BRAD LISTI WAS HERE

BROOKLYN BASED LISTS 'OTHER PEOPLE' AMONG ITS '10 BEST PODCASTS FOR WRITERS

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 12:59:00 -0400

Good news! Brooklyn Based has listed Other People among its 10 Best Podcasts for Writers, calling it “a fantastic interview show and probably the best-curated book-centric talk show out there.” (Subscribe for free at iTunes.)

Huge thanks to Jon Reiss and the folks at Brooklyn Based for the kind support. Here’s the full write-up:

In one of the early episodes of Other People, Nervous Breakdown founder Brad Listi articulates a kind of mission statement for his podcast, something to the tune if him wanting to chat with other writers in order to figure out why on earth they’d want to get into this harrowing and often soul-crushing line of work (see advice from my college professor, above). In practice, Other People is a fantastic interview show and probably the best-curated book-centric talk show out there. Listi interviews some non-fiction writers like Inside Scientology author Janet Reitman, but focuses mainly on the most interesting fiction writers in today’s literary climate—often the more, edgy, dark and esoteric of the bunch, such as Dennis Cooper, Blake Butler, Vanessa Vesekla and Joshua Mohr. In short, Listi has really good taste and an earnest interviewing style that feels more accessible than an interview from, say, The New Yorker Fiction Podcast.

FILMMAKER MAGAZINE LISTS OTHER PEOPLE IN 'THE SUPER 8'

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:35:57 -0500

Good news! Filmmaker magazine has included Other People in its Winter 2012 ‘Super 8’ list! (Thanks to Scott Macaulay and everyone over at Filmmaker!)

Here’s the write-up:

With Claire Bidwell Smith at her book launch at Book Soup in...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:08:00 -0500

With Claire Bidwell Smith at her book launch at Book Soup in West Hollywood, CA on February 3, 2012.

Claire’s new memoir, The Rules of Inheritance, is now available from Hudson Street Press.

You can listen to the two of us in conversation on Episode 41 of Other People.

FULL STOP COMMENTS ON EPISODE 37

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:05:21 -0500

Full Stop magazine has written about the podcast:

In the past week I came across two rather disparate author reactions to their fans. Strangely enough, the “nice guy” writes books that focus on, in his words, “a preoccupation with the invasive nature of violence in our lives.” The not-so-nice guy is a children’s book author. It all started with Brad Listi’s brilliant “Other People” podcast, specifically an interview with Alan Heathcock, author of the critically acclaimed story collection Volt. Alan spoke about his intensive book touring schedule, which lasted from March through November and involved a lot of time away from his wife and kids. When Brad asked if he ever got tired of the touring grind, Alan shared a surprising answer:

To read the rest, just click right here.

THE CONTEXTUAL LIFE OFFERS A ROBUST REVIEW OF OTHER PEOPLE

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:41:05 -0500

Other People has gotten a rave review over at a blog called The Contextual Life. (Thanks to Gabrielle Gantz!)

To read the full review, just click right here.

OTHER PEOPLE IN PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:24:00 -0500

Other People has been written about in Publishers Weekly.

To read the full article, just click right here.

OTHER PEOPLE MAKES MATADOR NETWORK'S LIST OF 21 FAVORITE PODCASTS

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:16:06 -0500

Good news! Other People has made the Matador Network’s list of 21 favorite podcasts.

(Thanks to Kate Sedgwick and the folks at Matador.)

I HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED BY 16-YEAR-OLD BOOK BLOGGER ROBBY AULD

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:17:51 -0500

I’ve been interviewed about Other People and The Nervous Breakdown by 16-year-old book blogger wünderkind Robby Auld.

To read, please click right here.

FICTIONAUT INTERVIEW

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:08:17 -0500

I’ve been interviewed by the fine people over at Fictionaut.

Click right here to read.

-BL

ME AND MY BIG MOUTH INTERVIEW

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:45:24 -0500

I’ve been interviewed by Scott Pack over in the UK.

To read the full interview, just click right here.

RICHARD NASH ON 'OTHER PEOPLE'

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:41:13 -0500

Publishing impresario Richard Nash uwith some kind words for the podcast.

MY YEAR IN READING

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:55:18 -0500

I’ve shared my Year in Reading over at The Millions, a terrific literary site.

-BL

HTML GIANT INTERVIEW

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:01:36 -0500

I’ve been interviewed by Drew Nellins over at HTML Giant.

An excerpt:

Other People with Brad Listi is a twice-weekly author interview show with a unique literary emphasis. Rather than focusing on their books, Listi asks his writer guests to open up about their lives as writers, what’s driving them, how they work, their personal philosophies and their opinions of other writers’ books. Sometimes an episode seems to be about everything except the subject’s latest book. Whatever they talk about, the shows—which typically clock in at just over an hour—are almost always filled with interesting conversation, and Listi has, in just a few months, had a lot of terrific guests, including Blake Butler, Steve Almond, Victoria Patterson, Joshua Mohr, and Dennis Cooper….

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

EPISODE 25 — JOHN WARNER

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:59:00 -0500

Today’s guest is John Warner. He’s the author of four books, most recently a debut novel called The Funny Man, available now from SoHo Press. And he’s also the longtime editor of McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. Publishers Weekly calls The Funny Man “[An] equally sickening and humorous portrait of the celebrity as a delusional man.” And the New York Journal of Books says:

“The Funny Man joins a short list of intelligent, dark comedies about self-loathing main characters whose success is built on the poor taste and/or low IQ of the American public…[the book] puts Warner among the most perceptive and edgy chroniclers of an increasingly coarse American culture.”

This one was fun. Really enjoyed talking with John.

Topics of conversation include: Lake Charles, McSweeney’s, tent revivals, McNeese State, bicycle cops, Robert Olen Butler, John Hughes, Chicago, Dave Eggers, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, South Carolina, church, the phrase “bless your heart,” The Real World, Barry Bonds, living with your parents, the Woody Creek Tavern, Comic Sans, humor writing, and trying to fit your fist in your mouth.

Please remember to subscribe to the show over at iTunes, or at Stitcher. It’s free. Or listen online by clicking right here.

Thanks for listening, everybody. Really appreciate it.

-BL

PS. If you like show, please take a moment to rate and review it on iTunes. (Pretty please?)

EPISODE 24 — CHARLES SHIELDS

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:56:00 -0500

Charles Shields is the guest. He’s the author of And So It Goes — Kurt Vonnegut: A Life, now available in hardcover from Henry Holt. Shields is also the author of Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, also available from Holt.

This is the first authoritative biography of Vonnegut ever written, with Vonnegut himself authorizing the project prior to his death in 2007.

We talk all things Kurt.

Topics of conversation include: Indianapolis, Dresden, Cornell, PTSD, suicide, The Great Depression, family, journalism, WWII, The Battle of the Bulge, Billy Pilgrim, Slaughterhouse Five, Joe Crone, creative burnout, Jill Krementz, Cape Cod, New York City, Sardi’s, divorce, tragedy, self-loathing, and the psychology of meeting famous people.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the show over at iTunes, if you haven’t already done so. It’s free. Or, if you’re a Stitcher person, you can subscribe there, too. (Or click here to listen online.)

Many thanks, & enjoy the show…

-BL

EPISODE 23 — DENNIS COOPER

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:52:00 -0500

Dennis Cooper is the guest. He’s the author of several books, including The Sluts, God Jr., the five novels of the George Miles cycle, and, most recently, The Marbled Swarm, now available from Harper Perennial.

“Disquieting, humbling, and sadly beautiful in the way only Dennis Cooper can be,” raves Patrick deWitt. “The Marbled Swarm is a mystifying and courageous novel that represents [Cooper’s] finest work to date.”

And Booklist says: “Readers unfamiliar with transgressive fiction would do well to brace themselves for what will either be the shock of the unrelentingly different or, perhaps, the shock of recognizing writing that speaks to their souls.”

Dennis is a great guest. We talk about stuff.

Topics of conversation include: Los Angeles, Paris, F Troop, growth spurts, Rimbaud, Sade, vegetarianism, self-publishing, punk, anarchy, school, Ginsberg, Burroughs, England, Little Caesar, blogging, New York, Blake Butler, Art Forum, SPIN, the Pompidou, sex, violence, David Lynch, and porn writing as a creative exercise.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the show over at iTunes, or at Stitcher. It’s free.

Thanks for listening.

-BL

EPISODE 22 — DARIN STRAUSS

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:49:00 -0500

Darin Strauss is today’s guest. He is the author of three novels—Chang & Eng, The Real McCoy, and More Than It Hurts You. And his most recent book is a memoir called Half a Life (McSweeney’s) which won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

The New York Times Book Review calls it “…elegant, painful, [and] stunningly honest.”

And Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, says, “[Half a Life] is a searingly self-disciplined work of literature, and of self-examination…the impact is staggering and unforgettable.”

Plenty to talk about here.

Topics of conversation include: short books, Courier New, guilt, PTSD, the performative aspects of grief, auto-responders, subconscious motives, Dave Eggers, writing slowly, conjoined twins, Philip Roth, emoticons, David Lipsky, gestation periods, and the difference between history and memoir.

Please be sure to subscribe to the show over at iTunes, if you haven’t already done so. It’s free. Or, if you’re a Stitcher person, you can subscribe there, too.

Many thanks, and enjoy the show…

-BL

EPISODE 21 — JANET REITMAN

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:45:00 -0500

Janet Reitman is the guest. She is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine and the author of the bestselling Inside Scientology: The Story of America’s Most Secretive Religion, recently named by the New York Times as one of its 100 Notable Books of 2011.

Inside Scientology originated as a story in Rolling Stone and was nominated for a National Magazine Award.

Reitman’s work has also appeared in GQ, Men’s Journal, The New York Times Magazine, the Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine, and Salon, among other publications. She has also appeared on National Public Radio, Anderson Cooper 360, and Countdown with Keith Olberman. We get into it. A lot to talk about. Topics of conversation include: Scientology (duh), L. Ron Hubbard, science fiction, military service, hucksterism, religion, David Miscavige, Gold Base, yachts, hot pants, blowing, Rolling Stone, investigative reporting, Iraq, Tom Cruise, Jann S. Wenner, and collective shrugs.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the show over at iTunes, if you haven’t done so already. It’s free. Or, if you’re a Stitcher person, you can subscribe there, too.

Thanks, everybody.

-BL

EPISODE 20 — ADAM NOVY

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:42:00 -0500

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

The guest is Adam Novy, author of the debut novel The Avian Gospels, available now from Short Flight / Long Drive Books, an independent press run by the good people over at Hobart.

“The Avian Gospels has the potential to become a cult classic,” says Publishers Weekly.

Adam and I, we talk about stuff.

Topics of conversation include: birds, birding, reviews, science fiction, false summits, agents, independent presses, Brooklyn, religion, Chicago, the Bible, 9/11, dislocation, South Pasadena, bad teachers, weddings, Jewishness, Medusa, privilege, war, semantics, Hamlet, gods, the process of un-fucking a manuscript, and the fear of getting squashed by the universe.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the show over at iTunes, if you haven’t done so already. It’s free. Or, if you’re a Stitcher person, you can subscribe there, too.

Many thanks & enjoy the show…

-BL

INTERVIEW WITH ELECTRIC LITERATURE

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:54:00 -0500

I’ve been interviewed by Electric Literature, which has some really nice things to say about the podcast. Many thanks to Julia Jackson, editor of the Electric Dish.

Here’s the intro to the interview:

A few weeks ago, I first listened to a new literary podcast: Other People with Brad Listi, which I found through Melissa Febos‘ Facebook profile. She was interviewed on it, as well as other people that I admire and am interested in: Victoria Patterson, Megan Boyle, Steve Almond, Emma Straub, and more. While I expected the podcast to be interesting I was blown away, finding it downright enjoyable — and now I’m hooked. In a world full of distractions — where almost everything I encounter is practically begging me not to write — Brad Listi’s podcast has made me hit the pause button on my iTunes, blow off social obligations, and sit my ass down in a chair and write. The show is funny, insightful, entertaining, affirming, and, more than anything — inspiring. It easily one of the best podcasts on the web. Because I am now such a fan I wanted to ask Brad a few questions, and he kindly obliged.

To read the rest, just click right here.