Once Upon a Time… at Bennington College

Imagine if you could ask someone anything you wanted about their finances. On What We Spend, people from across the country and across the financial spectrum are opening their wallets—and their lives—to tell you everything: what they make, what they want, and—for one week—what they spend.

1994 to the present day. Jonathan Lethem comes from behind. And just whose world are we living in anyway—Bret’s, Donna’s or Jonathan’s?

Cambridge, Massachusetts and New York, New York. Spring of 1986 to Fall of 1994.  The Secret History  is published. Plus, “The Purge” comes to Bennington.

New York City. Spring of 1987 to Spring of 1991. Patrick Bateman is born.

Bennington and New York City. Autumn, 1985-spring, 1986. Less Than Zero is published and Bret becomes a cultural phenomenon. Bret also becomes a college senior. The most famous artist of the 20th century crashes his graduation party.

Bennington. Autumn, 1983-Spring, 1986. Donna begins The Secret History . Donna throws tea parties and frequents martini hours. Donna bides her time. Jonathan drops out of Bennington only to hang around Bennington.

Bennington. Spring, 1983. Donna Tartt becomes “Donna Tartt.” Jonathan Lethem becomes an angry young man. 

Bennington. Spring, 1983-Spring, 1985. Bret lives The Rules of Attraction , then sells Less Than Zero . Bret befriends David Lipsky, then be-enemies David Lipsky.

Mississippi, 1963-1982. Donna’s origin story. And Lord Jim... revealed?

Winter, 1982-1983. Over Non-Resident term, Donna gets closer to Jonathan, and becomes Paul McGloin's "Burning Boy."

Bennington. Autumn, 1982. Donna falls under the thrall of a magus-like professor, and the very small, very elite, very male band of students to whom he teaches Ancient Greek. “I can absolutely distinctly remember the three of them, and then the four of them—the three guys but then the four. The guys with Donna.”

Bennington. Autumn, 1982. Bret and Donna go on a date.

Los Angeles, 1981-1982. “This rumor went around in 1981, 1982, that kids just were brought to see the body of another kid.” The origin story of Bret Easton Ellis (and Less Than Zero ), Part Two.

Los Angeles, 1980-1981. “There was just this huge sense that the world was gay, gay, gay.” The origin story of Bret Easton Ellis (and Less Than Zero ), Part One.

Bennington. Autumn, 1982. Donna, Jonathan and Bret arrive on the campus of the school nicknamed “The Little Red Whorehouse on the Hill.” One of them comes with a steamer trunk. One of them comes with a Kangol cap. One of them comes with a “suitcase full of drugs.”

It’s the groves of academe: Bennington College, the wildest and wickedest school in America. In the last great decade: the 1980s. Bennington class of ’86, class of Bret Easton Ellis, future writer of American Psycho and co-leader of the literary Brat Pack; Jonathan Lethem, future writer of Motherless Brooklyn and MacArthur Fellow; and Donna Tartt, future writer of The Secret History and Pulitzer P...

A crucial new piece of information comes to light.

Traci Lords as the key to pop culture in the late 20th and early 21st century. 

The mystery is (maybe) solved. And we hear directly—and at length—from 1985 Traci, in a never-before-aired interview. 

We return to the Valley, and it looks a whole lot different this time around.

Meet Troy Matherly, the heart of this story. The heart of Nora's story,  and  of Traci's story.

We leave the Valley and Traci Lords behind; go back to Redondo Beach and to Traci Lords before she was Traci Lords, when she was Nora Kuzma.

The adult industry is screwed. The question is: Who's doing the screwing?

The only thing wilder than Traci on camera, is Traci off camera. Also: Traci gets a rival; Traci gets a company; Traci gets a passport; and Traci gets busted.

Traci goes from adult model to adult actress to adult phenomenon.