The Bat Segundo Show #47: Hal Niedzviecki

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Author: Hal Niedzviecki

Condition of Mr. Segundo: Temporarily replaced, due to being incapable of being crass and making a generalization at the same time.

Subjects Discussed: The advantages of studying American culture from Canada, individualism vs. conformity, pop star aspirations, American Idol, karaoke, television, the economics of media, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Yeah, William T. Vollmann, the end of Western expansion, German billionaires, on one-upping explorers, the disadvantages of genius, media conformity vs. community, fundamentalists, homophobia, the BattleCry protests in San Francisco, the human ego, and retreating from society.

 
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The Bat Segundo Show #46: BEA 2006 Part 4

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Guests: Eric Reynolds, Mark Binelli, Matt Cheney, Jeremy Lassen, David Axe and George Scithers.

Condition of Mr. Segundo: Revealing himself to be a closet poet.

Subjects Discussed: Peanuts, Dennis the Menace, Popeye, Fascist Italy, eerie historical similarities, classic comedy teams, journalism vs. novel-writing, free lunches, on being frightened by Bat Segundo, zoot suits, how to crash parties, motivations behind 40 minute soliloquies, on being an embedded journalist, war fever, having a good time in Iraq, the origins of the second Weird Tales incarnation, H.P. Lovecraft, the current state of literary magazines, the influence of MFA workshops on speculative fiction, Strunk & White, on writing for money, and the benefits of writing groups.

 
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The Bat Segundo Show #45: BEA 2006 Part 3

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Guests: Paul Slovak, C. Max Magee, Carolyn Kellogg, Anne Moore & Dan Sinker, Lauren Landress, Terrie Akers, Camille March and Alan Davis.

Condition of Mr. Segundo: Showing an unexpected grasp of history.

Subjects Discussed: How Slovak manages Bill Vollmann’s prodigious output, details on Vollmann’s Imperial and the upcoming A.M. Homes memoir, a report on “what Mr. Segundo did last night,” Joe Meno’s The Boy Detective Fails, speculation on the Akashic Noir volumes, self-realization, yoga philosophy, on worshipping a god named “Ralph,” putting the “Other” in Other Press, Michael Tolkin’s The Return of the Player, travel guides, Marshall McLuhan, and having fun over the age of 25.

 
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The Bat Segundo Show #44: Derik Badman & Jordan Stump

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Authors: Derik Badman and Jordan Stump

Condition of Mr. Segundo: Gone, relieved not to be involved with Bolsheviks.

Subjects Discussed: French humor, Jacques Tati, how Stump translates, comic beats, auctorial tone and linguistics, the pros and cons of long sentences, the benefits of reading aloud, translating Verne vs. translating Touissaint, why translators get a bad rap, “Translator Awareness Month,” the influence of commercial interests on translated novels, forgotten French authors.

[INTERVIEW NOTES: The interviews were all conducted by telephone.]

 
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The Bat Segundo Show #43: BEA 2006 Part 2

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Guests: Chad Post, Dennis Loy Johnson, Laura Kellner, Judith Recke, Eleanor Herman, David Ulin, Cary Goldstein, and Eli Horowitz.

Condition of Mr. Segundo: Resistant to party atmospheres, stumbling around for dubious wisdom.

Subjects Discussed: Reading the World, multiple badges and Chad Post’s doppelganger, a few unexpected reasons to be a bookseller, torture taxis, minor speculation upon the Starbuck’s DC monopoly, expensive books, Muhammad Ali’s GOAT, Andre Schiffrin’s secret connection with Silly Putty, information on the new Moleskine City Guides, followup on the planned Moleskine sale, the 200th anniversary of the first American dictionary, etymological controversy, sex and royalty, salacious historical ratios, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, the Los Angeles Times Book Review and the wrath of Mark Sarvas, the FSG Classics tag, books in translation, Frederic Prokosch, l’auto-fiction, stubble and grit, and the palliative effect of Hulk masks.

[NOTE: There will be at least two more BEA podcasts.]

 
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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.

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Shows #1-20
Shows #21-40
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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.

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