15 Minutes: a podcast about fame, with Jamie Berger

If you listened to Episode 72, with John Hodgman, or even if you didn't (you should), here's Episode 1, as promised, with same. Warning: there's a lot of ambient, though not unpleasant, noise (of a busy bar) in the interview, and then rather low sound quality for the Judge John Hodgman meetup, which ostensibly wasn't being recorded for the podcast, but which I wanted to include here for the true JJH Stans out there jonesin' for a deep cut. Image is a pic from the poster for the event at the Rendezvous in Turners Falls, MA, back in 2015 (yes I dithered an entire nother year before launching the show - don't do that!), designed by Anja Schutz.

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John Hodgman (returns!) - Episode 72

Hello Everyone!

The very first guest on 15 Minutes was John Hodgman (and we’ll be reposting that episode right after this one). Back in Fall of 2015, we spoke for a nearly exact 15 Minutes (the only full episode with a guest that’s actually anywhere near that short, most are around an hour - yes, yes, but the name of the show, we know, we know). When I heard about his new book Medallion Status (pub. date 10/15/19!), which John describes as “your basic minor fame to no fame Hollywood memoir with some peeks into the secret clubs and hidden rooms that celebrity allowed me briefly to peek into,” I knew it was time to have him back, and this time we talked a whole lot longer.

For those of you who don’t know him, and yes, Hodgmaniacs, there are those folks out there:

JOHN HODGMAN is a writer, comedian, and actor. Most recently, he is the author of the acclaimed collection of funny true stories called VACATIONLAND. He also wrote three books of fake facts and invented trivia, all of them New York Times Bestsellers, and his writing has also appeared in The Paris Review, This American Life, The New Yorker, and Mad Magazine. After an appearance to promote his books on “The Daily Show,” he was invited to return as a contributor, serving as the show’s “Resident Expert” and “Deranged Millionaire.”

For the past nine years, he’s also been the host of the popular Judge John Hodgman podcast, where he settles serious disputes between real people. He also contributes a weekly column under the same name for The New York Times Magazine.

He’s also the host of the viral Instagram-live sensation Get Your Pets! with John Hodgman in which he talks to animals and their people in a live broadcast, while perhaps occasionally plugging his new book Medallion Status (http://bit.ly/MEDALLIONSTATUS) every so often.

Over nearly an hour and a half, we talked a lot about the book and those rooms and clubs, his previous book, Vacationland, fame as addiction, adjusting and appreciating life as one’s status inevitably declines over time (We also go into how white men are handling the reality of their/our inevitably declining status), and why it’s really important for authors that readers pre-order their books if possible, and which you should do if you’re so inclined and you’re reading this before 10/15/19, and you should be so inclined, because Medallion Status and John Hodgman will make your life better. Where can you go to pre-order, you may ask? Why http://bit.ly/MEDALLIONSTATUS, that’s where! My short plug: Like Vacationland, the book (and this 15 Minutes episode) is funny in ways many know John to be, as well as moving and contemplative in ways you might not expect. I gave it five starts on Good Reads.

Early praise for Medallion Status:

“This funny, sometimes delightfully absurd book offers sharp meditations on status, relevance, and age, and fame—or at least being fame-adjacent.” -PW

“Hodgman offers thoughtful musings about human nature and our drive for status. An entertaining and endearing entry from the author of Vacationland (2017).” -Booklist

(Note: this is one of those episodes with a false ending, so when you hear us saying bye, stick around for more!)

But enough plugging, enjoy the episode! Oh, and when you do enjoy it, PLEASE PASS IT ON - you'll be helping a worthy author sell books, and an independent podcaster get listeners, both very difficult tasks in supersaturated markets. Thanks!

-Jamie

(Image: detail of Medallion Status cover by Aaron Draplin)

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Mari Naomi is a graphic-memoirist, a term I just made up. That is, she’s a cartoonist who writes personal nonfiction. At least in her adult work, that’s what she does. I first encountered her cartoons on the Rumpus. I ended up following her on Twitter and patroning her on Patreon, and she has thoughts about fame! We talked about that and career and San Francisco and trolls and dating someone famous and living in LA and seeing stars and running into Bud Cort and fangirling out in Gelson’s and … well, come listen and you’ll find out!

You can find her at http://marinaomi.com. Here’s some of what you’d learn about her there:

“MariNaomi is the award-winning author and illustrator of Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume, Ages 0 to 22 (Harper Perennial, 2011), Dragon's Breath and Other True Stories (2dcloud/Uncivilized Books, 2014), Turning Japanese (2dcloud, 2016), I Thought YOU Hated ME (Retrofit Comics, 2016), and the Life on Earth trilogy(Graphic Universe, 2018-2020). Her work has appeared in over eighty print publications and has been featured on websites such as The Rumpus, LA Review of Books, Midnight Breakfast and BuzzFeed.”

“She is the founder and administrator of the Cartoonists of Color Database, the Queer Cartoonists Database, and the Disabled Cartoonists Database. She is the cohost of the Ask Bi Grlz podcast with author Myriam Gurba.”

***

You can find all episodes of this podcast at http://15minutesjamieberger.com and a really old site of my writing at http://jamiebergerwords.com, which I mention for the first time since starting this podcast because I’m starting to write a little after about a decade hiatus.

Episode 72 will mark the return of Episode 1 guest John Hodgman, whose new book, Medallion Status,  the follow up to his supergreat memoir Vacationland, will be out in mid-October.

Thanks for listening!

-jb

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Todd Barry and I talk a little about fame, but more about exercise, diet, doors that open out, and kittens!

For the pic of Todd and Charlize Theron, please see the episode page on our site

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Episode 69 - Robyn Hitchcock.

Among the topics and people discussed with the legendary British singer-songwriter are self-promotion, the Beatles, Elvis Costello and a whole lot of other 80s music, the idea of leaving a small-lizard-sized legacy, the need to make one living, not two, having Ethan Hawke sing your song in a movie,  - and a whole lot more. But you’re not here to tell me what I talked to Robyn Hitchcock, you’re hear to listen to Robyn (and I) talk. Enjoy!

P.S. I meant to include Sonny Smith's new record label, Rocks-In-Your-Head in the outro, but forgot, so here you go:

http://rockshead.com/

Sorry Sonny!

Find Robyn stuff at http://robynhitchcock.com

-jb

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Episode 68 - Zak Trojano

Hey it’s our first episode of 2019!

Zak Trojano is, well, he’s a friend here in the Pioneer Valley whose music I’ve enjoyed for many years, and who’s latest album is “Wolf Trees.” He performed in our live show back in June of last year, and we finally sat down to talk fame, legacy, his tour in Germany, the color pink, social media, the joy of wearing a skirt, and apparently a great deal more stuff that at least interested one person - as this is the longest episode yet - in January. Here’s the bio from his website (zaktrojano.com):

“Zak Trojano is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, a finger-style guitar player, a fly-fisherman, and a beer drinker. He watches more than he talks, the guy at the end of the bar nursing a drink while the afternoon light angles in, letting the conversation pile up around him like snowfall. He grew up in New Hampshire, outside of town in a cabin built by his parents. His father was a drummer who held down a regular country gig, and nights after work he would loosen his tie and show his son the finer points of Ginger Baker and Elvin Jones. In New Hampshire they drove around in trucks, and Prine and Dylan cassettes showed up in most of those trucks. Zak made Eagle Scout, got his knots down. Then it was college and out, wandering the country from the desert Southwest to Great Plains until he ran out of money, washing windows to work up the bus fare home. After a while it seemed like he ought to write some songs, and he did: heavy songs with a light touch; an AM radio throwback voice and an intricate finger-style technique framed by a drummer’s rhythm and sharpened by years of immersion in the work of players as various as John Fahey, Merle Travis, and Chet Atkins. In over a decade writing, recording, and performing music professionally - sharing studios and stages with his band Rusty Belle, or supporting touring acts like Chris Smither, Kris Delmhorst, Jeffrey Foucault, and Peter Mulvey - Zak Trojano has evolved his own thing: a warm baritone paired with an old Martin guitar, floating above spare lines of cello and lap steel, horns and brushes, with a deceptively simple lyricism that on repeated listening shows that the fellow at the end of the bar doesn’t say much, but he’s worth hearing.”

***

Along with our conversation, you’ll find three songs from “Wolf Trees” and a live performance of a John Fahey guitar solo from the anniversary live show at Hawks and Reed last year.

Coming up in April will be another musical guest, Robyn Hitchcock, whom I’ve learned either needs no introduction at all or a very thorough one, depending on whom you ask.

Enjoy the show!

-Jamie B.

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While I don't tend to rerun episodes from year one, when, for one thing I was still talking very ... very ,,, slowly ... in the intros, and other stuff I can hardly bear to listen to now, I wanted to repost this short intro to #grabhimbytheballot and conversation with Anja (and a lovely conversation after that with Lindsay Mace, who also talks about the project, among other topics) from the day back in September (I think?) of 2016 when Anja Schutz did the first of two day-long shoots for #grabhbytheballot. I think it says a lot about Anja, the project, and the more and more apocalyptic culture of narcissism (overused but apt word these days) and attention-desperate behavior that Donald Trump both somehow succeed with and is enabling in others, one that's rearing it's head in our world because of an ugly little battle we've been forced to wage with an organization calling itself #grabthembytheballot. If you want to know more - and/but maybe you really don't - you can check my Facebook feed.

-Jamie B.

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Let's face it, so long as I get to have a conversation with this guy once a year, it's probably gonna make the top two. Ladies and Germs, a Too Hot for Terry (Gross) conversation with David Sedaris:

http://www.15minutesjamieberger.com/news/2018/5/31/episode-59-david-sedaris-returns

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Here's one that really made me happy. One of the best parts of making this show is having an excuse to talk to people I haven't seen in a decade or so, in this case, Sonny Smith of Sunny and the Sunsets.

http://www.15minutesjamieberger.com/news/2018/7/2/episode-61-sonny-smith

Hope your 2019s are starting as well as they possibly can!

-j

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Here's another favorite form 2018, with NY-er humorist and author and TV-maker who's new show, "Miracle Workers" (based on Rich's novel What in God's Name) starring Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi, will air on TBS starting in February.

http://www.15minutesjamieberger.com/news/2018/7/24/episode-62-simon-rich

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