That aside, let me further clarify the “promotional email” and why it was sent to Disch’s publicist. 1) I send out a weekly email promoting what is coming up on the next program.

Following Disch’s appearance on the show, in an email dated Wednesday July 2, Disch’s publicist emailed me this in response to my email of which I said “I think Ekaterina might be too smart for us– think Disch went over our heads”:

“LOL! I’m sure it went fine – you and your show are the talk of the town!
I’m trying to keep track when you have a new guest up: if you think about it (or if you have a mail-out list you can add me to) drop me a line, and I’ll make sure your most recent program is listed in my Bookosphere post whenever you have a new one.”

So, then I added him to my email list. That’s all. Nothing sinister.

Why don’t you listen to last night’s discussion with Dr. Robi Ludwig before you comment on it? We used it as an opportunity to discuss this tragedy and learn more about suicide. We didn’t make light of it in any way–there’s nothing funny about it.

(For what it’s worth, I did not send out a promotional email at all about my Disch interview, as I felt that this would be in poor taste.)

You were such a fucking incompetent that you didn’t even OPEN the book, or go out of your way to obtain the book before talking to Disch, judging THE WORD OF GOD only on the title. You could not even be bothered to read the plot summary on the website. Even the schlockiest talk show hosts have the decency to hire staffers to read the most ephemeral of press materials. But you run such an amateurish production that you couldn’t even be bothered to do this.

I find it a gross abuse of human decency and professionalism that you continue to weigh in here like a drunken clod who doesn’t know he’s been ostracized from the bar and insists on another shot. And I urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to admit that you were wrong, say nothing more, and learn from your considerable fuck-ups here.

My show and my job are independent of each other. The Radio Happy Hour is a comedy show. Mr. Disch’s publicist told me that he knew the show and wanted me to interview Disch. The only information I received was that Mr. Disch had proclaimed himself to be God. I wasn’t sent a book or any other material and admittedly had never heard of Disch.

I’m fully aware and acknowledged repeatedly that the interview was awful. I didn’t get him and he didn’t get us. It was quite obviously an inappropriate booking for us and for him. That happens from time to time.

I find it a gross abuse of your position and highly inappropriate that you would dismiss any of my authors based on my radio show. I know nothing about your hobbies, outside interests or other ventures but if I did, no matter what they were, I’d separate those from the writing you do books and literature.

You are 100% out of line.

I’d say that if I received an Atria book with David Brown’s name on the pitch letter I would automatically put it in my unread pile, but most of Atria’s authors – at least the ones on my regular radar – outsource their publicity anyway, so I don’t need to make that declaration.

I hope it wasn’t something we said.”

Wow. That speaks for itself.

And you’re right, we didn’t “pass his intelligence test” and if you had listened to the interview, you would have heard me acknowledge that several times.

“Also, renowned psychotherapist Dr. Robi Ludwig will help us analyze what turned out to be the final interview conducted by author Thomas M. Disch before he committed suicide just days after appearing on last Tuesday’s show.”

Not only are you a liar, but with statements like the above, you have no business preaching to ANYONE about respect.

And I seemed to have no problem hitting it off with Disch after the initial two minutes. Maybe you just didn’t pass his intelligence test.

I find it incredibly disrespectful to the memory of a great man to use space in your tribute to launch personal insults at me.

I’ve started to reread Camp Concentration, and it’s hard not to hear his voice in the narration: it would seem that Sacchetti is much more Disch than I had previously surmised.