The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast
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CONTEST: Win a copy of the new 40th anniversary edition of Less Than Zero!
🕑 Added 2025-07-24 20:41:56 +0000 UTCWhat'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
Christopher Irving
For real though, who won?
Liam Lenihan
Heart of Glass, Blondie
Juan Flores
Depeche Mode's "Master & Servant" would be solid.
Bashir
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.
Sarah Lippek
Yeah, give us the wit of the winners!
D Michael Hardy
Were winners ever announced or notified?
Gail Williams
Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack
James Beatty
Sway
Louella
Too late, but All Tomorrow's Parties -- Velvet Underground and Nico
M. Nero Nava
Who won?!?!
Thomas Edwards
How Soon is Now? - The Smiths. Or more obvious selections: Bizarre Love Triangle, Age of Consent and Blue Monday - New Order.
Seneca Garcia
The Soft Parade - the Doors
Mark DeCaro
Countdown to Ecstasy (Steely Dan)
UK
Zero Below Sunset
Alexander Ekström
Don’t Come Around Here No More
Window View
Doesn't Mean That Much to Me by EG and Alice
Tommy Stronach
Haha i went to one of their last shows. Seth was out of his mind.
Laura
Too Far Down (Hüsker Dü)
Pia Dykert
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?
James R Webb
Gentleman Take Polaroids-Japan
Charles Wright
Is It Day or Night?- The Runaways
Still
"All the Way Down" - The Primitives
Still
"All of This and Nothing" - Psychedelic Furs
George Chumo II
“Cause in Nothing There’s Something I Feel” -
CitizenToxie C
Always Crashing in the Same Car - Bowie The Damned Don’t Cry - Visage
TimAnder
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...
Tracey Porter
Pretty Vacant by the Sex Pistols
David Clement
Is there something I should know?- Duran Duran
Trezerand
"Straight Edge" Minor Threat It's a passable title, but would be ironic on a couple levels
Jack Wheatley
White Christmas-Bing Crosby
Steve
"This Town" - The Go-Go's
j
"Try A Little Kindness" Glen Campbell (1969)
Tommy Stronach
Walk A Thin Line. Off Bret’s favorite Fleetwood Mac album (Tusk).
Rebecca
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
honker_2021
Vienna- Ultravox
nkta
The Windmills of Your Mind
honker_2021
The Drowners - London Suede
Dylan Grant
“One Thing Leads to Another” (The Fixx)
kris
Damaged Goods (Gang of Four)
Mary Walker
The Passenger siousie version
David Jaudon
Crankin’ My Band’s Demo on a Box at the Beach - A.C.
Austin Dooley
Love Me Two Times
Dave Mason
Fade to Black Metallica
Ryan Peck
Yup, I said “Going Under” as well!
Louie Angel
strange notes - the germs
Peter
King of Pain—The Police
Peter
Under Pressure—Queen and David Bowie
Peter
The Tracks of My Tears—Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
Justin
‘Just Out of Reach’ The Jesus and Mary Chain
Dan Heath
-Ghost without memory -Avenues Whiskeytown
Dan Heath
Left of the Dial -The Replacements
Peter Jarvis
"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
Justin Coffman
All the Young Dudes
Peter Jarvis
"Fade to Grey" by Visage (1980)
Matthew
SUBCULTURE by NEW ORDER
oliver parker
stranger in the house, elvis costello by way of george jones
Steven Mills
Slowdive by Slowdive
slimshadyfan666
Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Moz
Temporary Beauty - Graham Parker (1982) I Want More - Can (1976) Straight into Darkness - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1982) A Taste of Honey (standard)
Jason N
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
Steven Volynets
"California Dreaming." The Beach Boys.
slimshadyfan666
Sex and Dying in High Society - X
Gabriel González Sánchez
"back to the old House", The Smiths
Richard Tayson
Under the Big Black Sun (X)
Richard Tayson
Saturday Night in the City of the Dead (Ultravox)
Vickie Lynn Marshall
I Can’t Tell You Why- The Eagles
J K
Okie from Muskogee
Will Barlow
White Punks On Dope
Steven Hamilton
Do They Know It's Christmas?
SF Sam
Fade to Grey - by Visage
MrPink1996
Never Say Never by Romeo Void
Thomas Davidson
Don't Get Excited - Graham Parker
Thomas Davidson
A Million Miles Away - The Plimsouls
Harry Trustman
“Life in the Fast Lane” by The Eagles
sHANE tEA fRENCH
"Are We Ourselves?" -The FiX
Eric Forman
Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night — Tom Waits
Patrick
Best one yet. 🙌
Christopher Viner
More Than This
Andrew Sweet
“Back to December” Taylor Swift “Snow on the Beach” Taylor Swift ft Lana Del Rey
D Michael Hardy
Sitting Still (R.E.M.)
KCDC
Sex and Dying in High Society - X To Live and Die in L.A. - Wang Chun
++MAX++
The Chain
Neil Anderson
Moods for Moderns
Paris P
Rainbow in the dark - dio
Gianni Schepens
Sex and dying in high society - X
Nick
Heart of Glass - Blondie (1978)
Evan Williams
Surrender - Cheap Trick
Evan Williams
Dreaming - Blondie Fire and rain - James Taylor Icehouse - Flowers All tomorrows parties - VU Dirt - Lou Reed Yesterday - The Beatles
Mohammed
Remember the nights, the motels
Gavin Buxton
Fuck The Pain Away - Peaches
Hugues
Hole in the World (Eagles)
rbkhe
In Every Dream Home A Heartache, Roxy Music
D Michael Hardy
Separate Ways (Journey)
Daniela
"Somewhere They Can't Find Me" - Simon & Garfunkel
Richard Joines
Perfect Skin, Lloyd Cole
BRC
Blank Generation- Richard Hell & the Voidoids
Richard Joines
One Thing Leads to Another, ABC
Richard Joines
Invisible Sun, The Police
Brett bennett
"Loveless Love" The Feelies (1980)
slimshadyfan666
I'm A Faggot! - 13Pisces
Paul Blair
Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing? - Frank Zappa
Kyler Bingham
Suburban Relapse (Siouxsie and the Banshees)
frickenzees
Goodbye Stranger, Supertramp Slave to Love, Bryan Ferry Save a Prayer, Duran Duran
Stephen
The Lost Art of keeping a Secret
Still
"Dead Souls" Joy Division
Amanda C
Stuck Between Stations - the hold steady
Anthony
New Day Rising - Husker Du
Alan Smithee
In Every Dream Home a Heartache - Roxy Music
Lionel
Lou Reed - Street Hassle
David
The Downtown Lights - The Blue Nile
Sean Hill
Desolation Row - Bob Dylan
Peter Guzzo
Nowhere Man - The Beatles
Francesco Nucci
Christmas in a Coma - please send to Germany :)
Tadhg Curtin
'Hey Boy Hey Girl' - The Chemical Brothers. 'It's Bad You Know' - RL Burnside. 'Born Slippy' - Underworld. 'Make A Move' - Norus. 'Insomnia' - Faithless.
Simon Bennett
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
Ben
Honestly, can you or the publishers really not find the $10 to post a book to a winning 'non US resident'? So mean spirited
Arni Heimir Ingimundarson
King of rock and Roll
Trezerand
"Ashes to Ashes" by David Bowie "Skin on Skin" by The Boomtown Rats
Gloria Rudolph
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!
gary coates
“Once Over Twice” by X
Sarah Lippek
"Boy With A Problem" - Elvis Costello, 1982. (Or ..."Seven Day Weekend"?)
Still
"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
Chris Carroll
The Politics Of Dancing - Re-flex
Daniel Porter
Marquee Moon - Television
Ashley Perry
‘To Look at You,’ from Shabooh Shoobah, INXS 1982 ❤️
Dan Palmer
‘I Wanna Go Back’ - Eddie Money
rhett jonke
Sense of Doubt (Bowie)
Sean Hill
"To live and die in LA" - Wang Chung
Max Brigham
No One Is Innocent
D Michael Hardy
Ghost Town (The Specials)
Nathan Stack
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.
Whip T.
Been Down So Long - The Doors
AF
“U.S. Drag” - Missing Persons
John Q. Thompson
"Kids In America."
Tomas Fransson
How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths
BUtterfield8
Blank Generation - Richard Hell and the Voidoids
Darren Ankenman
Shades of Cool - Lana Del Rey Wasn’t Tomorrow Wonderful - the waitresses Touch me I’m sick - mudhoney Coke Babies - Radiohead
Ryan Barr
A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum
Joshua Bates
Blah Blah Blah - Iggy Pop
Dan Heath
Badlands -Bruce Springsteen
Andrew Samples
Skin Turns Blue
Patrick
Alone Again Or - Love
JACOB MOKRIS
In Between Days - The Cure
Elliot Richter
Great Southern Land-Icehouse
Patrick
Pretty Vacant- Sex Pistols
Raf
What We Do Is Secret - the Germs
Ryan ODonnell
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
Leo Ashline
“The Art of Falling Apart” by Soft Cell (1983)
Frank Bascombe
Little Savage
Patrick
More Than a Feeling
Storey
Shaky City - The Plimsouls
Zang33
Heartbeat City by The Cars
Fat Bald and Ugly
One Hundred Years by The Cure
Chris Karr
Head Over Heels
Nicholas lee
A warm place
Sean Gorman
Great Big White World —Marilyn Manson
john m
Wasted Time
Collin Myers
complete control/the clash
Rebecca Poliskin
Tattoed Love Boys- Pretenders
Dan Hoy
From a Whisper to a Scream - Costello
Harry G
All jokes aside. Little palaces by Costello
Dominic Dilullo
Beat Crazy - Joe Jackson. The lyrics fit. Also, it’s another great reggae-influenced song.
Harry G
The last resort.
Joe Gasz
California Dreamin - The Mamas and the Papas
Harry G
HOTEL CALIFORNIA
Robert Garcia
I’m on fire - Bruce Springsteen
Nick
Eyes Without a Face
Patrick
Wave of Mutilation - Pixies
jonathan easley
"Ride Into the Sun" by Lou Reed
Peter Pardini
Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads
Someone Else
David Bowie, Always Crashing in the Same Car
Robert
Somebody Super Like You
John24d
Definitive Gaze - Magazine
Still
"Isolation" "New Dawn Fades" "Disorder" - Joy Division
Jonathan Lawson
Love My Way - Psychodelic Furs
Someone Else
John Lennon - Nobody Told Me
R H
Waiting for the sun
Patrick
Shake Some Action - Flamin’ Groovies
JD
Drive -The Cars encapsulates the vibe for me.
Still
"Cold" The Cure
Still
"This Town" Go-Go's
Mike
Tainted Love
George
I Wanna Be Your Dog
Thomas Matich
Blue Monday
Iain
Gary’s Got A Boner.
Ashley
“I Am the Fly”- Wire (1978)
Ryan Peck
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.
Brian Macaulay
Life In The Fast Lane!
Marc
Dead Man’s Party - Oingo Boingo
Joe Brown
Do They Know It’s Christmas? Band Aid
Ryan Peck
Question: are those who commented on the BEE Instagram post with tags also allowed to participate in this one?
Tom Kern
Accidents will happen
Steve Kindrick
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Justin Grams
Pleasure Victim by Berlin
Graham
"I Cum Blood" - Cannibal Corpse
Matthew Wade
“Fade to Grey” by Visage
Andy Nowicki
Cities In Dust Killing An Arab
Ryan Mcnabb
"Would I lie to you" - Eurythmics
Brent Minder
"Too Low For Zero" - Elton John
Ciara
Sex and Dying in High Society by X
Paul Kwiatkowski
Rid of Me
Alan Smithee
Teenage Dream - T. Rex
Alex Lawrence
Pretty Vacant - Sex Pistols
Alvin
Living on a Thin Line
Andy Burton
Catch Me Now I'm Falling - The Kinks
Adrienne Hertler
“Comfortably Numb” - Pink Floyd
Morgan Hobbs
The New World
Frania
Town Called Malice-The Jam
Patrick
Are ‘Friends’ Electric? - Tubeway Army
Patrick
At Home He’s a Tourist - Gang of Four
Jim McDevitt
Left of the Dial
Sylvain Goulet
Pink moon - nick drake
Tim D.
“Running on Empty” - Jackson Browne
Dara Winkler
This Charming Man
Tim D.
“Sympathy For The Devil” - The Rolling Stones
Sutter Kaine
Behind blue eyes - the who
Chris N
Sex and Dying in High Society
Ev Ruby
Life During Wartime – Talking Heads (1979)
Catherine
Crosseyed and Painless - talking heads
Daniel Degnan
“Suffer the Children” Tears for Fears
Eugenia Cesana
Comfortably Numb
Michelle Kim
Waiting around to die - townes van zandt
Jezzup
“Living on the Ceiling” — Blancmang
Jason Letke
Eyes without a face
Sértő-Radics Sarolta
Hotel California
Jose Monroy
Hang on to Yourself
Jordan Vivero
I think someone beat me to it so I will also throw out Pale Shelter - Tears for Fears and Teenage Wildlife - David Bowie
Brendan Nemeth
Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads
Michelle Kim
Waves of fear
Elizabeth M007
The Living End -Jesus & Mary Chain
Greg
Theme to "A Summer Place"
Michelle Kim
Seal my fate
Daniel
Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
Daniel
Doll Parts - Hole
Nathan Bryan
The Passenger - Iggy Pop
Michelle Kim
Sabbath bloody sabbath
M Burns
Damaged Goods by Gang of Four
Marta Swarthout
Conduit for Sale!
Marta Swarthout
Conduit for Sale!
JP
“Blister in the Sun”
Will Hurt
The Party’s Over- Talk Talk
Kristopher
The Sad Cafe—Eagles.
Alvin
A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum
Alexander Barnett
killing moon - echo and the bunnymen
Salmon “Sammy” Trout
Straight Into Darkness - Tom Petty and the Heartbreaks
Ronnie
The Great Pretender
Neil G.
You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere
Christof Steidl
Back Home
I Wish I Was a Trawler
"Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
Jordan Vivero
Destination unknown - missing persons
Ronnie
Oi! What’s with the US only thing? My British money ain’t good enough??!!
Michelle Kim
Darkness on the edge of town
Grace Szostak
Kids Don’t Follow - Replacements Darkness on the Edge of Town - Springsteen
Jamie
Crosseyed and Painless (Talking Heads)
Heidi Hendershott
Destination Unknown
Eric Clay
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)
D Michael Hardy
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division)
Lundon Boyd
New Gold Dream - Simple Minds
Mike
Redemption City by Corrosion of Conformity
Devin Welch
People are Strange Smash it Up Disintegration
Jacy
Just Like Heaven
Shawn Kilroy
Sex & Dying In High Society
Jacy
Don’t You Want Me
Chris Hough
Overflowing Gently
Mike
Blister in the Sun
JEREMY ROBERTS
Yip
Mats
How Soon Is Now? Here Comes a Regular
Chris Hough
Overflowing Gently
Patrick Crowley
More Than This
Cody Elijah
Crimson & Clover Joan Jett
Andrew Timmons
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
James keary
Blue Monday
Catherine
Road to Nowhere - talking heads
M. Nero Nava
Nowhere Fast (The Smiths)
Nikki Ferrari
This Town- The Go-Go’s posted 4:57 pm EST
Patrick Paridee Samuel
Seen and Not Seen - Talking Heads
J.
Tainted Love
Grace Szostak
Thieves Like Us - New Order Life is White - Big Star
M. Nero Nava
Can’t Get There From Here (R.E.M.)
BFBFBFBFBF
Same Old Scene - Roxy Music
M. Nero Nava
Bastards Of Young (Replacements)
Normaling
New Kid in Town - Eagles
David Lowe
Are “Hazy Shade of Winter” or “Going back to Cali” too on the nose?
Normaling
Straight into Darkness - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Filipe A Silva
Head like a Hole
Darrin Wt
I’m not sure whether it counts if the song was released after the book, but… Semi-Charmed Life
Aaron Gray
Empty hearted town - Warren zevon
Biagio Mazzella
Roman Holiday - Nicki Minaj
Normaling
Sex and Dying in High Society by X
Brad Sanders
The Tide Is High - Blondie
Normaling
The Ghost in You - psychedelic furs
Tom Ruprecht
Letters from the Wasteland by The Wallflowers
Paul Rider
Zero - Smashing Pumpkins
Chris Mall
Paradise City You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes & You Get What You Deserve Burned Out
Kyle S.
Cold Life - Ministry
IanC
This Is Not an Exit / No Exit Contemporaneous, a song title that BEE might have used at the time: Kids in America
wade beal
Head Like a Hole - NIN
Grant Palmquist
Unknown Pleasures
Blake Bailey
Bright Lights, Big City
Frances Daisy Levi
Blondie – "Fade Away and Radiate"
Joshua Reid
The Unheard Music — X
Drake
All This Is That
Luke Garrett
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Cal Graham
Lonely In Your Nightmare Dangerous Type Life In The Fast Lane The Chain Bring on The Night Mama, I’m Coming Home hahahaha
Frances Daisy Levi
Bauhaus – "She's in Parties"
Dustin Joshua Sigaty
The Glamorous Life (Sheila E.)
Christopher Irving
Sex and Dying in High Society by X from the album Los Angeles.
Christopher Olliney
“Brilliant Disguise” by Bruce Springsteen
mark
You Cant Put Your Arms Around a Memory Johnny Thunders
J.R. O'Brien
How about “Children of the Grave” - Black Sabbath RIP Ozzy
Marlon B.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
Frances Daisy Levi
this one made me LOL
Frances Daisy Levi
The Smiths – "How Soon Is Now?"
Matthew McClain
“Road to Nowhere” - Talking Heads
Liska
The Other Side of Summer
Ned Isakoff
Heartbeat City
Will
Adult Books
Nick Not Nolte
Perfect Day Hollywood Waltz On the Sunny Side of the Street One of these Nights Beyond Belief
Frank Formica
Long December -Counting Crows
Devon H. Dolan
Girls on Film — Duran Duran Mirror in the Bathroom — The English Beat
Brad
Cheap Reward
em 🖤
yes!!
oliver parker
point blank (springsteen)
Jim Seem
All Tomorrow’s Parties
Garrett Morgan
How Soon Is Now? The Smiths
Petr Svoren
How to Disappear by Lana Del Rey
Lance White
Perfect Day - Lou Reed
Rod
I don’t like the drugs but the drugs like me Marilyn Manson
Colby Smith
Sugar Town
MB
Comfortably Numb
Erick
Sweet Dreams
