nyrb classics – Three Percent

TMR 14.11: “Hey . . . You Listening?” [J R]

Chad Post — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 16:15:47 +0000

The final episode of the season! First off, Chad and Brian wrap things up, and preview season 15 (Virginie Despentes’s Vernon Subutex trilogy, coming in April!), then talks to Chad about recording the audiobook, how he got into that business in the first place, the challenges of recording a book like this, and much much more.

This week’s music is “” by Ezra Furman.

If you’d prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on along with . (This episode is really fun to watch because Chad’s camera shorted out . . . ) You can 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 and for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

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

You can also support this podcast ��Ի����of Open Letter’s activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the .

The associated with this post is copyrighted by .

TMR 14.10: “Hoppin’ with Flavor!”

Chad Post — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 14:15:51 +0000

Kaija Straumanis joins Chad and Brian this week to talk about toxic masculinity, the genius of the J R audiobook, Bach, “up yours, up mine,” connections to Pynchon, shit & money & the American Dream, and the implosion of J R’s paper empire.

This week’s music is “” by Car Seat Headrest.

Follow and for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

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

You can also support this podcast ��Ի����of Open Letter’s activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the .

The associated with this post is copyrighted by .

TMR 14.9: “J R Shipping Corp”

Chad Post — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 16:16:57 +0000

This week, Sam Rutter and Nick During join Chad for a long, sprawling discussion of J R, of the interesting quote Joy Williams attributes to Gaddis instead of Gibbs, of Gibbs’s knowledge of financial doings, of how great Rhoda is as a character, and so so much more. This is the longest episode to date, but also one of the most fun.

This week’s music is “” by Cheekface.

Follow and for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

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

You can also support this podcast ��Ի����of Open Letter’s activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the .

TMR 14.8: “$$$$$$$$” [J R]

Chad Post — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 18:43:22 +0000

Chad and Brian talk about church parking lots, relationship entropy, millionaires, corporate logos (“Just Rite”), the uneasy alliance of art and commerce, and much more on this week’s episode.

This week’s music is “” by Kiwi Jr.

If you’d prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on along with . You can 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 and for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

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

You can also support this podcast ��Ի����of Open Letter’s activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the .

TMR 14.7: “Alsaka” [J R]

Chad Post — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 15:20:59 +0000

Dan O’Brien (, ) joins the podcast this week to talk about J R from a playwriting perspective. Lots of interesting insights in this episode, about theater, about the relationship between art and commerce in the book, and about GameStop.

This week’s music is “” by Okkervil River.

Follow and for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

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

You can also support this podcast ��Ի����of Open Letter’s activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the .

The associated with this post is copyrighted by

TMR 14.6: “A Strolling Game of Pocket Billiards” [J R]

Chad Post — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 16:36:34 +0000

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 “” by Ben Hopkins, one of the greatest songs of 2020.

Follow and for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

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

You can also support this podcast ��Ի����of Open Letter’s activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the .

The associated with this post is copyrighted by

TMR 14.5: “Eagle Mills Employees’ Glee Club” [J R]

Chad Post — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 21:05:09 +0000

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.

Follow and for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

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

You can also support this podcast ��Ի����of Open Letter’s activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the .

TMR 14.4: “Who Made the Rules” [J R]

Chad Post — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 14:30:52 +0000

Ryan Chapman (Riots I Have Known) joins Chad and Brian to crap on Jonathan Franzen’s “famous” “essay” about Gaddis, “.” 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.

Follow and for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

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

You can also support this podcast ��Ի����of Open Letter’s activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the .

TMR 14.3: “Stamp Out Smut” [J R]

Chad Post — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 17:00:13 +0000

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.

Follow and for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

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

AND, be sure to order Vince’s books, ��Ի��.

You can also support this podcast ��Ի����of Open Letter’s activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the .

TMR 14.2: “How to Make Big Profits Overseas” [J R]

Chad Post — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 16:08:14 +0000

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.

Follow and for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests.

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

You can also support this podcast ��Ի����of Open Letter’s activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the .

The large photo associated with this post is from .