Episodes
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Alex Schmidt and Michael Swaim, the original Kurt Vonneguys, are back to break down the new nonfiction book 'The Writer's Crusade: Kurt Vonnegut and the Many Lives of Slaughterhouse-Five'! If this isn't nice, what is?
The book is written by Tom Roston, and published by Abrams Books: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/writers-crusade_9781419744891/
Vonneguys news: this is our last episode of this new run. Thank you all so much for re-forming this karass for another round of Vonne-joy.
Enjoy Michael's new show 'Like Razorblade Pie' at Small Beans: https://www.patreon.com/SmallBeans
Enjoy Alex's show 'Secretly Incredibly Fascinating': https://linktr.ee/sifpod
SEGMENTS:
Franken-Time (00:02:35)
Summary Time (00:13:10)
The Meat (00:36:15)
Tom Rosto-grades (01:07:25)
Related Reading (01:10:30)
Vonnegut News (01:17:35)
LINKS for Related Reading:
'The Things They Carried' by Tim O'Brien: https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/nea-big-read/things-they-carried
"Ahab’s gift: Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and the meaning of pain" by Xi Chen: https://hekint.org/2020/06/23/ahabs-gift-herman-melvilles-moby-dick-and-the-meaning-of-pain/
The Autobiography Of Mark Twain: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520267190/autobiography-of-mark-twain-volume-1
LINKS for background about this book:
'Kurt Vonnegut: Letters', edited by Dan Wakefield: https://bookshop.org/books/kurt-vonnegut-letters/9780385343763
Tom Roston's website: https://tomroston.com/
'The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World: The Twin Towers, Windows on the World, and the Rebirth of New York' by Tom Roston: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/most-spectacular-restaurant-in-the-world_9781419737992/
'I Lost it at the Video Store: A Filmmakers' Oral History of a Vanished Era' by Tom Roston: https://books.google.com/books/about/I_Lost_it_at_the_Video_Store.html?id=TpzmsgEACAAJ
Review from Kirkus Reviews: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tom-roston/the-writers-crusade/
Review from Publishers Weekly: https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4197-4489-1
Full spreadsheet of Alex & Michael's "Vonnegrades" plus other grades: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1F2juhwV4ia1MzdQC8krE0yiV9e7rdrpkbMguGL037uo/edit?usp=sharing
Homepage for the Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library: http://kvml.org/
Their next annual 'Night Of Vonnegut' is April 10th, 2022.
Kurt Vonnegut's 100th birthday would've been November 11th, 2022. -
Alex Schmidt and Michael Swaim, the original Kurt Vonneguys, are back to break down the new documentary 'Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck In Time'! If this isn't nice, what is?
The documentary is by co-directors Robert B. Weide and Don Argott. Here's its website and how to watch: https://www.vonnegutmovie.com/
Vonneguys news: we're still returning once more, in 2022, for an episode about 'The Writer's Crusade' by Tom Roston. Find out more about that book here: www.abramsbooks.com/product/writers…_9781419744891/
SEGMENTS:
Franken-Time (00:02:15)
Summary Time (00:26:00)
Highlight Reel (00:37:57)
Vonne-MEH (00:56:30)
The Meat (01:03:55)
Robert B. Weide-grades (01:17:15)
Related Reading (01:22:45)
Vonnegut News (01:35:07)
LINKS for Related Reading:
'Life Itself' documentary: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2382298/
'Meeting People Is Easy' documentary: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0195909/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
'Too Funny To Fail' documentary, streaming on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/movie/too-funny-to-fail-the-life-death-of-the-dana-carvey-show-c6c29995-0c40-4442-aed6-156bd11e2d9e
'The Brothers Vonnegut' by Ginger Strand: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374536534
'The Century Of The Self' documentary series: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432232/
LINKS for background about this documentary:
Library Of America interview with Robert B. Weide: https://www.loa.org/news-and-views/1917-kurt-vonnegut-at-100-with-robert-weide
transcript of the "Why a duck?" scene in 'The Cocoanuts' (1929): https://www.marx-brothers.org/whyaduck/info/movies/scenes/whyaduck.htm
IMDb listings for Robert B. Weide: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004332/?ref_=tt_ov_wr
IMDB listings for Don Argott: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0034531/?ref_=tt_ov_dr
'Kurt Vonnegut: Letters', edited by Dan Wakefield: https://bookshop.org/books/kurt-vonnegut-letters/9780385343763
'The Brothers Vonnegut' by Ginger Strand: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374536534
Review from RogerEbert.com: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kurt-vonnegut-unstuck-in-time-movie-review-2021
Review from Variety: https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/kurt-vonnegut-unstuck-in-time-review-robert-b-weide-1235115093/
Review from NPR: https://www.npr.org/2021/11/17/1056477983/kurt-vonnegut-unstuck-in-time-remains-faithful-to-the-authors-spirit
Review from the Los Angeles Times: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-11-18/review-kurt-vonnegut-unstuck-in-time-robert-b-weide-don-argott -
Missing episodes?
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Alex Schmidt and Michael Swaim, the original Kurt Vonneguys, are back to break down the new 'Slaughterhouse-Five' graphic novel! If this isn't nice, what is?
The graphic novel is by writer Ryan North and artist Albert Monteys. Publisher page: https://shop.boom-studios.com/collections/slaughterhouse-five
Also here's a link to a *VIDEO VERSION* of this podcast episode (it's the same audio, plus some photos of what we're talking about): https://youtu.be/5BghQzkY0iE
Vonneguys news: we're returning once more, in 2022, for a new episode about 'The Writer's Crusade' by Tom Roston. Find out more about that book here: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/writers-crusade_9781419744891/
SEGMENTS:
Franken-Time (00:03:55)
Plot Time (00:24:55)
Kurt Blurt Redux (00:43:45)
Recurring Characters Redux (00:51:45)
Kurt Cameo Redux (00:58:05)
VonneWHAT Redux (01:00:30)
The Meat (01:04:20)
Ryan North and Albert Monteys-grades (01:17:25)
Related Reading (01:21:25)
Vonnegut News (01:26:00)
LINKS for Related Reading:
'Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth' by Chris Ware: https://bookshop.org/books/jimmy-corrigan-the-smartest-kid-on-earth/9780375714542
'Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards' by Jim Ottaviani and Big Time Attic: https://bookshop.org/books/bone-sharps-cowboys-and-thunder-lizards/9780966010664
Quote from Tennessee Williams: https://www.themarginalian.org/2018/07/30/tennessee-williams-love/
'Synedcoche, New York' (2008 movie): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383028/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
LINKS for background about this graphic novel:
ComicsBeat.com interview with Ryan North: https://www.comicsbeat.com/interview-adapting-slaughterhouse-five-with-ryan-north/
Publisher interview with Ryan North and Albert Monteys: https://youtu.be/BU5xv4AhoCc
Article about Albert Monteys leaving 'El Jueves' over censorship: https://www.thelocal.es/20140606/spanish-comic-censored-jueves-king-joke/
Image Comics page for the 'Solid State' graphic novel by Jonathan Coulton, Matt Fraction, and Albert Monteys: https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/solid-state
Vox.com article citing new Dresden statistics: https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/3/31/18287062/slaughterhouse-five-50th-anniversary-kurt-vonnegut
January 2018 'Dinosaur Comics' strip that quotes 'Slaughterhouse-Five': https://qwantz.com/index.php?comic=3236
August 2021 news from Deadline.com on Noah Hawley's adaptation of 'Cat's Cradle': https://deadline.com/2021/08/noah-hawley-cats-cradle-not-moving-forward-at-fx-tca-1234814354/
Review from The AV Club: https://www.avclub.com/slaughterhouse-five-is-a-near-flawless-adaptation-that-1845419158
Review from Polygon: https://www.polygon.com/comics/2020/9/15/21438090/slaughterhouse-five-comic-graphic-novel-kurt-vonnegut-ryan-north-albert-monteys
Review from MonkeysFightingRobots.co: https://monkeysfightingrobots.co/review-slaughterhouse-five-is-a-perfect-graphic-novel-adaptation/
LINK to a Google Sheet with all of Alex and Michael's past Vonnegrades: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1F2juhwV4ia1MzdQC8krE0yiV9e7rdrpkbMguGL037uo/edit?usp=sharing -
Franken-Time (00:01:20)
Essay Time (00:04:25)
VonneART (00:05:10)
Ad Time (00:40:25)
Kurt Blurt (00:54:05)
Recurring Characters Update (01:09:40)
Kurt Cameo (01:09:55)
VonneWHAT (01:10:15)
The Meat (01:13:25)
VonneGRADES (01:18:45)
Related Reading (01:21:25)
Vonnegut News (01:26:25) -
Cosmologut (0:00:50)
Vonne-Interviews (0:07:00)
Kurt Vonnegut reading Mary Ainsworth interview (0:14:45)
Vognettes (0:26:05)
Kurt Blurt (0:59:50)
Recurring Characters Update (1:05:50)
Kurt Cameo (1:06:00)
VonneWHAT (1:06:45)
The Meat (1:09:00)
VonneGRADES (1:15:45)
Related Reading (1:17:20) -
Franken-Time (00:01:10)
Intro Time (00:08:15)
Creative Writing 101 (00:13:45)
Story Time (00:20:45)
Coda Time (01:30:45)
Kurt Blurt (01:40:35)
Recurring Characters Update (01:41:05)
VonneWHAT (01:42:40
VonneGRADES (01:46:45)
Related Reading (01:51:10) -
Plot Time (00:01:00)
Kurt Blurt (00:26:30)
Recurring Characters Update (01:15:20)
Kurt Cameo (01:16:50)
VonneART(01:18:30)
Vonne-Amendments (01:23:00)
VonneWHAT (01:28:10)
The Meat (01:59:40)
VonneGRADES (02:11:20)
Related Reading (02:15:15) -
Franken-Time (00:01:15)
Story Time (00:08:15)
Kurt Blurt (01:19:05)
VonneWHAT (01:37:15)
The Meat (01:48:45)
VonneGRADES (01:50:00)
Related Reading (01:53:00)
Vonnegut News (02:00:10) -
Plot Time (00:02:00)
VonneART (00:09:30)
VonneMATH (00:51:25)
Kurt Blurt (00:55:30)
Kurt Cameo (01:16:10)
Recurring Characters Update (01:17:30)
The Meat (01:20:00)
VonneWHAT (01:28:45)
VonneGRADES (01:40:30)
Related Reading (01:45:25)
Vonnegut News (01:53:50) -
Plot Time (00:00:50)
Kurt Blurt (00:50:30)
Recurring Characters Update (1:28:20)
Kurt Cameo (1:30:00)
VonneWHAT (1:31:15)
The Meat (2:04:15)
Vonnegrades (2:20:30)
Movie Time (2:24:00)
Related Reading (02:32:00)
Vonnegut News (02:45:00)
Related Reading:
Inside Llewyn Davis (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen): http://amzn.to/2ydCHJw
The Hudsucker Proxy (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen): http://amzn.to/2wvP8hD
Mad Men: The Gold Violin (Season 2, Episode 7): https://goo.gl/by3aY9
A Doll's House (Henrik Ibsen): http://amzn.to/2xGX1pm
The Homecoming (Harold Pinter): http://amzn.to/2x8ZebV
Amsterdam (Ian McEwan): http://amzn.to/2x5rH0D
They're Made Of Meat (Terry Bisson): https://goo.gl/9KFq
The Drone King (Kurt Vonnegut): https://goo.gl/2J5g9U -
Related Reading:
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams): http://amzn.to/2wC5jvw
- They're Made Out of Meat (Terry Bisson): https://goo.gl/9KFq
- Kurt Vonnegut in a Discover Card ad: https://goo.gl/fvwyVT
- The Star (Arthur C. Clarke): https://goo.gl/n3ZTPC -
Plot Time (00:01:00)
Kurt Blurt (01:00:20)
Recurring Characters (01:24:10)
The Meat (01:24:50)
VonneWHAT (01:47:00)
Vonnegrades (01:54:50)
Related Reading (01:57:20)
Vonnegut News (02:09:20) -
Plot Time (00:01:00)
The Meat (01:04:00)
Kurt Cameo (01:19:45)
Recurring Characters Update (01:24:20)
Kurt Vonnafoods (01:27:40)
Kurt Blurt (01:35:40)
VonneWHAT (01:50:30)
Vonnegrades (01:53:50)
Related Reading (01:56:30)
Vonnegut News (02:03:00)
Related Reading:
Novel: Thomas Wolfe: Look Homeward, Angel: http://amzn.to/2uYaYh2
Poetry Collection: The Best of Ogden Nash: http://amzn.to/2eOd6l6
TV: Better Call Saul: https://goo.gl/ygKTO9
Book: James Thurber: The Last Flower: http://amzn.to/2vJi1rD
Comic: Dan Harmon: La Cosa Nostroid: http://amzn.to/2eOkBbu
Original Cast Recording: God Bless You Mr. Rosewater: http://amzn.to/2h3O2Hg -
Franken-Time! (00:03:00)
Story Time! (00:05:30)
Kurt Blurt! (00:50:10)
VonneART! (01:00:50)
VonneWHAT!? (01:10:45)
Vonnegrades! (01:30:15)
Related Reading (01:14:40)
Vonnefriends! (01:18:00)
Related Reading:
Article: io9: The Universal Shapes of Stories, According to Kurt Vonnegut: https://goo.gl/q2jpzc
Full Text: Mark Twain: Life on the Mississippi: https://goo.gl/EcTo40
Book: Dave Eggers: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius: https://goo.gl/C5EodB
Book: Stephen King: On Writing: https://goo.gl/U6bsLg
Book: Harlan Ellison: The Other Glass Teat: https://goo.gl/W5yWbk -
Plot Time! (00:02:30)
Kurt Blurt! (01:17:00)
The Meat! (01:31:15)
Recurring Characters Update! (01:42:10)
Kurt Cameo! (01:45:50)
VonneWHAT! (01:46:50)
Vonnegrades! (01:56:20)
Movie Time! (2:00:50)
Music Time! (2:15:50)
Related Reading! (02:24:30)
Related Reading:
Short Story: Guy De Maupassant: The Necklace: https://goo.gl/Upnq
Book: Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man: https://goo.gl/GHHXQs
Play: Tony Kushner: Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: https://goo.gl/vLVKdn
Short Story: George Saunders: Escape from Spiderhead: https://goo.gl/I0ek3q
Graphic Novel: Alan Moore, David Lloyd: V for Vendetta: https://goo.gl/E1FRQ3
Book: Neil Gaiman: American Gods: https://goo.gl/Wx2GiC -
Plot Time! (00:40)
Kurt Blurt! (01:14:15)
VonneArt! (01:31:30)
Recurring Characters Update! (01:34:25)
Kurt Cameo! (01:37:45)
VonneWHAT! (01:38:35)
Movie Time! (01:45:45)
The Meat! (01:55:00)
Vonnegrades! (02:05:15)
Related Reading! (02:07:55)
Vonnegut News! (02:16:25)
Related Reading:
Book: Theodore Sturgeon: More Than Human: https://goo.gl/sfv6NG
Short Story: Harlan Ellison: In Fear of K (in Strange Wine): https://goo.gl/Jm2dfP
Book: Ray Bradbury: Something Wicked This Way Comes: https://goo.gl/n8h6HI
Short Story: HP Lovecraft: The Outsider: https://goo.gl/86RReb
Song: Frank Zappa: Bobby Brown Goes Down: https://goo.gl/OxOMAv -
Segments:
Story/Essay Time (00:00:30)
Kurt Blurt (01:19:30)
VonneWHAT (01:27:00)
Kurt Blurt, Part II (01:34:30)
The Meat (01:44:30)
VonneGRADES (01:45:40)
Related Reading (01:47:30)
Kurt Vonnegut's Personal Library of Related Recommended Things For You to Read (01:52:10)
Vonnegut News (01:59:20)
Related Reading:
Book: Sherman Alexie:The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian: https://goo.gl/prPzP4
Speech: Mary Schmich: Wear Sunscreen: https://goo.gl/zs12n
Speech: David Foster Wallace: This is Water: https://goo.gl/XMEqj
Kurt Vonnegut's Reccomendations:
Full Text: Edgar Lee Masters: Spoon River Anthology: https://goo.gl/qBpVMv
Book: USA (The 42nd Parallel, 1919, The Big Money): John Dos Passos: https://goo.gl/ofoFOi
Full Text: Gustave Flaubert: Madame Bovary: https://goo.gl/JthcXb
Full Text: King Henry VI, Pt III: https://goo.gl/5SlCET
Book: Hunter S. Thompson: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: https://goo.gl/bWvTDN -
Plot Time! (02:00)
Kurt Blurt! (1:14:00)
Recurring Characters Update! (1:36:00)
Kurt Cameo! (1:38:30)
Related Reading! (1:39:15)
VonneWHATMEAT! (1:49:45)
Vonnegrades! (2:14:45)
Movie Time! (2:17:22)
Vonnegut News! (2:32:30)
Related Reading:
Short Story: Ray Bradbury: "The Earthmen" (part of The Martian Chronicles): https://goo.gl/uA719G
Video: Connections: https://goo.gl/vixNYh
Book: Ken Kesey: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: https://goo.gl/T2KOkT
Book: Jonathan Safran Foer: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: https://goo.gl/HYl3ig
Book: Mark Twain: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: https://goo.gl/jdpYMe
Short Story: Harlan Ellison: The Region Between: https://goo.gl/57J4i9
Short Story: Michael Swaim: And It Goes Like This (A Fable): https://goo.gl/o5RZ8r
Podcast: Revisionist History: The Satire Paradox: https://goo.gl/h7759e
Take the Duke University Vonnegut Study: tinyurl.com/sciencevonneguys -
Plot Time! (02:10)
Fortitude Time! (01:01:20)
Christmas Time! (01:12:20)
Kurt Blurt! (01:18:50)
Recurring Characters Update! (01:47:00)
Kurt Cameo! (01:48:20)
VonneWHAT! (01:50:00)
The Meat! (01:58:15)
Vonnegrades! (02:04:30)
Drama Time! (02:09:30)
Related Reading! (02:21:30)
Vonnegut News! (02:32:30)
Related Reading:
Podcast: Revisionist History: The Satire Paradox: https://goo.gl/h7759e
Film: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: https://goo.gl/1hi4nI
Film: O Brother, Where Art Thou?: https://goo.gl/pexMGk
Film: Sullivan's Travels: https://goo.gl/XdLINd
Play: Suzan-Lori Parks: 'The Last Living Black Man in the Whole Entire World' & 'The America Play' (which Michael calls 'The Death of Abraham Lincoln'): https://goo.gl/LfeX6N
The Neo-Futurists: https://goo.gl/87I0K3
Song: Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer: Cat-Eye Willie Claims His Lover: https://goo.gl/LdE5Bg
Short Story: Ray Bradbury: The Kilimanjaro Device: https://goo.gl/YaUH2K
Article: The National Law Review: Illinois Federal Judge Awards Treble Damages and Attorney's Fees in Kurt Vonnegut-Fueled Opinion: https://goo.gl/RqY6YY -
In this special bonus Vonne-chat, Alex and Michael are joined by Marc Leeds, author of The Vonnegut Encyclopedia. They discuss what it's like being a character in one of Kurt's novels, whether his books are truly a shared universe and how Marc compiled his nearly 800 page tome, an A-Z database of Vonnegut characters, settings and themes.
Related Reading:
The Vonnegut Encyclopedia: https://goo.gl/J7HN1E
Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library: Marc Leeds Bio: https://goo.gl/VO7VAp
The Daily Vonnegut: Interview with Marc Leeds: https://goo.gl/Mqkus4 - Show more
