Dilettante: True Tales of Excess, Triumph, and Disaster

by Dana Brown

Dana Brown was a twenty-one-year-old college dropout playing in punk bands and partying his way through downtown New York's early-nineties milieu when he first encountered Graydon Carter, the legendary editor of Vanity Fair. After the two had a handful of brief interactions (mostly with Brown in the role of cater waiter at Carter's famous cultural salons he hosted at his home), Carter saw what he believed to be Brown's untapped potential, and on a whim, hired him as his assistant. Brown instantly became a trusted confidante and witness to all of the biggest parties, blowups, and takedowns. From inside the famed Vanity Fair Oscar parties to the emerging world of the tech elite, Brown's job offered him access to some of the most exclusive gatherings and powerful people in the world, and the chance to learn in real time what exactly a magazine editor does--all while trying to stay sober enough from the required party scene attendance to get the job done. Against all odds, he rose up the ranks to eventually become the magazine's deputy editor, spending a quarter century curating tastes at one of the most storied cultural shops ever assembled.

Dilettante reveals Brown's most memorable moments from the halcyon days of the magazine business, explores his own journey as an unpedigreed outsider to established editor, and shares glimpses of some of the famous and infamous stories (and people) that tracked the magazine's extraordinary run all keenly observed by Brown. He recounts tales from the trenches, including encounters with everyone from Anna Wintour, Lee Radziwill, and Cond� Nast owner Si Newhouse, to Seth Rogen, Caitlyn Jenner, and acclaimed journalists Dominick Dunne and Christopher Hitchens.

Written with equal parts affection, cultural exploration, and nostalgia, Dilettante is a defining story within that most magical time and place in the culture of media. It is also a highly readable memoir that skillfully delivers a universal coming-of-age story about growing up and finding your place in the world.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Journalism, Autobiography, New York

288 pages, Hardcover

Published March 22, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This profile will contain more than one author. Others are listed below.

Dana Brown (2^): gentle romance
Dana Brown (3^) children's book illustrator

explicit warning!
Dana Brown (4^): adult

Reviews

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dilettante: True Tales of Excess, Triumph, and Disaster is the memoir of Dana Brown, who began his career as a bar back at 44, a NYC restaurant popular with Condé Nast employees. Unbeknownst to Dana, Graydon Carter, Vanity Fair’s chief editor observed his work ethic and invited Dana to apply for a role as his assistant. This opportunity would shape the trajectory of Dana’s professional life, as he rose in the ranks, working at the publication from 1994-2017.

Vanity Fair is a variety magazine, covering pop culture, fashion, entertainment, politics, art, high society, scandal, and more. In 1995, VF debuted its Hollywood Issue, a new edition for the publication brought to fruition by Graydon. After 9/11, VF shifted to more content focused on war and politics. Like other industries, magazines took a hit in 2008, suffering from the recession, and with the rise of social media — The competition for consumer attention and disposable income soared, with other mediums able to deliver content quicker, providing instant gratification.

Even though my work life began later than Dana’s, and the digital world has always been a strong, baseline component of it, there are many relatable elements in his story — The commitment to the grind as a young professional, eager to move up and prove your worth; the trial by fire experience, being thrown into a new task on the spot and learning as you go, etc.

At times, there is a tone of bragging, and numerous name drops, but it’s not overwhelming as in other books. There’s also sarcasm and a little self-deprivation, and the tones are well balanced. Dana has had an interesting life and I appreciate him sharing his story in Dilettante, which made for an entertaining read.

[Catherine (The Gilmore Guide to Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good morning! Sometimes I read a book and love it so much that I agonize over the words to review it. Then, there is the more unusual experience of a book that is such easy, delicious reading words are fighting their way out of my brain and onto the page. That’s the case with today’s book, Dilettante by Dana Brown. Brown worked at Vanity Fair for 25 years. This is his memoir and it’s as fabulous, interesting, and well-written as the magazine itself.

Brown was an aimless college dropout working at a famous restaurant in Manhattan as a barback. It was the early 1990s when, after months of minor social interactions, Graydon Carter, the newly appointed editor of Vanity Fair, hired him to be his assistant. From that point onward Brown’s career trajectory was linked to Carter’s success in making Vanity Fair one of the most widely read and talked about magazines in America. Yet, it was no meteoric rise for Brown, who freely acknowledges his shortcomings in Dilettante’s pages.

The rest of this review is at The Gilmore Guide to Books: https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2022/...

[Novel Visits · Rating 5 out of 5]

This month I seem to be on a roll with memoirs by men putting pen to page with stories of their fabled careers. Last week, I shared how much I loved 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 by Dave Grohl and this week I’m here to tell you I loved 𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄 by Dana Brown just as much. Perhaps not quite as well known as Grohl, Brown’s story is nonetheless every bit as interesting and another audiobook I could NOT stop listening to.⁣
⁣
At 21, through no real action on his part, Brown was offered a job as an assistant to 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳’𝘴 editor, Graydon Carter. Brown quite literally had NO idea what he was doing, but Carter believed in his potential and was always willing to give Brown a push when he needed one. Brown’s learning curve was steep, but he was also a quick study, eventually working his way up to a senior editor position. His career at 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳 spanned the early 90’s up through 2017. Most of his time there were heady years for the magazine, including parties, travel, endless expense accounts, brushing shoulders with the rich and famous, and a life often lived in excess. It was fun getting a birds-eye view into this world from someone who never really expected to be there himself. As a cultural icon, 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳 was on a level of its own, but even that could not shield it from the onslaught of the digital era. Brown rounds out his memoir with this sign of the times, remaining grateful for his surprising career.⁣
⁣
Thanks so much to @gilmoreguide for putting 𝘋𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦 on my radar. It made me miss the era of monthly magazine subscriptions, when those glossy pages would arrive, filled with telling articles and glamorous ads. This was a treat to listen to!⁣⁣ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟

[Bonnie E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never been much of a magazine reader except when I was a kid (Mad magazine was the BOMB), and definitely not a fashion maven (obvious to anyone who sees/ knows me) but somehow this book piqued my curiosity. Interesting to hear how the author stumbled his way into the elite publishing world at Vanity Fair as a lowly assistant's assistant and worked his way up, while acknowledging his lack of education, institutional knowledge, editing or writing skills, or traditional talents of any kind. He tells his story with bonhomie and self deprecating humor, and plenty of name dropping (which, of course, is the whole point of reading a book about the excesses of New York City in the aughts and the 90's). Googling my way throughout, it was a breezy read.

[John Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It won’t reassure Dana Brown or anyone else very much, but print journalism still makes a difference in at least two households I know of. Earlier this year, one of my aunts sent me a clipping from The Wall Street Journal that gave Brown’s memoir a favorable, appetizing review. I bought her the book as a gift, she sent it to me after she finished it, and here we are.

Brown has an unlikely tale to tell, and he lets it unfold naturally. Much like the legend of Lana Turner in the drugstore, Brown was discovered working in a restaurant by Vanity Fair’s editor in chief and given a chance at a job. So he was present for many of the glorious summer days of that magazine, from before its first Hollywood Issue, in 1995, through the “Call me Caitlyn” cover story, in 2015. And he was there as the season changed. (I was there too, working in the copy department for most of the same period; take that as a requisite disclosure.) This book is a coming-of-age tale, an inside-journalism tale, a making-it-in-New-York tale, and probably one or two other types as well. It’s a good ride.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, who IS Dana Brown, author of the memoir, “Dilettante: True Tales of Excess, Triumph, and Excess”? He’s a college dropout, a light druggie, and, finally, an Associate Editor of “Vanity Fair” magazine under Graydon Carter. And, if you’re as much of a fan of “Vanity Fair” as I am, you’ve probably read many of the articles and features Brown has written or edited.

Graydon Carter gave the young and fairly wild Dana Brown a chance to work for him in the early 1990’s. Carter took a chance on Brown after noticing his work as a “bar back” in a trendy New York City restaurant. What Carter saw in the 21 year old Brown remained sort of a mystery as Brown became a flunky, then moved into the editorial world at the magazine. He moved up life’s ladder, having a pretty good time of it. He made money - the expense accounts during his time at “Vanity Fair” were legendary - and moved among the swells who dwelled within the pages of magazine.

Here’s the thing. For a college dropout, Dana Brown sure can write. I read a lot of memoirs and this one and Katherine Graham’s memoir are definitely the two best I’ve ever read. It’s not only the simple style of writing, but also what he’s chosen to include. “Dilettante” is not a mean, angry book. Brown writes about the people who have been important to him, Graydon Carter and British writer AA Gill, for instance. He also writes about the editing process; how articles are written. His book ends with his job loss in 2017 when Graydon Carter retired and a new broom swept clear the Carter staff.

I really can recommend Dana Brown’s book. It’s quite enjoyable.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard about this book from Sarah at sarahsbookshelves podcast. She and Catherine from thegilmoreguide talked about this book and something struck me and I had to listen to this book, narrated by the author. This is Dana Brown's memoir from his rise to fame with Vanity Fair and an inside look into his life - a college dropout working as a barback in NYC with no real idea of what to do with his life. Thankfully, he was working in a high end restaurant frequented by Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity Fair, who took notice of him and hired him as his assistant. I was fascinated with his story, his work, his rise in the industry, hearing about the celebrities and history that I was familiar with, as we are about the same age. I have to say hearing about his drug and alcohol abuse did bother me, but I know it is a part of the culture of NYC's elite. A fascinating look inside the running of Vanity Fair magazine!

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love biographies such as this one: not just a personal story, but the story of an era that perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the time. It is both celebration and elegy, told with much dry wit, in an unpretentious, self-conscious style. The personal and the historical, linked hand-in-hand. This is excellent work, and I inhaled every word with much enjoyment, both as a lover of stories AND as a teacher of history.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved listening to this! So fun

[jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

According to Dana Brown (b. 1972), GenXers were condemned to the scrap heap of history when they couldn't figure out how to use the Internet. In this story, the sole reason for the collapse of Brown's career, and the end of the magazine he rose with, was this pesky technology that made it simply impossible for him to continue. Also, he would like to tell all these kids on the InstaSnap and UberBook to get off his lawn and appreciate journalism more.

It is one of the tragedies of history that long form journalism has become harder to maintain, and that we have degenerated the value of writing to clicks. However, hearing GenXers whine about how technology ruined things for them is like the proverbial nails on a chalkboard to me. Acting with contempt to cover up insecurities, failing to understand the basic business model of digital ad sales and content integration, hell, failing to read fellow Conde property, WIRED, those are the behaviors that condemned individuals regardless of age to the scrap heap of history. Someone should tell Brown that millions of GenXers, myself included, somehow manage to figure out the digital transition in real time and roll with it for our careers.

I was disappointed to see Brown go down this self-indulgent, mawkish path mid-book. But this self-proclaimed "hard worker" managed to move through his whole life story with blinders on. He credits his work ethic as the reason then-editor Grayson Carter plucked a then 22 year old from the slush pile of cater waiters, going on to say multiple times that Grayson "saw something of himself in me" and that "hard work is the great equalizer" to transcend origins. What Brown misses is that he has been chosen and given opportunities to equalize his situation others couldn't receive. From his treatment by multiple employers to the memtorship at VF, he fails to acknowledge that it is this white man kinship that inspired people in positions of influence to support him. Brown undoubtedly worked hard to maximize his opportunities, but they remain opportunities dependent on his resemblance to other white men, which women or BIPOC individuals are far less likely to receive. It's hard to equalize your status with any amount of hard work when you are unlikely to be given the chance to do so, and Brown chooses to focus on the meritocracy myth rather than call out where he benefited from his white male privilege.

Finally, while he does handle Caitlyn Jenners transition with empathy and sensitivity, Brown continuously uses the term "cross dresser" like it is still the 1990s. He seems to be stuck there.

Dana Brown has painted an eloquent, detailed picture of NYC in the 1990s and aughts. It is a love letter to the city and to the way Vanity Fair depicted that city and its culture. His book describes long gone New York cultural epicenters, filling in a story about his success with snippets of places and people who have left our consciousness since. It's also a tale of the last great lift of print, in a magazine that defined culture for years. It's a shame he chooses to blind himself to key elements of both the start and end of his time at VF.

And finally, last thing: Brown also tosses in his music career and gigs at CBGB as a side note. The tragedy here is that even after his career ended, he still compartmentalized his work from his music life so much that we never hear any further details on the musicians or artists he may have met. Ultimately, this is told from the perspective of the man he became, with only glimpses of the downtown inhabitant he was when he began his journey. We all lose touch with our past selves, but few of us choose to make some of the more interesting aspects of our younger selves into footnotes rather than features.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up. This whole book made me feel like I was getting drinks in a hip NYC bar with an old work colleague, catching up on all the hot gossip. This very flashy memoir of Dana Brown’s unexpected meteoric rise at Vanity Fair is full of name dropping, celebrity parties, the transition (not so gracefully) to digital, and more. Even though I wasn’t a big magazine person and haven’t read VF religiously, I loved the experience of this story.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! I was thoroughly captivated by the author's story and loved reading about all the people he met and worked with over the years. His writing really drew me in and now my husband is reading the book. As an avid VF reader over the years, I am kind of shocked at myself that I never knew about him before this book!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. As a long time lover of magazines, this memoir was a great look at the industry, NYC, and the behind the scenes at Vanity Fair. The author does dish, but I felt as though there could have been a little more tea served in this book :) However, what he does include is very interesting and he does get vulnerable about himself and his eyebrow-raising-at-times lifestyle. The author narrates his own audiobook which was a perfect way to enjoy it.

[Emily Carlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

insane the way magazines REALLY existed and then really didn’t

[Amanda P · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating inside look into Vanity Fair and an inspiring career started by a once-in-a-lifetime chance given to an underdog.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars, but definitely a 5-star recommendation for anyone who likes a juicy, behind-the-scenes look at the magazine industry in the 90s and 2000s!

[Kathy McCauley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was an avid Vanity Fair subscriber for 30 + years so was eager to read this memoir. Dana Brown’s retelling of his years working for Graydon Carter read like fiction as some of the events are pretty theatrical. Brown has a wicked sense of humor and it shows throughout the book, particularly in the footnotes. Great read if you are familiar with VF.

[Alec Sottosanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dana Brown’s narration takes this from a 3- to a 4-star read. It would have benefited from more of a through line in the middle 50% but still a fun read on the heyday of Condé Nast.

[Emily Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out great, I liked the writer’s style, until it became too personal.
I’m sure it’s difficult to be objective when one meets celebrities, such as movie stars, writers, members of famous bands, and those who are just famous for being famous.
However, Mr. Brown is a sly fella, making me think that he “just happened” to be a lowly bar back at the iconic restaurant “44.”
The Editor of “Vanity Fair” Graydon Carter, had met Brown when dining there, and Brown helped cater Carter’s parties sometimes. “Good with the kids” it would seem.
So Grayson Carter just plucked this 21 year old shy, but hardworking and “cute” bar back to be his personal assistant at VF, a magazine I loved for many years until I didn’t because of its incredibly slanted views regarding politics, which, when I think about it, was never a huge reason I bought the magazine. I do remember a slash to the bone article they published about Sarah Palin; it was actually cruel. There’s no need for that. I’m not a MAGA Republican, I’m a staunch Libertarian. I do not care for Donald Trump; I never have.
However, I voted for him to keep that monster, Hillary Clinton, from becoming president.
People can say what they want about Trump. Yes, he’s arrogant and braggadocios, rude, etc etc.
He was also a good president, who would have been better if the MSM had ever let him do his job. The fact that he accomplished what he did shows he’s VERY smart, very savvy, and can read other world leaders, good and bad, like books.
He was certainly better than the man who holds the position now. NYC is getting creepier and more dangerous every day, Mr. Brown.
My husband is a native New Yorker (Queens) who left to practice Urology in Ohio, and has never regretted it.
I was with him when he went back after Rudy cleaned that dump of a city up, and I had a pretty good time.
Politics aside, Brown is, quite simply, a snob. He’s also disingenuous. At first he paints a sad picture of himself as a friendless kid who is painfully shy and bites his nails to the quick with no friends and zero social skills.
Later on he mentions that he attended a $60,000 a year school, as he was risking flunking out of a silly regular old high school.
Then BOOM! He ends up in NYC, asks for a job at THE restaurant of the mid nineties, “44” and is hired because he’s “cute.” I had to read that twice. REALLY? A 21 year old with practically zero experience gets hired because he’s CUTE?
This is kind of the narrative throughout the book; Dana Brown is exceptionally cute. I guess being cute and working hard can really open some massive doors in the world of publishing in NYC, as the wonderful Graydon Carter hires Brown…. I actually never figured out why.
Brown IS a quick study and also learns the publishing business very quickly, but STILL.
He’s not gay, and he loves to party and do illegal drugs during his off hours, but being in one’s early 20s, that’s not too tough.
Brown keeps getting these incredible gigs from Carter, yet Brown insists he just DREADED his assignments. Well, sometimes.
Yes, he drops names, and isn’t that what a fluff book like this should be full of?
I never cared about his obviously awful band, and eventually, neither did he. I looked forward to getting a BIT of insight into Anna Wintour,, I got basically none.
I loved reading “Dominic Dunne’s Diary” in VF, Maureen Orth, and occasionally Christopher Hitchens, until Hitchens’ atheism rants turned semi vicious and unnecessary, even after he was diagnosed with a very deadly cancer.
There were some mildly amusing little paragraphs, but toward the end I started skimming, realizing I should have probably started doing that earlier.
Brown is a music snob, talking about Mark Ronson ONLY achieving success when he produced Amy Winehouse’s album, “Back in Black.”
Brown can’t be bothered to mention when Ronson teamed up with the massively talented Bruno Mars, and the single “Uptown Funk” made everyone want to dance. It felt good, but too mainstream for an esoteric music connoisseur like Dana Brown.
This book would have MAYBE been a semi interesting article.
But a book? Way too much filler, not enough fun, and this author also jumps all over the place.
“Vanity Fair” is unreadable now. But I think a lot of people know this.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follows Vanity Fair's former deputy editor as he gives us a peek behind the scenes of the magazine. Brown's elite job offered him access to exclusive parties and influential people. He gives us insight into his life and his drinking problems as he climbed up through the ranks to become the magazine's deputy editor. We get to see the ups, downs, and frustrations he encountered over the 25 years he worked at Vanity Fair.

I loved this one passage when the author talked about how he not only turned to books but how he also turned to drinking. He wrote, "The second thing a sensitive, introspective, and lonely teenager discovers after books is drinking, quickly followed by drugs, which were harder to get your hands on than booze or a book. They don't sell drugs at the library. Although, in the 1980s, they did sell drugs in Bryant Park right behind the New York Public Library, so you had to work your way up to that."

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...

[Steph Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun, fascinating read! I was so enamored by Brown’s witty, casual writing style as he chronicles his journey from a college dropout to an editor for Vanity Fair under Graydon Carter. He fully admits to his own shortcomings without having any formal training, yet his strong work ethic makes this such a success story. He weaves a compelling tale of his professional achievements, extreme late night partying, celebrity gossip, and behind the scenes look at both the glamorous and grueling sides of the publishing world. (I listened to this and wholeheartedly recommend Brown’s narration over a print copy.)

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lived in NYCIty beef this guy was born but I was never cool like this. Or talented. Vanity Fair was fun to read and I looked forward to it each month, but no longer. This is a tale of the good old days of Graydon Carter and his proteges and the great magazine they produced. For an old lady living in Florida it was a fun read.

[Eapen Chacko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to take a break from heavy WWII research and reading. A current book, with a trashy aura but fun to read and evocative. This book surprised me in many ways. Ostensibly, it is an autobiography, but it is much more. When I was a kid in New York picking up groceries for my Mom and her magazines, the latter meant Good Housekeeping and McCall's. Growing up in high school, college and after, magazines like Rolling Stone, New York, The New Yorker, Life and The Observer were riding high and found everywhere, even in doctor's offices.

I bought a new magazine called Show, because of its beautiful cover of William Shakespeare, with the teaser about the lead article which would reveal who really wrote the Bard's plays. It was beautiful, well written, expensive and quickly went out of business. Dana Brown worked for twenty five years at Vanity Fair.

Dana Brown worked assiduously to flunk out of school and had no plans or prospects for himself. So, of course he comes to the Big Apple, where he gets a job as a barback, unglamorous, physically demanding, smelly (try cleaning out dirty beer lines) and subservient to the bartender. Working hard to prove himself is a repeated theme in the book. He wonders what it would take to become a bartender. He notices that a good 'tender can seemingly speak easily with any customer on any topic, and with time can become a shrink,marriage or career adviser to the customers who leave big tips. Brown overcomes his lack of worldliness and sociability to become a bartender at a celebrity watering hole.

He meets the second editor of Vanity Fair, an Englishman named Graydon Carter who has succeeded another English person Tina Brown who built up Vanity Fair under Conde Nast and then left for more literary, but lower circulation New Yorker. Graydon sees something in Dana and offers him a job as an untitled gofer in a team of degreed, experienced staffers. The job is beyond his wildest dreams but he keeps working at the bar nights, in case Graydon found him out and realized that he was not qualified to work at Vanity Fair.

Dana is living and working in the midst of the cultural whirlwind of New York in the seventies and eighties. Publishers like Si Newhouse and managing editors like Tina Brown and Graydon Carter were managers of great writers, artists, photographers, and designers who put out magazines that were beautiful objects and which could create cultural celebrities out of nobodies if they saw a trend before anyone else. Advertisers for all kinds of luxury goods and travel experiences paid top dollar for well positioned ads. Money flowed like the Amazon. Tina and Graydon were among the Library Lions, guarding and shepherding the popular culture, for which they were rewarded like modern day soccer players.

Dana constantly proved himself, and his charming way of taking on a challenge when he had no idea how to proceed is great to read about. He didn't have a B.A. from Brown, but he was a great bartender. He didn't have a B.Lit. from Oxford, but he was the one to whom Graydon assigned one of his most precious personal relationships, namely to reach out to his dearest friend Adrian Gill.

This tale is remarkable and one of the best parts of the book. Graydon had a habit of handing Brown assignments with little real guidance, signing off with "Don't fuck this up!" Dana took it on his own to visit Adrian, and Gill's savoir faire, knowledge of history and culture found eager ears. Brown invited A.A. Gill to visit New York where Brown would take him around to museums and restaurants. Brown had no cost center or budget for his work, so in modern optics, he was taking a risk.

Brown accompanied Gill and some friends to the toniest restaurant in New York at the time, Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Asian fusion 66; the chef had two Michelin stars already for other restaurants. In Adrian's review for Vanity Fair, for which Dana Brown acted as editor, the shrimp and foie gras dumplings were described as "fishy liver-filled condoms." Graydon looked at the article pre-press, swallowed hard and went with it. Knives were out from Jean-Georges as well as from other advertisers, but circulation for the magazine soared. Even though A.A. Gill and Dana Brown seemed from different worlds, they struck up a rich relationship.

As the book nears a close, Graydon is leaving Vanity Fair, as the Web has twisted the dagger into the magazine publishing and editing business, and after six years of declining revenues it was going to be closed. Graydon left, but he called Dana his sixth child, and their relationship is also a beautiful thing to read about. Dana is eventually fired by a new Ivy-League educated boss with such low E.I. that she can only read a script with an HR person in the room. Dana said he went into a two year depression and wrote the book as part of his recovery.

The book takes the reader on a non-stop, helter skelter tour of New York during so many of its ups and downs and near-death experiences. He has a short, hilarious summary of Steve Rubell and his Studio 54 creation, demise, prison story and Chrysalis experience afterwards. The book is well written and fun to read. Much more than an autobiography for sure.


Glossy, well produced magazines with photos

[Matt Schiavenza · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1994, Dana Brown, a 21-year-old bar back in Midtown Manhattan, was unexpectedly invited to interview for a job at Vanity Fair, one of America's most high-profile magazines. Never mind that Brown, a college dropout who spent his evenings playing guitar at downtown punk clubs, had no experience or interest in journalism. He was simply in the right place at the right time. 44, the bar where Brown worked, was a notorious hangout spot for movers and shakers in the media world. Graydon Carter, Vanity Fair's editor, spotted Brown and liked the confident, assured way he went about his job. Carter, himself an outsider who distrusted elites, was willing to take a chance on the kid.

Brown, the beneficiary of this Horatio Alger tale, would go on to work with Carter for the next 23 years, rising from glorified gofer to one of Vanity Fair's top editors. Dilettante, his memoir, is both a paean to Carter, whom Brown reveres, as well as a memoir to a bygone era in magazine publishing. Vanity Fair's corporate parent, Conde Nast, was known for its excess — writers were paid princely salaries, expense accounts were bottomless, and top editors like Carter were even given clothing allowances.

As a person who worked in the media under very, very different circumstances in the 2010s, I confess to feeling a certain amount of envy for Brown, who enjoyed lavish perks and impressive career growth without, seemingly, ever showing skill beyond unfailing loyalty to his boss. Brown does have the sense to recognize his good fortune and lament the shabby state of the media industry today, where an army of poorly paid kids spend all day tapping at keyboards in hopes of striking viral gold. The liquid lunches and dinner parties that Brown regarded as an essential part of the job are now gone — an editor wouldn't, say, fly across the ocean on the company dime in order to traipse around with a writer.

Carter retired in 2017 and was replaced by Radhika Jones, an Indian American woman, who summarily relieved Brown and several other Carter staffers of their duties. Vanity Fair has, under her watch, become a different sort of publication: more diverse, younger, less devoted to old standbys like the British royal family.

The change in the media industry brought by the internet, social media, and smartphones is arguably the most pivotal story of our era. But the bygone days of limitless Conde Nast budgets doesn't strike me as a loss worth lamenting; at least, say, compared to the devastating collapse of local news.

Brown's book is more a memoir than a treatise on journalism's decline. But whether or not it was his intent, he doesn't portray himself as a particularly sympathetic character, and as his story proceeds I found myself wondering what, exactly, the point of the book was. It'd be more interesting, perhaps, to read what his colleagues at Vanity Fair thought, over the years, as Brown seemed to capitalize on his good fortune by continually failing up. Now that's a classic American story if I've ever heard one.

[Mary Ella Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay Dana Brown ( what a guy). So honest, so funny so insightful. I initially did not think this would be anything all that great ( sorry Dana) but boy was I wrong.


This book is amazing on so many levels. You can tell he is 100% plus honest throughout his story. I loved this book really read it in 2 days because I just could not put it down.

It is a book that is multigenerational.. I myself grew up buying vanity fair.. so I remember all the covers he was talking about. He also is very forthright about his early teenage years .. many funny quick wit jabs thrown in there ( made me smile) . Would be useful for today's youth to read as well.

Braydon Carter also sounds very respectable , what a guy , excellent insight to the importance of surrounding yourself with loyal friends. This story kinda reads like a Disney film.. things worked out for Dana.. but from just reading the first chapter you want them to work out for him. You really do. He is humble , honest and kind.. and it looks like he is like that throughout his entire career. He never forgets his backstory which is probably why he was such a success.

Again a great read. so great I felt compelled to write a review. The world needs more Dana Brown's.. Thank you for sharing your story. Mary. PS .. Dana please edit for me ( smile)

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dana Brown's memoir about his 25 years at Vanity Fair where he worked for Grayden Carter (VF Editor in Chief). Carter took a chance on the young Brown and gave him the coveted role as his assistant. Brown made the most of the opportunity and learned as much as he could from Carter and the rest of the VF staff, eventually working his way up to an editor position.

This book is chock full of juicy insider gossip about life at Vanity Fair and the celebrities that graced its pages and its parties. There are excellent details about the process of putting together a magazine. The journalism, writing, editing, and photography were in many ways unique to VF and set it apart from other magazines.

Brown adroitly documents the change in New York City and the change in the media and journalism industry.

This quick, entertaining book is a great addition to your summer reading list,

I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed hearing Brown's narration.

[Miette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and funny memoir of Vanity Fair’s glory years under Graydon Carter, when all the best articles were written. I remember going to the library and checking out old issues of Vanity Fair and a head-librarian came out and she asked me why I was checking out old issues and what was I doing with them (I think they were maybe afraid I was cutting out pages or something). I said “reading the articles by Dominic Dunne and Nancy Jo Sales and all those wonderful writers! Have you read them?” The librarian laughed and they gave me no more hassle about checking out ten-year-old issues. After Graydon left the magazine went downhill and I quit reading it.

The memoir is worth reading, it’s very informative and it has lots of good gossipy anecdotes and tidbits. Dana is funny and self-deprecating and after a quarter of a century at VF he’s definitely no dilettante.

[Ynna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, informative, and occasionally salacious read about the golden age of print media specifically at Graydon Carter's Vanity Fair. Dana Brown stumbles in the position of Carter's assistant after working as a barback in Manhattan. Dilettante is his firsthand account of the ultimate fake-it-til-you-make-it rise from personal assistant to deputy editor.

This is full of juicy anecdotes, but the best part is Brown's retelling of how the Caitlyn Jenner Vanity Fair cover came to be.

Anna showed up one day for lunch, sat in one of those lime-green banquettes, ordered a burger, no bun, mashed potatoes, and a cappuccino.

About halfway through the presentation, Graydon grabbed my notepad, then my pen, wrote something down, and slid the pad back to me. I looked down. What does KPI stand for?

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A likable enough tale of corporate ascent, the good life, and corporate dissolution tracing the arc of a perennial publication from the high points of the late 20th century to the no longer deniable denouement of print media. A few really great lines here and there, and deeply felt remembrances of Brown's mentor, but nothing here gets very close to the heart.

It does stagger the mind that any individual could survive so many evenings of drinking and dining. Heavens! No one can make conversation for longer than thirty seconds at this point.

Brown's memoir called to mind the days of the superiority of print and in print, the particularly sacred spots enjoyed by magazines. They arrived faithfully and were devoured accordingly. Writing was worth reading and was not crap, which is what we now have in abundance.

Time hurries along. Enjoyed the book but must get back to X.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is basically a memoir of a guy in the magazine industry in the 90's and 00's. It may be meaningful to someone in that industry in that time period, but it didn't do much for me. It is a lot of name dropping tabloid-like stories. I always like stories about lost young people trying to find their way in life (I spent many years in life in this position), but I don't see where this author had any exceptional story to tell. I did appreciate that he was conscious of his luck. Also, it gives a nice view of NYC and the magazine industry in this time period. The book has the poorest use of footnotes I've ever read. They were vacuous and not very meaningful. This former editor needs a better editor.