Haunting 40th Birthday Present to Jeffrey Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein’s 40th birthday party was not what Christopher Mason expected.

The British journalist arrived at Epstein’s townhouse that evening, in what would have been January 1993, not as a guest, but as a sort of paid entertainment. As a hobby, Mason wrote and performed satirical songs—musical roasts that he custom-created for his subjects. Maxwell, who seemed to be dating Epstein at the time, had commissioned the Cambridge-educated writer to craft this kind of personalized musical toast for Epstein.