David Marchese is a Canadian journalist who is known for his celebrity interviews in publications including ''Vulture'', ''Spin'', and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''.

Early life and education

Marchese grew up in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. His father was Italian Catholic and converted to Judaism; his mother was Jewish. As a teenager, Marchese briefly played in a band called Scream and Die. He attended the Cultural Reporting and Criticism program at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Career

After graduating from New York University, Marchese interned at

Salon.com ''Salon'' is an American politically progressive and liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events. Content and coverage ''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, includ ...

. He went on to edit and write for ''Spin'' magazine and ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''. Marchese became culture editor of ''New York'' magazine in 2014. Two years later, he became contributing editor for the publication's culture site ''Vulture,'' where he authored the In Conversation series, interviewing celebrities including

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

and

Julian Casablancas Julian Fernando Casablancas (born August 23, 1978) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the Rock music, rock band the Strokes, with whom he has released six studio albums since their founding in 1998. Casabl ...

. His 2018 interview with

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

, in which the subject criticized

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

and

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

and alluded to an alleged affair between

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

and

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...

, went viral on social media. In 2019, Marchese began writing ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazi ...

'' Talk column, which featured long-form interviews with cultural figures and other notable people. In 2024, Talk transitioned into a weekly podcast and interview franchise, ''The Interview,'' hosted by Marchese and

Lulu Garcia-Navarro Lourdes "Lulu" Garcia-Navarro is an American journalist who is an Opinion Audio podcast host for ''The New York Times.'' She was the host of National Public Radio's ''Weekend Edition Sunday'' from 2017 to 2021, when she left NPR after 17 year ...

. Media critics have praised Marchese for his ability to elicit unexpected, vulnerable, and profound answers from interview subjects. He has said he spends up to six weeks preparing for an interview by reading everything available about an interviewee, including material not accessible via the Internet. He comes to interviews with three to five pages of questions prepared in advance. In October 2024, Marchese claimed in an article that he wrote for the New York Times that as early as seven years old, he watched a film featuring Al Pacino and was able to appreciate that, "That's great acting." In November 2024, Marchese interviewed a doctor and advocate for medical assistance in dying (MAID), who helped Marchese understand his mother’s decision to die through MAID. Marchese interviewed the influential anti-democracy blogger

Curtis Yarvin Curtis Guy Yarvin (born 1973), also known by the pen name Mencius Moldbug, is an American far-right political blogger and software developer. He is known, along with accelerationist philosopher Nick Land, for founding the anti-egalitarian and ...

for the ''Times'' in January 2025.

Personal life

Marchese lives in suburban

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. He is married and has two children. He is Jewish, an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, and a

Deadhead A Deadhead or Dead head is a fan of the American rock band the Grateful Dead. The Deadhead subculture originated in the 1970s, when a number of fans began traveling to see the Grateful Dead in as many shows or festival venues as they could. As mo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marchese, David Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian journalists 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers American atheists American male journalists American male non-fiction writers Canadian atheists Canadian male journalists Canadian male non-fiction writers Jewish American atheists Jewish American journalists Jewish American non-fiction writers Jewish Canadian writers Journalists from Toronto New York (magazine) people The New York Times journalists New York University alumni Writers from New Jersey