Skylight Books Podcast Series

It has been ten years since Frank Ocean released his last full-length album to date, Blonde. In 2016, writer Yousef Srour was still in high school. In his new book for the 33 1/3 series, Srour talks about how the album has grown and changed with him, from high school to a quarter-life crisis and beyond. Srour blends intense research and pop culture cross-references with poetic evocations of the indelible emotions that the album created for a generation of listeners. In this discussion with writer and bookseller Justin Remer, he talks about Ocean's development as an artist and the "heist" that he pulled off to create and release this classic album independently. If you like iconoclastic albums of the mid-'10s, check out "SKYLIT: Sequoia Maner, "33 1/3 TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY" " from the Skylight Books Podcast back catalog. Hosted and produced by Justin Remer. Recorded remotely via Zencastr. Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire. Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.

Out of Body is a wild and attention-grabbing debut story collection that gets at the building anxiety and free-floating dread of our present moment with a mix of literary and speculative fiction (including plenty of horror, humor, sex, and death). Author Chris Vanjonack joins writer and bookseller Justin Remer to discuss the ten-year development of the collection, how genre elements can be used to intensify literary storytelling, and how the author felt relieved at not having to come up with new voices to read his stories for the audiobook version. Pick up a copy of Chris Vanjonack's book from Skylight or download the audiobook version from Libro.fm. If you like short stories, maybe you'd be interested in a gem from our podcast back catalog, titled SKYLIT: George Saunders w/ Alena Saunders. Hosted and produced by Justin Remer. Recorded at the LAPL Octavia Lab. Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire. Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.

An underdog story both onscreen and in real life, COYOTE VS. ACME is a hybrid animation/live-action movie in the vein of WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? or SPACE JAM. Its premise is simple and elegant: what if Looney Tunes' Wile E. Coyote sued the Acme corporation for selling him all those malfunctioning products that kept him from catching the *beep beep* Road Runner. Physical media and animation enthusiast Conor Holt returns for his third visit to the podcast to talk about the film, its wildly convoluted journey to the screen after being completed -- and nearly deleted -- by Warner Brothers, and the charming New Yorker piece by reporter and humorist Ian Frazier (Paradise Bronx) that inspired the whole darn thing.  If you'd like to hear Conor's previous short story selection for BTTM, you should check out Better Than the Movie 25: THE DEAD w/ Conor Holt. It's a lovely discussion of John Huston's final film, based on a story from James Joyce's Dubliners. Check out the "Better Than the Movie" audiobook playlist on Libro.fm - https://libro.fm/playlists/skylight-better-than-the-movie Hosted by Tyler Austin, Justin Remer, and Allan Traylor. Produced by Justin Remer. Recorded remotely via Zoom (because Zencastr updated and now it won't work with two of our computers... to be continued...) Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band

One of the most influential albums in the history of industrial rock music, The Land of Rape and Honey was the third album from Ministry. Warner subsidiary Sire Records may have thought they were getting the Chicago version of English electropop stars Depeche Mode, but Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker delivered something deeper, darker, and crazier. Music journalist Jason Pettigrew talks about the chaotic creativity that brought this album to life in his 33 1/3 book on the album. He talked to the band, he talked to the beleaguered record exec, he talked to the bystanders. And in this episode, he talks to bookseller and writer Justin Remer about the album and the book. Fun fact: The album's title has its origin in an actual slogan for a Canadian town whose main export was rapeseed oil. Listen to the episode to find out more. If you like experimental music and 33 1/3 books, check out "SKYLIT: Matthew Blackwell, PLUNDERPHONICS (GENRE: A 33 1/3 SERIES)" from the Skylight Books Podcast back catalog. Hosted and produced by Justin Remer. Recorded remotely via Zencastr. Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire. Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.

The BTTM crew are hosting a screening of GILLIAN ARMSTRONG's film MY BRILLIANT CAREER (1979) for American Cinematheque's Friend of the Fest 2026 on Saturday, August 22, at 10:15pm. In anticipation of that screening, we invited Allison Smith of Smith and Taylor Classics (who will also intro the screening) to discuss both the film and the novel from which it was adapted, Miles Franklin's landmark debut My Brilliant Career (1901). (We do touch upon the new Netflix miniseries. Ahem... Briefly.) Spoiler alert: Miles Franklin's novel is a masterful self-portrait of a self-determined (and self-centered) young woman wriggling free from the roles that her family and Australian society would place her in, and Gillian Armstrong's film is a deft and sensitive distillation of that narrative and that spirit into something brief and beautiful. The film also benefits from star-making turns from Judy Davis and Sam Neill. If you're planning on coming to the show at the Los Feliz 3 on August 22 or not, this should be a fun and informative listen. Also, if you'd like to hear one of Allison's earlier appearances on BTTM, you should check out her unique contributions to Better Than the Movie 20: THE POLAR EXPRESS w/ Natalie Freeman and Allison Woodnutt. It's an unforgettable episode (that we totally forgot about in our discussion here). Hosted by Allan Traylor and Justin Remer. (We missed ya, Tyler.) Produced by Justin Remer. Recorded at the LAPL Octavia Lab. Check out the "Better Than the Movie" audiobook playlist on Libro.fm - https://libro.fm/playlists/skylight-better-than-the-movie Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire. Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.

Best known for their catchy MTV breakthrough hit, "Punk Rock Girl," the Philly-based band The Dead Milkmen had a better sense of humor than a lot of their '80s hardcore punk brethren, but it didn't mean their music was a joke. Author Tyler Sonnichsen joins bookseller and writer Justin Remer to talk about Sonnichsen's new book for J-Card Press, The Dead Milkmen. It's the first book dedicated to this beloved band, deeply researched and full of new interviews with some of the band members and a lot of their collaborators and fans. If you like this episode and want more punk rock discussions, check out the classic 2016 in-store recording KEITH MORRIS PRESENTS HIS BOOK MY DAMAGE WITH JIM RULAND from the Skylight Books Podcast back catalog. Hosted and produced by Justin Remer. Recorded remotely via Zencastr. Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire. Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.

When Kara Zor-El is teamed up with a young woman on a mission of revenge and salvation, it is clearly the GREATEST MOVIE ODYSSEY of 2026... er... well. Justin and Allan sit down to chat with fellow bookseller AND comics artist and writer Sina Grace (Superman: The Harvests of Youth, Ghosted in LA) about the recent film adaptation of the graphic novel Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, by Tom King, et al. That's right: we're talking Supergirl the movie, but not Supergirl: The Movie (1984). The Woman of Tomorrow graphic novel is a creative reinvention of True Grit that seemingly lost something on its way to the silver screen. Or do you disagree? Also, what do you think happened at the end of the graphic novel? Hmmm?? Also, if you like this episode, search back in the feed for Better Than the Movie 19: GHOST WORLD w/ Chris Andersen for another discussion about graphic novel adaptation. Hosted by Justin Remer and Allan Traylor. (And briefly, by Tyler Austin.) Produced by Justin Remer. Recorded remotely via Zencastr (and Tyler's phone). Check out the "Better Than the Movie" audiobook playlist on Libro.fm - https://libro.fm/playlists/skylight-better-than-the-movie Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire. Tyler music: "Don't Depend on Me (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire. Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.

Once upon a time, Joe Strummer was known as Woody Mellor... (because he was such a Woody Guthrie fan). Before the UK music scene made international headlines with punk rock, there was another movement of musicians who were tired of the prog rock and glam that was dominating the culture. Their back-to-basics music was performed in tiny pubs, so it became known in the press as pub rock. In this episode, writer Mark Wilkerson (Hollywood Dream, Pearl Jam 20) discusses, Pub Rock, his new book in the GENRE series from 33 1/3. The discussion with bookseller and writer Justin Remer touches on bands like Brinsley Schwarz (featuring Nick Lowe on bass), the 101ers (Joe Strummer's pre-The Clash band), The Stranglers, Dr. Feelgood, Ducks Deluxe, Kursaal Flyers, and much more. Pick up a copy of Mark Wilkerson's book from Skylight or order the audiobook version (street date August 6) from Libro.fm. If you enjoy this episode, check out another Genre discussion from our podcast. Maybe, 1970s Jazz Fusion with Matthew Reed Baker? Hosted and produced by Justin Remer. Recorded remotely via Zencastr. Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire. Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.

Nepo babies are a necessary byproduct of our modern world. They've been with us always, and yet only recently have they become fodder for internet scuttlebutt, thinkpieces, and the like. Vulture writer and comedian Fran Hoepfner has provided the average joe with the public service of her handy new book, The Field Guide to Nepo Babies, a fully illustrated, often tongue-in-cheek guide to unpacking the phenomenon of nepotism in public life. Bookseller Tyler Austin talks with Fran Hoepfner about her book, and about sorting the innocuous and good nepo babies (actors, musicians) from the harmful and evil (politicians, corporate and tech scions). Also, if you enjoy this episode, check out Tyler's discussion with Kliph Nesteroff about the book Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars for another thoughtful chat about pop culture history. Hosted by Tyler Austin. Produced by Justin Remer, Tyler Austin, and Fran Hoepfner. If you like podcasts, maybe you would enjoy audiobooks too. Please check out the Skylight Books Podcast playlist of audiobooks featured in our recent Skylit author interviews, on Libro.fm. Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire. Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.

You may be hyped for Disclosure Day, but the BTTM crew is taking you back 65 mill-- well, 33 years to another of director Steven Spielberg's iconic summer blockbusters: Jurassic Park! Writer, artist, and bookseller Val Lesser joins the podcast to discuss the classic film and its Michael Crichton source material. Allan also watched all seven (!) Jurassic movies in the lead-up to this episode, so you can probably spare 90 minutes to listen to it. Right? Also, if you like this one, search back in the feed for Better Than the Movie, Ep. 5: Jaws w/ Kristen Lopez. That episode was a real blockbuster too. Hosted by Allan Traylor, Justin Remer, and Tyler Austin. Produced by Justin Remer. Recorded at the LAPL Octavia Lab. Check out the "Better Than the Movie" audiobook playlist on Libro.fm - https://libro.fm/playlists/skylight-better-than-the-movie Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire   Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band