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.
Shauna Reid is most recently the author of The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Still stinging from his measly memoir efforts. Author: Shauna Reid Subjects Discussed: Whether the pursuit of truth is more natural through an anonymous journal, writing as “burdening people,” compartmentalizing online identities, self-esteem, contending with the permanent nature of […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 39:27 — 36.1MB)
MoreDavid Denby is most recently the author of Snark. Please also see our lengthy essay, in response to Adam Sternbergh’s review. This conversation represents an effort to get Denby to answer questions raised by both pieces. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Ordered against using a snarky tone. Author: David Denby Subjects Discussed: Whether or not Denby […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 51:23 — 47.1MB)
MorePatricia Cornwell is most recently the author of Scarpetta. This interview serves as a companion piece to Sarah Weinman’s Los Angeles Times profile. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Checked in for narcissistic personality disorder. Author: Patricia Cornwell Subjects Discussed: The genesis of Kay Scarpetta after three unpublished novels, Sara Ann Freed’s input into Cornwell’s early career, […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 43:37 — 39.9MB)
MoreNeal Stephenson is most recently the author of Anathem. It is not known whether or not he “likes cake a lot.” Condition of Mr. Segundo: He likes cake a lot. Author: Neal Stephenson Subjects Discussed: Seven as the ideal number of guests for dinner, William Gibson, the shift from the near future to the past, […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 43:26 — 39.8MB)
MoreAndrea Barret is most recently the author of The Air We Breathe. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Praising the smell of authors. Author: Andrea Barrett Subjects Discussed: The similarities between pre-World War I and contemporary environments, stumbling upon 1916, sanatoriums, The Magic Mountain, ethnic backgrounds, dwelling upon immigrants and working class backgrounds, blowhard intellectuals, cure cottages, […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 37:57 — 34.7MB)
More