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.
Dick Cavett’s column, “Talk Show,” regularly appears at the New York Times. (PROGRAM NOTE: During the course of our conversation, a “Professor Robert Castelli from John Jay College” — who apparently has a background in law enforcement — pushed in Mr. Cavett’s chair, causing Mr. Cavett to accost him. This unusual social moment, which was […]
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MoreNelson George is most recently the author of City Kid. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Drowning in the inevitable tide of gentrification. Author: Nelson George Subjects Discussed: George’s thoughts on Fort Greene, gentrification, black artists and real estate, the inevitable nature of change, finding a balance between the personal and the artistic, artistic arrogance, on not […]
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MoreBlake Bailey is most recently the author of Cheever and the editor of the two-volume John Cheever set recently issued by Library of America. Subjects Discussed: Eponymous titles, Cheever as a brand name, whether literary biographies are needed, contending with Updike’s review, the hard things that Cheever said about Updike, the literary biography as a […]
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MoreHeather Armstrong is most recently the author of It Sucked and Then I Cried. [This is the first show in which a guest’s Twitter feed emerges during the course of the conversation! This historical moment can be found at the 13:05 mark.] Condition of Mr. Segundo: Pondering his deficient parental duties. Author: Heather Armstrong Subjects […]
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MoreAndrea Peyser is most recently the author of Celebutards. [PROGRAM NOTE: At the 22 minute mark, while the conversation concerned itself with the dangers of generalization, a woman, who was sitting at a table located a good seventy-five feet away from them, gave Ms. Peyser and Our Young, Roving Correspondent a note. The note read: […]
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MoreShauna Reid is most recently the author of The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Still stinging from his measly memoir efforts. Author: Shauna Reid Subjects Discussed: Whether the pursuit of truth is more natural through an anonymous journal, writing as “burdening people,” compartmentalizing online identities, self-esteem, contending with the permanent nature of […]
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MoreChristopher Plummer is the author of In Spite of Myself. He is also a highly talented and very distinguished actor. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Fleeing from Mr. Plummer’s considerable achievements. Author: Christopher Plummer Subjects Discussed: The roles that get Mr. Plummer the best seats at a restaurant, Lillian Hellman’s control over director Joseph Anthony during […]
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MoreAlison Bechdel is most recently the author of The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For. To listen to our previous interview with Bechdel, check out The Bat Segundo Show #63. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Overly concerned with modifiers attached to artists. Author: Alison Bechdel Subjects Discussed: The relationship between visual developments and storyline developments, how […]
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MoreDavid Heatley is most recently the author of My Brain is Hanging Upside Down. Condition of Mr. Segundo: On the waiting list for a brain transplant. Author: David Heatley Subjects Discussed: Surreal dream comics, the Ramones, memory and associations, Francois Truffaut looking at an old school photo and remembering all the names of his fellow […]
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MorePale Young Gentlemen is a band from Madison, Wisconsin that is currently touring across the United States, and has just released its second album, Black Forest (tra la la). Condition of Mr. Segundo: Contending with unexpected discrimination during the economic crisis. Guest: Michael Reisenauer (of Pale Young Gentlemen) Subjects Discussed: The benefits of “Pale Young […]
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MoreMegan Hustad is most recently the author of How to Be Useful Condition of Mr. Segundo: Contemplating the usefulness of political candidates. Author: Megan Hustad Subjects Discussed: Establishing the terminology of usefulness, the prisoner’s dilemma, usefulness and cooperation, restaurant managers, the publishing industry as a starting point, “suc lit,” coming from a cash-poor middle-class background, […]
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MoreBonnie Tyler is the legendary singer behind such tracks as “Vernal Equinox of the Mind” and “Holding Out for a Supervillain.” Condition of Mr. Segundo: Nothing he can say, a total eclipse of the Bat. Guest: Bonnie Tyler Subjects Discussed: Tyler co-writing most of the tracks on the album, Wings, singing vs. songwriting, breaking up […]
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