The Bat Segundo Show #14

Condition of Mr. Segundo: Concerned with time and elusive apocalypses.

Subjects Discussed: Mysteries, Susan Isaacs, Zoe Heller, the specific details of murder, inexplicable shame and guilt among the Marina crowd, diapers vs. cloth, whether Matt Lauer should be peed on, the inversion of tough-guy dialogue, first-person voice, observational novels, chicklit, dismissive husbands, the “Free to Be You and Me” generation, feminism, the Young, Roving Correspondent (and other men) perplexed by pink covers, attracting male audiences to chicklit, perspective, the New York Times, Margaret Atwood, Uglydolls, Ann Coulter, Caitlin Flanagan, nannies and motherhood, plotting, Stephen King, the ideal motorized vehicle to be run over by, hands shaking, wedgies, pink book covers, Anne Rice, editorial battles over human moments, Jonathan Franzen, penises, the In Her Shoes film adaptation, Toni Collette, the inexplicable science of film advertising, on writing books that offer consistent messages of happiness, responding to criticism about the People hot tub photo shoot, the next book, closeness to narrative voices, Tony Danza, the dense talk show bookers, Book TV, Jezebel Bright and the influence of manga.

The Bat Segundo Show #14: Jennifer Weiner [00:51:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted In: Uncategorized on November 20, 2005 Comments (1)

The Bat Segundo Show #13

Authors: Lizzie Skurnick and Wendy Lesser

Condition of Mr. Segundo: Slightly hoarse but nostalgic for trains.

Subjects Discussed: The mania of poets, poetic meters, the prejudice against Spenserian stanza, the difficulties of getting a poetry collection published, writing while driving, husband poems, masturbation, clandestine encounters, educating a native Californian about Tyringham, Mass., Horace, the use of first-person voice (both singular and royal), Aimee Bender, the personality of numbers and letters, the dubiously romantic appeal of rocks (from Marlowe on), names, pronunciation, online identities, blogs oriented around eavesdropping, Paul Auster’s film adaptations, the ethics of writing about people, the title of The Pagoda in the Garden, Coim Toibin’s The Master, novella collections as novels, Michael Cunningham, the importance of fiction, anonymous protagonists, basing fiction on real experience, Henry James, Edith Wharton, Harry Thomas as editor, U.S. Presidents as reference points, historical cycles in fiction, Philip Klass’s 1975 statement on freedoms, women’s freedoms, profanity, Samizdat, love, an unexpected answering machine message, playing with perspective, Gilbert Sorrentino, the influence of literary criticism on writing fiction, postmodernism vs. traditionalism, mysteries, and plotting.

The Bat Segundo Show #13: Lizzie Skurnick & Wendy Lesser [01:07:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted In: Uncategorized on November 13, 2005 Comments (1)

The Bat Segundo Show #12

Author: Lydia Millet

Condition of Mr. Segundo: Repentant, perpelxed and adjusting to a sudden change.

Subjects Discussed: Beer at 11:30 AM, Richard Rhodes, Wold Newton, American Prometheus, getting biographical details wrong, the influence of fiction vs. nonfiction, the displacement of major historical figures, narrative juggling acts, freakishness in literature, Lynda Barry, obstacles in being a woman writing dark humor, the gender divide in the publishing industry, outlining novels, finding humor in Hiroshima, humorless book reviewers, lip service in government, ignorance, literature which reassures, fiction that reaches a mass audience, Richard Nash as publisher, the I Am Charlotte Simmons paperback, Richard Nash as editor, how characters are named, meterologists, cigarettes, Lydia Millet’s father, the various pronunciations of “missile,” Leo Szilard, Eminem, blindness, compassionate satire, John P. Marquand, Kirby Gann’s Our Napoleon in Rags, Ignatius Reilly, porn culture, working at Hustler, Jonathan Ames, imaginary figures in literature, on whether Dave Eggers deserves to be punched, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, substance in fiction, authenticity, the endless McSweeney’s lists, irony and cynicism.

The Bat Segundo Show #12: Lydia Millet [01:00:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted In: Uncategorized on November 6, 2005 Comments (2)

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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