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01-05-12: Speaking Frankly With Thomas Frank

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Semper Infidelis

One of the things I find most fascinating about Thomas Frank's work is that he is required, by virtue of his interest in our political system and its foibles, to be a keen observer of language as it is used and misused. In our discussion based on his latest column for Harper's, it all comes down to a single word — infidel.

Of course, given that this is America in the 21st century, that word first piqued Frank's interest when he saw it on a T-Shirt — and from there, a thoroughly engrossing essay has grown. From the original Crusades until now, the word infidel has taken on new meanings and been used in way in which those who originated the term simp could not recognize.

Of course, Frank approaches all of his work with a nicely off-kilter sense of humor that veers away from polemic. He is, after all, outside the box with which the Washington, DC opinion machine would like to surround him. I can see that T-shirt now. You can hear him talk about the T-shirt that inspired him at Harper's and the history of the word infidel by following this link to the MP3 Audio file.



01-03-12 UPDATE: Podcast Update: Time to Read, Episode 25: Jonathan Lethem, 'The Ecstasy of Influence'
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Here's the twenty-fifth episode of my new series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. The podcasts/radio broadcasts will be of books worth your valuable reading time. I'll try to keep the reports under four minutes, for a radio-friendly format. If you want to run them on your show or podcast, let me know.

My hope is that in under four minutes I can offer readers a concise review and an opportunity to hear the author read from or speak about the work. I'm hoping to offer a new one every week.

The twenty-fifth episode is a look at Jonathan Lethem and his new book, 'The Ecstasy of Influence'.

Here's a link to the MP3 audio file of Episode 25: Jonathan Lethem, 'The Ecstasy of Influence'




01-02-12: A 2011 Interview with Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith

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"... he was such a voracious reader ..."

—Steven Naifeh

We think of Vincent Van Gogh, and reading is not the first thing to come to our minds — but it should be. In 'Van Gogh: The Life,' Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith have re-created Van Gogh for readers, and it is indeed a remarkable book, immersive and intense. My interview with them mirrored my experience of the book, and it's my hope that readers and potential readers will find this conversation nearly as compelling as the authors' prologue to the book.

The set up for the interview was pretty amazing. We were allowed to film the authors in the conference room for the Los Angeles Country Museum of Modern Art, and our thanks go out to the hard-working staff who made this possible. It was an amazing (if rather boomy) room with furniture that belonged on the set of Mad Men, or in a museum; which, in a sense it was. We got audio and video of the interview; we're editing the video as I write this.

Not surprising, given the revelations in this biography, Naifeh and Smith had talked to a lot of people; I watched them on 60 Minutes in a segment that got them to Van Gogh's grave. But I was fortunate enough to have to have actually read the book, so I was able to get a grip on what they had actually accomplished. The resulting conversation was truly gratifying, as we explored what they wrote and how it came to be.

This conversation with Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith is, I hope an excellent preface for reading the book. Knowing the huge staff, the software innovations and the unprecedented access these writers had access to will make this book even more compelling. Hearing them tell the story of who they created Vincent Van Gogh's story is pretty damn exciting. You can join us in the space-age bachelor pad luxury of the Los Angeles Country Museum of Modern Art by following this link to the MP3 audio file.


New to the Agony Column

09-18-15: Commentary : William T. Vollman Amidst 'The Dying Grass' : An Epic Exploration of Simultaneity

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with William T. Vollman : "...a lot of long words that in our language are sentences..."

09-05-15: Commentary : Susan Casey Listens to 'Voices in the Ocean' : Science, Empathy and Self

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Susan Casey : "...the reporting for this book was emotionally difficult at times..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 213: Susan Casey : Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins

08-24-15: Commentary : Felicia Day Knows 'You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)' : Transformative Technology

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Felicia Day : "I think you have to be attention curators for audience in every way."

08-22-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 212: Felicia Day : You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]

08-10-15:Agony Column Podcast News Report : In Memory of Alan Cheuse : Thank you Alan, and Your Family, for Everything

07-11-15: Commentary : Robert Repino Morphs 'Mort(e)' : Housecat to Harbinger of the Apocalypse

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Robert Repino : "...an even bigger threat. which is us, the humans..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 208: Robert Repino : Mort(e)

07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 208: Michael Gazzaniga : Tales from Both Sides of the Brain: A Life in Neuroscience

06-26-15: Commentary : Neal Stephenson Crafts an Eden for 'Seveneves' : Blow It Up and Start All Over Again

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Neal Stephenson : "...and know that you're never going to se a tree again..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 207: Neal Stephenson : Seveneves

06-03-15: Commentary : Dan Simmons Opens 'The Fifth Heart' : Having it Every Way

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Dan Simmons : "...yes, they really did bring those bombs..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 206: Dan Simmons : The Fifth Heart

05-23-15: Commentary : John Waters Gets 'Carsick' : Going His Way

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with John Waters : "...you change how you would be in real life...”

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 205: John Waters : Carsick

05-09-15: Commentary : Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD and 'Shrinks' : A Most Fashionable Take on the Human Mind

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD : "..its influence to be as hegemonic as it was..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 204: Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD : Shrinks: The Untold Story of Psychiatry

04-29-15: Commentary : Barney Frank is 'Frank' : Interpersonally Ours

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Barney Frank : "...while you're trying to change it, don't ignore it..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 203: Barney Frank : Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage

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

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 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 2015 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

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