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09-08-11: Rudy Rucker and Kim Stanley Robinson in The Agony Column Live at Capitola Book Café, June 4, 2011



"All of those were written on the typewriter."

—Rudy Rucker

It was kind of a family night, a coming home night, for Rudy Rucker. And I'm glad that I put off the podcast of this event until I had 'Nested Scrolls' in my hands. I think they belong together.

The event actually started before the event, when we all gathered upstairs at the very low-key pizza joint next to the Capitola Book Café. My son, Dietrich, who was taping video of the event, joined Rudy, Stan, myself and a number of Rudy's and Stan's friends for a very nice, talkative meal. It set the tone for the evening.

Setting up the event at Capitola Book Café is a different experience every time. Sometimes we sit on stools, sometimes on chairs behind as desk, but this time, Rudy and Stan literally made themselves at home in easy chairs, while I took a stool. It made for a very relaxed conversation. You can hear Rudy letting himself speak freely, and Stan having fun, by following this link to the MP3 audio file.




09-07-11: A 2011 Interview with Ben Loory


"..there's so much of it that really is ... that comes from the unconscious and I really don't have any control over."

—Ben Loory

It's not surprising that a writer of tales as surreal as Ben Loory might have a life that is equally strange. My original interview with Ben was to take place at the Capitola Book Café, in the office where so many of my favorite conversations have transpired. He was driving up from LA and was going to stop on his way to SF.

But as I arrived at around 5 PM on a Friday afternoon, I received a text time-stamped three hours earlier. His car had broken down on Interstate 5, and he wouldn't be making the gig. I could just imagine him there sitting in the hot shade of an underpass on one of the truly desolate highways that run up and down the state. Even if it takes me an extra hour, I avoid Highway 5. It's just too mind-numbing.

In one of those weird coincidences that would happen in Loory's surreal little stories, I ended up going to LA not long after, and was able to wrangle him into coming to the house where I was staying for an interview in my host's study. I really wanted to get some insight into the mind that created 'Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day,' an unusual and entertaining collection.

I know that these kinds of interviews can be difficult, because it was clear that Loory was not a guy who was out there visiting museums for research. It was clear that these stories came from a place within his mind that he probably didn't have much conscious access to. But there's still a journey to the printed page, and he was able to speak eloquently about how he manages to mine his dreams. That's a skill more of us could use. To hear how Ben Loory creates smart, surreal stories with nothing more than the English language, follow this link to the MP3 audio file.




09-06-11 UPDATE: Podcast Update: Time to Read, Episode 8: Midwestern Noir: Michael Harvey and David Levien


Here's the eighth episode of my new series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. The podcasts/radio broadcasts will be of books worth your valuable reading time. I'll try to keep the reports under four minutes, for a radio-friendly format. If you want to run them on your show or podcast, let me know.

My hope is that in under four minutes I can offer readers a concise review and an opportunity to hear the author read from or speak about the work. I'm hoping to offer a new one every week.

The eighth episode is a look at the work of Michael Harvey and David Levien as Mid-Western noir. Harvey's novels include 'The Chicago Way,' 'The Fifth Floor,' 'The Third Rail,' and his latest, 'We All Fall Down.' Levien's novels include 'City of the Sun,' 'Where the Dead Lay' and his latest, '13 Million Dollar Pop.' Here's a link to the MP3 audio file of Episode 8: Time to Read: Mid-Western Noir.




09-05-11: A 2011 Interview With Laurie R. King

Click image for audio link.

"...preferably throw in a few distractions as well..."

—Laurie R. King

It is always a delight to talk to Laurie R. King, because she operates on so many levels as a writer. Her work is funny, serious, literate, easy-to-read, you name it and she does it and always makes it look easy. With 'Pirate King,' she admits that she's trying to have some fun, and it carries over into our conversation.

If Laurie and I sound at ease, as if we are chatting in my dining room, that's because we are. Laurie lives here in Santa Cruz County, and I have, on occasion, had the sort of incongruous experience of seeing her in my local grocery store. It's a very good grocery store! She'll be appearing this coming Thursday, September 8, at the Capitola Book Café to launch, (I believe) her new novel 'Pirate King.'

One of the constant fascinations of King's work for me is the meta-fictional nature of the Mary Russell books. To a degree this is somewhat easy to ignore. King writes a very straightforward first-person narrative and Mary Russell's voice is immensely enjoyable. She's smart and persnickety, and rather impatient; by virtue of King's prose Mary Russell makes these qualities quite positive. King is keenly aware of what she is doing, and diving into those aspects of her work is always rewarding.

With 'Pirate King,' Laurie King seems to really be letting loose with a broad sense of humor and some wonderful travel writing as well. It was, like the book, something of a vacation-in-miniature to speak with her. You can enjoy that same vacation by following this link to the MP3 audio file.



New to the Agony Column

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Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Susan Casey : "...the reporting for this book was emotionally difficult at times..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 213: Susan Casey : Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins

08-24-15: Commentary : Felicia Day Knows 'You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)' : Transformative Technology

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Felicia Day : "I think you have to be attention curators for audience in every way."

08-22-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 212: Felicia Day : You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]

Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]

08-10-15:Agony Column Podcast News Report : In Memory of Alan Cheuse : Thank you Alan, and Your Family, for Everything

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Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Robert Repino : "...an even bigger threat. which is us, the humans..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 208: Robert Repino : Mort(e)

07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 208: Michael Gazzaniga : Tales from Both Sides of the Brain: A Life in Neuroscience

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Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Neal Stephenson : "...and know that you're never going to se a tree again..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 207: Neal Stephenson : Seveneves

06-03-15: Commentary : Dan Simmons Opens 'The Fifth Heart' : Having it Every Way

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Dan Simmons : "...yes, they really did bring those bombs..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 206: Dan Simmons : The Fifth Heart

05-23-15: Commentary : John Waters Gets 'Carsick' : Going His Way

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with John Waters : "...you change how you would be in real life...”

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 205: John Waters : Carsick

05-09-15: Commentary : Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD and 'Shrinks' : A Most Fashionable Take on the Human Mind

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD : "..its influence to be as hegemonic as it was..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 204: Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD : Shrinks: The Untold Story of Psychiatry

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Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 203: Barney Frank : Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage

04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 202: Kazuo Ishiguro : The Buried Giant

04-17-15: Commentary : Erik Larson Follows a 'Dead Wake' : Countdown to Destiny

Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Erik Larson : "...said to have been found in the arms of a dead German sailor..."

Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 201: Erik Larson : Dead Wake

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03-14-15: Commentary : Marc Goodman Foresees 'Future Crimes' : Exponential Potential

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Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It

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