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.
Wayne Shannon is a legendary broadcast commentator. This particular conversation relates to this 2006 post from Return of the Reluctant. You can find a 1980 clip of Shannon’s work here. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Absent. Guest: Wayne Shannon Subjects Discussed: Reading teleprompter from thirty feet away, being a “troubleshooter,” the proprietary address of “Our Wayne […]
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MoreDavid Rakoff is the author of Fraud and Don’t Get Too Comfortable, and a contributor to This American Life. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Bitter towards cheapskates. Author: David Rakoff Subjects Discussed: What type of journalist Rakoff is, being careful with revealing a personal life, Gypsy Rose Lee, whether or not Rakoff has contacted the people […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 50:28 — 46.2MB)
MoreDavid Rakoff is the author of Fraud and Don’t Get Too Comfortable, and a contributor to This American Life. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Considering his fraudulent nature. Author: David Rakoff Subjects Discussed: Being indoors, how Rakoff gets outdoors to write a travel piece, the necessity of deadlines, writing not for money, Rakoff’s homemade furnishings, performing […]
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MorePeter Fernandez and Corinne Orr are best known for their voiceover work on Speed Racer. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Trying to figure out why his voice gone all funny. Guests: Peter Fernandez and Corinne Orr Subjects Discussed: Being referred to as a voiceover artist vs. being referred to as an actor, dubbing foreign films into […]
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MoreJames Lipton is most recently the author of Inside Inside. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Stepping away to preserve his dubious legacy. Author: James Lipton Subjects Discussed: Lipton’s balance between writing about Inside the Actors Studio and writing about himself, throwing actors out of the Actors Studio, whether or not Lipton is still perfecting aspects about […]
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MoreDavid Michaelis is most recently the author of Schulz and Peanuts. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Heckled for peanuts. Author: David Michaelis Subjects Discussed: The connection between Charles Schulz’s emotional reticence and his Minnesota childhood, Peanuts characters who aren’t explicitly reflected through Schulz’s life, the connection between Lucy and Schulz’s first wife, names borrowed for Peanuts […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 37:11 — 34.0MB)
MoreDanica McKellar is the author of Math Doesn’t Suck. [PROGRAM NOTE: For background on this podcast, see this post.] Condition of Mr. Segundo: Contemplating mathematical positions. Author: Danica McKellar Subjects Discussed: Whether the relationship between prime numbers and monkeys is equitable, metaphorical criteria, factor trees, teenage girls and shopping, “fun and friendly” math, relying upon […]
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MoreKatha Pollitt is most recently the author of Learning to Drive. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Dwelling on legal inconsistencies. Author: Katha Pollitt Subjects Discussed: The pragmatism in learning to drive, being lazy, observation as a strength and weakness, “webstalking” vs. Googling, responding to Toni Bentley’s review, what a feminist is supposed to be, whether or […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 39:17 — 36.0MB)
MoreGabe Kaplan is most recently the author of Kotter’s Back: E-mails from a Faded Celebrity to a Bewildered World. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Not suffering scoundrels riding on past television achievements. Author: Gabe Kaplan Subjects Discussed: Why those duped by email wanted to be included in Gabe Kaplan’s book, celebrity stature, celebrity auctions, Scientology and […]
Listen: Play in new window | Download (Running Time: 34:17 — 31.4MB)
MoreKatie Roiphe is most recently the author of Uncommon Arrangements. SPECIAL PROGRAM NOTE: I had arranged an interview with Katie Roiphe because I felt that she might be misunderstood. Ms. Roiphe had laid down some interesting ideas over the years that had pissed more than a few people off, including the notion that women were […]
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MoreKatherine Taylor is most recently the author of Rules for Saying Goodbye. Mindy Schneider is most recently the author of Not a Happy Camper. Condition of Mr. Segundo: Smitten with literary Kates. Authors: Katherine Taylor and Mindy Schneider Subjects Discussed: The similarities and differences between Taylor the person and Taylor the character, declarative dialogue, MFA […]
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MoreThis is the third of three shows devoted to Alternative Press Expo 2007. CONDITION OF MR. SEGUNDO: Searching for surgical uses involving his tequila bottle. INTERVIEW GUESTS:
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