Fail Better with David Duchovny

Latest Episodes:

EXCLUSIVE PEEK: Reflections on Gillian Anderson, Rosie O’Donnell, and more Feb 04, 2025

Show notes

This week, I’ve got some more behind-the-scenes content for you. As you know, at the end of each episode you hear a little snippet of my thoughts from after the interview wrapped up. What you might not know is that I share the full version of those thoughts with our Lemonada Premium subscribers each week. Today, I’m giving you all a chance to hear what those are like. And I figured, why not give you a chance to hear my thoughts on the guests that you’ve been listening to the most? These are all from fan-favorite interviews, some of our most-listened-to episodes.

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The Humor of Being Human with Costica Bradatan Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

The author of In Praise of Failure, Costica Bradatan, joins me from Romania to share his wisdom on all things lack and loss. We talk about the true meaning of humility, the benefits of clumsiness, and just how broken democracy is — and has been — across time and place. Plus, we discuss quite possibly the biggest failure of all, the one none of us can avoid: death. I got to indulge my latent philosophical bent in this conversation, meaning I could even comfortably confess that I tried to work an 1880 parable into The X Files.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

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Looking Back: Mary Trump Knows We’re At a Crossroads Jan 21, 2025

Show notes

As the presidential administration turns over, it feels like an important time to revisit the family dynamics that brought about Donald Trump. His niece, Mary Trump, has long lived in the shadow of her family’s name. And as she writes in her memoir, Who Could Ever Love You, the darkness of that shadow affected generations of Trump children long before it took hold of the world. We talk about her grandfather, Fred Trump, the business-minded, manipulative patriarch who molded his son Donald in his own sociopathic image. It’s a vivid family portrait, explaining so much about the systems and ideologies that created a man so reluctant to fail.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

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The Buoyancy of Rob Lowe Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

Throughout his long and varied career, Rob Lowe has become an expert at reinventing himself. He left behind his bad-boy image from iconic 80s movies to work on a clever mix of dramatic and comedic TV roles. But I’ve known Rob for a while, and he’s a very layered individual. We look back at how Rob has pursued his passions and how he and his wife, Sheryl, have used practical techniques to keep their marriage strong for 34 years and counting. Plus, we discuss the difference between humility and humiliation, and why Rob is always down to be the butt of the joke.

Please note: David and Rob recorded this episode before the Los Angeles wildfires began. Their hearts are with the rest of their LA community.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

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Gretchen Rubin Wants to Make You Happy/ish Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

I’m no self-help guru. And while I don’t think Gretchen Rubin would identify as one, she’s dedicated her work to figuring out just what the hell it means to live a full life. As a writer and former lawyer, Gretchen has spent years trying to understand happiness, the ways she can access it herself, and how to bring others in on the wisdom she’s gained. We talk action-led thoughts and aphorisms — anything in pursuit of leaving a conversation feeling happy (or at least, as Gretchen would say, happier).

Gretchen’s podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, is now part of the Lemonada Media network and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

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Looking Back: Ben Stiller and the Curse of the Sequel Dec 31, 2024

Show notes

As 2024 comes to a close, I’m feeling grateful for the conversations this show has allowed me to have, including the one that started it all. In honor of the growth (and growing pains) since the show launched earlier this year, I’m sharing the first episode of Fail Better, featuring the one and only Ben Stiller. It was my first-ever interview, and it unlocked something that I’ve continued to explore with every other generous guest who’s come on. I hope you enjoy.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

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Alec Baldwin Might Need to Write Another Memoir Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

The actor Alec Baldwin has spent a lot of time at life’s intersections. He came of age with challenging circumstances on one side and larger-than-life role models on the other. And when you look at how he works or how he parents (he’s now a father of eight), you’ll see that the duality has stuck around. He and I talk about how it’s possible to feel regret and gratitude in one breath, the specific things he’s learned from writing, and how much more we both hope to gain in the years ahead. It’s a personal conversation, and it feels necessary — though we both hesitate to use the word “therapeutic.” Let’s leave that to the experts.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

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Dr. Vivek Murthy Wants to Help Us Heal Dec 10, 2024

Show notes

As the United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy is dedicated to keeping the public healthy and safe. But these days, that involves much more than just cigarette warning labels. Dr. Murthy knows health should be looked at holistically, and he’s used his position to spotlight topics you might not think of as health crises, like gun violence, loneliness, and social media. We discuss his values, the harrowing confirmation process when he first became Surgeon General, and how he defines success and fulfillment, no matter what lies ahead.

Please note: This interview was recorded prior to the Presidential election. In the time since, President-elect Trump has selected Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as his choice to be the next surgeon general of the United States. Dr. Murthy is still the current U.S. Surgeon General.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

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Socialism, Anarchy, and Pixar Movies with Jack Halberstam Dec 03, 2024

Show notes

Jack Halberstam, the author of The Queer Art of Failure, is someone I’ve wanted to talk to since I first started this podcast. As a professor and scholar, Jack has dedicated his career to dissecting the often-radical undertones of popular cultural media. Together, we look at how animated kids’ movies like Shrek, Finding Nemo, and Chicken Run offer critiques of a system that fails so many of us. We also talk about Jack’s experience as a queer child in England, since where we come from always informs where we go. It’s a wide-ranging conversation that calls into question the very essence of this podcast, as we examine what it means to be a failure in this world — and why Samuel Beckett’s phrase “fail better” isn’t all that inspiring when read in context.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

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Aimee Mann Is In My Pantheon Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

It was a real magic moment to connect with Aimee Mann, a musician I’ve listened to for decades. She indulges my curiosities about lyric choices and instrumental training, and I learn how much goes on behind the scenes of an Aimee Mann production. We talk about the traumas of her past, which hardships do and do not influence her work, and why there feels like a creative imperative to turn pain into art. Then, to lighten things up (at least a little) we bond over some of our favorite artists of years past, like the sneakily somber Steely Dan.

Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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