Special guest Libman--author of three books of fiction, most recently, Shocker in Gloomtown--joins the fellas to talk food TV. We got our beloved RIP Anthony Bourdain in post-apocalyptic (but still cool) Detroit on the plus side. On the negatory sits food critic Pete Wells' epic and epically hilarious takedown on Guy Fieri's restaurant in Times Square. It all adds up to a tasty time at good old Tommy's.
Once again, the podcast opens its internal meetings up to the public because they're all about transparency. Tune in for some of the best ideas you've ever heard. (No corporate spies!)
Jones loves to shift his stick. Daniels has a thing for Guatemalan buses. Together, they meander into a conversation about the dangers of too much tech and the subtle benefits of doing it the old fashioned way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Camioneta
The fellows set up shop in an event space for Augustana College's 2025 Fall Symposium: Voice and Vision. Luckily, The Moon Under Water's got both!
Attendees were wowed by the wit and penetrating analysis. K & S were surprised and delighted by the engagement of this knowledgeable audience. All in all, a splendid time was had by all.
Alice Munro is one of the greatest short story writers in the English language, ever. Daniels loved her work. Recommended it. Taught it. He wasn't alone. For her entire career, Munro was literary royalty. Now that she's dead, we learn that she, like basically all of her characters, was a really messed up human being. Specifically, when she learned that her husband was sexually assaulting Munro's young daughter, Munro took the dude's side, despite irrefutable evidence. Who would have thought that a writer famous for twisted, selfish, and unsettling characters would turn out to be a twisted, selfish, and unsettling person? Tune in for the fellas' various takes, on the article that exposed the ugly truth, and "Wild Swans," a fictional story that in hindsight seems all too realistic.
https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/wild-swans-alice-munro
https://www.npr.org/2024/07/08/nx-s1-5032827/alice-munro-daughter-abuse-stepfather
The podcast isn't about hating. Not really. The gents are lovers. They want to like the stuff they talk about. And that's why the Mickey 17 was such a tragedy. To rinse the taste of that unfortunate film from their maws, they rewatched an under appreciated little gem called Moon.
Spoiler: same premise, minus the slapstick sketch comedy. Really, it would suck to be a clone. Also, the robot is the best character. Listen in for those and many more invaluable bytes of info.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_(2009_film)
Daniels always liked good old Val Kilmer, may he rest in peace. He was thinking of discussing the actor's first film, the slapstick Top Secret, but all kinds of people on Facebook recommended Real Genius. Succumbing to peer pressure, he listened, and the fellas watched. It's an okay '80s comedy. But hey, when you're meeting at the pub, any topic can lead to better than average bar talk.
The fellas watch Jones' fave. They don't agree on much about this film, though they both were rooting for the velociraptors to feast on the two bratty kids. And: Newman!
The guys have fond memories of the great Gen X high school comedy, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Did it hold up all these years later? You won't believe the answer! In other news, Daniels goes for laughs by awkwardly singing Sammy Hagar's theme song. It doesn't land, so he doubles and triples down on the bit. Still not funny, but he goes down swinging.
Max's The Last of Us can be summed up like this: mushroom zombies. Jones objects to narratives that start as video games, and Daniels just finds the overall series kind of so-so as far as these things go. But: episode three, "Long, Long Time," starring a terrific Nick Offerman, which stands alone fine without the rest of the story, is original, touching, exciting, and surprising. Who'd have thought the apocalypse could be this...well, nice?
Steve came to the recording in a sour mood, but cold PBR and LeGuin's hot philosophy straightened him right out. Questions were probed. Ideas patted down. Schools of philosophy jailed. Beers were drunk.
https://shsdavisapes.pbworks.com/f/Omelas.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ones_Who_Walk_Away_from_Omelas
A new pleasure model gone feral movie came out, and the homeys flew to the cinema like moths to the flame. Takeaway one: Daniels does not know how to take notes in the dark. Takeaway two: think twice before purchasing that fancy electronic corkscrew.
Debut author "Sami" joins the fellas for a Modelo and discussion of the most influential novels in Mexican literary history, as well as its new Netflix film adaptation. Jones goes full infomercial, Daniels gets increasingly worse at pronouncing Spanish names, but Sami holds it all together with wit and verve. If you can read Spanish, buy her new linked story collection! If not, no worries. She's translating it herself into English. Stay tuned!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/232469962-memorias-de-tierra-adentro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_P%C3%A1ramo
Jones is a HUUUUGE Crichton fan. Daniels is too effete for that kind of thing...you know, popular novels that get turned into blockbuster Hollywood films. He even doubts you know what "effete" means. But this podcast is about learning. No pain, no gain. Daniels read the book, and kind of liked it, but don't tell his fancy university friends. Also, who'd of thought they had computer chips for brains way back in 1972?
Steve reacted to these classic essays with "meh," throwing Kelly into a Jesus-like rage that resulted in an upset table and a smashed iPhone 16 Pro. Just kidding about the last part but Kelly is audibly annoyed and spends the episode trying to shame everyman Steve, who fails to be ashamed. Is this the best podcast episode ever? No. Will you learn something you didn't already know about Orwell, the absurdity of colonialism, and the strange shame and appeal of capital punishment? Unlikely. Will the voices keep you company as you walk the dog, fold your laundry, drive across town, or use the elliptical at the gym? Hell yeah.
Thanks to the Orwell Foundation for making these essays free and accessible. Check out their website for a wealth of content.
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/a-hanging/
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/shooting-an-elephant/
Superstar friend of the pod, Sarah, meets the fellers in Ciudad Mexico (a bar in downtown LA), for some more hijinks. Agenda: Bukowski's Barfly and a couple of beers.
https://www.sarahkaingutowski.com/
Episode two from La Cita de los Angeles features novelist, story writer, professor, and Substacker Christine Sneed, who met the fellas at a coffee joint slash wine bar for some Shirley Jackson action. Subject: "The Lottery," a story about small town values. Other topics include LA, Chicago, Christine's many books, and her forthcoming writer's retreat in Bordeaux. An excellent time was had by all, and will be had even more by you, dear listener.
https://www.christinesneed.com/
Da boys went down to Lalaland for the big annual creative writing conference, and who should they meet? Well, a bunch of folks, including Kimberly the poet, who really didn't know what she was in for when she agreed to join the podcast. At her request, they talked old, old movies, specifically, Gilda and Gaslight. The discussion, in DTLA's amazing CDMX bar, was scintillating, profound, hilarious, and touching. Now buy Kimberly's latest book!
https://www.kimberlyannpriest.com/books
Steve just returned from a work trip in India, and Kelly has been going to Venice every summer for years, so why not discuss a kind of groundbreaking and fun autofictional novel about the extremes of excess and deprivation? If you haven't read Geoff Dyer's book in question, get on it.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/mar/29/jeff-venice-geoff-dyer-review
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/books/review/Iyer-t.html
Jones and Daniels are on the same page in this peaceable episode. The movie started strong and fell apart, the inverse of the convo, which improves with age (and beer).