Jon Ronson's Blog

“What did your job entail?” I asked her.

“We had a hotline,” Charlotte explained. “Families in crisis who want to be on TV called the hotline. My job was to call them back, repeatedly, over a matter of weeks, even if they’d changed their minds and decided not to do the show. There had to be a show. You had to keep going.”

Of course lots of jobs involve relentlessly calling people back. It is soul destroying—“Honestly, it was awful,” Charlotte said, “I mean, I’d been to university”—but not unusual.

At first all the tragedy she had to listen to over the phone would grind her down. But you need to be hard and focused to be a good researcher so she devised ways to detach herself from her potential interviewees’ misery.

“We started to laugh at these people,” she explained. “All day long. It was the only way we could cope. Then in the evening we would go to a bar and scream with laughter some more.”

“What kind of jokes did you make about them?” I asked her.

“If they had a speech impediment, that would be brilliant,” she said. “We put them on loudspeaker and gathered round and laughed and laughed.”

And, sure enough, Charlotte soon began to “feel removed from the person on the other end of the phone.”

***

And then Charlotte’s secret trick:

“I’d ask them what medication they were on,” said Charlotte. “They’d give me a list. Then I’d go to a medical website to see what they were for. And I’d assess if they were too mad to come onto the show or just mad enough.”

“Just mad enough?” I asked.

“Just mad enough,” said Charlotte.

“What constituted too mad?” I asked.

“Schizophrenia,” said Charlotte. “Schizophrenia was a no-no. So were psychotic episodes. If they’re on lithium for psychosis we probably wouldn’t have had them on. We wouldn’t want them to come on and then go off and kill themselves.” Charlotte paused. “Although if the story was awesome—and by awesome I mean a far-reaching mega family argument that’s going to make a really charged show—they would have to be pretty mad to be stopped.”

“So what constituted just mad enough?” I asked.

“Prozac,” said Charlotte. “Prozac’s the perfect drug. They’re upset. I say, ‘Why are you upset?’ ‘I’m upset because my husband’s cheating on me so I went to the doctor and he gave me Prozac.’ Perfect! I know she’s not THAT depressed, but she’s depressed enough to go to a doctor and so she’s probably angry and upset.”

“Did you get disappointed on the occasions you found they were on no drug at all?” I asked Charlotte. “If they were on no drug at all, did that mean they probably weren’t mad enough to be entertaining?”

“Exactly,” said Charlotte. “It was better if they were on something like Prozac. If they were on no drug at all, that probably meant they weren’t mad enough.”

You might think that Charlotte, over in England, with her ostensibly foolproof secret medication-listing trick, would be immune to inadvertently booking guests who were the wrong sort of mad. But you would be mistaken.

“We once had a show called ‘My Boyfriend Is Too Vain,’” she said. “I pushed the vain boyfriend for the details of his vanity. Push push push. He drinks bodybuilder shakes all the time. He does the whole Charles Atlas. We put him on. Everyone laughs at him. Couple of days later he calls me up and while he’s on the phone to me he slices open his wrists. He has severe body dysmorphic disorder, of course. I had to stay on the phone with him while we waited for the ambulance to arrive.” Charlotte shuddered. “It was awful,” she said.

Hi. This is how my producer Lina Misitzis and I spent most of 2018. 

‘In December 2017 the famous porn star August Ames committed suicide in a park in Southern California. It happened a day after she’d been the victim of a Twitter pile-on by fellow porn professionals. A month later, Jon Ronson and his producer Lina Misitzis connected with August’s husband Kevin so they could piece together the story of how Twitter bullying killed his wife. 

But then something unexpected happened. Ronson and Misitzis began hearing rumors of a very different story about why August died - something mysterious and startling and terrible.’

The Last Days of August is released exclusively on Jan 4 2019 on Audible, and three months later wherever you get your podcasts:

Listen on Audible US 

Listen on Audible UK

Listen on Audible Canada

And if you’re in New York I’ll be telling stories from the show at The Bell House in Brooklyn on January 8

Looking through my old Frank files, I found this deleted scene. It was to be towards the end of the movie. Jon has lost Frank. But he’s been given a lead - via Twitter - as to where he might find him…

(Sorry for the weird formatting)…

EXT. RURAL LOUISIANA - DAY
A GRIM LANDSCAPE of RURAL POVERTY, strewn with old rusting metal, abandoned vehicles, shacks, hungry-looking dogs.
HILLBILLY CHILDREN and OLD PEOPLE stare suspiciously at JON as he pulls up outside a SHACK in his HIRE CAR.
GPS VOICE (O.S)
You have reached your destination.
I/E. HIRE CAR - CONTINUOUS
JON
(To himself)
Christ. It’s like Winter’s Bone.
CLOSE on the details of the POVERTY and SUSPICION.
Jon gets out Twitter.
JON (V.O.)
(With great solemnity, as he types)
I’ve found Frank’s childhood home. It’s so bleak. No wonder he never talked about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the victim of some kind of…
Jon sighs.
JON (V.O.)
…farm abuse. And now I get it. This is the pain you need to make the great music. Hashtag but is it worth it?
Jon nervously leaves the car, approaches a HILLBILLY MAN. Other HILLBILLIES stand a little way off, watching.
JON
(His voice quivering)
I’ve come to see Frank.
The man stares silently.
JON (CONT’D)
(Beat)
Wears a fake head?
The hillbilly spits on the floor.
HILLBILLY
Ain’t no one round here wears a fake head.
JON
(Beat)
Okay.
(Plucking up courage)
Except he grew up here. And he’s been sighted here. So I think he actually may be here?
The hillbillies share a HARD-TO-DECIPHER LOOK.
HILLBILLY
He’s in the shed.
The hillbilly indicates a nearby CREEPY WOODSHED.
JON
(Beat)
Frank’s in that shed?
HILLBILLY
I’ll show you.
The hillbilly walks towards the shed. His friends follow.
HILLBILLY (CONT’D)
C’mon.
Jon nervously begins to follow.
JON
Actually, you know what, I think I’ll leave it.
HILLBILLY
He’s in there. I’ll show you.
(Calling towards the shed)
Frank. You got a visitor.
The hillbillies, with a now terrified Jon in tow, ENTER the shed.
INT. SHED - CONTINUOUS
Lying on the floor, in the straw, is an OLD SCARECROW with a grotesque FAKE HEAD.
The HILLBILLIES laugh.
HILLBILLY
Is this your friend?
Jon politely laughs.
HILLBILLY (CONT’D)
I told you ain’t no one round here wears a fake head.
JON
Anyway, thanks!
Jon leaves the shed.
EXT. SHED - CONTINUOUS
Jon walks towards his car. The Hillbilly follows.
HILLBILLY
What’s the address you’re looking for?
Jon gets out his MAP QUEST print-out. The HILLBILLIES ponder it. The Head Hillbilly spits on the floor again.
HILLBILLY (CONT’D)
You typed the wrong zip code into your GPS.
JON
Did I?
HILLBILLY
(Pointing at the print-out)
Says here 71008. You typed 71007.
JON
Oh, gosh.

HILLYBILLY
Place you’re looking for’s about nine miles that way.
JON
(Beat)
Thanks.

After a year-and-a-half of reporting, our seven part audio series The Butterfly Effect is here.

You can listen to the whole season now for free on Audible and Amazon. 

If you’re having problems downloading The Butterfly Effect. THIS is what I need to tell you. Download the audible app, but then get the show for free from the audible or amazon sites. And then it magically appears on the app. It’s a bit counterintuitive but after I cracked the mystery I use the app all the time. It even reads me stories from the New York Times.

But if you still don’t like the sound of it, the entire series will be free on Apple Podcasts and everywhere else at the beginning of November.

Here’s a welcome note:

Hi everyone,

Welcome to The Butterfly Effect. It’s sort of about porn, but it’s about a lot of other things. It’s sad, funny, moving and totally unlike some other nonfiction stories about porn - because it isn’t judgmental or salacious. It’s human and sweet and strange and lovely. It’s a mystery story, an adventure. It’s also, I think, a new way of telling a story. This season follows a single butterfly effect. The flap of the butterfly’s wings is a boy in Brussels having an idea. His idea is how to get rich from giving the world free online porn. Over seven episodes I trace the consequences of this idea, from consequence through to consequence. If you keep going in this way, where might you end up? It turns out you end up in the most surprising and unexpected places.

So if you’re thinking, why do I want to listen to a show about the tech takeover of the porn industry, I have two things to say:

1. Why wouldn’t you want to listen to a show about the tech takeover of the porn industry? That’s a great idea for a show.

2. Would you want to listen to a show about three women destroying a mysterious Norwegian man’s stamp collection? Well, that happens at the end of episode 2. At the end of Episode 3 a woman becomes convinced that she played a part in a murder committed by an Italian priest. At the end of Episode 4 a boy in Oklahoma is forced to move to a house on the very, very edge of his town.

I hope you like our show,

Jon

Hey! A story I’ve been producing for more than a year is on This American Life this weekend. It’s an excerpt from our imminent seven part Audible series, The Butterfly Effect.

As my producer Lina Misitzis says, “The TAL excerpt stars two of the most sympathetic people I’ve ever known. They make people’s lives exponentially better, and I can’t wait for you to meet them.”

If you’re an Audible subscriber you can listen to the whole season for free on July 27. If you want to wait until the beginning of November, it’ll be available to everyone for free on iTunes and everywhere else.

I’ve also written a big 4,000 word story for The Guardian about it, and will let you know when it’s published.

Here’s a welcome note:

Hi everyone,

Welcome to The Butterfly Effect. It’s sort of about porn, but it’s about a lot of other things. It’s sad, funny, moving and totally unlike some other nonfiction stories about porn - because it isn’t judgmental or salacious. It’s human and sweet and strange and lovely. It’s a mystery story, an adventure. It’s also, I think, a new way of telling a story. This season follows a single butterfly effect. The flap of the butterfly’s wings is a boy in Brussels having an idea. His idea is how to get rich from giving the world free online porn. Over seven episodes I trace the consequences of this idea, from consequence through to consequence. If you keep going in this way, where might you end up? It turns out you end up in the most surprising and unexpected places.

So if you’re thinking, why do I want to listen to a show about the tech takeover of the porn industry, I have two things to say:

1. Why wouldn’t you want to listen to a show about the tech takeover of the porn industry? That’s a great idea for a show.

2. Would you want to listen to a show about three women destroying a mysterious Norwegian man’s stamp collection? Well, that happens at the end of episode 2. At the end of Episode 3 a woman becomes convinced that she played a part in a murder committed by an Italian priest. At the end of Episode 4 a boy in Oklahoma is forced to move to a house on the very, very edge of his town.

I hope you like our show,

Jon

Here’s a visual preview from the This American Life excerpt:

November 9th 2019, Toronto! I’ll be performing a show based on The Butterfly Effect and the Last Days of August - as part of the Hot Docs podcast festival. Tickets and details here!

All UK tickets here!

An extra show in BRIGHTON here

Cork Opera House tickets here!

Dublin Vicar Street tickets here!

For press enquiries about the show, please contact mel@impressivepr.com or michelle@impressivepr.com

The Last Days of August, Brooklyn event Jan 8

“Join bestselling author Jon Ronson and Audible Originals for The Last Days of August release event, where Ronson will discuss and share audio from his latest project followed by Q&A. In December 2017 the famous porn star August Ames committed suicide in a park in the San Fernando Valley. It happened a day after she’d been the victim of a pile-on, via Twitter, by fellow porn professionals - punishment for her tweeting something deemed homophobic.  

A month later, August’s husband, Kevin, connected with Jon Ronson to tell the story of how Twitter bullying killed his wife. What neither Kevin nor Ronson realized was that Ronson would soon hear rumors and secrets hinting at a very different story - something mysterious and unexpected and terrible.”

https://www.thebellhouseny.com/event/1800190-last-days-august-jon-ronson-brooklyn

Psychopath Night UK tour November 2017

Is it true that psychopaths rule the world? Or have we gone labelling-crazy?

With very special guests Mary Turner Thomson and Eleanor Longden. Neither Mary nor Eleanor appear in my book, but it wouldn’t exist without them. I’m being oblique because I don’t want to spoil the extraordinary twists and turns in their stories. If you don’t know who they are, don’t Google them. The less you know the better.

My guess is that these will be our last Psychopath Nights. Certainly for some years… Oh but I don’t know. 

November 11th: Tyne Theatre & Opera House 

November 12th: Liverpool Philharmonic

November 13th: Brighton Dome 

November 14th: Warwick Arts Center 

November 15th: Kings Place, London (sold out)

November 16th: St David’s Hall, Cardiff

July 25th: The Butterfly Effect - a one-off live show at the Bell House, Brooklyn

Join bestselling author Jon Ronson and Audible Originals for a pre-launch party of our latest series – The Butterfly Effect. Many years ago, a teenager in Brussels had an idea – make porn free and easy to stream online. The consequences of this idea are surprising, delightful, sad and huge….Enjoy an exclusive listen with Jon as your guide on this mysterious journey.The Butterfly Effect - a one-off live show in Brooklyn.

An exclusive evening of listening and porn. $10 Tickets here

July 13th: I’m New Here  

The monthly show I curate with Maeve Higgins at the Union Hall in Brooklyn. Tickets here

Psychopath Night UK tour November 2017

Is it true that psychopaths rule the world? Or have we gone labelling-crazy?

With very special guests Mary Turner Thomson and Eleanor Longden. Neither Mary nor Eleanor appear in my book, but it wouldn’t exist without them. I’m being oblique because I don’t want to spoil the extraordinary twists and turns in their stories. If you don’t know who they are, don’t Google them. The less you know the better.

November 11th: Tyne Theatre & Opera House 

November 12th: Liverpool Philharmonic

November 13th: Brighton Dome 

November 14th: Warwick Arts Center 

November 15th: Kings Place, London (sold out)

November 16th: St David’s Hall, Cardiff