The Bat Segundo Show #6

Approximate Date: An evening in the Mission in mid-August, 2005

Condition of Mr. Segundo: Lonely, wistful, about as romantic as Mr. Segundo is capable of.

Subjects Discussed: The relationship between government policy and media, the U.S. government as advertising model, war as product, Charlotte Beers, the element of casualties, use of the flag, “We’re Number 1,” criticizing government without having access to national security documents, the relationship between raw war coverage and antiwar sentiment, transformation of media and propaganda over the past forty years, new media vs. old media, bloggers, Matt Drudge, journalists who face retaliation for war coverage, Laurie Garrett’s resignation letter, wild reactions to Solomon’s work, examples of good journalism, the American public’s interest in foreign affairs, Jim Hightower and Disney, Donald Rumsfeld and Esquire, 9/11 and “Fortunate Son.”

[INTERVIEW NOTES: The interview with Ms. Skurnick was conducted by telephone.]

BSS #6: Norman Solomon [38:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted In: Uncategorized on August 30, 2005 Comments (0)

iTunes Music Store

For those who have asked, the Bat Segundo Show is now available through the iTunes Music Store. Do a search for “Segundo” and it should crop up. Still trying to figure out how to get the info fields to register. But hopefully we’ll get the kinks worked out in the coming week.

Posted In: Uncategorized on August 18, 2005 Comments (0)

The Bat Segundo Show #5

Approximate Date: A sunny afternoon in early August, 2005

Author: Paula Kamen

Condition of Mr. Segundo: More of a complainer than usual, but feeling either paternal or pathological.

Subjects Discussed: Balancing memoir and microhistory, Chronic Daily Headache (CDH) and its recent medical classification, newspaper articles that perpetuate an unlived life, writing a book while suffering from CDH, the specific denomination value of Ms. Kamen’s marble system, throwing drugs at the problem, doctors who prejudge women patients based on appearance, Freud’s unfortunate legacy of “hysteria,” covert examinations, clarifying the “Not tonight honey, I’ve got a headache” myth, Oliver Sacks’ failure to expand his migraine definition, comorbidities, mortality as a motivating factor for medical focus, working-class CDH sufferers, the difficulties of getting disability, chronicbabe.com, being denied a major television appearance because the incurability of CDH was “too depressing” for viewers, the stigma of memoirs, the difference between physical and psychosomatic pain.

BSS #5: Paula Kamen [51:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted In: Uncategorized on Comments (0)

The Bat Segundo Show #4

Approximate Date: July 31, 2005

Authors: Amanda Filipacchi and Kevin Smokler

Condition of Bat Segundo: In an unspecified condition of “pain.” More sober than usual, pining for scotch and merlot.

Subjects Discussed: Stalking, dark comedy, intense behavior, Harriet Klausner, chick lit, keeping lists, sex, the politically incorrect, the menage a trois, class-based characters, free time, book tours, the relationship between publishers and online literary venues, FSG and Christopher Sorrentino’s Trance, the next generation of writers (McSweeney’s as homogeneous voice?), the telegenic requirements of writers, the cult of personality, clarifying the “Reading at Risk” controversy, the intentions of Bookmark Now, literary standards vs. enthusiasm, the Iliad as logline, responding to the “writing in unreaderly times” flap, individual vs. group reading, explaining the Nicholson Baker acknowledgment.

[INTERVIEW NOTES: The interview with Amanda Filipacchi was conducted by telephone.]

BSS #4: Amanda Filipacchi & Kevin Smokler [59:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted In: Uncategorized on August 1, 2005 Comments (0)

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Promos

30 second promo

Inquiries

Please direct all inquires concerning booking guests, advertising, messages to Mr. Segundo, and the like to Edward Champion. Please note that while we return all email (eventually), because of the unique and heavily researched nature of these interviews, it is impossible to interview everybody. Although we certainly do our best.

You can also send books, materials, fan mail, and other assorted materials to:

Edward Champion
The Bat Segundo Show
315 Flatbush Ave., #231
Brooklyn, NY 11217

A Recent Portrait of Mr. Segundo

The above portrait was taken sometime in 2006, when someone made the mistake of inviting Bat Segundo to a party. Since then, his public appearances have been very rare. But he does sometimes come out of his Motel 6 room.

Feed?

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MySpace

Mr. Segundo has a MySpace page and does not quite understand it.

Facebook

Mr. Segundo also has a Facebook page and understands this only slightly better.

What People Are Saying

"a dazzling array of interviews"
-- Yahoo! Picks

"It was great to hear one of my favorite writers talk honestly about his work."
-- Metafilter

"This cat does EXTENSIVE research! I mean, he puts in the kind of research that like James Lipton would have his crew do on Inside the Actor's Studio."
-- Cool as Hell Theatre

"a great reader and a tough guy"
-- T.C. Boyle

"the world's best literary podcast" -- Largehearted Boy

"I was interviewed by a very bright and engaging fellow."
-- Jonathan Ames

"Wow, do I tell him things I wouldn't expect to say in an interview. He's that good. It's the closest I've come to being on Inside the Actors Studio."
-- Pamela Ribon

"You're very observant. You read it very closely."
-- Ursula Hegi

"Very seldom do I get to say all these things, because I'm not asked about them. And I appreciate your asking."
-- James Lipton

"He’s a funny smart guy and asked a lot of good questions."
-- Alison Bechdel

"Your questions are much too profound for me."
-- Katha Pollitt

"a patriot" -- Naomi Wolf

"one of the great literary interviewers of our time — listen for how often his subjects are struck by his discovery of an unknown-to-them pattern of imagery or tic of diction."
-- Professor Fury

"I'm absolutely laughing my ass off."
-- Gina Frangello

"manages to blend silly and insightful quite artfully"
-- Linda Richards

"NPR, eat your heart out"
-- Eliza Tucker

"always entertaining"
-- Mark Sarvas

"That should have been my first warning. When you first said, I’ll give you a softball question, like, there’s going to be a hardball? But what?"
-- Danica McKellar

"I know who you are! I know exactly what you do!"
-- a publicist who shall remain unnamed

"deft, funny and wildly unique"
-- George Kelly

"I giggled listening to the Bat Segundo podcast."
-- The Mongrel

"the literary world's best podcast"
-- Pinky's Paperhaus

"While I had listened to several of the Bat's 'casts over the last year, it is only when you consume one (sometimes two) a day over the course of a week, that you really begin to get the wow factor of all the Bat has time to do. I mean, the intros alone are sort of other-worldly."
-- Callie Miller

"Bat Segundo even kissed me!"
-- Matt Cheney

"Bat Segundo survives the soup!" -- Miss Snark

"I'm a Bat Segundo fan from the early days."
-- Bud Parr

"Better than radio, it's Internet radio."
-- Ron Hogan

"Bat Segundo is clearly a nutcase. I would advise anyone against paying him any credence."
-- Edward Champion

"a boiling cauldron of podcasts" -- Scott McKenzie

"what could quite possibly be the coolest radio show in the history of ever"
-- Shiva Spacetech

"I cannot believe she would question the importance of the Bat Segundo show!" -- Jean

"affably incessant" -- Brian Crane

"doesn't resort to wine-review vocabulary"
-- Guide to Midwestern Culture

"among the snarkiest characters in the literary blogosphere"
-- The Written Nerd

"really a Matt Segundo who is vamping it up with a vampire accent" -- boku

"an interweb sideshow of great distinction and absolutely spiffing podcasts"
-- The Bedside Crow

"essential listening"
-- The Bibliophile

"I have been listening nonstop to Bat Segundo"
-- Try Harder

"I love him for his pitch-perfect, insightful questions. He's really a good interviewer. His conversations are like those I wish I could have with the authors I meet, but I can never find the right words to say."
-- Brian

"a terrific literary podcast that boasts some absolutely stellar author interviews"
-- Corey Redekop

"Stay away from The Bat Segundo Show!"
-- Dave White

"rather groovy"
-- The Rambles of My Headspace

Torrents

Shows #1-20
Shows #21-40
Shows #41-60
Shows #61-80
Shows #81-100
Shows #101-120

What is the Bat Segundo Show?

A podcast hosted by Bat Segundo that involves in-depth interviews with the writers and literary folks of our time.

The show is updated (ideally) every week and sometimes every two weeks.

Why is Bat Segundo So Rude?

No one can really say. Mr. Segundo is a man who feels passionately about many of the issues of our time and has decided that constant complaining is a better strategy than confronting his issues head on.

Since Mr. Segundo has eschewed twelve-step programs and sundry forms of therapy, his only remedy is any alcohol or floozy that might be in close proximity.

Does This Bat Segundo Have Anything to Do with the "Bat Segundo" in David Mitchell's Ghostwritten?

Absolutely not. Mr. Segundo is honored that David Mitchell might be a fan. But Mr. Mitchell's depiction of Mr. Segundo was wholly inaccurate. For one thing, he would never take a call from a conspiracy theorist. And Mr. Segundo has never set foot in New York because he fears that he might be mugged.

The Bat Segundo Show