October 13th, 2014 / 11:49 am
Author Spotlight & Mean

MEAN MONDAYS: THIS, THE AGE OF CRUMBS

toasted-bread-crumbs   Hey, does anybody remember when Sam Pink did the ‘other people’ podcast where the interviewer asked a series of really vapid questions and made each answer about himself by ‘relating’ with an anecdotal story even though his anecdots were less interesting than the lumber aisle at home depot.

Then, after an extended period of extreme awkwardness, asked the most undignified, shameless question ever to be asked in any interview:  ‘do you like me?’

Wasn’t that, like, totes, the most hilarious/fucking tragically pathetic moment in the last 5 years of human interaction or what.

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47 Comments

  1. M. Kitchell—

      i thought that was just basically what happens on every other people podcast

  2. ĴɎĦ—

      You shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you.

  3. Scott McClanahan—

      HAH

  4. blah—

      Other People is gallingly bad. Listi obviously never reads anyone’s shit, and as a result, his interviews are 100% generic pre-fab padding–––”So where did you grow up?”

      Listen to a Brad Listi and a Michael Silverblatt interview back-to-back–––the contrast is stunning.

  5. Jeffrey Daniel Hoiland—

      yes

  6. jereme_dean—

      oh yeah, the show, in general, is terrible. i think there’s some cultural importance in the sam pink interview though. specifically, about the ‘do you like me’ question.

  7. Aya—

      I think Brad Listi’s heavily influenced by Howard Stern. I don’t know if it’s just me, but at times, he sounds exactly like Stern, or sounds like he’s trying to sound like Stern, I don’t know.

      But I like him. I like how awkward he is. He’s super awkward, but it TOTALLY works. I don’t give a shit about most of the writers he talks to. His show should be called “the Brad Listi Show.” He’s a STAR. <3

      He repeats his stories, too. Like, I remember this one story about cocaine he told a whole bunch of times. I don't know, but it's super cute. Brad Listi's a sweetheart. He's fricken' adorable. He should keep doing his thing. <333

  8. E.A. Beeson—

      Home Depot Lumber Aisle > Alt Lit

  9. MFBomb—

      I love Silverblatt. His voice does seem affected, though, but he’s clearly prepared and passionate about books and writing. It does take a few listens to get used to his voice and those ten-second pauses every other sentence.

  10. jereme_dean—

      Lol, nobody said you had to stop making your show, brad. No need to post under a different name.

  11. deadgod—

      Altladenfreude is icky, but this equation is true.

  12. ĴɎĦ—

      *gematriatically-speaking

  13. davidmmmorton—

      If I remember right this guy tries to be knightly by talking Pink out of ‘poisoning some junkyard dog’. That part in particular told me the Other People guy is no where near Stern. Not even remotely.

  14. bartleby_taco—

      what happened to the taylor post?

      i want the juice

      this place is going to hell anyway

  15. E.A. Beeson—

      You should’ve busted out multilingual puns more often, deadgod. 20/20 hindsight usw.

  16. mimi—

      eight years of german finally pays off – i know what “usw.” means

  17. mimi—

      i want to know too!

      i was planning to reply to jereme’s ADORABLE comment about having had a nervous breakdown doing it

  18. Melissa Broder—

      u guys r crazy. ‘do you like me’ is a great interview question!! it breaks 4th wall

  19. deadgod—

      that 4th wall btwn an interviewee & panic

  20. deadgod—

      JUST GUESSING, but maybe personal hostility unrelieved by anything else to say isn’t on as a blogicle theme. (Accusing a ‘personal essayist’ of putting herself or himself front-stage isn’t actually a criticism of that writer.)

      Still wonder if jereme isn’t a Poevian entertainer.

  21. jereme_dean—
  22. jereme_dean—

      like this:

  23. Joel Kopplin—

      Sphinctour is an amazing thing. Greatest Ministry lineup!

  24. Erik Stinson—

      maybe people who have new yorker stories should grow thicker skin? especially on jokey lit websites?

  25. Rauan Klassnik—

      I believe Jereme Dean was the first contributor axed from HTMLGIANT. and he is the first person to be axed twice! …. probably will be the last contributor to be axed… (except when the guillotine falls on all of us) ……

  26. deadgod—

      primpsicle

  27. deadgod—

      binladenfreude

  28. Adam—
  29. ĴɎĦ—

      I will contribute a physical dollar to keep the site up after the “last” post is posted on the “last” day of posting.

      [Tangent] In what time zone will be the 12am cutoff point?
      [Re-lation] I need to know where to put the dollar.

  30. bartleby_taco—

      i feel like you’re a bully-daddy character out of a dennis cooper novel but you’re actually a person, which rules

  31. mimi—

      Altladenfreude – with a Neutral Facial Expression

  32. mimi—

      manly meatcandy

  33. mimi—

      ima miss U r.

  34. Rauan Klassnik—

      look for me in every bird you see :)

  35. deadgod—

      good catche

  36. E.A. Beeson—

      I know it is not an album, but I want to buy that album

  37. mimi—
  38. Rauan Klassnik—

      heavy stuff!! :)

  39. mimi—

      yes,
      but there also exist birds
      do not lose sight of that
      : )

  40. ZZZZZIPPP—

      SPEAKING OF LOST HTMLGIANT COMMENTERS RAUAN

      WHAT HAPPENED TO PR?

      WHO IS PR?

      WHERE IS PR?

      OTHER PEOPLE FIGURED THIS OUT WELL BEFORE ZZZIPP

      NOW ZZZIPP WANTS THEIR ANSWERS FOR HIMSELF

      ZZZZIPP DOESN’T KNOW VERY MUCH

  41. Rauan Klassnik—

      who is PR ?? not playing. I don’t know either. …. ???

  42. jereme_dean—

      PR == paula bomer.

      who stopped contributing here after, uh, a mysterious accident removed her privileges to post.

      several of her books have been published since and she runs sententia books.

      which shows precious book deals come regardless of htmlg ‘conduct’.

  43. mimi—

      hi ZZZZIPP

  44. Rauan Klassnik—

      thanks!

  45. ZZZZZIPPP—

      HI MIMI

  46. ZZZZZIPPP—

      COOL THANKS JEREME

      ZZZIPP IS GLAD TO KNOW THAT

  47. Kyle Eldridge—

      wish i could listen to this without paying for it, if anyone has a copy, let me know