The Bat Segundo Show was a long-running cultural radio program devoted to quirky and very thorough long-form interviews with contemporary authors, idiosyncratic thinkers, and other assorted artists. Guests included David Lynch, Octavia Butler, John Waters, John Updike, Stephen Fry, Marilynne Robinson, Karen Russell, Weird Al Yankovic, Robert A. Caro, and more than 500 others. There was also a program called Follow Your Ears, which was a thematic investigative counterpart, in which I pursued a specific subject through several angles. The entire archive of what I did from 2005 to 2014 is included here.
Author: Victor Navasky Condition of Mr. Segundo: Mystified by literary columnists. Subjects Discussed: The economics of opinion journal publishing, on running The Nation as an opinion journal that loses money, dividends vs. tax losses, the challenges of a burgeoning subscription base, Calvin Trillin, “no diddling,” responding to Matthew Rothschild’s review, Valerie Plame, The Nation as […]
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MoreGuest: Carl Sheeler Condition of Mr. Segundo: Ejected due to the apparently “serious” nature of politics. Subjects Discussed: Running an unorthodox senatorial campaign, Howard Dean, the similarities and differences between Whitehouse and Sheeler’s platforms, problems with Sheldon Whitehouse, on Sheeler styling himself as “the next Ned Lamont,” more problems with Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island’s status […]
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MoreAuthor: 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 […]
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MoreAuthor: Tom Tomorrow Condition of Mr. Segundo: Explaining his recent arrest for littering. Subjects Discussed: The relationship between text and image, Moebius strips, clip art, working in digital, color vs. black and white, blogging as help, Warren Ellis, Tom the Dancing Bug, New Yorker cartoons and captions, fonts, the influence of the 1950s, on becoming […]
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MoreAuthor: Ron Hogan Condition of Bat Segundo: Frightened of the 1970s, abdicating his position to a maniac. Subjects Discussed: David Frum’s How We Got Here, Peter Bogdonavich, how filmmakers and actors are responsible for their own legacies, Karen Black, the accidental nature of casting, whether or not the 1970s is the Great American Movie Decade, […]
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MoreAuthor: William T. Vollmann Condition of Bat Segundo: A bit over his head and not particularly uncentered. Subjects Discussed: Copernicus, the relationship between religion and science, Dante’s Divine Comedy, Ptolemy, Intelligent Design and contemporary parallels, Iraq, life lived according to the “cash nexus” versus life in other countries, the Bush Administration as muse, politics in […]
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MoreAuthor: Liz Perle Condition of Mr. Segundo: Vengeful and nostalgic for bad investment decisions. Subjects Discussed: The quiet contract, what power means, responding to Ariel Levy’s review, the emotional middle class, lying to partners about money, conspicuous consumption, status, the two tiers of women-centric economics, guilt, women not being allowed to talk about money, describing […]
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MoreAuthor: Jay Ryan Condition of Mr. Segundo: Not savvy with current music but remarkably focused. Subjects Discussed: How Jay Ryan transforms a concept to music poster, whether or not squirrels attack astronauts, Shellac, Werner Herzog, hand-drawn typography, grumpiness, what happens when bands get an unexpected poster, printing on a mechanical press, smudge marks, bleeding, Rockwell […]
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MoreAuthor: Mark Ames Condition of Mr. Segundo: Relaxed and possibly malingering. Subjects Discussed: Falling asleep during interviews, online terror threats, myspace.com, language as a source of enslavement, using linguistics to prove a thesis, the similarities between slavery and MBA management theory, the advantages of being both an expatriate and anthropologist, Hunter S. Thompson, conformity, rage […]
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MoreApproximate Interview Date: An afternoon in San Francisco in late August, 2005 Author: Periel Aschenbrand Condition of Mr. Segundo: Strangely ambiguous about his identity. Subjects Discussed: Balance between the personal and the political, evolution of The Only Bush I Trust is My Own and Body as Billboard, getting clearance from friends and family, online dating, […]
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MoreApproximate Date: An evening in the Mission in mid-August, 2005 Author: Norman Solomon 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 […]
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MoreApproximate 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 […]
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