From Warren Ellis:
Category / Uncategorized
Segundo Book Giveaway
This is a reminder to one and all that, as announced on The Bat Segundo Show #28, we’re still giving away a copy of Dana Spiotta‘s excellent novel, Eat the Document, which we raved about here.
The book goes to the fourth person to answer the following question:
“If you were a fish, what kind of a fish would you be and why?”
Email your answers to ed AT edrants.com. The winner (and the various answers) will be read and announced on a future podcast.
But we’ll also provide some colorful commentary by text too.
Current Status
At the risk of coming across as a solipsistic bastard, here’s the current status of things, in lieu of a blog entry over the next 24 hours:
1. I am overworked right now but happy.
2. I’m pleased to report that I have, at long last, met the delightful Kimberly Askew. I even sang the first part of Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz” to her. (Or was that Nicki? Or was it Kim and Nicki? Mind severely fatigued. I’m sure I’ll recall the precise details in the morning.) Kim saved my ass with a beer that was somewhere between a pilsner and a Stella Artois. And for this, I was immensely grateful.
3. A lengthy report on the May Queen reading at A Clean, Well-Lighted Place for Books is coming. I don’t know when.
4. At this point, there are eight or so interviews in the can. I don’t know how to release these without overwhelming the listening and reading public, much less pulverizing myself in the process. But if you feel barraged, I greatly apologize. I assure you that the majority of these are quality conversations.
5. Thank you again, Miss Snark, for facilitating all the crazed Bat Segundo stories and providing this overextended correspondent with more than a few laughs. Mr. Segundo has read these and will be responding to the allegations in the next podcast.
6. A reminder: The Alex Robinson interview on Sunday is happening. 3:30 PM at Alternative Press Expo. There will be visuals, a satirical nod to James Lipton, an unusual experiment involving the audience before the Q & A, and Alex and I will be systematically going through his panels to see how they evolved. So be sure to check it out and say hello. This will be a great opportunity to listen to how a fantastic graphic novelist works, as well as ask intelligent questions.
7. Tonight I recorded the most ambitious podcast I’ve ever attempted and it went very well. Stay tuned for an upcoming podcast with dirt dished on Curtis Sittenfeld and the Modern Love section in the New York Times Style section, among many topics.
8. Thank you also to those who have checked up on me. Yes, I am eating three meals a day. I’m still working on catching up on the sleep deficit.
9. Yes, I still owe you email. A few days, por favor.
Well Call Me Mick Jagger Then!
Wait a minute. DBC Pierre has fans?
All Mitchell, All the Time
The last time David Mitchell came out with a novel, we were mentioning something about almost every breath. Well, let it be known that we’re going to be doing the same damn thing with Black Swan Green. To get you folks started, here is some coverage of Black Swan Green.
- The Santa Cruz Sentinel: Chris Watson talks with him weeks before Santa Cruz.
- The Scotsman: Interview.
- Hilariously, Bloomberg calls BSG “far more accessible” than the “cryptic” (and thus bad?) books.
- Los Angeles Times: A brief look into the BSG book-on-tape.
- Gideon Lewis-Kraus’s Bookforum review.
- Fantastic Fiction review.
- Black Swan Green discussion between Megan and me: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. (WARNING: Some spoilers.)
- A contrarian opinion from Dixitique Andreus.
- More from the Laboratorium.
- Granta, “The January Man”: An early version of part of what became BSG.
- Interview with The Bookseller.
- Rick Kleffel on BSG.
- Review from Marcus Gipps.
- Review from Laura Miller.
- Odds on negative review as of April 3, 2006.
Also, keep your ears out for a future Bat Segundo Show (among many) with a brand new interview with David Mitchell himself. Yes, the man who inspired the podcast will be returning. And this time, we’ll be chatting with him in person. (Plus, we’ll be less nervous this time.) More news to follow.