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A podcast about literary fiction and the world of books, with hosts Matt Bucher and Dave Laird. [Logo by Chris Ayers]
Episodes
Apr 5, 2019
Apr 5, 2019
1hr 10 min
In Episode 46 we talk to Rhodes College professor and O.G. Wallace scholar Marshall Boswell about his new book The Wallace Effect: David Foster Wallace and the Contemporary Literary Imagination, out now from Bloomsbury Press!
As usual, we bash Franzen a bit, get some overview of the central novels addressed in Marshall's book, and discuss the recent trend of "Wallace Snark" online.
Contact Dave and Matt:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
Mar 11, 2019
Mar 11, 2019
1hr 46 min
In Episode 45, we get to talk to Kyle Beachy, Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Roosevelt U in Chicago, and author of the novel The Slide. In it, we discuss his extensive teaching of Wallace's work to creative writing students, his novel and writing on skateboarding, and get some great book recommendations from him (Kyle being one of the most well-read people Matt knows, which is saying a lot).
Things we said we'd link to:
Growing Sentences with David Foster Wallace - https://kottke.org/09/03/growing-sentences-with-david-foster-wallace
Kyle's "The Deep Seams: A Search for Fun in David Foster Wallace's Peoria" - http://theclassical.org/articles/the-deep-seams
Dave's skate video part (from around 2002) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-4BV-tbwMk
Kyle Beachy's (apparently outdated) website - http://kylebeachy.com/
Kyle Beachy Twitter - https://twitter.com/kylebeachy
Kyle Beachy Tumblr - http://themostfunthing.tumblr.com/
James Dahl Memorial Harry Ransom Donation - https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/utgiving/online/nlogon/?menu1=HR**
Contact us:
The Great Concavity on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
The Great Concavity on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/
Email us - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Jan 21, 2019
Jan 21, 2019
1hr 43 min
In this episode, Dave and Matt talk about their favorite literary and pop-cultural artifacts from the past year. This episode offers a contest as well, associated with the following music playlist. Good luck!
TGC's Favorite Music of 2018 (iTunes) - https://itunes.apple.com/ca/playlist/the-great-concavitys-favorite-songs-of-2018/pl.u-pMyll2jh4KoErM
TGC's Favorite Music of 2018 (Spotify) - https://open.spotify.com/user/concavityshow/playlist/6Gkdv29x9bpXIIzmmlWolO?si=V2aBBNKASm-70W12xwfn0g
Show Notes:
*Correctional note* - When Matt was talking about Robert Coover in Marfa, he meant Robert Creeley.
Dante Society - https://www.dantesociety.org/
The Great Concavity on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
The Great Concavity on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/?hl=en
Email us - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Dec 20, 2018
Dec 20, 2018
1hr 45 min
In Episode 43 we meet our nemesis Bo Butler of Pynchon in Public for the inevitable postmodern fiction podcast throwdown. Join us as we discuss the history of our beefing over literary turf and all related topics!
Nov 19, 2018
Nov 19, 2018
1hr 41 min
In Episode 42 we talk to Chicago-based journalist and teacher Esther J. Cepeda about her love of Wallace, annual Infinite Jest reads, and other related literature and pop culture. A huge thank you to our Patrons as well on #ThankYouPatrons day today!
Show notes:
Esther's favourite cards - Art of Play - https://www.artofplay.com/collections/playing-cards
Esther's Twitter - https://twitter.com/estherjcepeda
Great Concavity on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
Great Concavity on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow/?hl=en
Email us - concavityshow@gmail.com
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Oct 25, 2018
Oct 25, 2018
1hr 27 min
In Episode 41, we talk to Dr. Tim Personn (in person!) from the University of Victoria about his recently-defended dissertation, "Fictions of Proximity: The Wallace Nexus in Contemporary Literature." Buckle up for a philosophical discussion, as Tim takes us on a ride through the work of Wittgenstein, Derrida, and other thinkers whose work informed Wallace's fiction and influence on the modern literary landscape. Other topics include tacos, seeing Parquet Courts live, and potential future podcast beefs!
Show Notes:
Shazia Hafiz Ramji's book Port of Being - https://invisiblepublishing.com/product/port-of-being/
Kieran Setiya's Midlife - http://www.ksetiya.net/midlife.html
Tim's website - timpersonn.com
Post 45 "The Dave Show" - http://post45.research.yale.edu/2011/11/the-dave-show/
Medium/Just Words "How David Lipsky Captures the Spirit of David Foster Wallace" - https://medium.com/just-words/the-dave-show-5f07c1f83a86
Tim's Twitter - https://twitter.com/timpersonn
Contact The Great Concavity:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConcavityShow
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow
- Email: concavityshow@gmail.com
- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/concavityshow
Aug 25, 2018
Aug 25, 2018
1hr 41 min
In Episode 40, we welcome Greg Carlisle, author of the Infinite Jest commentary, Elegant Complexity, and Nature's Nightmare, an analysis of Wallace's Oblivion collection.
Greg's books here: http://www.sideshowmediagroup.com/books/
Contact Greg: g.carlisle@moreheadstate.edu
Jun 26, 2018
Jun 26, 2018
1hr 35 min
We're joined by repeat guest Matt Luter to talk about all the fun Dave missed out on at the recent Illinois State University Wallace conference, held June 7-9, 2018. Topics covered include panel recaps, anagram alter egos, karaoke highlights, and all other manner of conference scoops. Almost as good as having been there!
May 6, 2018
May 6, 2018
1hr 57 min
In Episode 38 we talk again with Mike Miley, Vice President of the International David Foster Wallace Society and quiz kid extraordinaire. Topics include film, game shows, Oliver Stone, JFK assassination scoops, and hanging out with Michael Silverblatt.
Show Notes:
Smart Set – “Reading Wallace Reading”
https://thesmartset.com/article08181401/
Medium – “Caught in the Bandana Trap”
https://medium.com/just-words/caught-in-the-9fa2c864b76d
Medium – “The Eye of Sauron”
https://medium.com/just-words/the-eye-of-sauron-d454ed83377a
Critique – “…And Starring David Foster Wallace as Himself: Performance and Persona in The Pale King”
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00111619.2015.1028611?needAccess=true
Mike’s Twitter: twitter.com/MikeCMiley
Apr 4, 2018
Apr 4, 2018
1hr 30 min
In Episode 37 we welcome the Diversity Committee Coordinators from the International David Foster Wallace Society to talk about issues of representation in the writing of Wallace, and within the Wallace community itself.
Relevant links:
- Diversity Announcement - https://www.dfwsociety.org/2017/05/27/introducing-the-diversity-committee/
- Diversity Blog Posts - https://www.dfwsociety.org/category/diversity/
- Sean Gandert's “A Short Meditation on the Whiteness of David Foster Wallace’s Writing” - https://www.dfwsociety.org/2017/07/15/a-short-meditation-on-the-whiteness-of-david-foster-wallaces-writing/
- “Cat Person” by Kristen Roupenian, from The New Yorker - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/11/cat-person
- Andrea’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nmn80418
- Diego’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/diego_baez
As always, you can reach Dave and Matt via email at Concavityshow@gmail.com and on Twitter and Instagram @ConcavityShow
Feb 23, 2018
Feb 23, 2018
1hr 27 min
In Episode 36 we have not one, but two special guests(!), both experts in the cartography of Infinite Jest's Boston (and beyond). William Beutler is the creative mind behind the staggeringly glorious Infinite Map (among other things), and Bill Lattanzi has led a series of walking tours in the Boston area tracing the locations of Wallace's opus, so you can see the emerging theme of the episode here.
List of links to pertinent discussion points in the episode:
Infinite Atlas: http://infiniteatlas.com/
Jan 12, 2018
Jan 12, 2018
1hr 43 min
In this episode, we stray a bit off our usual Wallacian course (but not too far) to discuss our literary and pop-culture highlights from the last solar revolution.
Links we said we'd share:
Robyn O'Neil's 20 Years of Drawings: https://www.archonprojects.com/shop/robyn-oneil-20-years-of-drawings
Me Reading Stuff podcast by Robyn O'Neil: https://www.robynoneil.com/me-reading-stuff
George Saunders' "Sea Oak": http://www.barcelonareview.com/20/e_gs.htm
The Great Concavity's Best Music of 2017 playlists:
- iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/playlist/the-great-concavitys-best-of-2017/pl.u-pMyllebf4KoErM
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/concavityshow/playlist/0blqF0L6gfYA7jI2Am3l0x
Bottom's Dream Twitter page: https://twitter.com/BottomsMeme
In post-production, Dave realizes he'd mentioned we'd discuss video games we liked this year, but we forgot to do this, so games we played and liked include:
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch)
- Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo Switch)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch)
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Nintendo Switch)
- Shovel Knight (Nintendo Switch, etc.)
- Cuphead (Xbox One)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)
- Overwatch (PS4)
- Nuclear Throne (PS4)
- Crawl (PS4, etc.)
- Darkest Dungeon (PS4, etc.)
- Nidhogg 2 (PS4)
Dec 17, 2017
Dec 17, 2017
1hr 37 min
In this episode we're joined by friends Nick and Tony to discuss Australia's first ever David Foster Wallace conference, which was held in Melbourne during September 1-3, 2017. Following a discussion of the conference proceedings, join auxillary Concavityite Nick Maniatis as he interviews a host of presenters live from the conference weekend. Huge thanks go to Nick for towing his microphone around and getting all the juicy details for those of us who couldn't attend, and to Tony for organizing the conference!
Nick Maniatis' DFW website, The Howling Fantods: http://www.thehowlingfantods.com/dfw/ (with day-by-day conference recaps)
Conference Abstracts and presenter bios: https://tinyurl.com/y9n8hu79
Conference Schedule: https://tinyurl.com/yc5mjclc
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OzWallace2017/
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Samatha Wallace's new podcast, Circulating Spaces: https://pages.shanti.virginia.edu/Circulating_Spaces/podcasts/
TGC listener Scarlett Sims defeating Austin Rogers on Jeopardy!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nck0RW1AbFU
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Contact The Great Concavity:
Email - concavityshow@gmail.com
Twitter - @concavityshow (https://twitter.com/concavityshow)
Instagram - @concavityshow (https://www.instagram.com/concavityshow)
Nov 6, 2017
Nov 6, 2017
1hr 29 min
In this episode we talk with Allard about philosophy and film in relation to the work of Wallace, and to lesser extent, Dave Eggers and Jonathan Safran Foer. Dr. Allard den Dulk is Lecturer in Philosophy, Literature and Film at Amsterdam University College, and Research Fellow at the Faculty of Humanities of the VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is the author of Existentialist Engagement in Wallace, Eggers and Foer, which is a significant topic of our conversation as well. Other topics include what it's like to show up unannounced at J.S. Foer's personal residence, and DFW cosplay.
Allard's website is: http://www.allarddendulk.nl/
His book, published by Bloomsbury, is available here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/existentialist-engagement-in-wallace-eggers-and-foer-9781501322679/
Oct 9, 2017
Oct 9, 2017
1hr 15 min
In this episode we talk to award-winning Vancouver poet and writer Shazia Hafiz Ramji about her three consecutive stints as a guide for Infinite Jest online community reads (Poor Yorick's Summer, Sacred Jest, and the recent Ennet House), as well as her own writing and the influence of DFW.
You can find her on Twitter at @Shazi_R
Her chapbook is Prosopopoeia
Poor Yorick's Summer on Twitter at @poor_summer
Sacred Jest on Twitter at @SacredJest
Ennet House on Twitter at @infinitejestyvr
Sep 18, 2017
Sep 18, 2017
1hr 30 min
In this episode we speak with Matthew Luter, DFW scholar and author of Understanding Jonathan Lethem. https://www.sc.edu/uscpress/books/2015/7512.html
We discuss the state of DFW studies, academia, and Matt's paper at this year's DFW Conference. Matt's paper deals with, among other things, Rita Felski's work and Kevin Birmingham's book on Ulysses, "The Most Dangerous Book."
We also make mention of Sidney Peterson's 1947 experimental film "The Cage" which you can watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXEW_ZCqWsc
You can follow Matt on Twitter at @matthewjluter.
Jul 21, 2017
Jul 21, 2017
1hr 29 min
In this episode we are joined by Australian Wallace scholar Grace Chipperfield of Flinders University, whose recent work on Wallace deals with the concepts of protracted adolescence and political landscape in Wallace's writing. The recent DFW17 conference and her experience there is also discussed, as is the possible vampireness of Australian politicians (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmqKSKDfSSQ).
Jun 13, 2017
Jun 13, 2017
59 min
On our first live episode (recorded in front of conference attendees at the fourth annual DFW conference at Illinois State University) we talk to Charlie Harris and Jim Plath about the life and legacy of Wallace, give some prizes away, and feature live music for the very first time on the show.
You can also watch the Facebook live video stream, which is archived for posterity, at the top of the page here: https://www.facebook.com/concavityshow/
May 11, 2017
May 11, 2017
1hr 23 min
In this episode we are joined by Wallace scholar Lucas Thompson.
Lucas Thompson is the author of the new book Global Wallace (Bloomsbury) which is the first volume in a new series called "David Foster Wallace Studies" edited by Stephen Burn. Global Wallace centers around the often overlooked sources of influence on Wallace's work. Thompson explores Wallace's connection and borrowing from Manuel Puig, Dostoevsky, hip hop culture, and many others.
Thompson is a Research Fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. He has published articles in Texas Studies in Literature and Language, Journal of American Studies, The Cormac McCarthy Journal, and Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction. Forthcoming book chapters appear in The Cambridge Companion to David Foster Wallace, MLA Approaches to Teaching: David Foster Wallace, and MLA Approaches to Teaching: Jewish American Fiction. His reviews have appeared in US Studies Online, The European Legacy, and Philament, and he has also written for The LA Review of Books.
Apr 3, 2017
Apr 3, 2017
1hr 45 min
This time we talk to our friend Jill Braithwaite, a Wallace scholar who wrote her Masters thesis on Infinite Jest and its connections to the ideas of theologian Paul Tillich and Unitarian Universalism. She is on Twitter here.
Jill mentions a sermon she gave (in which Wallace's Kenyon speech makes a sigificant appearance), which can be found here.
Mar 9, 2017
Mar 9, 2017
1hr 38 min
In this episode, we talk with Jeff Severs, author of the excellent new book David Foster Wallace’s Balancing Books: Fictions of Value, published by Columbia University Press. Severs is associate professor of English at the University of British Columbia, Canada, Convexity.
Severs is also a noted Pynchon scholar, author of a number of scholarly articles and co-editor of a book about Against the Day.
His website can be found at https://jeffreysevers.wordpress.com/
Show Notes
1:00 - Introductions
2:40 - Austinites
3:34 - James Manguson
5:00 - MFA programs
6:10 - Mary Carter - the name Matt was trying to think of
7:50 - Overview of the book
9:05 - Balance in general
10:05 - Axiology - study of valuation
13:06 - Heidegger defines axios
17:18 - A Tripartite writer
26:26 - A biographical approach
34:15 - Juxtaposing hard labor with a dissolute consumerist society
40:31 - GQ, Obama, rhetoric, 2008
46:53 - The civic vision of the Pale King
1:35:40 - Jeff correctly picks Moonlight as the Best Picture winner!
Feb 17, 2017
Feb 17, 2017
1hr 48 min
This time, we talk to our friend Lee Konstantinou, a contemporary US literature scholar who has published significantly on Wallace. His new book Cool Characters is available now from Harvard University Press.
Jan 25, 2017
Jan 25, 2017
1hr 31 min
As is the tradition, Dave and Matt take a minor detour (at times) from the usual topic of David Foster Wallace to discuss their personal highlights and favorite literary and pop cultural items of 2016.
Show notes:
00:27 - The Nightmare: 2016
02:08 - Matt knows books, Dave knows everything else
03:29 - Phone addiction
04:02 - Personal years in review
09:52 - Go to the 2017 David Foster Wallace Conference
11:15 - Sports, or lack thereof
14:59 - The International DFW Literary Society (dfwsociety.org)
21:20 - Matt’s favorite books of 2016
30:54 -Dave’s favorite books of 2016
38:04 - Netrunner Worlds and Dave’s appearance on Boards Alive - (starts 1:24:39)
38:59 - More of Matt’s favorite books (and a footnote about Bill Gates)
41:54 - The proliferation of monographs on DFW
42:40 - Dave’s favorite music of 2016 with Great Concavity bonus playlist
53:44 - Our favorite films of 2016
59:02 - More of Matt’s favorite books of the year (mostly biographies)
1:09:03 - 2016, the 20th Anniversary of Infinite Jest
1:12:50 - Television in 2016
1:22:53 - Board games in 2016
1:27:48 - Passing over video games
1:28:03 - Wrap up
Matt Bucher contact
Twitter & Instagram: @mattbucher
Website: mattbucher.com
Dave Laird contact
Twitter: @dave__laird
Instagram: @davelaird
Email us: concavityshow@gmail.com
Jan 4, 2017
Jan 4, 2017
1hr 28 min
In this episode we speak with the multi-talented writer and musician Andrew Savage of the band Parquet Courts. Their song “Instant Disassembly” opens and closes each episode of our podcast, but more importantly, Andrew is a super-literate dude who is capable of expounding on almost any topic.
Here is the video that Dave mentions of George Saunders’ appearance on The Charlie Rose show: https://charlierose.com/videos/23703 (DFW discussion starts at 40:54).
Check out Parquet Courts on Spotify or Apple Music or YouTube or just shout their name out the nearest window.
Their official website is https://parquetcourts.wordpress.com/
_____________
Show notes
01:54 - Why Dave chose “Instant Disassembly” as our intro song
01:55 - Thematic relation between DFW’s writing and “Instant Disassembly”
01:56 - There’s ennui but it’s also a really bitchin’ song
02:45 - Madonna’s “Like a Prayer”
03:46 - Bookworm’s theme song
08:35 - Growing up in Denton, Texas
09:53 - Austin Brown
13:30 - The Marked Men
14:40 - The Parking Lot set in Charlottesville
16:53 - Where did we play in Vancouver
18:49 - Parquet courts in The Garden and basketball
20:08 - Influenced by fiction
22:14 - Coming to Wallace, an intro thereto
23:52 - IJ/DFW influences everything
25:31 - The anxiety of influence, nah
29:56 - What to hold back
32:12 - Trump is a germaphobe
33:23 - The labor issues of being a musician
36:08 - New Sincerity discussion
39:13 - Parquet Courts and the Irony of Blah Blah Blah
43:45 - What makes a good performance
44:41 - Smaller venues
46:13 - Dealing with cynicism
48:12 - Favorite Wallace stuff
51:30 - The Depressed Person: parody or not?
55:30 - The existential angst of the modern condition
57:03 - We’ve all got holes to fill
58:40 - In search of lost time
1:02:00 - Listening to music the way we read
1:03:49 - The Big Ship on repeat
1:05:00 - Cate Le Bon
1:06:01 - Opposite Sex from New Zealand & Hamlet
1:07:40 - Glasgow has a grid system
1:08:56 - Favorite books & movies - Knausgaard
1:10:43 - Eva Hesse’s diaries
1:13:01 - A movie discussion ensues
1:14:19 - The song North Dakota
1:17:23 - How to finish things
1:28:30 - Easter egg
Dec 12, 2016
Dec 12, 2016
1hr 46 min
In this episode with talk with Academy-Award winning screenwriter and DFW fan Nicolás Giacobone. Nico is best known as the co-writer of Iñarritu's Birdman and Biutiful, but he's also a writer of fiction and a serious reader.
If you have not seen the movie Birdman, it is strongly advised that you do so.
In this episode we discuss his grandfather's filmography, literary influences, Manu Ginobli, and many other things.
Books and writers mentioned include Alberto Laiseca, John Updike, Don DeLillo, George Saunders, and Michael Ondaatje's Coming Through Slaughter among others.
Contact us: concavityshow@gmail.com
Show notes:
00:042 - background and introductions
02:16 - writing for television is painful
03:41 - Like Ed Wood, he was his own extra
09:08 - Homer and Dostoevsky and Cervantes
22:22 - movie writing is collaborative by nature
28:19 - San Antonio Spurs and ego
32:20 - In Latin America, everything is sold with a handshake
33:40 - Treating writing like work
35:08 - Ruth Reichl and DFW
43:40 - Never wrote another novel
49:00 - Six minute takes
53:01 - Tortured artist whose biggest obstacle is himself
54:00 - Free time and they write bullshit
57:07 - Aaron Swartz's theory of IJ
1:04:26 - We can't do math
1:08:11 - Plenty of good books are forgotten
1:12:01 - The 160-page version of CivilWarLand in Bad Decline
1:15:19 - Sergio de la Pava
1:22:06 - The Internet as a tool
1:28:00 - Mario Bellatin
1:32:32 - Moving past Bolaño's influence
1:36:46 - Make fun of Shakespeare
1:37:59 - Comparing Birdman and Infinite Jest
1:39:56 - IJ is impossible to film
1:45:55 - Easter egg: technical difficulties
Nov 27, 2016
Nov 27, 2016
1hr 9 min
In this episode we talk with Wallace scholar Clare Hayes-Brady about her new book The Unspeakable Failures of David Foster Wallace.
http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-unspeakable-failures-of-david-foster-wallace-9781501313530/
She is Lecturer in American Literature at University College, Dublin.
We discuss a variety of issues in this episode including bad endings, DFW Studies, Ricoeur, love, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and assorted other things.
You can find her on Twitter https://twitter.com/ClareHayesBrady
Show notes
00:30 - Byzantine Erotica right off the bat
01:30 - Spelling of Quebecois
02:30 - UCD vs TCD
04:01 - The Unspeakable Failures
05:01 - Noncompletion, the lack of closure
05:45 - A Failed Entertainment
08:30 - Short Story Theory, resistance to closure
10:39 - We don’t have neat narratives
13:00 - How can you be done with something?
14:26 - Starting IJ again
15:20 - The peripheral stuff
16:27 - Was IJ/DFW narcissistic?
19:10 - The empathetic connection with readers
20:38 - Incoherent need to communicate
22:21 - The problem with romantic relationships--and Anne Geddes
25:21 - Misogyny from a place of fear
26:36 - The Granola Cruncher
30:53 - The silencing of female characters
31:02 - The Lionel Shriver issue
35:18 - A poorly disguised avatar
35:45 - Hungerford piece
37:02 - The Joycean Boys Club
39:59 - The C-word
44:42 - Inhabiting other minds
45:29 - Hurston not explaining things
47:26 - White male protagonists. . . groan
48:46 - VIDA count and the equivalent awareness
50:01 - Separating the artist from the art
51:29 - Ferrante & Knausgaard
55:36 - Writing beyond his own perspective
56:20 - Hardcore Theory Weenies
58:41 - Conflating a couple of paradoxes
59:59 - A fascinating disaster of a book
1:01:54 - The conclusions of the failures
1:04:40 - First attempt in Learning
1:05:08 - Post on Poor Yorick’s Summer
1:05:30 - Honest Ulsterman and motherhood
1:08:40 - Easter Egg
Oct 28, 2016
Oct 28, 2016
1hr 18 min
In this episode we talk with John Mango. John is a teacher and a scholar but in this episode we talk a lot about recovery, AA membership, depression, and alcoholism--perennial DFW subjects all around.
01:07 - Twenty episodes in a year
02:02 - Introducing John Mango
04:01 - John Grisham paperbacks
05:05 - Joseph Heller, Thomas Pynchon, Cormac McCarthy
06:30 - A comforting loss and depression
08:30 - Terry Eagleton & the role of literature
11:22 - Discovering Wallace after death
13:15 - We feel like we know him
14:14 - Can you even talk about AA?
15:25 - Hiding stuff all the time
16:29 - Humility
17:30 - Separating the biography from the writing?
18:20 - Alcohol & Poetry, John Berryman
19:48 - Sharing and honesty and irony
21:11 - The Big Book is IJ
22:14 - William James, Religious Experience
25:39 - AA and agnosticism
26:02 - G.O.D. = Group of Drunks
26:25 - It all comes down to pragmatism
27:15 - Gately saving Randy Lenz, a program of action
29:04 - The gift of desperation
31:30 - St. Anselm
33:00 - Gately enjoys riding with the crocodiles
37:31 - Big Craig
38:10 - Interview with Deb Larson-Venable, the real Pat Montesian
39:43 - How John came in
41:09 - Gratitude? Seriously?
44:58 - A giant love letter to AA
48:44 - It sounds like a cliche
51:20 - A favorite part of Infinite Jest
54:05 - Fleeting mention of Trump, sorry
54:44 - Fake cliche motto
57:40 - Burlington, Vermont & Hebron, Connecticut
59:01 - Norwalk virus
1:00:11 - The Joke in Infinite Jest
1:02:13 - Vocabulary of emotional literacy
1:03:56 - The problem of solipsism
1:07:07 - @callmejohnmango, Facebook, The Blog - https://hazardsofthecourse.wordpress.com/
1:10:23 - Destigmatizing the disease
1:11:13 - Android Netrunner
Sep 29, 2016
Sep 29, 2016
1hr 17 min
In this episode, Dave and Matt start by catching up about the recent photo caption contest winner and entries, Dairy Queen, Flannery O'Connor conferences, and the distinguished list of famous writers Matt has met. Then, our guests Amy and Rachel talk to Dave about their recent experiences reading Infinite Jest for the first time.
Sep 15, 2016
Sep 15, 2016
1hr 16 min
In this episode we speak with audiobook narrator extraordinaire, Sean Pratt. Sean is the narrator of the 56-hour-long audiobook of Infinite Jest. He has also narrated over 800 other books. Believe it or not, Infinite Jest is not even the longest book Sean has narrated! We discuss the mechanics of recording, the different voices in the book, the endnotes issue, what it takes to become an audiobook narrator, and many other things
You can find Sean on Twitter at @SPPresents and his website http://www.SeanPrattPresents.com
Show Notes
2:06 - Sean Pratt’s background & how he got the part
7:04 - So you want to be an audiobook narrator
10:01 - The economics of recording an audiobook
13:30 - A state of “flow”
16:24 - How many hours did this really take?
20:51 - When we first meet Ken Erdedy
24:30 - Acting vs. Reading: Tom Robbins
28:04 - A silk purse out of a sow’s ear
32:01 - Reading the paratext & The Four Voices of Nonfiction
35:10 - Just skip the endnotes: a debate
41:50 - No really, how to do the endnotes?
44:02 - Blood Sister: One Tough Nun & comedy
47:50 - Do you listen to yourself?
50:38 - Always Be Entertaining
52:52 - How to navigate all the voices
58:10 - Don’t do it like a puppet show
59:15 - Hal watching a video cartridge
1:01:15 - Some of Sean’s best audiobooks
1:06:25 - Speed vs. Tempo
1:12:20 - To honor the text
1:16:15 - Easter egg
Aug 27, 2016
Aug 27, 2016
1hr 49 min
In Part 2 of this episode we look back at the 3rd Annual David Foster Wallace Conference, held at Illinois State University July 28-30. We talk with a number of DFW scholars and conference attendees.
00:12:27 - Jane Carman - festivalwriter.org
00:21:40 - Josh Katz & Emily Spalding - @ewspalding
00:41:17 - Tony McMahon - @tony_mcmahon2
00:59:57 - Ryan Marnane - @ryanmarnane
1:20:00 - Chris Ayers & Rob Short - @chrisAcreative pooryorickentertainment.tumblr.com & @vismeainlabore
Aug 15, 2016
Aug 15, 2016
1hr 43 min
In Part 1 of this two-part episode we look back at the 3rd Annual David Foster Wallace Conference, held at Illinois State University. We talk with a number of DFW scholars and conference attendees.
Jul 27, 2016
Jul 27, 2016
56 min
In this episode, we talk with Pater Edmund Waldstein.
Jun 29, 2016
Jun 29, 2016
1hr 11 min
In this episode, we talk with Krzys Piekarski, PhD. Krzys is a DFW scholar who has written extensively on DFW and Buddhism. He also runs a wisdom program in Austin called Character by Design: https://characterbydesign.org/
We cover a variety of topics in this show, from parables to stress and boredom to the basics of Buddhism and how it manifests in Wallace’s writing.
The book Krzys mentions is at the end of the show is called Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, and we talk about the books of Steven Batchelor - Buddhism without Beliefs.
His podcast, with author Sunni Brown is called Sunni & Wise. http://sunniandwise.com / @sunniandwise
There are some weird booming sounds in this episode. Sorry about that!
Show Notes
01:46 - Introduction Krzys & his teaching background
03:00 - Teaching in prison
04:24 - Krzys’s dissertation on Buddhism, Philosophy, and David Foster Wallace
06:48 - Can Wallace be considered a Buddhist thinker?
08:30 - Krzys’s path to Buddhism
11:00 - DFW’s undergrad years at Amherst & Wittgenstein
12:08 - Wittgensteinian zen parable
14:14 - The limits of language
14:25 - Buddhism 101
15:15 - Suffering
18:59 - How we can gain freedom
21:50 - George Saunders calls Wallace a great Buddhist writer
23:57 - Wallace and meditation
25:38 - The boredom thing
29:11 - Flow state
35:49 - What is the purpose of life?
36:00 - David Foster Wallace and the Velveteen Rabbit
38:30 - Escape from the self
43:10 - Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
44:20 - Mario Incandenza
47:00 - Disgust and addicts
52:00 - Trying to express inexpressible truths
53:20 - Double binds
57:20 - Stepping in to a monastery
1:00:30 - Sincere curiosity
1:02:15 - There is nothing missing in you
1:07:00 - Show wrap-up, thanks, and links
May 25, 2016
May 25, 2016
1hr 18 min
In this special episode we talk with Professor Josh Roiland and his class at the University of Maine. Roiland is Assistant Professor + CLAS-Honors Preceptor of Journalism in the Department of Communication and Journalism + Honors College. Roiland’s class this semester was called “Consider David Foster Wallace” and they read a TON of DFW work. As part of their class project, the students also created a really useful website about IJ called Consider Infinite Jest https://considerinfinitejest.wordpress.com/
Josh has written a lot about Wallace and here are a few of his pieces we mention in this episode:
· "Getting Away from It All: The Literary Journalism of David Foster Wallace and Nietzsche's Concept of 'Oblivion'"Literary Journalism Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2, Fall 2009, 89-105. (Revised and reprinted in The Legacy of David Foster Wallace, University of Iowa Press).
· "The Fine Print: Uncovering the True Story of David Foster Wallace and the 'Reality Boundary'" Literary Journalism Studies, Vol. 5, No. 2, Fall 2013, 148-161. (Reprinted by Longreads; 10 Most Popular Exclusives of 2014).
· "Spiritually Midwestern: What Middle America Meant to David Foster Wallace" published (w/essential footnotes maddeningly located on the side of the text) by A24 Film Studios "Just Words" site in conjunction w/the release of The End of The Tour.
You can follow Josh Roiland on Twitter @JoshRoiland or check out his website: www.joshroiland.com
SPECIAL THANKS are due to Justin Harlan-Haughey for his audio expertise.Thanks also to Robyn O’Neil, Parquet Courts, Josh Roiland, Derrek Schrader, Alex Abrahams, Emily McNair, Atticus Dennis, and Taylor Cunningham.
SHOW NOTES
03:00 – Josh’s writing on Wallace
04:38 – Josh’s email intro to the class
06:34 – Class syllabus and reading list
08:38 – Reconciling Wallace’s death with his writing
10:21 – Starting the class with a discussion onsuicide
13:52 – Is Wallace’s writing autobiographical?
16:55 – The class on Twitter
18:20 – The Wallace community on Twitter
19:51 – When the class read Infinite Jest
21:35 – Meeting in different spaces
22:45 – The ending of Infinite Jest
24:35 – Is the graveyard scene real? What’s going onthere?
27:49 – Waiting for plotlines to converge
30:30 – Reading IJ in public
31:07 – The cliché of dudes/bros reading Infinite Jest
37:38 – The marginalization of journalism in Englishdepartments
39:06 – DFW’s exaggerations in non-fiction
40:25 – Your favorite Wallace piece?
48:24 – Your least favorite Wallace piece?
53:33 – How to teach Infinite Jest
55:25 – Class-created website about IJ
1:01:32 – What to read after Wallace?
1:05:15 – Your favorite Wallace character?
1:09:52 – Any huge takeaways from this experience?
Contact us at concavityshow@gmail.comor @concavityshow
Apr 27, 2016
Apr 27, 2016
1hr 23 min
In this episode we talk with Wallace scholar Rob Short. We discuss everything from AA & recovery to William James and summer camp.
You can follow Rob on twitter and academia.edu here:
https://twitter.com/vismeainlabore
http://florida.academia.edu/RobShort
Show Notes
Urine trouble? You’re in luck! - 00:49
Rob’s academic background – 1:09
Wallace’s interview with SPEAK magazine – 3:15
Rob’s paper at the 2014 DFW Conference – 5:26
The idea of “worshipping” – 6:30
Readers at academic conferences – 8:42
The obtuseness of Derrida – 10:24
Glenn K. – 11:30
“To impress people when you are 24” – 12:19
Teaching Wallace - 15:18
DFW’s early publishing history & audience – 29:00
David Markson – 30:26
Wallace’s inter-novel period – 34:00
Rob’s dissertation’s structure – 37:27
William James – 41:26
The rhetoric of AA – 46:33
How Don Gately goes straight – 50:30
Zadie Smith on DFW – 52:29
Catholics by Brian Moore – 56:33
Personal religion stuff – 57:45
United Church of Canada and atheism– 1:01:21
Post-secular society – 1:03:36
A spectrum of salvation/hope - 1:05:47
Addicts are throwaway people – 1:08:15
“Use” and usefulness - 1:09:55
Rote discipline and routine – 1:12:35
Wallace at Le Conversazioni http://robshort.org/files/Le_Conversazioni_2006.mp4 - 1:15:48
Eternal thanks to Parquet Courts, David C. Jensen, and Robyn O’Neil … and You of course.
Apr 8, 2016
Apr 8, 2016
1hr 11 min
In this episode we talk with DFW scholar David Hering. Hering is the author of the forthcoming book David Foster Wallace: Fiction + Form. He's also a Lecturer at the University of Liverpool and editor of the book Consider David Foster Wallace. You can follow him on Twitter at @hering_david
Mar 24, 2016
Mar 24, 2016
58 min
THE Q&A EPISODE
Feb 26, 2016
Feb 26, 2016
1hr 3 min
In this episode, we talk with Nick Maniatis, proprietor and webmaster of the invaluable website, The Howling Fantods.
Feb 12, 2016
Feb 12, 2016
56 min
In this episode, we talk about Infinite Jest (and lots of other things) with Jenni B. Baker, Editor-in-Chief of The Found Poetry Review and creator of the Erasing Infinite project.
Jan 29, 2016
Jan 29, 2016
47 min
In this episode we talk with Wallace biographer D.T. Max. Max is the author of Every Love Story is a Ghost Story.
Jan 15, 2016
Jan 15, 2016
55 min
Chris Ayers designed a number of movie posters from James Incandenza's filmography. He posts his art and designs at http://pooryorickentertainment.tumblr.com
Jan 7, 2016
Jan 7, 2016
53 min
In this episode we go almost completely OFF TOPIC and wrap up 2015 by discussing our favorite books, movies, music, TV shows, and games of the year.
Dec 30, 2015
Dec 30, 2015
1hr 3 min
In this episode with talk with Irish scholar Tim Groenland, who has written extensively about Wallace and The Pale King. Groenland's doctoral work is concerned with authorship and the way Michael Pietsch molded The Pale King after Wallace's death. We also discuss Gordon Lish's editorial relationship with Raymond Carver.
Dec 7, 2015
Dec 7, 2015
59 min
In this episode we talk with artist Corrie Baldauf. If you haven't seen her Infinite Jest project, check it out here: http://hyperallergic.com/178866/reading-david-foster-wallace-for-the-colors/
Show Notes
(00:00) - Intro
(00:30) - Guest Corrie Baldauf
(01:50) - Corrie’s Infinite Jest Project
(03:50) - Pale King Cover Design
(06:51) - Corrie’s Introduction to Infinite Jest
(08:20) - Color References in The Book
(12:00) - An Excerpt of Color Usage
(13:30) - Jenni Baker’s Erasing Infinite Jest
(15:05) - Matt’s Entry in The Found Poetry Review (http://www.foundpoetryreview.com/wrt-david-foster-wallace/david-foster-wallace-titles-roughly-translated-into-other-languages-and-roughly-translated-back-into-english/)
(16:19) - Various Narrative Threads in Infinite Jest
(20:50) - Corrie’s Profile in Hyperallergic (http://hyperallergic.com/178866/reading-david-foster-wallace-for-the-colors/)
(20:50) - Corrie’s Cover Art on Unspeakable Failures: David Foster Wallace
(25:15) - The Literary Community and Twitter
(28:38) - Infinite Jest’s 20th Anniversary Cover Redesign
(33:14) - Imagery of ‘The Cage’
(38:30) - Karen Green’s Bough Down
(42:28) - Corrie’s Experience Reading Infinite Jest
(45:04) - Autism and Wallace
(48:20) - Characters in The Pale King linked to Characters in Infinite Jest
(50:36) - Corrie’s Optimism Project
(53:50) - Corrie’s New Book
(55:40) - Wallace in The Classroom
(57:45) - Final Thoughts
(59:30) - Outro
People Mentioned
Corrie Baldauf (http://corriebaldauf.com/home.html)
David Foster Wallace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace)
Karen Green (http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/apr/10/karen-green-david-foster-wallace-interview)
Jenni B. Baker (http://www.jennibbaker.com)
Clare Hayes-Brady (http://www.amazon.com/Unspeakable-Failures-David-Foster-Wallace/dp/1501313525)
Sarah Rose Sharp (http://hyperallergic.com/author/sarah-rose-sharp/)
Sidney Peterson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Peterson)
Matt Tresco
Nov 5, 2015
Nov 5, 2015
1hr 3 min
In this episode we talk with artist Robyn O'Neil. Her artwork titled These final hours embrace at last; this is our ending, this is our past is the logo for our podcast.
Show Notes
(00:00) - Intro
(00:39) - Guest Robyn O’neil
(02:00) - Robyn’s Image For the Podcast (http://www.themodern.org/programs/Past/Robyn-ONeil/1464)
(02:40) - Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
(04:38) - The Believer Interview with Wallace (http://www.believermag.com/issues/200311/?read=interview_wallace)
(04:38) - The Believer Interview with Robyn (http://www.believermag.com/issues/200811/?read=interview_oneil)
(05:05) - Robyn’s Style of Work
(07:50) - An Obsession with Oprah
(11:08) - Robyn’s Background with Wallace
(11:25) - Reluctance to Read Contemporary Literature
(14:28) - Vladimir Nabokov and A Passion for Writers
(17:24) - Nabokov’s Connection to Updike
(17:40) - The Obsession with Writers
(18:40) - Steeply/Marathe and The Idea of Attachment
(18:55) - The Connection Between Self-Obsession and Creation
(21:38) - This is Water Commencement Speech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI)
(22:20) - Finding Meaning in Art vs. A Higher Power
(23:49) - Art and Transcendence
(28:30) - Pop Culture’s Dominance in Society
(33:10) - Robyn’s Podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/me-reading-stuff/id1010827465?mt=2)
(37:29) - A Radically Condensed History of Postindustrial Life and Self-Awareness
(44:20) - Handling a Public Profile
(48:38) - ‘Midwestern’ Politeness
(49:15) - Robyn’s Influences
(55:00) - Hurricane Sandy
(56:48) - Final Thoughts on Obsession and Ambition
(57:00) - Robyn Reading From Infinite Jest
(01:03:12) - Outro
People Mentioned
Robyn O'Neil (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_O%27Neil)
David Foster Wallace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace)
Oprah Winfrey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey)
E. Tyler Lindvall (http://etylerlindvall.blogspot.com)
Cormac Mcarthy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy)
Donna Tartt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Tartt)
Donald Barthelme (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Barthelme)
Vladimir Nabokov (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Nabokov)
Jeffrey Eugenides (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Eugenides)
John Updike (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Updike)
Hugh/Helen Steeply (http://infinitesummer.org/characters)
Remy Marathe (http://infinitesummer.org/characters)
Elena Ferrante (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Ferrante)
Howard Stern (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Stern)
Wallace Stevens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Stevens)
Kevin Christy
Nick Youssef
Oct 27, 2015
Oct 27, 2015
55 min
In this episode, we spend most of the show discussing James Ponsoldt's film "The End of the Tour." If you have not seen the movie yet, there are spoilers of a sort.
Show Notes
(00:00) - Intro
(00:30) - End of the Tour (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_end_of_the_tour_2015/)
(02:39) - James Ponsoldt
(04:20) - Jason Segel’s Performance
(07:42) - Faithfulness to The Book
(08:00) - David Lipsky
(09:54) - Jesse Eisenberg’s Performance
(10:53) - Lipsky and Wallace’s Relationship
(13:33) - The Facade of Fame vs. Authenticity
(15:00) - Success, Fulfillment, and Happiness
(17:25) - Today’s Relevance
(19:30) - Self-Promotion in Writing
(22:00) - Should It Exist (http://biblioklept.org/2013/12/13/although-of-course-you-end-up-riffing-obliquely-on-how-a-david-foster-wallace-road-trip-movie-is-a-terrible-idea/)
(23:47) - The Denunciation from Wallace’s Estate
(24:52) - “Saint” Dave
(28:39) - Wallace’s Portrayal Too Happy/Sad?
(36:45) - DFW’s Cultural Relevance
(37:26) - Other Adaptations
(41:30) - The Novel’s Cultural Relevance
(43:19) - 20th Anniversary of Infinite Jest
(46:49) - Wallace and Feminism
(48:08) - Final Thoughts on The Movie
(51:37) - The Director James Ponsoldt
(54:44) - Outro
People Mentioned
David Foster Wallace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace)
David Lipsky (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lipsky)
James Ponsoldt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ponsoldt)
Jason Segel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Segel)
Jesse Eisenberg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Eisenberg)
Don DeLillo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_DeLillo)
Cormac McCarthy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy)
Thomas Pynchon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon)
Edwin Turner (Biblioklept) (https://twitter.com/biblioklept)
Brian Eno (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Eno)
Bonnie Nadell
D.T. Max (http://dtmax.com)
Michael Schur (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Schur)
John Krasinski (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Krasinski)
Chris Ayers (Poor Yorick Ent.) (http://pooryorickentertainment.tumblr.com)
Mary K. Holland (https://faculty.newpaltz.edu/maryholland/index.php/cv/)
Robyn O’Neil (robynoneil.com)
Parquet Courts (https://parquetcourts.wordpress.com)
Oct 9, 2015
Oct 9, 2015
40 min
Show Notes
(00:00) - Intro
(01:08) - Matt’s Background
(01:10) - wallace-l
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon)
(01:55) - Howling Fantods (http://www.thehowlingfantods.com/dfw/)
(02:50) - Thomas Pynchon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon)
(05:04) - Sideshow Media Group (http://sideshowmediagroup.com)
(05:12) - Elegant Complexity (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1655890.Elegant_Complexity)
(05:12) - Nature’s Nightmare (http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Nightmare-Analyzing-Wallaces-Oblivion/dp/098893051X/)
(13:02) - Academic Papers
(14:21) - Dave’s Background
(14:55) - The Ogopogo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogopogo)
(15:10) - Infinite Jest/Molly Notkin/Joelle van Dyne
(17.30) - Roberto Bolano (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Bolaño)
(18:51) - Don DeLillo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_DeLillo)
(20:00) - Chris Adrian/McSweeney’s
(http://www.mcsweeneys.net)
(21:45) - Cormac McCarthy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy)
(24:00) - The Pale King/ Chris Fogel
(26:48) - Jonathan Lethem (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Lethem)
(29:34) - First Annual DFW conference
(36:48) - Special Thanks
People Mentioned
David Foster Wallace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace)
Nick Maniatis (https://twitter.com/nick_maniatis)
Thomas Pynchon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon)
John Bucher (http://johnbucher.org/)
Greg Carlisle (http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Nightmare-Analyzing-Wallaces-Oblivion/dp/098893051X/)
David Hering (http://www.amazon.com/Consider-David-Foster-Wallace-Critical/dp/0976146576/)
Cormac Mcarthy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy)
Don DeLillo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_DeLillo)
Roberto Bolano (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Bolaño)
Jonathan Franzen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Franzen)
George Saunders (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Saunders)
Jeffrey Eugenides
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Eugenides)
William T. Vollmann (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_T._Vollmann)
Rick Moody (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Moody)
Chris Adrian (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Adrian)
Adam Levin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Levin)
Beth Nugent (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Nugent)
Larry McCaffery (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_McCaffery)
Jonathan Lethem (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Lethem)
William Faulkner (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner)
John Updike (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Updike)