<p>The actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy used to be a member of one of pop culture’s most famous friend groups: The Brat Pack. He starred in movies like <em>Pretty in Pink</em> and <em>St. Elmo’s Fire </em>and palled around with actors like Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez.</p><p>Four decades later, in middle age, he found himself nearly friendless and set out on a cross-country road trip to reunite with the buddies he missed the most. This week on DSM, he tells Anna about the awkward conversations and tender moments that led to his new book <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/andrew-mccarthy/who-needs-friends/9781538768969/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America</em></a>.&nbsp;</p><p>This episode was produced by Cameron Drews.&nbsp;</p><p>Get more <em>Death, Sex &amp; Money</em> with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of DSM and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the <em>Death, Sex &amp; Money</em> show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/death-sex-money/id870688022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0yKEWqaqfaAKlSjYnDuisy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>. Or, visit <a href="https://slate.com/death-sex-money-plus?utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=plus_pod&amp;utm_content=Death_Sex_Money&amp;utm_source=episode_summary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slate.com/dsmplus</a> to get access wherever you listen.</p><p>If you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/deathsexmoney/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is [email protected].</p><p>Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our <a href="https://slate.com/podcastfaqs#plusbenefits" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQ</a> at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>