Patrick Radden Keefe (investigative journalist)

Episode overview

Patrick Radden Keefe (London Falling, Empire of Pain, Say Nothing) is an award-winning investigative journalist, bestselling author, and staff writer for The New Yorker. Patrick joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in a deeply intellectual household, developing a childhood obsession with writing for The New Yorker, and navigating a winding academic path through Columbia, Cambridge, and Yale Law. Patrick and Dax talk about the years-long reporting process behind London Falling, how a chance encounter led him to the story of Zac Brettler, and the challenges of investigating a mysterious death tied to hidden identities and extreme wealth in modern London. Patrick explains how proximity to oligarch culture and social media can warp ambition, why digression can be the soul of storytelling, and how to hold empathy for people navigating unknowable circumstances.

Episode descriptions and transcript text can contain errors. Verify important details against the original recording.

Short transcript highlights

These brief excerpts are navigation aids selected from different points in the transcript.

1. 0:15He's also written a couple of, well, several incredible books.
2. 50:33So that is my failing. I try not to be judgmental. That is one thing I'm a little bit.
3. 1:53:47And maybe you think it's, you're able to do that because they're in entertainment.