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Ed and John are getting ready to head to LA for the joys and horrors of AWP. But first, they sit down for a chat about parental permissiveness, workout criticism, synonyms for "walk," problematic Kansas poetry, and SoCal eats. Follow links to the Museum of Jurassic Technology, Canter's Deli, Kroll Show's "LA Deli", Under the Rainbow, The Center for Land Use Interpretation, Eggslut, Zankou (again), The Dresden, and Rebecca Hazelton's twitter.
John has finally gotten rid of the skunk, he thinks. Ed's pet goat turns out to be a human child. They talk about the death of the era of internet doodad chat, Rhian's grease refuse recollection, recently ingested tasty pizzas, and how to organize a collection of literary artifacts. Follow links to How to Approach and Release a Skunk, Fredonia, NY's P*Dubs, Andrea Hovet's misguided P*Dubs review, Enuff Z'nuff, chicken reviews, Portland's Hogan's Goat Pizza (which contains no goat), and Chicago's Girl and the Goat.
Ed and John are joined by former ice cream maker Alice Bolin for this Very Special Episode about old cars, angry towns, truck stops, waiting in line, Italian sexual-harrassing cousins, and the continuity errors of Scooby-Doo and its progeny. Follow links to Jahalha's Justin Beiber [sic] poem, the Rainbow Bagel, The Onion on grad students, KISS pinball, Gus's not-recommended jerky, Web of the Dreamweaver!, and Ithaca's The Rook, featuring duck nuggets, duck fat Chex mix, and duck cracklin' crostini.
John has suffered a Skunk Incident and Ed is trying to remember how to be a writer. They talk about pop stars' DIY reality shows, eyebrows, how much time it takes to ranch, the joy of unmarked pastries, beets that are actually pig blood, and a five-minute poetry anthology. Follow links to Hall & Oates, Jack Ryan's Wildlife Removal, Catherine LaSota on Burning Man, Glendale Farm grape juice, Vanilla Ice goes Amish, Patisserie Claude, Teo Bun Bo Hue, My Brother's Crawfish, Good Taste Noodle House, Black Wings Has My Angel, Flings, Mislaid, The Undiscovered Room, All Of It Singing, and "Skunk Hour."
Another new year, another new patriotic action on so-called "government" land. Ed and John discuss their efforts to liberate America from America, and also revision again, goose jerky, podcasting on horseback, The Force Awakens, novelizing and poemizing, and the origins of ketchup. Follow links to podcasts for writers, John Linnell's "Oregon," the Montana Freemen, machete order, the E.T. novelization by William Kotzwinkle, other good novelizations, La Moule, and Stammtisch.
John's depressed, Ed realizes he is trashy, and the two discuss what Flavor Flav owes Johnny Cash, getting stabbed to death, lit fun in Miami, winter dining habits, and meeting Paul Giamatti at three in the morning. Follow links to Heavenly Creatures, The Onion on Biden, indie rockers The Laughing Hyenas, the Bali Cafe, The Corner, and books by Michael Clune, Kevin Brockmeier (sorry if we've already talked about this one), the other Adam Phillips, Angela Flournoy, and Frenchy Brouillette.
Ed and John talk about literary readings again, but also the political campaign, pro wrestling and funerals, puppetry, beards, and potty training. Follow links to Dilfield, Silent Reading Party, The Brockport Writers' Forum, twopoems by Frank Lima, Bad Lip Reading's Democratic Debate, Axelrod interviews Romney, and the weird presidencies of Grover Cleveland.
Ed and John take a post-Halloween breather to discuss Billy Joel, Portland's penchant for naming businesses after other kinds of businesses, the foods of West Philly, potty training, writer parties, and getting rid of books. Follow links to Joel's All for Leyna, Matter of Trust, interview with Alec Baldwin, and Moscow freak-out; also Philadelphia's Ramen Bar and Federal Donuts.
What's this? Ed and John are back? In this rather truncated episode, they discuss guns, the scoundrel Cal Ripken, the arrival of the lunchman, pop singers, and eating at a golf course. Follow links to the University of Iowa Shooting, Jo Ann Beard's essays, Alice Bolin on Britney Spears, Miley's tongue slide, Ohana Hawaiian Cafe, Sayler's Old Country Kitchen, Killer Burger, and the Rose City Golf Course.
This episode is boring, but luckily, it is also long. After endlessly droning on about mailboxes and childcare, Ed and John mercilessly pivot into panic attacks, how Johnny Cash almost died, and the awfulness of Bill Cosby; then they finish strong with patty melts, grilled scallions, and other grillable delights. Follow links to Nicole Cliffe's burger recpie (it's all about the cumin), the Pilot Rock charcoal grill, The Sweethome's charcoal roundup, cebollitas, and grilling brussels sprouts.
John has quit his book group over dirty teacups, and Ed is spending most of his time at the zoo. Nevertheless they manage to find things to say about the most respected profession, a very special subgenre of metal, the pleasures of Queens, and whether they or their friends are narcissists. Follow links to the narcissist quiz, the big quake, Mac Sabbath, the Noguchi Museum, Louis Armstrong House, the LIC Reading Series, and Luis J. Rodriguez's Always Running.
It's Father's Day, and Ed is wondering when he'll go to the movies again. He and John discuss how the ninteen-seventies have influenced them, whether it is possible to like both Ferrante and Knausgaard, the similarities between a list of poems and a list of snacks, and the unhinged horribleness of the present-day Lucky Charms elf, who is no longer played by Cormac McCarthy. Follow links to Ed's list, Elissa's list, Novel Gothic, Grizzly BT Regular, "The Cowboy Outlaw", The Gift of Stones, and Truckstop Honeymoon.
Ed's bored in the suburbs but is preparing to enjoy parades on the land, sea, and air. John has had a traumatic experience at the post office. Nevertheless, they manage to talk about the rappers of upstate New York, propose a reality show in which Arnold Schwartzenegger visits fruit festivals, sample kava, and debate the laws governing pool-noodle ownership. Follow links to the internet troll who shall not be named, Videodrome, Scanners, PickYourOwn.org, Whoop-Up Trail Days in Conrad, MT, "Sick" by Crying, and Sammus.
Ed is lost and alone in the sub-suburban wilds of Vancouver, and John is slightly less anxious than he used to be in his clean house. They hold forth on the pleasures of summer, fear of foreign travel, the names of babies and old women, sheriffs on horses, and bringing a toddler into a cave and turning out the lights. Follow links to the Catacombe dei Cappuccini, the Wahl Peanut, Nong's Khao Man Gai, F. Scott Fitzgerald's "May Day", the Chateau at the Oregon Caves, Molly Laich's essay for Okey-Panky, and the News-Miner's Public Safety Report.
Ed has moved into the Reflections in the Park apartment complex, and John's AWP cold is gone, so it's time to talk about John's Armenian Pastry Shop dream, Lincoln Michel's misremembered shaggy dog joke, reheating french fries with steam, Nell Carter, repeating yourself, cheese disappointment, and erotic feelings for the waitress on the cover of Supertramp's "Breakfast in America." Follow links to Gimme A Break, Gregory Pardlo's "Written by Himself", The Walrus and the Carpenter, Borough, James Hannaham's first novel, Big City Rhythm and Blues Magazine, Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater, Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory", and Murder by Death.
"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt": circular silliness, or lynching allegory? Ed and John try to decide in this episode that also features an abortive zoo trip, a missing bacon web page, New York eateries, a movie of a novel, contorted mannequins, and sending grandma's collector spoons to India. Follow links to G. K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, Jason Miller's Down Don't Bother Me, James Hannaham's Delicious Foods, Stephen King's war with the governor of Maine, Waffle Town, The Original Hotcake House, Winter in the Blood, Scan Cafe, Russ and Daughters, Carbone, and the Chatterbox.
It's been a long three weeks of leaky roofs and pinkeye, but Ed and John are back to talk about vaporwave music, makin' a livin', fried chicken, marriage patois, brewpubs, and Ed's dreamlike reading before the Seattle village elders. Follow links to Laurel Lathrop's Billfold essay, Free Design's "Kites Are Fun", vaporwave, "Hologram" by Disconscious, Duck Island Ale House, Willa Mae's, Bandwagon Brewpub on the Ithaca Voice, the Dirty Skoog IPA, Ed's Antonioni talk, and Ed's City Council appearance.
Ed's wide awake for a change, and he and John discuss Spotify, why people don't say what they want, pop album nomenclature, popcorn preparation methods, and what trains should and shouldn't do in songs. Follow links to Matthew Wilder's webpage and interview with Dick Clark, the Chicago discography, the tontine, and coconut oil.
John and his friend Skoog 2.0 enjoy a rambling conversation about the dreams of editors, passive-aggressive greeting cards, leftovers, cornbread with buttermilk, herbal tea, and knife lore. Follow links to the Doves Type, Yogi Egyptian Licorice Mint tea, Bar Keepers Friend, the Skoog, the Sleeping Tapes, Lou Beach, Everyday Carry, the Northwoods Indian River Jack, and the 2015 Chewbacchus parade.
Ed is back from Minnesota and is looking for information about the conclusion of the Super Bowl. John is trying to start a commonplace book and has solved the problem of work meetings. They discuss highly organized murder, Rachel Cusk, midwestern cuisine, quoting writers in conversation, and free ebooks. Follow links to Mickey's Diner, Midwest Menus Dot Com, Abbott Awaits, Outline, the execution at Mankato, the genocide beer tray, Gulliver's Travels, gamesmanship, and John's decontextualized meeting notes.