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
Jun 27, 2020 • 1h 17min
426: Scott Hoffman!
In this week's show, I talk to my friend, the historian Scott Hoffman, about the evolution of Purdue's Outfest, Chicago Pride, Austin Pride, Queerbomb, Orlando pride, respectability politics, and other matters of interest.
Jun 20, 2020 • 1h 15min
425: Mixtape 13: Tender Ballads for Subhuman Lovers (2005)
NOTES This episode is sponsored by the excellent people at Scribophile. TDO Listeners can get 20% of a premium subscription to Scribophile. After using the above link to register for a basic account, go herewhile still logged in to upgrade the account with the discount. Check out my literary adventure novel, Guy Psycho and the Ziggurat of Shame.
Jun 14, 2020 • 51min
424: Ronan Ryan!
Photo by David Whitaker. In this week's show, I talk to novelist Ronan Ryan about the dramatic uses of gallows humor, how loss teaches us about our priorities, how elusive reality is, and how to match style to story.
Jun 6, 2020 • 1h 4min
423: Protest (Interview with Alexander Pate)
This week, my intern, Alexander Pate, and I discuss the Salisbury, NC protests that he has participated in, and discuss this point in history. Heavy activity around a confederate statue with an angel.[/caption]
May 30, 2020 • 1h 36min
422: Discussion of Scott Pilgrim, with Michael Merriam!
Episode 422 of The Drunken Odyssey, your favorite podcast about creative writing and literature is available on Apple podcasts, stitcher, spotify, or click here to stream (right click to download, if that's your thing). This week, Michael Merriam and I discuss the 2010 cult film, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, and in this conversation we address the classic structure of film; the importance of the perfect flaw for a protagonist and antagonist; Joseph Campbell (naturally); the Bible; why Reality Bites bites; video games and the psychological logic of true boss fights; the abundance of super hero actors in this film; comic book adaptations; tropes in anime; and how comedies can house tales with deeply serious content, for those who can look past the jokes.
May 23, 2020 • 50min
421: Didier Ghez!
This week I talk with Disney historian Didier Ghez about the joys of research and forging one's own path as a historian.
May 16, 2020 • 1h 6min
420: Tom Papa!
This week I talk with comedian, actor, sourdough aficionado, and essay writer, Tom Papa! TEXTS DISCUSSED
May 9, 2020 • 55min
419: Mike Oronato!
On this week's show, I speak with Mike Onorato, Vice President of Publicity at Smith Publicity, about how publicity works behind the scenes for writers, and how COVID-19 is affecting the books business.
May 3, 2020 • 1h 9min
418: A Discussion of Joseph Campbell's Hero with 1,000 Faces
Vanessa Blakeslee and I discuss the classic of comparative mythology, Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. While this is a work of scholarship not directly intended for creative writers, its lessons are of immense value to anyone writing adventure, fantasy, or science fiction. We reference Star Wars, The Matrix, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Bible, and Pinocchio, among other works, and mention the trials of academic discourse that are meant to be confused with the belly of the beast.
Apr 25, 2020 • 1h 23min
417: Jason Z. Morris!
This week I talk with the novelist Jason Z. Morris about structuring a novel, learning the confidence to write a novel, how the peer review process in science helps in receiving creative writing criticism, and the fun, diverse conversations to be had at the faculty cafeteria at Fordham at Lincoln Center.
