Two Month Review

Latest Episodes:

TMR 14.6: "A Strolling Game of Pocket Billiards" [J R] Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

Chad and Brian go it alone this week, and prove that even the most claustrophobic sections (trigger warning for anyone who grew up with hoarders) of J R are also riotously funny. They also don't understand money or business, but no one else in the book seems to either . . . There's also a lot of talk about Gibbs's footwear issues.

This week's music is "Laugh Track" by Ben Hopkins, one of the greatest songs of 2020.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the next episode on Wednesday, January 27th where you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments, or correct inaccurate statements. Here's where you can find the complete reading schedule.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 14.5: "Eagle Mills Employees' Glee Club" [J R] Jan 18, 2021

Show notes

Rodrigo Fresan (The Dreamed Part) joins Chad and Brian to talk about one of his favorite authors and books. There's good banter, some insight into J R, tell a (false) story about Fire the Bastards!, and generally try and entertain you.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the next episode on Wednesday, January 20th where you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments, or correct inaccurate statements. Here's where you can find the complete reading schedule.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 14.4: "Who Made the Rules" [J R] Jan 08, 2021

Show notes

Ryan Chapman (Riots I Have Known) joins Chad and Brian to crap on Jonathan Franzen's "famous" "essay" about Gaddis, "Mr. Difficult." They also talk about the casual sexism present in so many of the male characters, the parallels and reversals connecting various scenes, just how funny and readable this book is, and the relationships between kids and adults in J R.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the next episode on Wednesday, January 13th where you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments, or correct inaccurate statements. Here's where you can find the complete reading schedule.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 14.3: "Stamp Out Smut" [J R] Jan 05, 2021

Show notes

Vince Francone made his TMR debut on this episode about one of the funniest sections of J R to date. They talk about the dirty photos, how the book isn't as challenging as its reputation indicates, the maybe incest scene, shitting in a piano, and much more.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the next episode on Wednesday, January 6th where you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments, or correct inaccurate statements. Here's where you can find the complete reading schedule.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions.

AND, be sure to order Vince's books, The Soft Lunacy and Like a Dog: A Memoir.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 14.2: "How to Make Big Profits Overseas" [J R] Dec 24, 2020

Show notes

First time Gaddis reader Elizabeth DeMeo from Tin House joins Chad and Brian to talk about J R's field trip to the New York Stock Exchange where his class buys a share of Diamond Cable stock. In addition to recapping this somewhat chaotic segment—just imagine twelve sixth graders loose in NYC—they talk about Gaddis's style, what he had to say about the process of writing a book, the Rick Moody introduction to the Dalkey edition, ideas about what exactly makes this book "difficult," and much more.

This week's music is "Money, Money, Money" by ABBA.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the next episode on Wednesday, December 30th where you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments, or correct inaccurate statements. Here's where you can find the complete reading schedule.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 14.1: "Money?" [J R] Dec 20, 2020

Show notes

Chad, Mauro Javier Cardenas (Aphasia), and NYRB publisher Edwin Frank kick off season 14 by talking about entropy, Gaddis's humor, how best to approach reading this book (fast and out of control), the little plot hints that are left to figure out, the lack of interiority in J R and how he develops characters and voice, and much more. It's a great time, a good introduction for anyone approaching the novel for the first time, and includes some random publishing gossip and a lament for proofreaders.

This week's music is "Entropy" by El Ten Eleven.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the next episode on Wednesday, December 23rd where you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments, or correct inaccurate statements. Here's where you can find the complete reading schedule.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 13.12: "Time, Science Fiction, Heaven & Hell" [ADA, OR ARDOR] Dec 04, 2020

Show notes

This is a bonus episode in which Chad and Brian talk about three different essays on Ada, two boring ones by academic males, and an incredible chapter from Azar Nafisi's That Other World. There is good banter, a lot of jokes, and a true appreciation for this novel. Plus, Chad throws down a very unpopular hot take at the end while teeing up next season's book.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch the kick off of Season 14 on Wednesday, December 16th at 3pm where you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments, or correct inaccurate statements.

And be sure to get in touch if you'd like to be a guest on Season 14 featuring J R by William Gaddis.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 13.11: "Instantogram" [ADA, OR ARDOR] Nov 29, 2020

Show notes

After a bit of business banter about publishing mergers and the future of books, Chad and Brian break down the final two parts of Ada, or Ardor, debating the purpose of the book as a whole, whether the ending "works," the unreliable unreliableness of Van Veen, and much more. On next week's episode, they'll talk about three essays on Ada: "Nabokov's Ada and the Texture of Time" by Dwight A. Yates, "Nabokov's Ada as Science Fiction" by Roy Arthur Swanson, and the "Heaven and Hell" chapter from Azar Nafisi's That Other World.

This week's music is "Spring by Summer Fall" by Blonde Redhead.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch episode 12 live on Wednesday, December 2nd at 3pm where you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments, or correct inaccurate statements.

And be sure to get in touch if you'd like to be a guest on Season 14 featuring J R by William Gaddis.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 13.10: "Madhouse Babble" [ADA, OR ARDOR] Nov 26, 2020

Show notes

As Chad and Brian finish part III of Ada, or Ardor, they talk about Ada and Van's reunion, the passage of time within this book, moustaches, who knows what about whom, and much more.

This week's music is "Endless Night" by Holy Motors.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch episode 11 live on Friday, November 27th at 3pm where you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments, or correct inaccurate statements.

And be sure to get in touch if you'd like to be a guest on this season (or the next, which is on J R by William Gaddis), or if you have any critical articles on Ada that you think we should read.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

TMR 13.9: "Pale Fire with Tom Cox Up" [ADA, OR ARDOR] Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

Following a long discussion about what actually happens on this podcast (spoiler: definitely not critical analysis), Chad and Brian dive into Part III of Ada, or Ardor, asking what the point of whole book is, what type of fragmented postmodernism Nabokov is playing with, the passage of time and action in this novel, and the varied responses to Ada's cinematic appearance. There's also a couple deaths, a lot of talk about the philosophy of time, and a number of goofy jokes.

This week's music is "Bamboo" by Monster Rally.

If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. You can watch episode 10 live next Wednesday where you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions, make comments, or correct inaccurate statements.

And be sure to get in touch if you'd like to be a guest on this season (or the next, which is on J R by William Gaddis), or if you have any critical articles on Ada that you think we should read.

Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions.

You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

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