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.
Alex Beckstead is the filmmaker behind Paperback Dreams, a documentary on independent bookstores. The documentary is now touring around the nation and is making appearances on PBS. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Surrendering to hard-boiled journalists. Guest: Alex Beckstead Subjects Discussed: Why Beckstead singled out Cody’s and Kepler’s over other Bay Area bookstores, Kepler’s as a […]
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MoreAlison Bechdel is most recently the author of The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For. To listen to our previous interview with Bechdel, check out The Bat Segundo Show #63. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Overly concerned with modifiers attached to artists. Author: Alison Bechdel Subjects Discussed: The relationship between visual developments and storyline developments, how […]
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MorePorochista Khakpour is the author of Sons and Other Flammable Objects. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Avoiding the seemingly erudite man with the flamethrower. Author: Porochista Khakpour Subjects Discussed: Professional doodling, italics that represent facial expressions, acting out dialogue, the protracted difficulties of editing, the creative benefits of neurosis, thinking of an audience vs. writing in […]
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MoreJust in time for Election Day! David Rees is most recently the author of Get Your War On: The Definitive Account of the War on Terror: 2001-2008. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Struggling to cast his vote. Author: David Rees Subjects Discussed: Why red was selected for the Get Your War On backgrounds, My New Filing […]
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MoreDavid Heatley is most recently the author of My Brain is Hanging Upside Down. Condition of Mr. Segundo: On the waiting list for a brain transplant. Author: David Heatley Subjects Discussed: Surreal dream comics, the Ramones, memory and associations, Francois Truffaut looking at an old school photo and remembering all the names of his fellow […]
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MoreAlec Foege is most recently the author of Right of the Dial. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Defying the maker of rules and dealing with fools. Author: Alec Foege Subjects Discussed: WINZ switching to Air America because of Fahrenheit 9/11‘s success, Jesse Jackson and Keep Hope Alive, profitability vs. integrity, Clear Channel’s Republican viewpoint, conservative talk […]
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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, […]
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MoreFilmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa is most recently the co-writer and director of Tokyo Sonata, a film that played the New York Film Festival and that will be released by Regent Releasing in the United States on March 17, 2009. For more information on this extraordinary film, please see our review. We also wish to express our […]
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MorePale Young Gentlemen is a band from Madison, Wisconsin that is currently touring across the United States, and has just released its second album, Black Forest (tra la la). Condition of Mr. Segundo: Contending with unexpected discrimination during the economic crisis. Guest: Michael Reisenauer (of Pale Young Gentlemen) Subjects Discussed: The benefits of “Pale Young […]
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MoreMegan Hustad is most recently the author of How to Be Useful Condition of Mr. Segundo: Contemplating the usefulness of political candidates. Author: Megan Hustad Subjects Discussed: Establishing the terminology of usefulness, the prisoner’s dilemma, usefulness and cooperation, restaurant managers, the publishing industry as a starting point, “suc lit,” coming from a cash-poor middle-class background, […]
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MoreMarilynne Robinson is most recently the author of Home. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Avoiding the relationship potential of malfunctioning XLR cables. Author: Marilynne Robinson Subjects Discussed: Revisiting the Gilead universe, Lawrence Durrell, Robinson’s aversion to sequels, the parable of the prodigal son, the role of letters and text within Gilead and Home, text as a […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 43:47 — 40.1MB)
MoreJerzy Skolimowski is a filmmaker, and is most recently the director of Four Nights with Anna, which is currently playing at the New York Film Festival. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Waiting for the fifth night. Guest: Jerzy Skolimowski Subjects Discussed: Moonlighting (1982), starting from a home to get the lay of the land, the importance […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 32:23 — 29.7MB)
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