Robert Birnbaum insists that he has “chewed the fat” with Ron Rash. This strikes me as a potentially dangerous activity, particularly if you are watching your carbs. If I were of a more carnivorous mindset (it is, after all, the morning), I would fully expect Mr. Birnbaum to “chew the thin” at some point — ideally, sacrificing a few anorexic chickens into the barbeque.

But no matter. This is a silly question of semantics. The important thing here is that Birnbaum has talked with yet another writer, squeezing more Southern writers into the talk than chicken into jambalaya.

Robert Birnbaum, who, contrary to current rumors, is not interviewing book warehouse workers, talks with Frederick Busch. And since proper beer nomenclature is of pressing importance these days, I should point out that Mr. Busch has no relation to any novelist named Anheuser.

In any event, these two cats talk about everything from poetry to nameless dogs to Stephen King to the four greatest Hollywood novels. Joe Bob says check it out.

In light of the recent Washington Post scandal, Ms. Tangerine Muumuu digs out this interview between one Robert Birnbaum and one Marianne Wiggins.