Canal Street Dreams: Ben Barna on Canal Street Dreams

Hosts: Eddie Huang & Natasha Perrotti
Guest: Ben Barna, Executive Editor of Interview magazine
Release Date: August 15, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features a candid, wide-ranging conversation between hosts Eddie Huang and Natasha Perrotti and their guest Ben Barna, Executive Editor of Interview magazine. Recorded amidst personal and professional upheaval, the episode delves into creative integrity, media evolution, the ethics of art, the impact of parenthood, New York vs. LA living, the current state of restaurants and print, and the sometimes overlapping worlds of sports, film, and friendship. It's a dynamic look at standing by your beliefs while navigating art, commerce, and community.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Eddie’s Movie Controversy, Integrity, and Moral Choices

[02:07 – 15:44]

• Eddie opens up about the decision to pull his new film, Vice is Broke, from release due to Mubi’s investment ties with an AI defense company and Sequoia Capital’s controversial activities.
• Despite his publicist and manager not being notified beforehand—and the personal and financial risks—Eddie prioritized “standing on moral ground” for his son and himself.
  • “What I’m doing is not, like, driven by my career ambitions in Hollywood. It’s literally driven by, like, I think this is wrong.” — Eddie Huang [02:42]
• Natasha and Ben both express respect, noting the gravity and sacrifice of Eddie’s decision, particularly with a child involved.
• Eddie highlights the disconnect between staff values and corporate decisions, referencing both Mubi and previous experience at Vice.
• “The world is in the worst place I’ve ever seen it in my 43 years of life.” — Eddie Huang [06:42]
• The full story behind learning about Mubi’s investment, organizing with other artists, why it hit home, and the desire to set an example for their son.

2. Navigating Hollywood, the Industry’s Shifting Sands, and Personal Creative Challenges

[16:07 – 26:37]

• Eddie and Ben reminisce about the cultural zenith of Vice and media’s shifts.
  • “Jesse Pearson era at Vice was peak...08 to like 2012, 2013 era. Some of the greatest writers we have now all came through that.” — Eddie Huang [17:30]
• Ben describes the layoffs, pivots, and new security found in print post-massacre, now a kind of “anchor” in the industry.
• Eddie shares the ups and downs after making Boogie, hoping Hollywood would open more doors, only to find that each project needs to be broader and more commercially viable.
• Natasha champions Tuna Melt (Eddie’s unproduced script), but the industry’s demand to water down a core, disturbing scene led to a stalemate:
  • “There is no film without this kid biting the alligator man’s dick off.” — Eddie Huang [25:10]
• Both lament the current lack of daring, risk-taking films and how cinema has become less of a space for essential, edgy stories.

3. Back to New York: Fires, Family, and Finding Home

[27:16 – 30:28]

• Natasha recounts the personal ordeal of West Coast wildfires, the scramble to safety, and the ultimate decision to leave LA for their son’s well-being.
  • “We just looked at each other and we were like, all right...I never saw that house again.” — Natasha [27:57]
• Health risks for kids, uncertainty during displacement, the emotional and financial calculations that led to returning to New York.
• The couple reflects on that moment being “the sign” it was time to come home, despite the blow to Eddie’s Hollywood ambitions.

4. Restaurant Dreams & NYC’s Evolving Food Scene

[31:18 – 38:36]

• Eddie and Ben dive into the close-knit NYC restaurant community, throwback nostalgia, and Eddie’s aspirations for a legacy Chinese spot reminiscent in vibe of places like Rao’s and Lucien.
• Discussion of what makes a restaurant endure: romantic energy, community, and resisting fleeting trends.
  • “My favorite type of restaurant is Rao’s...It just starts off as home cooking for people in the neighborhood...then you get through that and it’s just like an establishment.” — Eddie Huang [33:11]
• Natasha and Ben point out that truly Old World places survive by refusing to yield to “frivolous change.”
• Vivid dialogue about new restaurant openings, the power of curation, and the importance of having an original, lasting vision.

5. Interview Magazine, Print’s Renaissance, and Media Ethics

[39:27 – 56:31]

• Ben offers a behind-the-curtain glimpse at Interview magazine’s print revival and the deep importance of curation—a creative act akin to Supreme picking who gets a T-shirt each year.
  • “The mix of people in each issue is paramount...we spend hours and hours and hours trying to find that perfect balance.” — Ben Barna [51:40]
• The guest shares his “zag” back to print, surviving bankruptcies, immigration challenges (including marrying to stay in the country), and the resilience it takes to keep making meaningful content.
  • “You’re kind of, like, working into the void in that way...You just don’t know how it’s being consumed or who’s consuming it.” — Ben Barna [47:58]
• The enduring power and authenticity of Interview’s “artist on artist” format and the frustration at its widespread imitation elsewhere.
  • “But that belongs in Interview. That is the core of the magazine.” — Eddie Huang [53:39]
• Natasha and Eddie discuss the tactile pleasure and status of print magazines, both as genuine objects of culture and sometimes as props.

6. Podcasts, Audio, and Media Consumption Today

[56:31 – 59:26]

• Comparing print, audio, and video as media forms, all agree audio-only still carries unique intimacy and utility (easier to do things while listening).
• Ben reveals Interview’s goldmine of audio conversations—uncut—between some of the world’s most famous artists, and floats the idea of a possible future Interview podcast.
• Eddie’s take: “I think if you did video...corny. Not because of Interview, but because everybody’s corny now. But I think just audio...is more fly.” [58:04]

7. Sports, Fandom, and Community

[59:49 – 73:32]

• A raucous, winding late segment covers Knicks fever, Commanders heartbreak, and the joys & neuroses of sports fandom.
• Ben admits he’s more a "player guy" than team loyalist, while Eddie and Natasha’s household brings together intense passion for teams and the outsider’s bemusement.
  • “It is, besides Natasha and Senna, the most important thing to me.” — Eddie Huang [67:13]
• Natasha’s experience as a non-sports fan surrounded by passionate men (“Most of my friends are male...and they all like sports, apparently, unbeknownst to me”) [72:45] and her bemused, supportive presence in Eddie’s “degenerate gambling” group chats.
• Humor and warmth shine through: Eddie finding solace and meaning in live sports, Hooters solo rituals, parenting through it all.

8. Film, Friendship, and Full Circle Moments

[74:43 – 82:27]

• The conversation weaves through director rankings (the Coppola family!), Robin Williams' legacy, and the vibe of seeing movies in theaters versus streaming.
• Reflections on the TIFF experience, traveling with a one-year-old, and how friendships and professional circles loop back in unexpected but meaningful ways.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Creative Integrity:
  • “It’s my favorite thing I’ve ever done in my career...but I just…stood in a window and was like, we’re not gonna do this film.” — Eddie Huang [13:46, 14:13]
• On Print Media Survival:
  • “Weirdly feel print feels, like, safe now, which is like, a crazy thing to say in 2025.” — Ben Barna [18:57]
• On Parenting and Sacrifice:
  • “You have a kid and you’re like, I have to move different. It’s not just me.” — Natasha [29:21]
• On Restaurant Longevity:
  • “To truly...execute an Old World restaurant, you have to resist frivolous change...most people will make a mistake and then you will lose your restaurant.” — Eddie Huang [38:37]
• On Artist Interviews:
  • “The one specific format in Interview of artists interviewing artists, it’s just like, unstoppable...but it belongs in Interview. That is the core of the magazine.” — Eddie Huang & Ben Barna [52:40-54:03]
• On Cultural Ownership and Respect:
  • “That’s not samurai because like real like chefs, right? If I see you do this move, I’m not gonna do that same move. That’s your move. You did it.” — Eddie Huang [53:39]
• On the Unknowable Audience:
  • “...It’s like you’re making this print publication and it’s like a physical thing. But, like, I don’t know how it’s being consumed or who’s consuming it...” — Ben Barna [47:58]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Eddie’s Film Pull, Mubi Controversy, & Standing Up: [02:07–15:44]
• Industry Shifts, Vice Magazine, & Print’s Return: [16:07–18:57]
• Parenthood, Morality, & LA Wildfires: [27:16–30:28]
• NYC Restaurant Community & New Spot Aspirations: [31:18–38:36]
• Interview Magazine’s Curation & Media Migration: [39:27–56:31]
• Podcasting, Audio vs. Video: [56:31–59:26]
• Intense Sports Talk, Fandom, Child-Rearing, and Community: [59:49–73:32]
• Friendship, Full Circles, and TIFF: [74:43–82:27]

Episode Tone & Atmosphere

Warm, unguarded, and humorous even amid tense topics, the conversation balances high-stakes career decisions, ethical debates, nostalgia, and the messiness of real life—including marriage, parenthood, and uncertain futures. The tone is candid and “downtown,” filled with inside baseball about media, restaurants, and sports, never shying away from vulnerability or laughter.

For New Listeners

If you haven’t listened, this episode is a primer on creative adulthood: how to fight for your work and values, adapt to change without losing your soul, and still find joy in food, friendship, and favorite teams. Expect strong opinions, inside stories, honest self-doubt, and a feeling of genuine camaraderie—whether discussing film protests or the best spots for Chinese food in Toronto.