Pod

On this episode, the writer, chemist, and documentarian Hamilton Morris talks with Apology founder and editor Jesse Pearson about the three P's: peyote, Pynchon, and Philip K. Dick.

The songwriter, musician, writer, and artist Bill Callahan speaks about many bookish and non-bookish topics including the brilliance of the writer Barry Hannah, Bill’s codebreaker parents, DC hardcore heroes Void, dropping out of college to focus on music, the Scottish writer James Kelman, Studs Terkels’s oral histories, the dogged grind of songwriting, the brilliance of Emily Dickinson, and way more.

The writer, dancer, filmmaker (and more) Brontez Purnell talks about writing his excellent new novel 100 Boyfriends, Maya Deren as the secret progenitor of TikTok, LA queer punk legend Sean deLear, and Sylvia Plath’s science fiction… and all that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Stephen Malkmus of Pavement, the Jicks, and Stephen Malkmus talking with Apology's Jesse Pearson about things like reading in the bath, '90s New York scum rock, and the time he met Denis Johnson in Den Haag at 5 AM.

The poet Eileen Myles speaks about magical fiction, pathetic literature, and their dog Honey's wild adventures.

The rapper Despot talks about his Queens youth, lots of mystical and magical sci-fi books, backpack rap, DMT, general doom 'n gloom, and a lot more.

The professional skateboarder, artist, and apparel designer Jerry Hsu talks about being the child of Taiwanese immigrants, getting popsicled by his board, his artistic process — and also about some books.

The psychoanalyst, writer, and teacher Jamieson Webster talks about life during Covid-19, anxiety, depression, Freud, Lacan, incest, and more. Please note that this episode includes graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.

The musician and writer Ian Svenonius talks about the death of reading, time travel, and why writers should be imprisoned. Also a lot of other things are said.

The screenwriter and artist Lesley Arfin talks about topics such as dystopian sci-fi, her path to professional writing, and our two-person cult of Donna Tartt.

The writer and former punk singer Sam McPheeters talks about hardcore, Toni Morrison, Victorian-age explorers, George Washington, his hatred of poetry, and lots more including, of course, the Cro-Mags.

The poet and teacher Elaine Kahn talks about her concept of "peripheral consciousness;" how teaching poetry has informed her relationship with language; Alfred, Lord Tennyson; and more. Plus, bonus, she reads a couple poems.

The musician, writer, actor, husband, father, brother, son, and friend Will Oldham talks about a wide range of topics including (but not limited to) the pleasures of libraries, some of his favorite literature when he was a kid, and his unique opinions on poetry.