Ordinary Unhappiness 116: Writing Panic feat. Michael Clune
Sep 27, 2025
Michael Clune, an insightful writer and academic known for his memoirs and critical works, joins the hosts to explore his novel, Pan. The narrative follows Nick, a 15-year-old grappling with panic attacks and life’s complexities. Clune discusses how gaming shaped his childhood and the imaginative landscapes in his writing. The conversation touches on adolescence's intensity, the impact of 1990s culture, and how panic can alter perception. They delve into the connections between myth, consciousness, and the transformative experience of growing up.
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Learning History Through Old Video Games
- Clune recounts learning about history and collective war narratives through early computer games like Castle Wolfenstein.
- Primitive graphics gave him a reduced sensorium that unlocked imaginative perspectives on the world.
Distance From Reality Unlocks Imagination
- Simplified, non-photorealistic media (games/books) leave room for richer imagination and novelty.
- Clune argues numbers or constraints (dice, RNG) give imagined worlds durable structure and reality.
Anchor Wild Experience To Objective Frames
- When imagination threatens disconnection, anchor personal experience to public, objective things like numbers or shared practices.
- Use communal frameworks to avoid losing contact with a shared common world.
