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.
Francine Prose is most recently the author of Reading Like a Writer. Author: Francine Prose Condition of Mr. Segundo: Introspective about Xmas realities. Subjects Discussed: Reading like a writer vs. reading as an escapist, Car Talk, reading People as preparation for reading Chekhov, The Illustrated Elements of Style, diagramming sentences, making grammar fun, academia and […]
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MoreJoe Meno is most recently the author of The Boy Detective Fails. Authors: Joe Meno, Todd Taylor, Todd Dills and Bucky Sinister Condition of Mr. Segundo: Responding to MySpace lies. Subjects Discussed: Shirley Wins, pumpkin launching, Halloween, grandmothers, writing women convincingly, Sons of the Rapture, Strom Thurmond, the differences between North Carolina and South Carolina, […]
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MoreKelly Link is most recently the author of Magic for Beginners. Author: Kelly Link Condition of Mr. Segundo: At odds with his boyhood dreams. Subjects Discussed: Coffee, the Turkish language, planting little clues within stories, real-life inspirations for fantasy, writing short stories vs. novels, the value of a gestation period, on being easily distracted, being […]
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MoreMary Gaitskill is most recently the author of Veronica. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Feeling triumphant over hepatitis. Author: Mary Gaitskill Subjects Discussed: Emotional mood and writing, Marin County, horticultural details, decomposition and decay, dichotomous characters and the gray areas of life, unusual character relationships, the conscious design of Veronica‘s environments, office environments, the modeling world, […]
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MoreEdward P. Jones is most recently the author of The Known World. Author: Edward P. Jones Condition of Mr. Segundo: Feeling oppressed by MySpace. Subjects Discussed: Jones’s instinct for precision, specifics, city streets, details within minor characters, family lineage within fiction, Squirrel Nuts, penny candy, handicapped characters, gifted students, avoiding recurrent motifs and repeating stories, […]
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MoreMark Z. Danielewski is most recently the author of Only Revolutions. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Horrified by “misprinted” books. Author: Mark Z. Danielewski Subjects Discussed: The origins of Only Revolutions, Hailey’s appearance in House of Leaves, the use of obscure uncanonized words in Only Revolutions (and their various origins), hip-hop, Gene Wolfe, Anthony Burgess, teenagers […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 34:30 — 31.6MB)
MoreSam Savage is most recently the author of Firmin. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Still missing, wondering who this Champion character is. Guests: Sam Savage and Edward Champion Subjects Discussed: Having a rat as a protagonist, investigating rats, on being a late starter, poetry, exploring consciousness in fiction, the destruction of Scollay Square, collaborating on the […]
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MoreScott Smith is most recently the author of The Ruins. Author: Scott Smith Condition of Mr. Segundo: Still missing, replaced temporarily by a windbag. Subjects Discussed: The addictive nature of The Ruins, insecurity, writing without an outline, making a seemingly preposterous premise believable, Rupert Thomson, on taking things too far, how deadlines help, aborted 1,000 […]
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MoreGeorge Ilsley is most recently the author of ManBug. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Avoidant of infestations. Guests: Matt Cheney and George Ilsley Subjects Discussed: The “arc” of the LBC, small presses, Kinsey, entomological inspiration, language play, relationships, Dan Savage, Queer as Folk, Brokeback Mountain, unexpected audiences, unreliable narrators, insect collections, gall wasps, bed bugs, unique […]
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MoreSidney Thompson is most recently the author of Sideshow. Guests: Jeff Bryant and Sidney Thompson Condition of Mr. Segundo: Locked away by a Pittsburgh podcaster. Subjects Discussed: Faulkner vs. R.E.M., Southern fiction, how music influences fiction, observing unusual behavior, Thompson’s musical background, family as a starting point, taboos, the happy medium between shock value and […]
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MoreOur Correspondent conducted several odd interviews at Bouchercon 2006. Guests: Lee Goldberg, Robert S. Levinson, Alexandra Sokoloff, Sarah Weinman, Jon Jordan, Jennifer Jordan, Jim Winter, Russel McLean, Sandi Loper-Herzog, Steve Stillwell, and Duane Swierczynski. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Attemptnig to seek a spiritual path. Subjects Discussed: The Goldberg brothers, story limits and novelists, pi, Marie […]
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MoreTC Boyle is most recently the author of Talk Talk> Author: T.C. Boyle Condition of Mr. Segundo: Dubious of state lottery programs. Subjects Discussed: Multiple genders, Lawrence Durrell, on whether Talk Talk is a thriller, Anthony Burgess’ The Right to an Answer, Graham Greene, identity theft, Milton, paranoia, jail, Cassie Chadwick, biometrics, capitalist society, why […]
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