November 19, 2025 • 11 mins
What if Gatsby traded his mansion for a hedge fund and the green light for a Bloomberg terminal? Dive into our conversation with Gary Goldstick, the turnaround expert-turned-author behind Just Call Me Gatsby, as we explore the high-stakes world where business and fiction collide. Discover how Gary’s real-life war stories fuel a modern twist on the American classic, delivering a tale as plausible as it is captivating.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hey, this Benji col Son of Alcohol from CBS Radio
and host of the syndicated talk show People of Distinction.
The talk gives you an in depth view of some
of the most dynamic, intelligent, and successful people on the planet.
Run to our website Alcohol Enterprises dot com for bar info.
Email me through Benji at Alcohol Enterprises dot com if
you'd like to get involved with what we have going,
(00:30):
and as always, please continue to like and follow our broadcasts.
People of Distinction is internationally syndicated solely due to the
love and support that you all continue to give. We're
available across all major distributors and as long as you
keep following, we're going to continue to put out the content.
Now sit back and strap in because on the line
with us today we have the impressive Gary Goldstick that
(00:53):
we're gonna be discussing. Gary's incredible novel just call me Gatsby.
It's Amazon, it's Barnes, and it's a lot of other places,
but most importantly, check out his personal site, Garygoldstick dot com.
There gather more information on him on this book, on
the three others that he has written, is well, and
(01:15):
so much more. Again, the one stop shop for it
all that's Garygoldstick dot com. And listen, it is a
true pleasure to have Gary here on the line. People.
We all know the original Gatsby. All right, let's just
address the elephant in the room before we go any further. Right,
we see the title of this book, just call me Gatsby,
(01:36):
and we got the connection, right, The original Gatsby, the
man who built an empire of illusion for a love
that he could never truly grasp. But what does that
tragicfigure look like in today's world? Okay, well, listen, answer
Gary Goldstick, because you see this book, man, the green
(01:58):
light isn't a girl across the bay. It is the
relentless glow of a Bloomberg terminal. This is a story
for everyone who who wondered what would happen if Fitzgerald's
hero from the American classic traded his mansion for a
(02:19):
hedge fund. This is a book that you're gonna love
adding to your shelf, and you're just going to lavish in.
And I promise you it's just a tip of the iceberg. Because,
as I mentioned, Gary has three others, two nonfiction and
another fiction that you're gonna want to pick up as well.
But for right now for today, it's all about just
call me Gatsby, Sit back and strap in. Gary. Welcome
(02:41):
to people of distinction, and thank you for being a
guest man. How you doing today, I'm doing fine.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Thank you for having met Gary.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
We're looking forward to this discussion.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Man.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Let's jump right in by first and foremost, learning a
little bit more about yourself.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Okay. I was educated at Universe at Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
I was primarily an engineer for probably twenty five years,
working on computers. Subsequent to that time, I got interested
in business and I started essentially working with small companies
(03:22):
and eventually, over the last twenty years twenty twenty five years,
became what's called a turnaround man. In other words, I
would go into a company that was sailing and try
and figure out at six and you have a company
that's sailing, you have only three choices to sell it
(03:44):
can liquidate it, or you can turn it around and
make it a successful business. And that's what I've done
for about twenty five thirty years. We were referred to
in the business as turnaround guys, and that's been my career.
It's been lots of different businesses and I feel very
comfortable walking into a business, figuring out how it works
(04:09):
and figuring out whether it can be fixed.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Okay, well, well, Gary, thank you very much for that.
So if I'm following this career path, maybe I missed it,
but I didn't see creative writing under that umbrella. So Gary,
talk to us. Matt, how did you even begin as
a writer.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Well, that's a funny story. My wife and I used
to read at night before we go to sleep, and
she would read her book I would read my books.
And one particular evening I was reading John Grisham's second book,
The Pelican Brief, and she turned to me and said, well,
(04:49):
what do you think of it? And I said it's
pretty good. I said I could do this. She said,
they thinks, so why don't you try it? And so
that was sort of the beginning. Essentially, I rose to a.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
There fast forward. Now we got four books on and
say I love it all right. Well, Gary, so we
know about your background. We know really the precipice that
embarked you on the creative writing. Pat well, what inspired
this particular book, just called me Gatsby.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Well, what we inspired this book was the fact that
for the last twenty twenty five years, I've basically been
working with companies that were in trouble and trying to
figure out whether or not they could be fixed or
whether they had to be sold or liquidated. And in
every situation you get into like this, there's always a
(05:54):
question of where's the money going to come from? In
other words, where's the money going to come from? The
the people until the company is profitable. And the people
who do that, who raise that money or put quote
gad skies, they know where private money is. They go
into the market and they assemble it. And the issue
(06:18):
is there's some that are very, very successful, there's some
that are marginally successful. And the level of integrity runs
the full ganet from bigh integrity to not such a
good integrity. But that is that is where Gatsby comes from.
Gatsby raises money, and every time there's a situation where
(06:43):
a company is in trouble, you might as well face
up to it. You need to raise money to get
the company fixed, if it's going to be if it's
going to survive.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
People. I'm telling you this is one to be added
to your shelf. Remember it is on Barnes and Noble,
Garygoldstick dot Com head on over there, start with just
call Me Gatsby, but make sure to check out the
three other books that he has written to this date.
Hopefully another Dare comes across his conversations later, and maybe
there's more on the horizon.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
We'll see, we'll see.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Gary.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
My follow up question, now, Man, talk to us a
little bit more about your experience writing this book.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Well, I've read a lot of fiction, and the first
rule to me, the first rule of writing good fiction
is plausibility. The plot has to be plausible. The last
thing you want is somebody to get halfway through the
book and they read something in their first reaction, oh
(07:47):
give me a break. Okay. So plausibility is absolutely the key.
And that's why the business experience that I've had gives
me a leg up. Because I've been in the war room.
I know what it's like to have to fight through
(08:09):
a difficult business situation, and I know what plausibility means.
And to me, that's the key, is that the plot
has to be plausible. You never want your reader to
get halfway through the book and say, oh, give me
your break.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Listen, Gary, let's go into the title next. Man, I
from doing the research. From talking to you and hearing
you speak thus far, I can see the connection clearly,
but I want to hear it from you. Why did
you choose this particular title to be the representation for
your book?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Because the book is all about Gatsty and a characteristic
of a Ghatsty character is the very friends. And if
you meet him, and somebody would say this is mister Brooks,
his first word out of his mouth, Oh just call
me Gatsley. Okay, I'm a friendly guy, and you and
(09:14):
I are going to do business together. And I want
you to feel comfortable in my present and that's why
I want you to just call me Gatsby.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Gary. Final question here for you, and it's going to
be a two part one with this next one. But
I'm curious to know, man, first and foremost, who is
your intended audience. Who's your intended reader for the book,
and what is the main message that you hope that
they received after they finished that last page.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
My intended reader was fiction readers who are interested in
stories about business. In other words, they're familiar with business.
They understand that business is a battlefield. It's like you know,
a war novel is a battlefield and that was my
(10:02):
intended reader. The main message is when you're talking about
business and you're writing novels about business, there is a
pretty high level of complexity, and you need readers who
have a stomach to deal with complexity and fiction. People.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Listen, we've barely scratched the surface here. This book I
think is compelling first and foremost because of the connection
that there is to the American classic, right, like the
Great Gatsby is something we have all we've either all
read or at least familiar with it. So there's that, right,
(10:46):
there's that nostalgia to a certain degree. But then this
book just call me Gatsby. It takes it out of
the twenties man and it brings it into a modern
day perspective. And it's something that I think has high stakes.
It is going to keep you entertained for hours, and
it may for my entrepreneurs out there listening in, it
(11:08):
may just have you thinking twice about certain business transactions
that you have going on that you may be juggling.
And I promise you this is going to be one
you're not going to be able to put down so
much to offer head on over one last time, it's
Amazon it's Barnes and Noble, it's Garygoldstick dot com. Purchase
your copies of Just Call Me Gatsby today, and while
(11:29):
you're at it, remember check out the three other books
that he has written as well. Gary, this has been
an absolute delight. Thank you once again for being a
guest on People of Distinction.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
I thought it was great. Thank you very much for
having me
Hey, this Benji col Son of Alcohol from CBS Radio
and host of the syndicated talk show People of Distinction.
The talk gives you an in depth view of some
of the most dynamic, intelligent, and successful people on the planet.
Run to our website Alcohol Enterprises dot com for bar info.
Email me through Benji at Alcohol Enterprises dot com if
you'd like to get involved with what we have going,
(00:30):
and as always, please continue to like and follow our broadcasts.
People of Distinction is internationally syndicated solely due to the
love and support that you all continue to give. We're
available across all major distributors and as long as you
keep following, we're going to continue to put out the content.
Now sit back and strap in because on the line
with us today we have the impressive Gary Goldstick that
(00:53):
we're gonna be discussing. Gary's incredible novel just call me Gatsby.
It's Amazon, it's Barnes, and it's a lot of other places,
but most importantly, check out his personal site, Garygoldstick dot com.
There gather more information on him on this book, on
the three others that he has written, is well, and
(01:15):
so much more. Again, the one stop shop for it
all that's Garygoldstick dot com. And listen, it is a
true pleasure to have Gary here on the line. People.
We all know the original Gatsby. All right, let's just
address the elephant in the room before we go any further. Right,
we see the title of this book, just call me Gatsby,
(01:36):
and we got the connection, right, The original Gatsby, the
man who built an empire of illusion for a love
that he could never truly grasp. But what does that
tragicfigure look like in today's world? Okay, well, listen, answer
Gary Goldstick, because you see this book, man, the green
(01:58):
light isn't a girl across the bay. It is the
relentless glow of a Bloomberg terminal. This is a story
for everyone who who wondered what would happen if Fitzgerald's
hero from the American classic traded his mansion for a
(02:19):
hedge fund. This is a book that you're gonna love
adding to your shelf, and you're just going to lavish in.
And I promise you it's just a tip of the iceberg. Because,
as I mentioned, Gary has three others, two nonfiction and
another fiction that you're gonna want to pick up as well.
But for right now for today, it's all about just
call me Gatsby, Sit back and strap in. Gary. Welcome
(02:41):
to people of distinction, and thank you for being a
guest man. How you doing today, I'm doing fine.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Thank you for having met Gary.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
We're looking forward to this discussion.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Man.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Let's jump right in by first and foremost, learning a
little bit more about yourself.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Okay. I was educated at Universe at Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
I was primarily an engineer for probably twenty five years,
working on computers. Subsequent to that time, I got interested
in business and I started essentially working with small companies
(03:22):
and eventually, over the last twenty years twenty twenty five years,
became what's called a turnaround man. In other words, I
would go into a company that was sailing and try
and figure out at six and you have a company
that's sailing, you have only three choices to sell it
(03:44):
can liquidate it, or you can turn it around and
make it a successful business. And that's what I've done
for about twenty five thirty years. We were referred to
in the business as turnaround guys, and that's been my career.
It's been lots of different businesses and I feel very
comfortable walking into a business, figuring out how it works
(04:09):
and figuring out whether it can be fixed.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Okay, well, well, Gary, thank you very much for that.
So if I'm following this career path, maybe I missed it,
but I didn't see creative writing under that umbrella. So Gary,
talk to us. Matt, how did you even begin as
a writer.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Well, that's a funny story. My wife and I used
to read at night before we go to sleep, and
she would read her book I would read my books.
And one particular evening I was reading John Grisham's second book,
The Pelican Brief, and she turned to me and said, well,
(04:49):
what do you think of it? And I said it's
pretty good. I said I could do this. She said,
they thinks, so why don't you try it? And so
that was sort of the beginning. Essentially, I rose to a.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
There fast forward. Now we got four books on and
say I love it all right. Well, Gary, so we
know about your background. We know really the precipice that
embarked you on the creative writing. Pat well, what inspired
this particular book, just called me Gatsby.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Well, what we inspired this book was the fact that
for the last twenty twenty five years, I've basically been
working with companies that were in trouble and trying to
figure out whether or not they could be fixed or
whether they had to be sold or liquidated. And in
every situation you get into like this, there's always a
(05:54):
question of where's the money going to come from? In
other words, where's the money going to come from? The
the people until the company is profitable. And the people
who do that, who raise that money or put quote
gad skies, they know where private money is. They go
into the market and they assemble it. And the issue
(06:18):
is there's some that are very, very successful, there's some
that are marginally successful. And the level of integrity runs
the full ganet from bigh integrity to not such a
good integrity. But that is that is where Gatsby comes from.
Gatsby raises money, and every time there's a situation where
(06:43):
a company is in trouble, you might as well face
up to it. You need to raise money to get
the company fixed, if it's going to be if it's
going to survive.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
People. I'm telling you this is one to be added
to your shelf. Remember it is on Barnes and Noble,
Garygoldstick dot Com head on over there, start with just
call Me Gatsby, but make sure to check out the
three other books that he has written to this date.
Hopefully another Dare comes across his conversations later, and maybe
there's more on the horizon.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
We'll see, we'll see.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Gary.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
My follow up question, now, Man, talk to us a
little bit more about your experience writing this book.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Well, I've read a lot of fiction, and the first
rule to me, the first rule of writing good fiction
is plausibility. The plot has to be plausible. The last
thing you want is somebody to get halfway through the
book and they read something in their first reaction, oh
(07:47):
give me a break. Okay. So plausibility is absolutely the key.
And that's why the business experience that I've had gives
me a leg up. Because I've been in the war room.
I know what it's like to have to fight through
(08:09):
a difficult business situation, and I know what plausibility means.
And to me, that's the key, is that the plot
has to be plausible. You never want your reader to
get halfway through the book and say, oh, give me
your break.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Listen, Gary, let's go into the title next. Man, I
from doing the research. From talking to you and hearing
you speak thus far, I can see the connection clearly,
but I want to hear it from you. Why did
you choose this particular title to be the representation for
your book?
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Because the book is all about Gatsty and a characteristic
of a Ghatsty character is the very friends. And if
you meet him, and somebody would say this is mister Brooks,
his first word out of his mouth, Oh just call
me Gatsley. Okay, I'm a friendly guy, and you and
(09:14):
I are going to do business together. And I want
you to feel comfortable in my present and that's why
I want you to just call me Gatsby.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Gary. Final question here for you, and it's going to
be a two part one with this next one. But
I'm curious to know, man, first and foremost, who is
your intended audience. Who's your intended reader for the book,
and what is the main message that you hope that
they received after they finished that last page.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
My intended reader was fiction readers who are interested in
stories about business. In other words, they're familiar with business.
They understand that business is a battlefield. It's like you know,
a war novel is a battlefield and that was my
(10:02):
intended reader. The main message is when you're talking about
business and you're writing novels about business, there is a
pretty high level of complexity, and you need readers who
have a stomach to deal with complexity and fiction. People.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Listen, we've barely scratched the surface here. This book I
think is compelling first and foremost because of the connection
that there is to the American classic, right, like the
Great Gatsby is something we have all we've either all
read or at least familiar with it. So there's that, right,
(10:46):
there's that nostalgia to a certain degree. But then this
book just call me Gatsby. It takes it out of
the twenties man and it brings it into a modern
day perspective. And it's something that I think has high stakes.
It is going to keep you entertained for hours, and
it may for my entrepreneurs out there listening in, it
(11:08):
may just have you thinking twice about certain business transactions
that you have going on that you may be juggling.
And I promise you this is going to be one
you're not going to be able to put down so
much to offer head on over one last time, it's
Amazon it's Barnes and Noble, it's Garygoldstick dot com. Purchase
your copies of Just Call Me Gatsby today, and while
(11:29):
you're at it, remember check out the three other books
that he has written as well. Gary, this has been
an absolute delight. Thank you once again for being a
guest on People of Distinction.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
I thought it was great. Thank you very much for
having me
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