This week, we are resharing it for free with Getting Lit listeners.

Matt, Glen, JDO and Kelby have an exhaustive discussion about the “where are all the literary men?” thinkpieces, male reading habits, what to do if you’re a male writer, why “right wing art” is often a bad alternative, and much more.

Time to put this narrative to bed and start reading and writing, my friends!

This week, we're joined by Brisbane musician and composer, Stevan, to talk about Eugene Vodolazkin's novel Laurus. A strange, luminous novel that follows a 15th-century Russian healer whose life unfolds as a kind of spiritual journey through time, grief, and redemption. This was a fantastic, wide-ranging discussion on everything from music to holy fools, to our concept of time, as well as icons in Eastern Orthodoxy, and much more.

Follow Stevan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.t.e.b.a.h/

Check out Stevan's label here: https://aktuelan-label.bandcamp.com/album/172?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio

Music: "fugue (shedding)" by sone

Buy The Earthen Dark here: https://www.amazon.com/Earthen-Dark-Brad-Kelly/dp/B0GF67226L

And follow Brad on X: https://x.com/bradkelly

And Substack: https://bradkellyesque.substack.com/

"Disgraced anthropology professor Jim Murray has been drawn into the dark. Ousted from his career by the algorithm and mob rule, desperate for money, he joins a shabby crew of repairmen working in the tunnels beneath the City of Detroit. They say their job is to keep the earth from falling in.

One day, waist-deep in the filth, they stumble upon an ancient secret and soon discover that the city above them is no longer home. In time, the sewer will show Jim worlds far stranger: a landscape scourged by fire and insanity, a dystopia ruled by a mad god...To find his way through the labyrinth will prove to be a brutal test of his soul—and a penetration into the nature of reality."

Buy Ivan's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Like-have-choice-Ivan-Niccolai/dp/B0FLTHP5MV

Follow Ivan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artificial_authenticities/

This is a free episode. On the free feed, you're only getting half the content. To get access to all our episodes, bonus shows, and other exclusive benefits, go to https://www.patreon.com/c/GettingLit

This week, we're covering what T.S. Eliot called "the first, the longest, and the best of modern English detective novels." And who better to join us than self-confessed detective fiction fanboy, Alec Mouhibian, of Filthy Armenian Adventures podcast.

We discuss detective fiction's enduring appeal, the sensation novel, Wilkie Collins' bromance with Charles Dickens, the joys of the long sentence, and much more.

Subscribe to Alec's podcast: https://www.patreon.com/filthyarmenian

Follow him on X: https://x.com/FilthyArmenian

This episode, we are joined by former guests and friend of the pod, Erik and Mac, to talk about Don Delillo's 1985 novel, White Noise.

Follow Erik on X: https://x.com/catenjoyer81

Follow Mac on X: https://x.com/polished_steel

We talk about the sexual revolution's aftermath, gay vs queer culture, the lack of "telos" in homosexual, as well as why gays, once bearers of art and culture, seem to be flopping hard in that regard.

Buy Inversion here: https://verdur.in/inversion/

Follow Amir: https://x.com/amir_naaman

Follow Pierre: https://x.com/verdur_in

Verdurin: https://verdur.in/

You can read Sini's essay on the Meanjin drama here: https://open.substack.com/pub/newmythologies/p/current-thing-writing-killed-the?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

We chat about Sidney Lumet's last film, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007), which stars Ethan Hawke, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei.

This week, we're joined by J David Osborne to talk about his new book, Berserker Club. Set in an Oklahoma backwoods militia compound, the novel is one crazy mutant set piece after another. A lot of fun 

On this episode, we chat about having a fellow writer as spouse, story as a literal living thing, inspirations for the book, thinking about length and duration when writing books, what writers should be doing to take on the future, and much more.

Order the book direct from JDO's store: https://jdobooks.bigcartel.com/product/berserker-club

or on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Berserker-Club-J-David-Osborne/dp/1940885744

Listen to Agitator: https://www.patreon.com/cw/agitator

Music: Murder Suicide by Stu Spasm

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This week, we're joined by Andrew Edwards, the author of the new psychedelic noir thriller, Crowbar. We had a great conversation ranging over the book's many interesting contours, from conspiracy culture, the influence of James Ellroy and Cormac McCarthy, and much much more.

Buy Andrew's book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FZ93M9GB

Music: Part Cherokee by Nudge Squidfish

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Sini and Fresta go through their best reads, watches, and listens of 2025 (mostly things they didn't cover for the show).

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Here is a sneak peek of our series on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's classic novel of revolutionary violence, Demons. All three parts are available in full on Patreon.

Go to https://www.patreon.com/c/GettingLit to listen.

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Josh from the Dionysian Dream joins me once more to discuss Wicked! This time, we are looking at the sequel to the 2024 movie, Wicked: For Good. We chat about the film, the changes between the stage show and the movie version, the new songs, and why Wicked isn't just for the girls and gays.

Follow Josh on X: https://x.com/tragic_fruit

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tragic_fruit/

Substack: https://thedionysiandream.substack.com/

Music: Wicked - No Good Deed (Cynthia Erivo and Idina Menzel remix), Pure Re-imagination

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This is part 2 of our Philip K. Dick collaboration with the Rare Candy podcast. Head over to their feed for part 1 (https://open.spotify.com/show/2cXVcvC3G13PGUuYMVLGZb), where we cover The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965), before joining us here for the continuation of "Dick Week" as we discuss Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (1974).

In this novel, Jason Taverner, a genetically engineered celebrity talk-show host, wakes up one morning to discover he has been erased from the world. His identification records vanish, no one recognises him, and in a hyper-surveilled police-state America—where IDs are everything—this is effectively a death sentence. This noirish typically Dickian story goes in unexpected places. Just like this discussion!

Also, as an extra treat for our paid subscribers, we have a mini-episode on Patreon where we horse around with Glen and Psi. Go to patreon.com/gettinglit to listen.

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On this week's episode, we dive into Ryu Murakami's Popular Hits of the Showa Era, where a group of disaffected men find themselves in an absurdly violent war with a rival society of older women (Oba-sans) after a deadly encounter. We talk about the book's mix of ultra-violence, satirical humor, escalating absurdity, and much more!

This a teaser. For the full episode, and access to our complete archive and bonus content, subscribe at patreon.com/gettinglit

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In this week's episode, the legendary Bruce Wagner joins us to discuss his new novel Amputation, inspired by the 2025 Los Angeles fires. The conversation moves from the book’s genesis in anger at bureaucratic incompetence to Wagner’s reflections on art, rage, and the sacred. We discuss how indignation can be transformed into creative energy without devolving into polemic, his long-standing use of real public figures in fiction, and his resistance to censorship and “cultural bureaucrats.” The discussion broadens into questions of artistic integrity, nihilism, and compassion; the corrosion of civic responsibility; and how modern fame, selfhood, and delusion intertwine. We also meditate on impermanence, artificial intelligence, and the dissolution of self in art, positioning AI as both a creative threat and a spiritual mirror. And much more. Join us for one of our favorite episodes ever!

Buy Amputation here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1648211615?&tag=skyhorsepub-20

Music:

Because We Built It, John Maus

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Australian-American writer Lucas Smith joins us to discuss his collection of wonderful short fiction, Spare Us Yet. We discuss the elements of faith in his fiction, the pandemic, lockdowns, literary culture in Australia, as well as his experience running an independent publishing company, Bonfire Books.

This is a special crossover event with Sini's New Mythologies Substack, which you should check out: https://newmythologies.substack.com/

If you'd like full episodes of the Getting Lit Podcast, and access to the full archive and aftershows, go to https://www.patreon.com/c/GettingLit

Buy Spare Us Yet: https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p159/Spare_Us_Yet_and_Other_Stories%2C_by_Lucas_Smith.html

Follow Lucas on Substack: https://lucassmith.substack.com/

Follow Bonfire Books on X: https://x.com/BooksBonfire

Music: Celtic Ballad, The Saints

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*this is a PREVIEW. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/GettingLit

This episode, Fresta and Sini riff on Fresta's Sydney trip, thrift shop book finds, Bret Easton Ellis, the fantastic Australian crime show Mr Inbetween, ABC Radio National's Top 100 books of the 21st Century, and much more. To find out why this episode has this title, you will have to wait until the end.

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This week, we're looking at Gustav Meyrink's The Golem, a strange novel of occultism, Kabbalah and psychological terror in early 20th century Prague's Jewish ghetto. Joining us on this journey is none other than Brad Kelly, host of the wonderful Method and Madness podcast.

Follow Brad on X: https://x.com/bradkelly?lang=en

Method and Madness pod: https://open.spotify.com/show/4AQR8tram18P2PBYdhKiQN

Music: Danse Macabre, Op. 40, R. 171, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

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This week, a big episode discussing a slim novel. We're joined by a couple of our favourite Southerners (Kalob Petty and Banjer Jack) and our favourite Montanan (Ryan Simón) to chat about Carson McCullers' classic Southern Gothic novel about repressed eros and dark desires, Reflections in a Golden Eye. 

We talk about the Southern Gothic tradition, why Southerners are so chill, why Carson McCullers was likely a f@g hag, horse girls, music, and much more.

This episode quickly turns into a rollicking bull session, full of hilarious tales, forbidden confessions, and...banjo. Lots of banjo.

Music:

Southern Blood, Kalob Petty

Sammie Where You Been So Long, Banjer Jack

Links to Kalob's music: https://linktr.ee/kalobdpetty

Ryan's American Vulgaria: https://americanvulgaria.com/

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Jasper Ceylon, author of the hoax poetry journal Echolalia Review, has been unmasked as Aaron Barry. Aaron joins us to talk about what's been happening in his life since he revealed himself in The Free Press, his new novel "£, flesh", the internet novel, writing under pseudonyms and much more.

Listen to Jasper/Aaron's previous episode with us here:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poetic-license-feat-jasper-ceylon/id1571854866?i=1000708925885

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1P4B3h4tBfuHPq5UGrWIXi

Order Aaron's novel here: https://mcbussypublishing.org/product/flesh-by-aaron-barry-ebook/

Read more about Jasper/Aaron's hoax here: https://www.thefp.com/p/white-man-who-pretended-to-be-black-poet

Outro: The Pest, John Cooper Clarke

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Jack Norman is the author of the new short story collection Sleep Capricorn, coming in October from Bonfire Books. Like Fresta and Sini, he also grew up in North Queensland. This episode features three northerners yarning about Jack's fiction, as well as fatherhood, Australian fiction in general, The Honourable Member for Kennedy Bob Katter, craft discussions on narration, and writing literary fiction as a gamer/Tolkien fan.

Pre-order Jack incredible collection from Bonfire Books here: https://bonfirebooks.org/product/sleep-capricorn-by-jack-norman-pre-order/

Follow Jack on X: https://x.com/Thingol2006

Music: The N.W.R.A (Live), The Fall

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We talk about The Independent article about men "performatively reading", as well as Fresta's realisation that he is "Unc" now after a night out.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/performative-male-trends-books-matcha-pilates-attention-b2811124.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1756101761

Music:

To Die Among Strangers - Rome

Can't Fight The Moonlight - LeAnn Rimes

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This episode, we are joined by the best book YouTuber around, Mr Cliff Sargent. Cliff hosts the popular channel "Better Than Food," where he reviews everything from classics to difficult postmodern tomes and sci fi. Truly a great discussion from one of the best in the game right now. We talk about how he makes his book content, developing a reading practice, filmmaking, as well as a long digression on black metal. Run it up!

Follow Cliff's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterThanFoodBookReviews

Music: Beholding the Throne of Might, Darkthrone

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This week Fresta talks to Will Samson about Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Bend Sinister and the Fall record of the same name. As Fresta and Will are both avant-garde music-spazz’s the conversation ends up in a discussion about other artists such as The Country Teasers, Lana Del Rey, Kanye, Pere Ubu, The Melvins, Townes Van Zandt, Oasis, Throbbing Gristle, Roky Erickson and The Kinks.

Note: there are a couple of audio issues on Will's end with this one, but we prefer to think of it as authentic lo-fi experimentation.

Music: Living Too Late by The Fall, Get Lost by Kanye West

Will’s Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/samsonwill93/?hl=en 

Will’s recent appearance on Bistro Californium: https://www.patreon.com/posts/ep-117-my-name-w-133687985?l=es 

Will’s essays: 

https://apocalypse-confidential.com/2021/05/12/war-at-33-1-3-throbbing-gristle-public-enemy-datapanik/ 

https://safetypropaganda.substack.com/p/life-stinks-cuz-i-like-the-kink-by

https://apocalypse-confidential.com/2024/05/21/paradise-stands-in-the-shadow-of-swords/

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Bigmac McCarthy joins Fresta (who is hosting solo this ep) to talk about Haruki Murakami’s surrealistic tome The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle as well as some music nerd talk at the end.

Mac’s Twitter: https://x.com/bigmac_mccarthy?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor 

Mac’s music, Heavy Body: https://heavybody.bandcamp.com/

Country Teasers episode with Fresta on Mac's podcast, Nice: https://open.spotify.com/episode/55AYAetKj51f4gFyWusZ8B?si=QVokpdTEQ1yw1SGsq81a1g

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Zach Langley Chi Chi joins us once again to talk about William Shakespeare's final play, The Tempest, as well as Julie Taymor's 2010 film adaptation starring Helen Mirren as a gender-swapped Prospero. 

Subscribe to Zach's wonderful podcast, I'm So Popular: https://www.patreon.com/imsopopular

And for a special episode of Back Matter where a lot of tea is spilled, subscribe to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

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Our guest this week is David Mamet, Pulitzer Prize Winner and America's foremost playwright, known for such plays as American Buffalo, Glengarry Glen Ross, and movies such as Oleanna, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and The Untouchables.

He joins us to talk about his masterful new novel, Some Recollections of St. Ives, which poses as a memoir of a teacher at an idyllic private school.

We have a wide-ranging chat about his work in the theatre, the movie business, and his thoughts about modern education and culture.

Pre-order the book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1648211402?&tag=skyhorsepub-20

And watch David's new film starring Shia LaBeouf, Henry Johnson, here: https://henryjohnsonmovie.com/

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This is a snippet from the Patreon-exclusive aftershow, Back Matter, where our guest this week, Emmalea Russo, reads Sini's astrological chart. Later, we discuss the 2024 film, The Uninvited, directed by Nadia Conners and starring Walton Goggins, Elizabeth Reaser, Pedro Pascal.

To listen to full episodes of Back Matter, get access to the full archive and other special episodes, subscribe on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit.

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This is part two of a collaboration with Book Club From Hell, another great Australian book podcast. Head over to their feed for part one where we discuss the classic Australian psychological thriller novel, Wake In Fright by Kenneth Cook (1961).

And on this episode we will be discussing the almost lost forever film version from 1971, starring Donald Pleasance and Chips Rafferty.

This is a fun one folks, and painfully Australian. Get it into ya!

Follow Book Club From Hell on Substack: https://bookclubfromhell.substack.com/

Jack on X: https://x.com/supersquat1

And buy Jack's novel, Tower, here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Tower-Jack-BC/dp/0645928208

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On this special episode of Back Matter, Psi from Rare Candy podcast and Cody LaDuke join Sini and Fresta to discuss George Lucas' Revenge of the Sith, and nerd out on all things Star Wars.

This is a preview. To get the full episode, and more details about Sini's visit to the set of Attack of the Clones, subscribe to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/GettingLit

Subscribe to Rare Candy here:

Follow Psi on X: https://x.com/rarepsi

Follow Cody on X: https://x.com/cladu33

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This week, Sini is joined by his friend Lucas out at a bar one Saturday night to discuss Camille Paglia's book on art history and visual culture, Glittering Images.

Follow Lucas on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifetothose.shadows/

And over on paid feed, we have a special episode of Back Matter featuring Cody LaDuke and Psi from Rare Candy podcast who join Sini and Fresta to discuss George Lucas' Revenge of the Sith, and nerd out a bit on Star Wars in general.

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Returning guest Alex speaks with us about The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City: what makes it so narratively compelling and different to other shows in this franchise, as well as the character dynamics, novelistic elements, soap influences, and much more. We also talk about the unique charm of the strivers on this show.

Meanwhile, over on the Patreon, we talk about the state of sex in current popular culture. Subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/c/GettingLit

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Melbourne writer Tobe Ellen joins us to talk about his upcoming podcast, The Barrow, where he documents his process of co-writing a memoir with his mother. We talk about podcasting as a writer, memoir writing, the importance of implication in narrative, political correctness, sensitivity readers and much more.

Follow The Barrow on

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarrowpod/

Substack: https://substack.com/@thebarrowpod

Follow Tobe on X: https://x.com/thebarrowpod

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This week, we're talking to New York playwright and novelist Matthew Gasda about his new novel, The Sleepers, one of the best treatments of millennial generational malaise. We talk about the Dimes Square New York scene, the internet and culture, ideology vs art, masculinity and femininity, defiantly staging theatre during the lockdowns, and much more.

Buy The Sleepers here: https://www.amazon.com/Sleepers-Novel-Matthew-Gasda/dp/1648211259

And check out Gasda's substack: https://matthewgasda.substack.com/

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This week we're joined by the "Ern Malley of the 21st Century," Jasper Ceylon, who has pranked multiple poetry journals by posing as vogueish identities while submitting terrible poems.

Jasper successfully published poems that were intentionally bad to woke journals more interested in an author's pronouns, sexuality and racial characteristics than talent.

This satirical "performance art" piece has been documented in his new book, Echolalia Review.

We discussed the quality control issues in the publishing industry, and the challenges faced by indie writers, the prevalence of dishonesty in the literary world, particularly in the representation of indigenous cultures, and the challenges of navigating the literary world.

Buy Jasper's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Echolalia-Review-Anti-Poetry-Jasper-Ceylon/dp/1738633926/

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Reading isn't dead - our attention spans have just been hijacked by phones and social media. Inspired by an essay Fresta wrote on how to read last year, we discuss practical strategies to reclaim your reading habit and rediscover the joy of getting lost in a good book.

Check out Fresta's essay on Rare Candy's substack with more detailed reading tips and strategies: https://rarecandy.substack.com/p/how-to-read-books

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J David Osborne joins us once more, this time to talk about his new psychedelic cyberpunk epic novel, Gods Fare No Better. 

We talked about spirituality, cyberpunk, science fiction, and the impact of various media on JDO's work, as well as book marketing strategies, industry challenges, and the importance of creativity and playfulness in literature and art.

Buy Gods Fare No Better here:

https://ronintrash.bigcartel.com/product/gods-fare-no-better

or here:

https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Fare-Better-David-Osborne-ebook/dp/B0F2GXQGRZ?ref_=ast_author_mpb

And the discussion continues over on Patreon where we talk about one of the novel's main influences, Cyberpunk 2077. To listen, go to https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

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This week, we chat about an ancient classic, Medea by the Athenian tragedian Euripides. 

We also discuss Lars Von Trier's 1988 TV movie adaptation of the play, written by Carl Theodor Dreyer.

Sini also published a well-received essay on men reading books on podcasts at Unherd, which you can read here: 

https://unherd.com/2025/04/the-literary-man-isnt-dead/

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This week, a triple crosspost collaboration with Agitator and Bistro Californium, where we discuss the remasters of the Legacy of Kain videogame series. We talk about the game's mechanics, story progression, incredible voice acting and sound design, character development, themes of free will, spiritualism, and the liminal space between analog and digital technology and much more.

Subscribe to Agitator here: https://www.patreon.com/c/agitator/

Subscribe to Bistro Californium here: https://www.patreon.com/c/BistroCalifornium/

Support the show

For full episode, go to https://www.patreon.com/c/GettingLit

This week, we have compiled all four episodes of our Book of the New Sun series we did in 2023 into one massive 8.5 hour journey. Join Sini, J David Osborne and Kelby Losack as they unpack Gene Wolfe's masterwork of science fiction.

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We're celebrating 100 episodes of the Getting Lit Podcast by talking about a few Jorge Luis Borges stories: The Library of Babel, Three Versions of Judas, The House of Asterion, and Borges And I.

We talk about infinity, intellectualism, mythology. We also touched on the challenges of creating a public persona as a writer, a few movie opinions, and the podcast's 100 episode milestone.

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This week, it's a bit of a buffet!

We chat about two Aleister Crowley short stories: The Drug, and The Stratagem. Before he was a famous occultist, Crowley wrote some fiction, so we thought we'd try it out. To get a much more extensive dive into Crowley, check out Art of Darkness' episode on his life: https://artofdarkpod.com/aleister-crowley-the-sewer-of-creation/

We also chat about "brodernism", the latest literary world concept to cause a fuss in "online lit." The article featuring this hideous portmanteau can be found here: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/against-high-brodernism/

Fresta also lets us know what he thought about the Deadwood movie (2019).

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On this episode, we chat with Masha about the Soviet science fiction novel Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

Russian nihilism and existentialism, Soviet censorship, the unique flavour of Soviet-era science fiction, how to say slurs in Russian and more.

Follow Masha on X: https://x.com/3l3ktr4k0mpl3ks

And Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/t3lk4/

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This episode we talk about Julio Cortazar's short story, The Southern Thruway, about a traffic jam that turns into a community. We chat about the concept of the "fantastic" in literature, our experiences driving in Italy and Vietnam, and gave our expert opinion on the complexities of Russian politics and the portrayal of Putin.

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Fresta and Sini talk about what they've been reading, watching, playing lately. Also talk about how some internet "personalities" get on podcasts with voice disguisers because "The Feds" are after them.

This episode is paywalled. Go to https://www.patreon.com/c/GettingLit to get the full version.

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Our discussion with the Rare Candy boys about Michael Hanson's Mind Webs continues. We talk radio, podcasting, audio dramas vs audiobooks vs what Mind Webs is doing.

Listen to Mind Webs here: https://archive.org/details/MindWebs_201410

Normally, the Back Matter episode is paywalled, but we all feel so passionate about this stuff, we thought we should have it out in the world for free. Enjoy!

To get access to the full archive, plus the special aftershow Back Matter, subscribe at http://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

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Glen and Psi from Rare Candy podcast join us to talk about three stories from the science fiction writer, Thomas M Disch.

The stories discussed include Descending, The Number You Have Reached, and The Squirrel Cage.

Subscribe to Rare Candy's premium feed (we both do, it's great!): https://rarecandy.substack.com/
Follow Glen on X here: https://x.com/Rarecandypod1
Psi here: https://x.com/rarepsi

To get access to the full archive of The Getting Lit Podcast, plus the special aftershow Back Matter, subscribe at http://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

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Josh from The Dionysian Dream substack talks all things Wicked.
The original novel, Wicked (1995) by Gregory Maguire, the stage musical (2003) by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, and the 2024 film version directed by Jon M Chu and starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

Read Josh's great theatre criticism here: https://substack.com/@thedionysiandream/

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This week, we read Sigmund Freud's 1930 essay Civilization And Its Discontents and paired it with Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film, Frenzy.

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For the full two hour episode, subscribe to the Getting Lit Podcast's Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/GettingLit

This week, we're celebrating Christmas with a discussion about the overtly Christian horror movie, Terrifier 3, released this year.

We're joined by former guests Jack Mason of The Perfume Nationalist podcast, and Ryan Simón, Editor in Chief of American Vulgaria magazine.

Subscribe to The Perfume Nationalist here: https://www.patreon.com/c/perfumenationalist
Buy American Vulgaria here: https://americanvulgaria.com/product-category/magazine/

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Yeerk joins the show once again to talk about the first book in Michael Moorcock's Corum series, The Knight of the Swords.

We range across topics such as sword and sorcery, formula, the British New Wave science fiction, and much more.

And for more talk about Moorcock, politics in fiction and social media, head on over to https://www.patreon.com/c/GettingLit

Follow Yeerk on X: https://x.com/PYeerk
Subscribe to Bistro Californium: https://www.patreon.com/c/BistroCalifornium/

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This episode we chat about Ryunosuke Akutagawa's 'In A Grove' (1922) and Akira Kurosawa's adaptation, Rashomon (1950).

What even is truth, man?

Also, catch Fresta on Rare Candy's 'Psi Ops' series talking about Rudolf Steiner:
https://rarecandy.substack.com/p/psi-ops-vol-2-how-to-know-higher

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The New Era begins with new co-host Matt Fresta. Fresta is the editor of Rango Tango Magazine and is now the "second mic."

For this first episode, we chat about William S Burroughs, 'The Place of Dead Roads', a psychedelic, gunslinging Western with science fiction elements and Burroughs' trademark deconstructionist schtick.

On the Patreon-exclusive show, Back Matter, we chat about Gus Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy, which pairs well with Burroughs (he makes a cameo as a junkie priest). Feel free to subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

Follow Fresta on X: https://x.com/newfacenhell
And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rangotangozine/

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A return after a long hiatus! There was a family tragedy so I took some time off. But we are back to regular programming.
I'm talking about how apparently it is bad to expect college students to read 100 pages per day, why straight men don't read novels, also doing a few recommends at the end!

Recommends:
Scavenger's Reign
Crooked Smile by Jared Klickstein: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CWZ1GHLW?ref_=mr_referred_us_au_au
Agonist by Udith Dematagoda: https://www.amazon.com.au/Agonist-Udith-Dematagoda/dp/1916376711

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This episode, I go out in Deep Ellum, Texas with post-punk/goth icons Rosegarden Funeral Party and we talk about Bukowski with lead singer Leah Lane and drummer Dean Adams.

Follow Leah and the band here:
https://www.instagram.com/rosegardenfuneralparty/?hl=en

If you're in Dallas on the weekend of the 6th of July, 2024, come to Obituary Fest, which Leah has organized. Details here:
https://www.prekindle.com/event/59171-obituary-goth-fest-dallas

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A short episode on the use (or lack thereof) of the third person omniscient point of view in modern novels after recently revisiting Dickens.

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Part 3 in our series on John Crowley's Little, Big, covering book 3: Old Law Farm.

Subscribe to Patreon for the bonus episode where we talk about Alice Munro and her relationship to Crowley's work: www.patreon.com/gettinglit

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Gldpny aka Erik joins me for part two of the two-part series on classic military science fiction. This episode is on Joe Haldeman's The Forever War, which is a "novel in response" to Heinlein's Starship Troopers, but also very much its own thing.

And over on Patreon, we talk about online friendships, the power and downsides of "scenes", more about Erik's celebrity hair styling career, working in the music industry. To listen, go to patreon.com/gettinglit and subscribe!

Follow Erik on
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gldpny
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gldpny/

And stream his music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5EHg7in9tXwJ2h89kASRMC

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Part 2 of our read-along of John Crowley's Little, Big. John joins me once again, and we have special guest star Yeerk (from the recent Mr Palomar episode) on the episode as well.

Don't be a b***h and read this book about fairies with us!

For extra content, including access to Getting Lit Podcast aftershow, Back Matter, head to http://patreon.com/gettinglit

Suscribe to Yeerk's pod, Bistro Californium: https://www.patreon.com/BistroCalifornium/

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This is a cross post from Rare Candy's Gain of Fiction series featuring yours truly as well as former guest Eddy Rathke, hosted by Glen and Psi from RC. We look at Samuel R. Delany's classic and very wild science fiction experimental novel, Dhalgren.

To access the full episode as well as Getting Lit Podcast's aftershow, Back Matter, go to patreon.com/gettinglit.

Enjoy!

Follow Rare Candy: https://rarecandy.substack.com/

And Eddy: https://radicaledward.substack.com/

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Gldpny aka Erik joins me once more for a two-part series on classic military science fiction. First up is Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers. The next episode, released in a couple of weeks, will be on Joe Haldeman's The Forever War.

And over on Patreon, we talk about the film Starship Troopers, whether it is a 'failed satire' as claimed in a recent online debate, as well as abstract politics vs skin in the game life-living, and much more. To listen, go to patreon.com/gettinglit and subscribe!

Follow Erik on
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gldpny
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gldpny/

And stream his music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5EHg7in9tXwJ2h89kASRMC

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Talking about a recent online discussion about the Starship Troopers film and how people who are into the death of the author concept tend to invoke the author when expedient, as well as how the death of the author concept is used and abused these days.

Subscribe to the Patreon for extra content: patreon.com/gettinglit

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Former guest John joins me for the first of a six-part, monthly slow read of John Crowley's Little, Big.

This quirky, beautiful novel is sizeable. So over the next six months, we will be meeting and discussing each section of the book. Read along with us. Join our cute little book club dedicated to the greatest American fantasy novel ever.

This week, we talk about fantasy vs magical realism, Crowley's marginal position in American letters, genre tourists, and the horniness of the book.

And over at Back Matter on Patreon, John and I show tell some things that remind us of this first section of the book: https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

John last joined us a few years back to talk about John Crowley's novella, In Blue. Check it out on Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/7o3l8U0Eb1UE4CzayHgazM?si=9fsk_8VFRBqCpN5hdzs7Eg
Or Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brave-blue-world-feat-telepathy-party/id1571854866?i=1000540182351

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This episode, I'm joined by the wonderful Yeerk to chat about Italo Calvino's final novel, Mr Palomar.

We talk about Yeerk's battles against people who believe in "misinformation" and "AI art", humanism, encountering the world as it is and describing it, Italo Calvino's work more generally, looking at art and literature texturally, and the sense of the numinous writers like Calvino can bring to everyday existence.

And over on Back Matter on Patreon, we will be discussing the Ron Fricke non-narrative documentary film, Samsara as a companion piece to discussion of this novel. To subscribe and listen, go to patreon.com/gettinglit.

Listen to Yeerk's podcast, Bistro Californium: https://www.patreon.com/BistroCalifornium
Follow Yeerk on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PYeerk

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Australian crime writer Iain Ryan joins me live from a bar in Brunswick East to talk about his new book of Gold Coast noir, The Strip, as well as his major inspiration, James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential.

We talk about the crime novel genre, hardboiled style, the difficulties in reading Ellroy, Australian culture and literature and more, until we got kicked out of the bar.

This is a free preview of the episode. The full version, including our discussion after we found another bar, can be found at patreon.com/gettinglit.

Follow Iain on Twitter: https://twitter.com/iainkryan
Iain Substack: https://iainryan.substack.com/subscribe
Buy The Strip:
US: https://www.amazon.com/Strip-Iain-Ryan-ebook/dp/B0CPYQJ6Y4?ref_=ast_author_mpb
Australia: https://ultimopress.com.au/collections/frontpage/products/the-strip

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On this episode, writer and podcaster J David Osborne returns to talk about several short stories by the late science fiction grandmaster, Ursula K Le Guin.

We talk about cultural relativism, anthropology, how Ursula's father's work with a lost Indian influenced her, influences in general, whether we would have sex with our clones, writers folding stuff they read into their work instead of not reading, the many different answers to Omelas, girlboss adventures done right, and much more.

Stories discussed:

Semley's Necklace
Nine Lives
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
Sur

And on Back Matter over at Patreon, JDO talks about the Australian he hates the most, we both complain about Covidians, self-publishing vs traditional publishing, lots of other writing and literature talk. Subscribe and listen at https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

Follow JDO on
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brbjdo/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brbjdo

Listen to JDO's podcasts:
Agitator: https://www.patreon.com/agitator
Lost Xplorers: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lost-xplorers/id1540514505

JDO's books:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/J.-David-Osborne/author/B004G4S8KU?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

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Recording on location from the smoke-wreathed vista at Siglo in Melbourne, I am joined by writer and researcher Nicolas Hausdorf to discuss German writer Ernst Jünger's post-apocalyptic novel, Eumeswil. 

We talk about the novel as a metaphor for Europe in the 70s, parapolitics, Jünger's politically awkward position, his aristocratic outlook, his concept of "The Anarch," libertarianism, Victoria's Covid response, and much more.

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Hoodrat noir/cyberpunk writer, Agitator podcast host, and former guest on the show, Kelby Losack, joins me to talk about his collection God is Wearing Black.

A lot of writing talk, Texas, writing places, class and the publishing industry, honesty and truth in writing and more in this wide ranging discussion on Kelby's short fiction.

And over on the Getting Lit Podcast's new aftershow, Back Matter, I force Kelby to undergo the 'game of connection and vulnerability' known as We're Not Really Strangers. We also shoot the s**t about a whole range of things literary and otherwise. To hear more, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

Buy God is Wearing Black here: https://kelbylosack.bigcartel.com/product/god-is-wearing-black
Listen to Kelby's podcast, Agitator: https://www.patreon.com/agitator/posts

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Surrounded by vinyl records and cassette tapes, I joined editor of the Rango Tango zine, and former GLP guest Matthew Fresta (in his lounge room!) to talk about the very literary songwriting of British band, The Kinks.

With some selections from their discography playing in the background, we talk about the way lead singer Ray Davies writes songs like short stories, the influences on the band, whether rock will ever come back, and more.

This was a fun one. Matt also made up a playlist of some of the edgy songs The Kinks recorded if you're interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6R5Vcpt7qjvy0FnDRBFyS8?si=hbciIS2wS7mGY1OWxHnPNw&pi=a-gO8PfY-QSwyl

Follow Matt on...
X/FKA Twitter: https://twitter.com/newfacenhell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowardpunchrecords/
His record label/publishing company: https://cowardpunchrecords.com.au/

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Jayson Young, writer and co-host of the Mangaroos podcast, joins me to talk about David Mitchell's novel about stories, life, death, perception, rebirth, and reincarnation: Cloud Atlas.
We also talk about the 2012 film version by Tom Twyker and the Wachowskis.

Jayson's substack: https://jaysonyoung.substack.com/
Listen to Mangaroos:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mangaroos/id1669595294?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=lt_p

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On this episode, Steff joins me to talk about R.F. Kuang's Yellowface, which we've decided is YA posing as literary fiction (probably the marketers fault).

Follow Steff on Twitter/X:  https://twitter.com/moonandmouth
Follow Steff on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonandmouth/

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Writer E Rathke joins me for the second part of the Sally Rooney series, where we look at Sal's second novel, Normal People.

We chat about the internet and writing, commercial fiction, chick lit, Trojan-horsing fucked up s**t into normal looking genres, writing craft, and much more.

Follow Eddy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/radicalydde
Subscribe to Eddy's Substack: https://radicaledward.substack.com/
Buy Eddy's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BCDS32BH/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=940b840a-d75b-4b9a-8b3c-d33e004647fe&store_ref=ap_rdr&ref_=ap_rdr

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Zach returns to kick off the Sally Rooney trilogy over the next few weeks. We will be looking at her books in chronological order with a different guest each week, starting with Conversations with Friends.

The theme for this episode is "emotionality."

We range over love, romance, sex, generational differences, online culture and more. A superb conversation with pod friends!

Follow Zach on
X/FKA Twitter: https://twitter.com/asukahomo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/langleychichi/

Subscribe to I'm So Popular: https://www.patreon.com/imsopopular/posts

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This episode, one of my faves and host of the Unpopular podcast, Jacques Peterson, returns to mansplain the Britney Spears memoir "The Woman in Me" (because I'm not going to read it). How did Spears go from a pop sensation to an online meme, dancing scarily in her house with knives and such?
I really haven't followed the drama with Britney and the conservatorship, so this was educational for me. Later, we discuss three of her albums: Blackout (2007), Femme Fatale (2011), and Glory (2016).

Follow Jacques on FKA Twitter: https://twitter.com/jarcadey or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unpopularjp/

Listen to Unpopular:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unpopular-with-jacques-peterson/id1536243282
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4SJhtLCetIyHS1drAwZtG4
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/unpopularjp

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Cody LaDuke from the Cents of Life podcast joins me for a Halloween special. We're talking ghost stories, specifically Henry James' classic, The Turn of the Screw, the 1961 film version The Innocents, and the 2001 film The Others starring Nicole Kidman.

Subscribe to Cents of Life: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cents-of-life/id1701292933
Follow Cody on X (FKA Twitter): https://twitter.com/cladu33

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Part 4 of The Book of the New Sun series, looking at Volume IV: The Citadel of the Autarch.

We have finally reached the end of our Gene Wolfe series, and we take a look back at the journey, a lot of writing talk, the psychological depth of Severian, Christian symbolism, whether it's a conservative book, why we can't leave genre fiction to the autists and much more.

Listen to the Agitator podcast: https://www.patreon.com/agitator/

Buy Kelby's latest book: https://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Kelby-Losack/dp/B0BQ5243JZ/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Buy David's latest book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNLK9NJM?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooks

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Part 2 of my chat with Max Easton, this time talking about a book he introduced to me, The Twenty Days of Turin by Giorgio di Maria. A haunting, unsettling, uneasy book, full of weird implications, surreal and gruesome imagery and a whole lot of dread. Such fun!

If you're American and want to buy Max's new book but don't want to pay for exorbitant postage, you can purchase the ebook here:
https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Estate-Max-Easton-ebook/dp/B0CHK3XJYQ?ref_=ast_author_dp

If you're Australian, you can also purchase here:
https://giramondopublishing.com/books/max-easton-paradise-estate/

Follow Max on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/maxeaston__
Max's substack: https://mebarelyhuman.substack.com/

Getting Lit episode on Max's last book, The Magpie Wing:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lore-of-footy-feat-liam/id1571854866?i=1000567069928

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Joining me for a two part  special is novelist and friend of the pod, Max Easton. In part 1, we discuss Max's new book, Paradise Estate, a sequel to his amazing debut The Magpie Wing. In part 2, we will discuss The Twenty Days of Turin by Giorgio de Maria.

This episode has a lot of writing talk, but we also discuss generational malaise, the horrors and the comedy of sharehousing, political dead ends, collectivism vs individuality, punk politics and aesthetics, why Matt hates anarchists, Current Thingism and how to write about it without succumbing to it, living life in a holding pattern, and more.

If you're American and want to buy Max's new book but don't want to pay for exorbitant postage, you can purchase the ebook here:
https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Estate-Max-Easton-ebook/dp/B0CHK3XJYQ?ref_=ast_author_dp

If you're Australian, you can also purchase here:
https://giramondopublishing.com/books/max-easton-paradise-estate/

Follow Max on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/maxeaston__
Max's substack: https://mebarelyhuman.substack.com/

Getting Lit episode on Max's last book, The Magpie Wing:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lore-of-footy-feat-liam/id1571854866?i=1000567069928

Paradise Estate synopsis:

It’s 2022 and Helen is starting again. Newly single, dogged by grief, adrift in a hostile rental market, she finds a four-bedroom house flanked by apartment blocks that stare into the yard. Despite the lack of privacy, she fills its rooms with an unlikely group of residents looking for communal belonging: zine maker, activist, disaffected artist, part-time rugby league player – each looking to build a future, each haunted by their recent past. But if a rented house in Sydney could ever promise salvation, it would come with a coating of black mould.

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Fernando Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet, the Portuguese notion of saudade, Pessoa's heteronyms as opposed to pseudonyms, occultism, voice and character in writing. Why this book is one of my favourites and I haven't finished it.

The story I published where I tried to express "saudade":
https://overland.org.au/2022/12/fiction-quitting/

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The second of four parts on Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun with the Agitator guys, J David Osborne and Kelby Losack.

This episode covers volume two of the series: The Claw of the Conciliator.

There is SO much heat in this episode: pulpiness, literariness, the novel form vs the epic form, and what most fantasy novels are trying to do vs what Gene Wolfe is actually doing, creatures, fight scenes, characters, Severian being hornier, looking for what's problematic vs submitting to a book, plus heaps of talk on craft, life and death. We got it all in this supersized episode!

Listen to the Agitator podcast: https://www.patreon.com/agitator/

Buy Kelby's latest book: https://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Kelby-Losack/dp/B0BQ5243JZ/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Buy David's latest book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNLK9NJM?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooks

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Photographer, musician, and podcaster Matthew DeNicola joins me for a discussion on Stephen King's haunted hotel short story "1408" and an exhaustive dissection of probably my favourite reality television makeover show, Gordon Ramsay's Hotel Hell (2012-2016).

Matthew's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattiopattio/
Matthew's Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattiopattio
Listen to his podcast, The Saltbox: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesaltbox

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This episode I'm joined by Organized Meat (aka Erik) to talk about Ayn Rand's dystopian novel Anthem and Michael Bay's 2005 science fiction thriller, The Island.

As mentioned in this episode, for those of you who'd like to read the books BEFORE we do an episode on them, you can take a look at the reading list for upcoming episodes posted to my substack: https://impieties.substack.com/p/getting-lit-reading-list-for-future

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This episode, a look back on fifty episodes, going over where I've been and where I want to take the podcast, along with some clips from three of my favourite episodes and three of your favourite episodes :)

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Melbourne novelist Tobe Ellen joins me for a few pints at the pub, where we discuss Australian writer Rod Jones' Julia Paradise. It's a highly evocative novel of psychosexual manipulation set in a dreamy 1920s expat Shanghai. Eroticism, Freudian psychoanalysis, how Australian writers write about other countries and how the smart ones defamiliarize their own, and more.

Buy Rod Jones' novel here: https://tinyurl.com/4y5kue5m

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Jacques Peterson from Unpopular podcast joins me to discuss Sam Levinson's The Idol, the unhinged reaction to it online by media illiterate critics, and three films with similar vibes: Body Double (Brian de Palma 1984), Sliver (Phillip Noyce 1993), and The Voyeurs (Michael Mohan 2021).

Sex, violence, erotic thrillers, degradation, eroticism, dead eyed zoomer sex negativity, Sydney Sweeney's magnificent tits and so much more is discussed.

Listen to Jacques' podcast, Unpopular: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unpopular-with-jacques-peterson/id1536243282

Follow Jacques on...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jarcadey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unpopularjp

Support the show

This episode I'm recommending some new things I have read, watched, and listened to that I've loved, as well as responding to a goofy Andrew Tate tweet about reading (sorry).

New things I've read:
American Vulgaria Issue 2: https://americanvulgaria.com/product/magazine-issue-2/
Mercy, by Kelby Losack: https://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Kelby-Losack-ebook/dp/B0BPPHPVK7

New things I've watched:
The Why Files: https://www.youtube.com/@TheWhyFiles/

New things I've listened to:
Deviser: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deviser/id1680747031
Japanese Wallpaper - Imaginary Friends (St Lucia Remix) [outro song]: https://open.spotify.com/album/2TNQueYbu3esjJRLaZyiWy?si=vgVsNQQnROWgpmrYmBo1uQ

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Glen Rockney, one half of the fabulous podcast, Rare Candy, joins me to talk about some of Harlan Ellison's greatest science fiction stories, including:
I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream
""Repent Harlequin!" said the Ticktockman,"
Paingod,
and
 A Boy and His Dog (both the original novella and the movie version directed by T.Q. Jones, starring Don Johnson)

Subscribe to Rare Candy and its premium feed, which includes the excellent Gain of Fiction book club: https://rarecandy.substack.com/

Listen to Mind Webs (audio dramas of sf stories discussed in episode), here: https://archive.org/details/MindWebs_201410

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Matthew Fresta, editor of the fabulous zine, Rango Tango, joins me to talk about Cormac McCarthy's novel of grim depravity in the American West, Blood Meridian, as well as the films Bone Tomahawk (S. Craig Zahler, 2015) and Mad Dog Morgan (Phillipe Mora, 1976).

Buy Rango Tango zine, here: https://cowardpunchrecords.com.au/
Follow Matthew on twitter: https://twitter.com/newfacenhell
or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowardpunchrecords

Support the show

Sam from The Third Place, an excellent videogames podcast, joins me to discuss Hideo Kojima and his wonderful book of influences, inspirations, memetics and...genetics (?), The Creative Gene.

Listen to The Third Place here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-third-place/id1643088847

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Musician Erik Harris joins me to talk about Alfred Bester's classic science fiction novel of revenge, redemption, and transcendence, The Stars My Destination (sometimes known as Tiger! Tiger!).

Electronic music, creative individualism, Bester's influential but troubled place within the science fiction genre, why science fiction is great, the layers to Bester's work, freedom, religion, sex, violence, evil and lots more interesting s**t is discussed.

Follow Erik on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikrharris/

Listen to Erik's latest album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/0ZftfDYri5w7jRy2s5fscE?si=-mEFnGnaRxC9dyRV7ShsfA

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Josh, formerly of the Evil Thespian podcast, and currently of The Dionysian Dream, joins me for his third appearance on the pod!
We're talking about Baz Luhrmann's sumptuous, vital, and very theatrical "Red Curtain" Trilogy: Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Subscribe to The Dionysian Dream here: https://thedionysiandream.substack.com/

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This episode, Ryan Simón, editor of the fabulous magazine, American Vulgaria, joins me to talk about Philip K Dick's mind-bending science fiction masterpiece, Ubik.

Arty sleaze, "pick me straights," beauty and art and reading as the way out of Current Thingism, making a magazine an aesthetic object, bubbles of irreality, Gnosticism, Dick's constant destruction of his own narrative, what Ubik means, science fiction tropes, crazy sci fi fashions, and much more discussed on the longest episode with a single guest ever!

Buy American Vulgaria (Issue 2 out soon!) here: https://americanvulgaria.com/shop/

Support me on Patreon. At the moment, it's just the archive, but we will be launching an aftershow soon: https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

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This episode I talk about two of my favourite Biblical adaptations: Jesus Christ Superstar and The Prince of Egypt.

Australian 1992 cast of Jesus Christ Superstar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea9mtQ1RM8I

Support me on Patreon. At the moment, it's just the archive, but we will be launching an aftershow soon: https://www.patreon.com/GettingLit

Support the show

Poet Andrew Ketcham joins me for a deep dive into celebrity poetry books, specifically Lana Del Rey's Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass and Jewel's A Night Without Armor. 

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This episode Matt invites six guests for a series of one on one segments. Each has brought along something old and something new to discuss that they're passionate about.

Guests include:

Paul Dalla Rosa (buy his collection here)
River Page (Pirate Wires)
Max Easton (buy The Magpie Wing here)
Miss Unity (https://www.missunity.net/)
Sheila Ngoc Pham
Zach Langley Chi Chi (I'm So Popular podcast)

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Matt talks about some old polaroids that made him cry, Roland Barthes' book on photography, Camera Lucida, and Chris Marker's 1962 science fiction still image film, La Jetée.

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Matt is joined by Dallas songwriter, poet, multi-instrumentalist, Young Dean to talk Flannery O'Connor's short stories Everything That Rises Must Converge and The Partridge Festival, as well as Dean's songwriting process, influences, and his new album, Terror on Vacation (https://open.spotify.com/album/6Sv1LICDiPLZUqWbxtSEb8?si=e-fi-T-uRrCHbjZ1jLchOQ)

Dean's Twitter: https://twitter.com/yearningprison
Dean's insta: https://www.instagram.com/y0ung.dean/

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Writer, producer, and radiomaker, Sheila Ngoc Pham joins Reuben and Matt to discuss Kay Dick's dystopian "sequence of unease", They.

Nonconformity, enemies of art, Western Sydney, identity politics in writing, and much more. 

Follow Sheila on Twitter: https://twitter.com/birdpham

Read Sheila's essay on the Western Sydney writing scene: https://sydneyreviewofbooks.com/essay/western-sydney-is-dead-long-live-western-sydney/

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Nick from Tokyo (https://twitter.com/NickFromTokyo) joins us to discuss Sayaka Murata's 2018 novel, Convenience Store Woman, and Juzo Itami's 1996 film, Supermarket Woman.

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Poet and writer Andrew Ketcham joins us to talk about YA literature as well as the 2011 film starring Charlize Theron, Young Adult.

Read Andrew's latest poem here: https://www.hobartpulp.com/web_features/horse-girl

Matt has also started a substack. You can read the first essay here: https://impieties.substack.com/

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Weeaboo princess, drag icon, and enfant terrible podcaster Zach Langley Chi Chi returns to talk Bruce Wagner's novel of sex, death, and celebrity, Dead Stars, as well as David Cronenberg's 2014 film, Maps to the Stars.

Subscribe to Zach's podcast, I'm So Popular:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-so-popular/id1523827234

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Using the anonymous messaging app, NGL, we asked our listeners for questions. And boy did we get some! Everything from Reuben's PhD, plagiarism scandals, past guest hotness levels, and much more!

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Reuben and Rio speak with Rio's friend Liam about Australian writer Max Easton's The Magpie Wing.

Order here: https://giramondopublishing.com/books/the-magpie-wing/
 
...or anywhere you order your books.

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Returning guest Paul Dalla Rosa takes us on a tour around some of his favourite places to eat and drink while we talk about his new collection, An Exciting and Vivid Inner Life, out now from Allen and Unwin in Australia and Serpent's Tail in the UK. We also chat about many other things, and we revel in the fact that this is the first time all three of us have recorded together outside of Zoom!

Buy Paul's book here:

https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/fiction/popular-fiction/An-Exciting-and-Vivid-Inner-Life-Paul-Dalla-Rosa-9781761066191

or here:

https://serpentstail.com/work/an-exciting-and-vivid-inner-life/

Read Paul's author interview series, Bad Artist Statements:

https://pauldallarosa.substack.com/

Support the show

Josh and Maddie from the amazing Evil Thespian podcast join us to discuss Oscar Wilde's one act play, Salome, and Wilde, the 1997 biopic directed by Brian Gilbert starring Stephen Fry and Jude Law.

Subscribe to Evil Thespian here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/evil-thespian/id1562330987.

Support the show

The wonderful Angela Nagle joins us to talk about Robert Hughes' fantastic study of modern art, The Shock of the New.

Subscribe to Angela's substack: https://angelanagle.substack.com/
Buy Angela's book, Kill All Normies: https://www.amazon.com/Kill-All-Normies-Culture-Alt-Right/dp/1785355430
 

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Gian from Twinkrev (RIP) joins Rio and Matt to talk about two Vegas movies: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam 1998) and Showgirls (Paul Verhoeven, 1995).

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This week: Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of lot 49. Meaning, postmodernism, why Pynchon is like David Lynch (and Tolkien!) and more.

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Alice Gribbin, poet and author of the wonderful Notes of an Aesthete, joins the lads to talk about Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's luxurious novel of fading Sicilian nobility, The Leopard (1958).

Find Alice's work here: https://alicegribbin.substack.com/
Alice's twitter: https://twitter.com/asgribbin

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Bookish brawls, literary violence, bitter fights and unbecoming scraps between egotistical writers . For our season finale, we each choose one of our favourite feuds from literary history. 

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It's a Q & A episode!

Join us as our lovely, twisted, perverted, overly serious, and sincere subscribers ask us all sorts of questions, including the most important one: f**k marry kill our last three guests?!

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This episode, Reuben gets an aneurysm reading Robert E Howard's first Conan story, "The Phoenix on the Sword," and asks Crom to grant revenge on Matt for inflicting this pulp trash on him. We also watch one of Matt's favourite films, Conan the Barbarian (1982), directed by the incomparable John Milius and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in his breakout role.

Come for Matt's Arnold impression! Stay for the conversation. 

We range across sword and sorcery, libertarianism, too many adverbs, the barbarian fantasy archetype, lost worlds, the appeal of pulp fiction, camp, bathos, and more.

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This week, we're much more tiddly than usual, so what better time to talk about anonymous authorship and literary theory? First we go through our favourite pieces of literature penned by anonymous or pseudonymous authors, including some very old medieval poems. Then we rant about the misuses of Roland Barthes' concept of the death of the author, the art of s**t posting and anonymous social media accounts, as well as the wankiness of author Joshua Cohen and his thoughts on writing in a time of internet ubiquity.

Roland Barthes, The Death of the Author: https://sites.tufts.edu/english292b/files/2012/01/Barthes-The-Death-of-the-Author.pdf

Matt's essay, The Afterlife of the Death of the Author:
https://areomagazine.com/2020/08/10/the-afterlife-of-the-death-of-the-author/

Joshua Cohen interview in Bomb Magazine:
https://bombmagazine.org/articles/joshua-cohen/

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We're changing it up this episode, with Reuben conducting the first of our author interview series. Each season of the podcast we'll be doing a one-on-one, deep dive discussion with an author we think you should read.
 
For the inaugural interview, we've chosen Michael Winkler, author of the "exploded novel," Grimmish. This is a daring, challenging, and odd book that narrativises the life of Italian-American boxer, Joe Grim, and his tour of Australia in 1908-1909. But it's also so much more than that. Reuben and Michael discuss boxing, pain, masculinity, experimental literature, and the timidity of Australian publishing.

Find out more about Grimmish and Michael here: https://www.michaelwinkler.com.au/grimmish

Emmett Stinson's review of Grimmish:
https://overland.org.au/2021/06/the-exploded-non-fiction-novel-michael-winklers-grimmish/

Purchase ebook on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Grimmish-Michael-Winkler-ebook/dp/B08TPT1461/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=grimmish&qid=1611534650&sr=8-1

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Across three timezones, a quartet of homosexuals gather for a symposium on faggotry. Rio and Matt are joined by Zach Langley Chi Chi from I'm So Popular podcast and Josh from Evil Thespian podcast to talk F*****s, Larry Kramer's seminal book (yes very seminal, and urinal, and fecal). All four plunge into the pit of sexuality to sample the Dionysian extremities of gay sex, and ask important questions, such as: would contemporary gays benefit from a few more Nazi boot orgies?

After exploring gay perversity with Kramer, the boys are enveloped by the glossy nightmare that is Finding Prince Charming, Logo TV's homosexual answer to The Bachelor. In it, they experience the true terror of contemporary gay life; the need to be nice, and so socially frictionless you're drained of eros, and also the requirement to replace all your teeth with dental veneers.

Join them...if you dare.

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This episode we're joined by an impromptu guest: Sydney drag queen, Aaron Manhattan, who found out we were doing Gore Vidal's gender adventure Myra Breckinridge and just had to come aboard. 

Join us as we plumb the uterine depths of womanhood and the fluidity of the sex roles with Myra. It's a freewheeling discussion about the novel and the film too, which stars the magical Mae West and the smoking hot Raquel Welch as our pan/bi/trans/hypersexual heroine who no man can possess! 

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It's a literary hot topics episode, baby!

We engage in some capital D Discourse, talking about how saying facts about poetry will get you sacked from your editing job, complaining about Sally Rooney's writing and complaining about complaints about Sally Rooney's writing, and the plague of Gay Sincerity.

Poetry editor fired: https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/barren-poetry-magazine-fires-editor-tweet/

Jessie Tu's Sally Rooney "review": https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/surely-there-are-better-literary-heroes-for-our-generation-than-sally-rooney-20210817-p58jfp.html 

Gay Sincerity is Scary: https://www.gawker.com/culture/gay-sincerity-is-scary

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This week, Matt, Rio, and Reuben are joined by connoisseur of f**ked-up films, Alison Taylor, to discuss Georges Bataille's seminal (or perhaps that should be "urinal"?) pornographic opus, Story of the Eye, as well as Jörg Buttgereit's cinematic ode to necrophilia, Nekromantik. 

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Rio and Matt talk Christos Tsiolkas' explosively gay novel, Loaded, and its film adaptation, Head On. They explain "wogs" for the international listeners, then discuss gays, immigration, Australian and Greek culture, and how formative this novel has been for a lot of Aussies of the..ahem...homosexualist persuasion. 

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This episode, we're joined by River Page (@gayliaronline on Twitter), contributing editor at Twink Revolution and Twitter enfant terrible. We chat about The Road to Wigan Pier, George Orwell's harrowing account of the plight of the poor and working class in northern English coal mining towns. We talk about the disconnect between the working class and the middle class socialists who want to "help," Orwell's fiction vs his nonfiction, identity vs class politics, the deep problems with left politics and therapeutic culture, Oprah, as well as River's insightful essay on the Democratic Socialists of America, "The Standpoint Bureaucracy."

River's essay: https://twinkrev.com/2021/02/the-standpoint-bureaucracy/

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Reuben and Matt are joined by Sina (@KhanKuchek on Twitter) from the Trepidation podcast to talk about Michel Houellebecq's Submission and Michael Haneke's 2005 film, Caché. For once, they aren't drinking! Is this because they've converted to Islam and are extremely pious now? Or because it was too early in the morning?
Topics and themes covered: multiculturalism, French identity, the decline of the West, Islam, the difference between religious texts and literature, and whether Houellebecq is an enfant terrible satirist or something else entirely.

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While smashing down a few bottles of soju, the lads discuss South Korean writer Han Kang's disturbing novel, The Vegetarian. Not only do they delve into this tale of violence and non-conformity, but somehow Australian triple threat Keiynan Lonsdale is brought into the discussion. Because this is a show that embraces the digression.

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In the second part of our first episode, Reuben makes us read noted English w****r Will Self, Rio elevates things a little with the Grande Dame of Science Fiction, Ursula K LeGuin, then Matt sickens everyone with a notorious Chuck Palahniuk short story.

Will Self's short story, "Prometheus" is featured in his collection, Liver.

You can read LeGuin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" here.

Chuck Palahniuk's "Guts" can be found here or in his collection, Haunted.

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In the first part of the inaugural episode, we introduce ourselves and then throw some shade at Sally Rooney, before talking a bit about transgression in literature and the plan for the podcast. In part 2, we give the listeners a taste of our own tastes, each sharing a short story we think represents us. 

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