Monica Madrid talks with Elliot Mintz about Elvis, John Lennon and the Lost Weekend, Yoko Ono, loyalty, legacy, and the loneliness behind fame.
You may not know his name…but you definitely know his work.
Elliot Mintz is the legendary media consultant and author who’s been behind the curtain of pop culture for more than 50 years. He’s worked with icons like Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, Paris Hilton, and countless others. And he’s widely known for one friendship in particular: John Lennon.
“He was my best friend.”
Now he’s sitting down with Monica Madrid for a conversation that feels less like an interview and more like being invited into a living room where history happened…and somehow, it still turns into a little football too.
This is Part 1 of Monica’s conversation with Elliot Mintz, and if you love music history, Hollywood stories, and the real human moments behind famous names, you’re going to want this one queued up immediately.
Who is Elliot Mintz…and why does his name keep coming up around legends?
Elliot Mintz has interviewed thousands of major public figures and spent decades as the person artists trusted when the cameras turned off.
In this episode, Monica introduces him the way he deserves: not as a headline, but as the steady force behind the scenes. The type of person celebrities call when it’s real… not promotional.
And that’s what makes this conversation so different. It’s not gossip. It’s not a Wikipedia recap.
It’s life, legacy, and loyalty, told by someone who actually lived it.
Monica Madrid and Elliot Mintz: a full-circle friendship (with a very Hollywood beginning)
Before podcast microphones and YouTube timestamps, Monica and Elliot met in the most LA sentence ever: at a Playboy party on Sunset.
But what happens next is the real story.
Monica shares the moment she realized Elliot wasn’t like everyone else in that world. He wasn’t scanning the room for status. He wasn’t half-listening. He looked her in the eyes, asked real questions, and treated her like she mattered before she had “proof” she mattered.
That one moment becomes a theme throughout the episode: how rare real curiosity and decency are and how powerful they can be when someone gives them to you at the exact right time.
Elvis, influence, and the kind of story you didn’t expect in a football podcast
The conversation opens with a surprising alignment: it’s Elvis’s birthday, and Monica shares a personal memory tied to her family and her earliest relationship with music.
Elliot takes that thread and does what Elliot does best: he turns it into a bigger reflection on culture, influence, and why certain artists don’t just entertain us… they change us.
And then he connects Elvis to John Lennon in a way that will make you pause and go, “Wait…that actually explains a lot.”
The Lost Weekend: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and what it’s like to be close to both
If you found this article searching John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Lost Weekend”, you’re in the right place.
Part of this episode touches on the separation period famously referred to as the Lost Weekend, but Elliot doesn’t talk about it like a tabloid.
He talks about it like a friend.
What makes his perspective so compelling is that he isn’t commenting from the outside. He explains what it was like to care deeply about both John and Yoko, and to navigate a time that was emotionally complicated for everyone involved.
He shares just enough to make you understand the stakes, and then leaves the rest where it belongs: inside the episode.
Because the real magic isn’t just “what happened.”
It’s how it felt, and why certain relationships are bigger than one chapter.
And Then… It Gets Personal
For someone who has spent decades protecting other people’s stories, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Diana Ross, and so many more…Elliot finally turns the lens inward.
He talks about what that level of loyalty costs.
The missed vacations.
The relationships that didn’t survive a phone call.
The quiet trade-off between purpose and partnership.
Monica doesn’t just listen…she relates. Because building something meaningful, chasing dreams, and always being “the strong one” can sometimes leave you wondering why the seat next to you is empty.
And just when the conversation starts to settle… it deepens.
Why are so many of us alone right now?
That’s where Part 1 leaves you.
Part 2?
It goes even further.
Listen, like, subscribe (Part 1 is out now)
Catch the episode on:
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and wherever you listen.
And if you’re the type who loves pop culture history, Hollywood stories, and conversations that feel like a front-row seat to something real… you do not want to miss this one.
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