Once Upon a Time… at Bennington College

3.8 (1.7K)
SOCIETY & CULTURE
WEEKLY SERIES

It’s the groves of academe: Bennington College, the wildest and wickedest school in America. In the last great decade: the 1980s. Bennington class of ’86, class of Bret Easton Ellis, future writer of American Psycho and co-leader of the literary Brat Pack; Jonathan Lethem, future writer of Motherless Brooklyn and MacArthur Fellow; and Donna Tartt, future writer of The Secret History and Pulitzer Prize winner. All three are, at various times, infatuated and disappointed with one another, their friendships stimulated and fueled by rivalry as much as affection. And all three will mythologize Bennington in their fiction—fiction that, as we’ll discover, isn’t always fiction, is often fact—and thereby become myths themselves. From Vanity Fair's Lili Anolik, comes the latest installment in the Once Upon a Time… franchise, Once Upon a Time… at Bennington College. This is a tale of money, murder, madness, and—of course—genius. This is, too, a multi-dimensional expose: the secret history of The Secret History revealed; the secret history of three of the greatest writers of Generation X revealed; and the secret history of Generation X itself revealed. Once Upon a Time at...Bennington College is an Audacy original. This follows Season One: Once Upon a Time...in the Valley, a real-life psychological thriller about underage adult star Traci Lords.

See All Season 2 (16)

3.8

out of 5

1,725 Ratings

Interesting investigative journalism

Aug 21

ramjam2011

I enjoyed listening to the Traci Lords episodes in season 1. The hosts provided different perspectives on Traci’s life and the scandal. They also included a variety of interviews from different people in the industry. I don’t understand the negative reviews on season 1.
Looking forward towards a third season!

08/14/2023

PoorInDetroit

LA porn’s worth it. Bennington ‘86 great.
Awful

Jun 24

itwasntmesir45

She was FIFTEEN years old. You guys are disgusting! You mock her and objectify a child?!!! What is wrong with you. This is beyond gross.
The Traci Lords episodes want to be tabloid fodder with veneer of respecting a victim

Mar 11

rosa manzo

It’s an okay listen, but then they said “1986 was maybe the last great year of Hollywood” and then I remembered that certain people will be ignored in the narrative. Update: I think I know what’s troubling about this podcast, they’re talking about a very sensitive subject, they’re trying to be fair and do all this research and interviews but it falls flat due to the tone. They try to be sexy and be like this expose, with this annoying banter and double entendres, and it’s about a underage girl who went into porn. And then there’s the arrogance of all of it. Also, guys, umm, glad you mentioned how a lot of these interviewees were very biased and that we should believe Traci Lord, especially her rape and molestation, but you kind of dropped the ball when you say things about how much she was sexually aggressive. Edit: Also, the little bit where they talk about how celebrities want to be porn stars with leaked nude photos and sex tapes? After it was reported how this was done without their consent. And this feels especially uneasy since we are re-examining how the media and society treated these young women. These were not wanna be porn stars, they were people who were taken advantage of and were then laughed at. What was the point of this podcast? Update: Season 2 is better. Don’t know how long this opinion will last but the college lives of rich literary figures are more palpable to listen about. Though I am wondering when Donna Tartt sics the lawyers on them (and I will not blame her). Update: I went to check up on Tartt, and surprised to learn a certain thing about her. This podcast does not mention how racist those books are. Interesting. Update: Still annoyed by that line “1986 was the last great year in Hollywood.”

It’s the groves of academe: Bennington College, the wildest and wickedest school in America. In the last great decade: the 1980s. Bennington class of ’86, class of Bret Easton Ellis, future writer of American Psycho and co-leader of the literary Brat Pack; Jonathan Lethem, future writer of Motherless Brooklyn and MacArthur Fellow; and Donna Tartt, future writer of The Secret History and Pulitzer Prize winner. All three are, at various times, infatuated and disappointed with one another, their friendships stimulated and fueled by rivalry as much as affection. And all three will mythologize Bennington in their fiction—fiction that, as we’ll discover, isn’t always fiction, is often fact—and thereby become myths themselves. From Vanity Fair's Lili Anolik, comes the latest installment in the Once Upon a Time… franchise, Once Upon a Time… at Bennington College. This is a tale of money, murder, madness, and—of course—genius. This is, too, a multi-dimensional expose: the secret history of The Secret History revealed; the secret history of three of the greatest writers of Generation X revealed; and the secret history of Generation X itself revealed. Once Upon a Time at...Bennington College is an Audacy original. This follows Season One: Once Upon a Time...in the Valley, a real-life psychological thriller about underage adult star Traci Lords.