The Drunken Odyssey with John King: A Podcast About the Writing Life
John King
Join author John King for eclectic interviews with writers from a variety of genres, including fiction writing, poetry, memoirs, and journalism. From literature to genre writing to the movies, all writing is up for discussion. In particular, The Drunken Odyssey features discussion of all aspects of the writing process—not just the published manuscript, pristinely presented to the entire literate world, but also the scrawled notes and tortured drafts that lead writers there. In long-form interviews, writers discuss their process and the way that writing has influenced their lives. Besides this interview, each episode also features a short memoir essay from a writer about a beloved book, plus John King responds to listener’s questions and observations about the writing (and the drinking) life.
For more information, see our website at www.thedrunkenodyssey.com.
For more information, see our website at www.thedrunkenodyssey.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 18, 2025 • 1h 3min
688: Schloctoberfest 2025 #3: A Discussion of Seconds, with Jeff Shuster
This time around, Jeff Shuster and John discuss John Frankenheimer's thriller Seconds from 1966.
Oct 11, 2025 • 55min
687: Schloctoberfest 2025 #2: A Discussion of The Sword of Doom, with Jeff Shuster!
On this week’s show, Jeff Shuster and John King delve into an existentially strange antihero story that feels a bit crazy and not entirely complete.
Oct 4, 2025 • 58min
686: Schloctoberfest 2025 #1: A Discussion of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! with Jeff Shuster
In October, The Drunken Odyssey crams Literature aside to consider wild, dark fun cinema with our curator of Schlock, Jeff Shuster! This year, John and Jeff discuss 4 black-and-white films from the 1960s. First up is this chili pepper of a film that arose the year before the Summer of Love.
Aug 30, 2025 • 1h 21min
685: A Discussion of Sylvia Plath's The Colossus and Other Poems (with Rachael Tillman)
Sylvia Plath is legendary for being a tragic poet mostly known for her novel, The Bell Jar. John and Rachael are fans of Plath's poetry and The Bell Jar, but hereby set out on a historical project to read Plath's work as the world would have known it first, and as she would have known it herself, without the legend imposing its darkest meanings onto every possible opportunity.
Aug 23, 2025 • 1h 33min
684: A Pop Poetry Conversation about Megan Fox's Pretty Boys are Poisonous
This conversation with Samantha Nickerson, Brian Salmans, and Rachael Tillman will give you some idea of the mischief you are missing out on, and the pain John is putting himself through.
Aug 16, 2025 • 51min
683: Eugenio Negro!
This week, John speaks with the fiction writer, cartoonist, and musician Eugenio Negro about his new novel, Despair Priorities, the long term project, and figuring out what will be deeply satisfying as a writer and reader.
Aug 9, 2025 • 1h 21min
682: A Discussion of Charlotte Brontë's Tales of Angria, with Sophia Ferrara
Sophia Ferrara joins John down the rabbit hole of Charlotte Brontë's early private storytelling.
Aug 2, 2025 • 44min
681: The Kerouac Project of Orlando Book Club Discussion of William S. Burrough’s Junky (with Matt Peters)!
In this week's show, John teams up once again with his friend Matt Peters to discuss the second book of William S. Burroughs's original quartet of novels. They also discuss the recent film adapation of the same.
Jul 26, 2025 • 1h 2min
680: Katharine Coldiron!
On today’s show, I speak with the essayist Katharine Coldiron about how the way we watch movies are sometimes our autobiographies, sometimes our philosophies, and sometimes our humanity.
Jul 19, 2025 • 1h 3min
679: Keith Mackenzie!
On 679, John speaks with the novelist Keith MacKenzie about how to plan an unplannable thriller, and how body horror and comedy and existentialism are awfully close neighbors.
