Book Book Book Book
Commentary Commentary RSS Reviews Podcasts_Audio Podcasts RSS Blog Links Archives Indexes
09-18-09: Michael Kurland Interviewed at SF in SF on September 12, 2009

"I believe that most writing is done buy the unconscious mind..."
        — Michael Kurland

That was what Michael Kurland said in the interview, but it was his conscious mind working before, during and after. And I have to say that I'm not surprised when the writers I ask to interview are well, sort of reluctant. But though Kurland expressed some reluctance before the interview, you'd sure as heck never know that once he got going.

Come to think of it, Kurland manages to be as witty and engaging in his interview because, I suppose, he does manage to connect to his unconscious when answering questions. I spoke with him both about his Victorian/Edwardian Moriarty mysteries and his witty, caustic introduction to a collection of science fiction stories. He and I are really in the same place when it comes to how books are shelved. On one hand, the whole genre thing is very convenient, though not as convenient as I would like. They should have shelf labeled, "Books with Monsters" where the polyglot collection of science fiction, fantasy, horror and even literary titles that feature monsters are shelved. But I'm also of a mind with Kurland, in that I'd not mind if they just shelved all fiction together by author last-name, from A-Z and gave up trying to classify fiction. I mean, it's all lies, isn’t it? Or the truth disguised as lies? You can hear our spirited discussion by following this link to the MP3 audio file.



09-17-09: A 2009 Interview with Jeffrey Gonzalez of the Sanger Paranormal Society : Bigfoot, Triangles and Abductions in Central California

The Forteana list is a treasure trove of great reading — so long as you enjoy news about weird stuff that is reported by the even weirder humans of this odd planet. There I am, filing away, and I find a story from the Sanger Paranormal Society, near Fresno, California. They’ve got a new snapshot of Bigfoot. That's close, I think. Maybe I can give them a call.

Indeed, I did manage to call Jeffrey Gonzalez of the Sanger Paranormal Society, and set up an interview for KUSP's Talk of the Bay last Sunday evening, September 13, 2009. We really had a lot of fun, talking about his recent Bigfoot investigation, triangles over Fresno, and an abduction case he was working on. I'm really fascinated by the borders of belief; for example, I'm more inclined to believe in Bigfoot and aliens than I am in the so-called "death panels," which seem like ugly advertising hype to me. And I guess that's what I like about all this Forteana — Bigfoot is such a positive presence. Aliens, whether they’re from another planet or, as Kage Baker suggested in the interview I podcast on Monday, our own, can only be a good thing, no matter what their proclivities are with regards to medical examinations. Gonzalez has a thoroughly positive perspective with regards to becoming a paranormal investigator, which you can hear by following this link to the MP3 audio file of our conversation.



09-16-09: Nalo Hopkinson Reads at SF in SF on September 12, 2009 : Scary Monsters and Super-Creeps

What scares you? What disturbs you? What gets under your skin and makes you shiver? On one hand, it seems to vary wildly from one person to another. One person may bathe in blood, but shiver at the sight of a spider; another may have tarantulas as pets yet quiver with terror in the event of a pinprick. Still, there do seem to be some universals.

Nalo Hopkinson apparently gets the universals, as she had the entire audience shivering at her reading from a forthcoming novel titled, 'Donkey.' I'll not spoil any of the material for you, but I will say that the shudders were indeed universal in front of and behind the podium. To my mind, she really nailed Das Unheimliche — what Freud called "the uncanny." Familiar, yet strange, her narrative was the essence of cognitive dissonance and so well executed in terms of prose, that it just creeped the hell out of all of us. Ready for a chill on this chilly evening? If it is not chilly where you are, it will be as soon as you follow this link to the MP3 audio file.



09-15-09: Michael Kurland Reads at SF in SF on September 12, 2009 : Moriarty Returns, After An Introduction

Michael Kurland has been there in background of the events for SF in SF for quite a while. I've seen him there many times and never known who he was until last night. But when he sat down to read at last night's event, he made a huge impression.

Now, let me first say to listeners, yes, he was talking to me. You'll know what I'm referring to when you hear it. But you'll soon forget it, because when he launches into the introduction to a collection of science fiction short stories, you just might be able to hear the audience's laughter over your own. Kurland does a real Jack-the-Ripper on the idea of genre fiction. Not to be coy, it pisses him right off and he's not shy about eviscerating the marketing focus of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery — even romance, one of which he wrote under the pseudonym Jennifer Plum. (In the forthcoming podcast of the panel discussion you'll hear his hilarious description of how he came to that name.) Then he launches into a spirited reading of the second chapter of his new Moriarty adventure. You can hear all this and more by following this link to the MP3 audio file.



09-14-09: A 2009 Interview with Kage Baker — The View From Spyglass Park

"I'm more Dionysian than Apollonian any day ..."
        — Kage Baker

Kage Baker lives a little bit of a drive from me — the drive from my house in Aptos to Pismo Beach is a little over three hours. I can spend that in traffic between my house and San Francisco on a bad day. So I decided to take a little road trip.

Though I've interviewed Baker in little bits and pieces at the SF in SF events, I'd never taken the time to talk to her about her wonderful work as a whole. We met and spoke in Spyglass Park, 20 feet from a 100-foot cliff that overlooks the Pacific. It was an incredibly beautiful day. The sun was hot, but there was a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean. As I spoke with Baker, I began to realize just how important she is to the genre and how important I think she will be to American literature. We talked about her earliest reading experience, one that colors her work to this very day, and about her earliest writing, which again, influences and is indeed part of her work to this very day. You can hear our conversation beneath the blue sky, above the blue ocean, by following this link to the MP3 Audio file.



New to the Agony Column

04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 202: Kazuo Ishiguro : The Buried Giant

04-17-15: Commentary : Erik Larson Follows a 'Dead Wake' : Countdown to Destiny

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Erik Larson : " "...said to have been found in the arms of a dead German sailor..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 201: Erik Larson : Dead Wake

04-15-15: Commentary : Peter Bell Reflects 'A Certain Slant of Light' : Strange Stories of Modern Scholars

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Peter Bell : "...I looked up some of the old books..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 200: Peter Bell : Strange Epiphanies and A Certain Slant of Light

03-14-15: Commentary : Marc Goodman Foresees 'Future Crimes' : Exponential Potential

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Marc Goodman : "...every physical object around us is being transformed, one way or another, into an information technology..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It

03-01-15: Commentary : William Ury on Getting to Yes with Yourself: And Other Worthy Opponents : To the BATNA, Robin!

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with William Ury : ...he proceeded to shout at me for approximately 30 minutes..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 198: William Ury : Getting to Yes with Yourself: And Other Worthy Opponents

02-22-15: Commentary : Jennifer Senior Experiences 'All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood' : Reading Fun for the Whole Fambly!

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Jennifer Senior : "...it becomes a source of enormous tension once a baby comes along..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 197: Jennifer Senior : All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood

02-09-15: Commentary : Stewart O'Nan Looks 'West of Sunset' : Twilight of the Great

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Stewart O'Nan : "...we see him as a tragedian because is life is a tragedy..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 196: Stewart O'Nan : West of Sunset

02-04-15: Commentary : Armistead Maupin Maps 'The Days of Anna Madrigal' : Swiftly Flow the Years

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Armistead Maupin : "I could see what silliness was going on while it was happening..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 195: Armistead Maupin : The Days of Anna Madrigal

01-31-15: Commentary : Christine Carter's Path to 'The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at Home and Work' : Neurohabits

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Christine Carter, Ph.D. : "...a real tipping point..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 194: Christine Carter, Ph.D. : The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at Home and Work

01-23-15: Commentary : Jake Halpern Pushes 'Bad Paper: Chasing Debt from Wall Street to the Underworld' : Non-Fiction 21st Century Noir

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Jake Halpern : "...he goes to Las Vegas to this debt-buyers' convention..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 193: Jake Halpern : Bad Paper: Chasing Debt from Wall Street to the Underworld

01-19-15: Commentary : David Shields and Caleb Powell Assert 'I Think You're Totally Wrong' : The Power to Bicker

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with David Shields and Caleb Powell : "I read no book reviews any more; the level of discussion is really pedestrian." David Shields "I'm just saying it's a conflict of interest!" Caleb Powell

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 192: David Shields and Caleb Powell : I Think You're Totally Wrong

01-17-15: Commentary : Charles Todd Expects 'A Fine Summer's Day' : We Interrupt This Program...

Commentary : Charles Todd Engages In 'A Test of Wills' : The Politics of Passion and Policing

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Charles and Caroline Todd : "...let them be themselves and sort it out..." Caroline Todd "...it's more on a personal level..." Charles Todd

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 191: Charles Todd : A Fine Summer's Day

01-13-15: Commentary : Rosalie Parker Unearths 'The Old Knowledge' : The New Old World

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Ray Russell and Rosalie Parker : "I thought I'd write something for fun.." Ray Russell "..there was a side of me of that was interested in the strangeness..." Ros Parker

01-12-15: Commentary : Richard Ford 'Let Me Be Frank with You' : The Default Years

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Richard Ford : "...most of our politicians are morons..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 190: Richard Ford : Let Me Be Frank with You

01-06-15: Commentary : Bessel van der Kolk 'The Body Keeps the Score' : Human Trauma

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2014 Interview with Bessel van der Kolk : "...being able to see what happens in the brain really helps us to understand certain things..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 189: Bessel van der Kolk : The Body Keeps the Score

Commentary & Podcast Archive
Archives Indexes How to use the Agony Column Contact Us About Us