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.
Mike Edison is the author of I Have Fun Everywhere I Go. Condition of the Show: Reinvestigating the purported death of Bat Segundo. (See also Show #199.) Author: Mike Edison Subjects Discussed: Writing a memoir predicated upon shit-talking, sticking with the details, the lack of composite characters, compressed chronology, Heeb editor Josh Neuman vs. Screw […]
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MorePeter David is most recently the author of Tigerheart. Condition of the Show: Investigating claimed nemeses of Goliath. Author: Peter David Subjects Discussed: On being prolific, producing work quickly, writing stories set in expansive universe, reacting to a universal construct, working with mythos, the Fallen Angel universe, the Star Trek: New Frontier books, Joseph Campbell […]
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MoreOver the past two weeks, plans have been drafted and considerable efforts have been made to keep the show going at least through the end of the year. The details of these plans will be revealed here on Friday. The Save Segundo team believes that we can do it and we will have more information […]
MoreSenator Mike Gravel and Joe Lauria are the co-authors of A Political Odyssey. Gravel was a candidate for the 2008 U.S. presidential race. Lauria is an investigative journalist who writes for The Sunday Times. Condition of the Show: Delving into the complexities of the military industrial complex. Authors: Senator Mike Gravel and Joe Lauria. Subjects […]
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MoreFaye Flam is most recently the author of The Score. Condition of the Show: Attempting to contend with gender generalizations. Author: Faye Flam Subjects Discussed: Boot Seduction Camp as the prism with which to approach evolutionary science, the Mystery Method, crude philosophical rules vs. scientific rules, the SRY gene, masculinity’s backup gene, genetics and the […]
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MoreNam Le is the author of The Boat. Condition of the Show: Attempting to find classification within the media industrial complex. Author: Nam Le Subjects Discussed: On writing about panna cotta before experiencing it, plausibility and aesthetics, subjectivity, the dangers of autobiographical connections and personal experience perceived by readers and critics, why fiction needs to […]
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MoreGrandmaster Flash is most recently the author of The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash (with David Ritz). Karen Abbott is most recently the author of Sin in the Second City. Condition of the Show: Marinating in urban culture. Authors: Grandmaster Flash and Karen Abbott SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Using “adventures” in a book title, cutting, rubbing and scratching, […]
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MoreThe Bat Segundo Show is going on indefinite hiatus. Which pretty much means that it’s over, unless some magical sponsor or benefactor can appear at the eleventh hour to save the show. But I doubt it. I tried to keep the show running as long as I could, supporting it with my own money. A […]
MoreMark Kurlansky is most recently the author of The Last Fish Tale. Condition of the Show: Moving forward after unexpected losses. Author: Mark Kurlansky Subjects Discussed: Mark Kurlansky’s wonderful dog, coming into Gloucester from an outsider’s perspective, possible solutions to global fishing problems, the close parallels between bottom dragging and the decline in fish stocks, […]
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MoreTo my great shock, the late, great Thomas M. Disch committed suicide on July 4, 2008. This was his last face-to-face interview before his death, conducted on June 25, 2008 at his apartment. For more on Disch, start here. His most recent book was The Word of God. Condition of the Show: In memoriam. Author: […]
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MoreAndre Dubus III is most recently the author of The Garden of Last Days. Condition of the Show: Plagued by decaying verdure and intrusive catering managers. Author: Andre Dubus III Subjects Discussed: The propinquity of Roman numerals after surnames, Richard Flanagan’s The Unknown Terrorist, Heinrich Böll, books being categorized as post-9/11 novels, on letting a […]
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MoreRachel Shukert is the author of Have You No Shame? Condition of the Show: Contending with tenuous widows and the mysterious circumstances of Mr. Segundo’s death. Author: Rachel Shukert Subjects Discussed: Whether Ms. Shukert is still on the Viacom blacklist, the soul-crushing aspects of temping, working odd jobs in Amsterdam, Anne Frank as a constant […]
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