Podcast Summary: Infamous (Campside Media/Sony Music)
Episode: "When Modeling Became Dangerous" (Premiere of Model Wars)
Date: October 23, 2025
Host: Vanessa Grigoriadis
Reporters: Vanessa Grigoriadis, Gabriel Sherman, Natalie Robehmed
Overview & Main Theme
This episode launches the Model Wars mini-series, exploring the transformation—and dark side—of the 1980s modeling industry through the incredible real-life story of Paul Fisher, a brash San Fernando Valley kid who rapidly ascended to become a model agent entangled with shady money, violence, and the relentless pursuit of beauty. Using Fisher’s flamboyant and sometimes shocking anecdotes, the episode sets the stage for an exploration of power, exploitation, and personal transformation within the hidden world behind catwalks and magazine covers.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Paul Fisher's Beginnings and the 1980s Modeling World
- The episode opens with a portrait of 1984 New York, where Paul Fisher, a twenty-something with big hair and big confidence, is running a high-fashion modeling agency backed by a dangerous man, Larry Lind.
- Vanessa Grigoriadis: "Paul’s done pretty well in just a little time in New York…representing some of the most beautiful women on the planet and making a buck. But today is not a good day for Paul." (01:57)
2. Break with Dangerous Backers
- Paul tries to disentangle himself from Larry Lind, whom he describes as violent and menacing.
- Paul Fisher: "I've seen Larry and his boys hurt people badly, badly, badly. Put him in the hospital." (03:12)
- Paul recounts the anxiety of telling Larry he wants out and Larry’s seemingly benign response, which Paul immediately suspects is a ploy: "I got off the phone. I pissed my pants. I knew it. He was coming after me." (04:00)
3. Violence and Coercion in the Modeling Industry
- Paul is ambushed and threatened in his hotel room by Larry’s enforcers—a harrowing, explicit story underscoring the physical danger behind the glamour:
- Paul Fisher: "…five of Larry's that I knew real well. Goons came out of the closets and they put me down on the ground...they took a gun and they shoved it in My ass. I was scared out of my mind." (05:27)
4. Modeling as a Reflection of Culture
- Vanessa contextualizes Paul’s story as representative of a broader craze to define—and profit from—beauty. She draws parallels between the superficial, consumerist world of the San Fernando Valley and the shifting landscape of the modeling industry.
- Vanessa Grigoriadis: "Today, you could say that search for perfection in the female form has migrated to Instagram...But that classic hunt to define beauty and profit from your version of it is the same." (06:37)
5. Paul’s Upbringing: Sex, Rebellion, and Manipulation
- Childhood and adolescent tales reveal a combination of natural charisma and deviousness—such as forging report cards or being unrepentantly promiscuous:
- Paul Fisher: "Excuse my language, you guys. I hate saying this word in front of you. I was banging every girl on the planet." (10:33)
- His mother, Monica, is both exasperated and proud:
- Monica Fisher: "He had the best heart going. He had such a good heart. And he just was very, very mischievous. Very mischievous." (13:20)
6. College and Calling: From Law School Aspirations to Modeling via ‘American Gigolo’
- After a college career notable more for seduction than study, Paul’s epiphany comes when he and his friends watch American Gigolo and decide they, too, want in on the high life:
- Paul Fisher: "We could do that. We could do that. Let's check it out. Let's go. Let's do that." (16:33)
7. Paul’s Origin Story in LA Nightlife, Meeting Larry Lind
- Paul narrates the initial foray into LA’s glamorous scene, culminating in the fateful meeting with Larry Lind at the Beverly Hills Hotel, who is immediately captivated by Paul’s way with women:
- Paul Fisher: "...he just says, listen, come out with me tonight. We'll go to a couple clubs, you know, I'll get you if you like pot, I'll get you potty. You like blow? I'll get you a blow." (25:13)
8. The Make-or-Break Deal: Ferrari Joyride and Dropping Out
- Paul is asked to drive Larry’s Ferrari to Houston, the decision marking his departure from his former life and the heartbreak of his mother:
- Monica Fisher: "Paul was actually the only one that I was so disappointed. He was afraid to tell me..." (29:13)
9. Life in the Fast Lane: Houston, Model Parties, and 'Mob' Connections
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The Houston scene is a swirl of oil-boom decadence, drugs, and rumored mob ties:
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Michael Fitzmaurice: "There's a rumor that his family was mob connected…his great uncle was Frank Costello, who's the person that they wrote the Godfather about." (35:31)
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Paul’s role becomes explicit: procures women for Larry’s parties, gets pulled into a cycle of excess, nightlife, and an ever-growing dependency on powerful, unpredictable men.
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Paul Fisher: "We just started partying every night that's what he does…Let's have a party. And that's what we did for two months." (37:09)
10. From Party Boy to Model Agent
- Larry instructs Paul to open a modeling agency in New York, setting up the next phase of Paul’s journey—stepping into the “ugly business of beauty,” rife with ruthlessness and exploitation.
- Paul Fisher: "I'm 20 years old. I'm. I'm a freaking. I'm doing drugs. I'm smoking pot. I'm just making love to every beautiful Texan girl…And I thought everything was mine. I bet, looking back, not none of it was mine…it was a freaking illusion." (38:01)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On violence in the business:
- Paul Fisher: "I've seen Larry and his boys hurt people badly, badly, badly. Put him in the hospital." (03:12)
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On leaving Larry Lind:
- Paul Fisher: "I told Larry, I said, hey, man, I love you and I care about you...You gotta let me do this myself. And he said, okay, Fish…Go do your own thing…Now I don't. No problem. I got off the phone. I pissed my pants." (04:03)
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On ambition and belonging:
- Paul Fisher: "I felt like I belong there. Like I was made for this shit." (21:22)
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Paul’s signature charm (according to friend):
- David Churton: "His whole thing was…he would look at her and dismissively put his head down. And then he would stare right back at her again…And sure enough, this woman...ends up. He takes her out of the bar in the Ferrari." (31:26)
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Modeling industry as a war zone:
- Paul Fisher: "It's a freaking war zone. These people are animals. There's no integrity, there's no loyalty. That's all that's gone on." (40:14)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Paul Fisher’s dilemma and split with Larry Lind: 01:57 – 06:03
- Childhood, high school, and family background: 09:25 – 13:31
- Sexual escapades and early lessons in seduction: 13:35 – 16:12
- American Gigolo inspiration, turning point: 16:33 – 17:01
- Meeting Larry Lind & LA nightlife: 20:01 – 26:22
- Ferrari to Houston and dropping out: 29:13 – 30:49
- Houston parties, Larry’s rumored mob links: 35:13 – 36:32
- Opening a modeling agency, the industry's brutality: 38:01 – 40:24
Tone and Style
The episode is frank, confessional, and sometimes raw in its language, blending dark humor with hard-hitting revelations about the business of beauty. Vanessa Grigoriadis brings journalistic objectivity and personal familiarity with the industry, while Paul Fisher’s boisterous, occasionally shocking storytelling drives the narrative.
Conclusion
"When Modeling Became Dangerous" explores the collision of glamour, power, ambition, and danger in the 1980s modeling world—using Paul Fisher’s wild ride from California kid to New York modeling impresario as a lens into an industry where beauty, exploitation, violence, and aspiration are deeply entwined. The stage is set for future installments to delve deeper into the cutthroat wars, the models, and the cultural shifts that defined—and nearly destroyed—Paul and the business he came to dominate.