Mar 1, 2024
I interviewed Nena about two years ago...tho it feels like a lifetime. We were just coming out of covid and it was one of the first times I'd been back in the room with a guest. I would say that in the interim, interest in hallucingens has only grown as mushrooms seem to have quickly become both the medicine of choice and the party drug of choice....
here are the original notes!
I've been wanting to do this interview for years.... Nena is a scion of one of America's most famous families and grew up in the rarefied air of upper east side NYC where that legacy was mostly confounding. She initially started out as an interior designer, and we met in LA in the aughts when she was exploring the entertainment biz and we were both aimlessly navigating the cocktail scene, here. We lost touch when I had kids and she was nearly killed by a series of flesh eating bacterial infections. And when we reconnected - both now sober - I asked her if she was still decorating, and she said, "No, I'm a shaman." I love second acts, and this one - that takes us into the world of sacred rituals and medicines (yes, we're talking hallucinogens) is fascinating.