Roxy Music

Alan Smithee

Lou Reed - Street Hassle

Lionel

The Downtown Lights - The Blue Nile

David

Desolation Row - Bob Dylan

Sean Hill

Nowhere Man - The Beatles

Peter Guzzo

Christmas in a Coma - please send to Germany :)

Francesco Nucci

'Hey Boy Hey Girl' - The Chemical Brothers. 'It's Bad You Know' - RL Burnside. 'Born Slippy' - Underworld. 'Make A Move' - Norus. 'Insomnia' - Faithless.

Tadhg Curtin

That Girl Suicide - Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Sound of Confusion - Spacemen 3, Hollow Eyes - Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Fluorescent Grey - Deerhunter, Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven - Love & Rockets, A Mutual Friend - Wire

Simon Bennett

Honestly, can you or the publishers really not find the $10 to post a book to a winning 'non US resident'? So mean spirited

Ben

King of rock and Roll

Arni Heimir Ingimundarson

"Ashes to Ashes" by David Bowie "Skin on Skin" by The Boomtown Rats

Trezerand

Love Plus One - Haircuit 100 All We Ever Wanted Was Everything - Bauhaus Second Skin - The Gits Floorshow - Sisters of Mercy Kids of the Black Hole - Adolescents Life is Cheap - Flipper Nice 'N' Sleazy - The Stranglers Golden Brown - The Stranglers okay, i'll stop!

Gloria Rudolph

“Once Over Twice” by X

gary coates

"Boy With A Problem" - Elvis Costello, 1982. (Or ..."Seven Day Weekend"?)

Sarah Lippek

"In Shreds" The Chameleons "A Sort of Homecoming" U2

Still

"Disappear" The Church "If You Were Here" Thompson Twins "Higher Hell" Echo and the Bunnymen

Still

The Politics Of Dancing - Re-flex

Chris Carroll

Marquee Moon - Television

Daniel Porter

‘To Look at You,’ from Shabooh Shoobah, INXS 1982 ❤️

Ashley Perry

‘I Wanna Go Back’ - Eddie Money

Dan Palmer

Sense of Doubt (Bowie)

rhett jonke

"To live and die in LA" - Wang Chung

Sean Hill

No One Is Innocent

Max Brigham

Ghost Town (The Specials)

D Michael Hardy

My period-appropriate response -- something released before the novel-- is "Looking for Cracks in the Pavement" a slight variation on a song title by Duran Duran. My non-period-appropriate response is "How to Disappear Completely" by Radiohead.

Nathan Stack

Been Down So Long - The Doors

Whip T.

“U.S. Drag” - Missing Persons

AF

"Kids In America."

John Q. Thompson

How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths

Tomas Fransson

Blank Generation - Richard Hell and the Voidoids

BUtterfield8

Shades of Cool - Lana Del Rey Wasn’t Tomorrow Wonderful - the waitresses Touch me I’m sick - mudhoney Coke Babies - Radiohead

Darren Ankenman

A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum

Ryan Barr

Blah Blah Blah - Iggy Pop

Joshua Bates

Badlands -Bruce Springsteen

Dan Heath

Skin Turns Blue

Andrew Samples

Alone Again Or - Love

Patrick

In Between Days - The Cure

JACOB MOKRIS

Great Southern Land-Icehouse

Elliot Richter

Pretty Vacant- Sex Pistols

Patrick

What We Do Is Secret - the Germs

Raf

Sex and Drugs and Rock n Roll--Ian Dury (Too on the nose?)

Ryan ODonnell

"TV Eye" Stooges

Ryan ODonnell

Toadstool --The English Prices

Ryan ODonnell

“Into the Valley” - The Skids

Ryan ODonnell

“The Art of Falling Apart” by Soft Cell (1983)

Leo Ashline

Little Savage

Frank Bascombe

More Than a Feeling

Patrick

Shaky City - The Plimsouls

Storey

Heartbeat City by The Cars

Zang33

One Hundred Years by The Cure

Fat Bald and Ugly

Head Over Heels

Chris Karr

A warm place

Nicholas lee

Great Big White World —Marilyn Manson

Sean Gorman

Wasted Time

john m

complete control/the clash

Collin Myers

Tattoed Love Boys- Pretenders

Rebecca Poliskin

From a Whisper to a Scream - Costello

Dan Hoy

All jokes aside. Little palaces by Costello

Harry G

Beat Crazy - Joe Jackson. The lyrics fit. Also, it’s another great reggae-influenced song.

Dominic Dilullo

The last resort.

Harry G

California Dreamin - The Mamas and the Papas

Joe Gasz

HOTEL CALIFORNIA

Harry G

I’m on fire - Bruce Springsteen

Robert Garcia

Eyes Without a Face

Nick

Wave of Mutilation - Pixies

Patrick

"Ride Into the Sun" by Lou Reed

jonathan easley

Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads

Peter Pardini

David Bowie, Always Crashing in the Same Car

Someone Else

Somebody Super Like You

Robert

Definitive Gaze - Magazine

John24d

"Isolation" "New Dawn Fades" "Disorder" - Joy Division

Still

Love My Way - Psychodelic Furs

Jonathan Lawson

John Lennon - Nobody Told Me

Someone Else

Waiting for the sun

R H

Shake Some Action - Flamin’ Groovies

Patrick

Drive -The Cars encapsulates the vibe for me.

JD

"Cold" The Cure

Still

"This Town" Go-Go's

Still

Tainted Love

Mike

I Wanna Be Your Dog

George

Blue Monday

Thomas Matich

Gary’s Got A Boner.

Iain

“I Am the Fly”- Wire (1978)

Ashley

If so, I go with “Going Under” by Devo (and no, not because it’s prominently featured in The Shards). I think it conveys the theme of the book just as well as “Less Than Zero” does and is just as minimalist.

Ryan Peck

Life In The Fast Lane!

Brian Macaulay

Dead Man’s Party - Oingo Boingo

Marc

Do They Know It’s Christmas? Band Aid

Joe Brown

Question: are those who commented on the BEE Instagram post with tags also allowed to participate in this one?

Ryan Peck

Accidents will happen

Tom Kern

This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)

Steve Kindrick

Pleasure Victim by Berlin

Justin Grams

"I Cum Blood" - Cannibal Corpse

Graham

“Fade to Grey” by Visage

Matthew Wade

Cities In Dust Killing An Arab

Andy Nowicki

"Would I lie to you" - Eurythmics

Ryan Mcnabb

"Too Low For Zero" - Elton John

Brent Minder

Sex and Dying in High Society by X

Ciara

Rid of Me

Paul Kwiatkowski

Teenage Dream - T. Rex

Alan Smithee

Pretty Vacant - Sex Pistols

Alex Lawrence

Living on a Thin Line

Alvin

Catch Me Now I'm Falling - The Kinks

Andy Burton

“Comfortably Numb” - Pink Floyd

Adrienne Hertler

The New World

Morgan Hobbs

Town Called Malice-The Jam

Frania

Are ‘Friends’ Electric? - Tubeway Army

Patrick

At Home He’s a Tourist - Gang of Four

Patrick

Left of the Dial

Jim McDevitt

Pink moon - nick drake

Sylvain Goulet

“Running on Empty” - Jackson Browne

Tim D.

This Charming Man

Dara Winkler

“Sympathy For The Devil” - The Rolling Stones

Tim D.

Behind blue eyes - the who

Sutter Kaine

Sex and Dying in High Society

Chris N

Life During Wartime – Talking Heads (1979)

Ev Ruby

Crosseyed and Painless - talking heads

Catherine

“Suffer the Children” Tears for Fears

Daniel Degnan

Comfortably Numb

Eugenia Cesana

Waiting around to die - townes van zandt

Michelle Kim

“Living on the Ceiling” — Blancmang

Jezzup

Eyes without a face

Jason Letke

Hotel California

Sértő-Radics Sarolta

Hang on to Yourself

Jose Monroy

I think someone beat me to it so I will also throw out Pale Shelter - Tears for Fears and Teenage Wildlife - David Bowie

Jordan Vivero

Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads

Brendan Nemeth

Waves of fear

Michelle Kim

The Living End -Jesus & Mary Chain

Elizabeth M007

Theme to "A Summer Place"

Greg

Seal my fate

Michelle Kim

Fade Into You - Mazzy Star

Daniel

Doll Parts - Hole

Daniel

The Passenger - Iggy Pop

Nathan Bryan

Sabbath bloody sabbath

Michelle Kim

Damaged Goods by Gang of Four

M Burns

Conduit for Sale!

Marta Swarthout

Conduit for Sale!

Marta Swarthout

“Blister in the Sun”

JP

The Party’s Over- Talk Talk

Will Hurt

The Sad Cafe—Eagles.

Kristopher

A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum

Alvin

killing moon - echo and the bunnymen

Alexander Barnett

Straight Into Darkness - Tom Petty and the Heartbreaks

Salmon “Sammy” Trout

The Great Pretender

Ronnie

You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere

Neil G.

Back Home

Christof Steidl

"Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

I Wish I Was a Trawler

Destination unknown - missing persons

Jordan Vivero

Oi! What’s with the US only thing? My British money ain’t good enough??!!

Ronnie

Darkness on the edge of town

Michelle Kim

Kids Don’t Follow - Replacements Darkness on the Edge of Town - Springsteen

Grace Szostak

Crosseyed and Painless (Talking Heads)

Jamie

Destination Unknown

Heidi Hendershott

Lots of love for The Replacements, I see ;). I’m going to submit their song Shiftless When Idle, from their debut album (1981, so Bret theoretically could’ve heard it when he was writing Less Than Zero)

Eric Clay

Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division)

D Michael Hardy

New Gold Dream - Simple Minds

Lundon Boyd

Redemption City by Corrosion of Conformity

Mike

People are Strange Smash it Up Disintegration

Devin Welch

Just Like Heaven

Jacy

Sex & Dying In High Society

Shawn Kilroy

Don’t You Want Me

Jacy

Overflowing Gently

Chris Hough

Blister in the Sun

Mike

Yip

JEREMY ROBERTS

How Soon Is Now? Here Comes a Regular

Mats

Overflowing Gently

Chris Hough

More Than This

Patrick Crowley

Crimson & Clover Joan Jett

Cody Elijah

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Andrew Timmons

Blue Monday

James keary

Road to Nowhere - talking heads

Catherine

Nowhere Fast (The Smiths)

M. Nero Nava

This Town- The Go-Go’s posted 4:57 pm EST

Nikki Ferrari

Seen and Not Seen - Talking Heads

Patrick Paridee Samuel

Tainted Love

J.

Thieves Like Us - New Order Life is White - Big Star

Grace Szostak

Can’t Get There From Here (R.E.M.)

M. Nero Nava

Same Old Scene - Roxy Music

BFBFBFBFBF

Bastards Of Young (Replacements)

M. Nero Nava

New Kid in Town - Eagles

Normaling

Are “Hazy Shade of Winter” or “Going back to Cali” too on the nose?

David Lowe

Straight into Darkness - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Normaling

Head like a Hole

Filipe A Silva

I’m not sure whether it counts if the song was released after the book, but… Semi-Charmed Life

Darrin Wt

Empty hearted town - Warren zevon

Aaron Gray

Roman Holiday - Nicki Minaj

Biagio Mazzella

Sex and Dying in High Society by X

Normaling

The Tide Is High - Blondie

Brad Sanders

The Ghost in You - psychedelic furs

Normaling

Letters from the Wasteland by The Wallflowers

Tom Ruprecht

Zero - Smashing Pumpkins

Paul Rider

Paradise City You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes & You Get What You Deserve Burned Out

Chris Mall

Cold Life - Ministry

Kyle S.

This Is Not an Exit / No Exit Contemporaneous, a song title that BEE might have used at the time: Kids in America

IanC

Head Like a Hole - NIN

wade beal

Unknown Pleasures

Grant Palmquist

Bright Lights, Big City

Blake Bailey

Blondie – "Fade Away and Radiate"

Frances Daisy Levi

The Unheard Music — X

Joshua Reid

All This Is That

Drake

Subterranean Homesick Blues

Luke Garrett

Lonely In Your Nightmare Dangerous Type Life In The Fast Lane The Chain Bring on The Night Mama, I’m Coming Home hahahaha

Cal Graham

Bauhaus – "She's in Parties"

Frances Daisy Levi

The Glamorous Life (Sheila E.)

Dustin Joshua Sigaty

Sex and Dying in High Society by X from the album Los Angeles.

Christopher Irving

“Brilliant Disguise” by Bruce Springsteen

Christopher Olliney

You Cant Put Your Arms Around a Memory Johnny Thunders

mark

How about “Children of the Grave” - Black Sabbath RIP Ozzy

J.R. O'Brien

Everybody Wants to Rule the World.

Marlon B.

this one made me LOL

Frances Daisy Levi

The Smiths – "How Soon Is Now?"

Frances Daisy Levi

“Road to Nowhere” - Talking Heads

Matthew McClain

The Other Side of Summer

Liska

Heartbeat City

Ned Isakoff

Adult Books

Will

Perfect Day Hollywood Waltz On the Sunny Side of the Street One of these Nights Beyond Belief

Nick Not Nolte

Long December -Counting Crows

Frank Formica

Girls on Film — Duran Duran Mirror in the Bathroom — The English Beat

Devon H. Dolan

Cheap Reward

Brad

yes!!

em 🖤

point blank (springsteen)

oliver parker

All Tomorrow’s Parties

Jim Seem

How Soon Is Now? The Smiths

Garrett Morgan

How to Disappear by Lana Del Rey

Petr Svoren

Perfect Day - Lou Reed

Lance White

I don’t like the drugs but the drugs like me Marilyn Manson

Rod

Sugar Town

Colby Smith

Comfortably Numb

MB

Sweet Dreams

Erick


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