The Bat Segundo Show was a long-running cultural radio program devoted to quirky and very thorough long-form interviews with contemporary authors, idiosyncratic thinkers, and other assorted artists. Guests included David Lynch, Octavia Butler, John Waters, John Updike, Stephen Fry, Marilynne Robinson, Karen Russell, Weird Al Yankovic, Robert A. Caro, and more than 500 others. There was also a program called Follow Your Ears, which was a thematic investigative counterpart, in which I pursued a specific subject through several angles. The entire archive of what I did from 2005 to 2014 is included here.
Gary Shteyngart is most recently the author of Super Sad True Love Story. He previously appeared on The Bat Segundo Show #121 and was ambushed by a Noah Weinberg type earlier in the year. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Too old and too much of a hack for Conde Nast’s cryogenic chambers. Author: Gary Shteyngart Subjects […]
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MoreDavid Mitchell is most recently the author of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. He previously appeared on The Bat Segundo Show #1 — the very program that started it all — along with a two-part podcast from 2006 (Show #54 and Show #55). Condition of Mr. Segundo: Annoyed by hotel security. Author: David […]
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MoreAdam Ross recently appeared on The Bat Segundo Show #349. Mr. Ross is most recently the author of Mr. Peanut. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Caught within the vertiginous sensation of a Mobius strip. Author: Adam Ross Subjects Discussed: [List forthcoming] EXCERPT FROM SHOW: Ross: I think that what keeps us going day in and day […]
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MoreJennifer Weiner is most recently the author of Fly Away Home. Ms. Weiner previously appeared on The Bat Segundo Show #198 and The Bat Segundo Show #14. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Hoping to be frightened by The Motherland sometime soon. Author: Jennifer Weiner Subjects Discussed: [List forthcoming] EXCERPT FROM SHOW: Correspondent: It seems to me […]
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MoreDan Chaon is most recently the author of Await Your Reply. [PROGRAM NOTES: This conversation, conducted in May, was almost lost when a Seagate drive bit the dust. Considerable gratitude to data recovery specialist Wayman Ng, who managed to resuscitate this conversation from the grave. My apologies also to the very kind and patient Dan […]
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MoreMarcy Dermansky is most recently the author of Bad Marie. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Misidentifying French landmarks and attempting to make peace with copy editors in sketchy motel rooms. Author: Marcy Dermansky Subjects Discussed: [List forthcoming] EXCERPT FROM SHOW: Correspondent: I want to touch upon coincidence. Because it does create possibly a problem for a […]
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MoreAnder Monson appeared is most recently the author of Vanishing Point, as well as a poetry collection called The Available World, which nobody had thought to send to Mr. Segundo’s motel room. Contrary to photographic evidence, Mr. Monson does not have a beard. Mr. Monson previously appeared on The Bat Segundo Show #21, just before […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 47:55 — 43.9MB)
MoreJoseph Wallace is most recently the author of Diamond Ruby. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Replacing his failed Atkins diet with three square squirrel meals each day. Author: Joseph Wallace Subjects Discussed: [List forthcoming] EXCERPT FROM SHOW: Correspondent: Radar guns were introduced in 1935 to measure a baseball’s speed. Before that, you had speed machines, which […]
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MoreBarry Gifford is most recently the author of Sailor & Lula: The Complete Novels. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Wilder than his heartburn. Author: Barry Gifford Subjects Discussed: [List forthcoming] EXCERPT FROM SHOW: Gifford: Well, the point is “Don’t be a victim.” I mean, I think I have another chapter somewhere that’s called “Victims.” But that’s […]
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MoreJulie Orringer is most recently the author of The Invisible Bridge. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Bridging the gap between Paris and Budapest. Author: Julie Orringer Subjects Discussed: [List forthcoming] EXCERPT FROM SHOW: Correspondent: You’re balancing a 200,000 word manuscript, I’m guessing. Orringer: Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. Correspondent: The thing I actually wanted to talk to […]
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MoreRobin Black is most recently the author of If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This. Condition of Mr. Segundo: If he could tell you, he’d have to love you. Author: Robin Black Subjects Discussed: Writing ten stories over eight years, rumination time and writing, Black discarding 75% of what she writes, the importance […]
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MoreAdam Thirlwell is most recently the author of The Escape. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Wondering if a piña colada might serve as literary escape. Author: Adam Thirlwell Subjects Discussed: The narrator device in Politics and The Escape, not understanding an early attempt to write a Henry James novel, the S&M of a writer being both […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 54:14 — 49.7MB)
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