Concavity Show

By Matt Bucher & Dave LairdArts

Concavity Show episodes

February 12, 2016 Episode 9: Discussing David Foster Wallace with Jenni B. Baker
In this episode, we talk about Infinite Jest (and lots of other things) with Jenni B. Baker, Editor-in-Chief of The Found Poetry Review and creator of the Erasing Infinite project.

Jenni is also one of the guides of the current Infinite Winter project. You can follow Jenni on Twitter @erasinginfinite and @jennibbaker.

57 min
January 29, 2016 Episode 8 - Discussing David Foster Wallace with DT Max
In this episode we talk with Wallace biographer D.T. Max. Max is the author of Every Love Story is a Ghost Story.
We also mention his latest piece in the New Yorker about a pioneering surgery for paraplegics.
If you don't follow him already, he's @dtmax on Twitter.
Also, here is a WBUR radio interview with David Foster Wallace from 1996, which we mention in this episode: http://radioopensource.org/david-foster-wallace-chris-lydon/
48 min
January 15, 2016 Episode 7 - Discussing David Foster Wallace with Chris Ayers
Chris Ayers designed a number of movie posters from James Incandenza's filmography. He posts his art and designs at http://pooryorickentertainment.tumblr.com

In this episode we discuss the upcoming 20th anniversary edition of Infinite Jest and the cover design contest. Head on over to Poor Yorick Entertainment to see the winning design and some other entrants.

You can follow Chris on Twitter at @chrisAcreative
56 min
January 07, 2016 Episode 6 - 2015 Year in Review
In this episode we go almost completely OFF TOPIC and wrap up 2015 by discussing our favorite books, movies, music, TV shows, and games of the year.
We've collected some of the music recommended in this episode into this playlist on Apple Music.
One artist who didn't make it on the playlist is Joanna Newsom, who doesn't license her music to most streaming services. But she does get Paul Thomas Anderson to direct her new music video!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48xlgXqQKLA
At the end of this episode we request that listeners send us questions. We will be collecting listener questions about DFW & his work through the end of January. We'll answer those questions in an episode in February. Email us at [email protected] or hit us on Twitter @ConcavityShow.

54 min
December 30, 2015 Episode 5 - Discussing David Foster Wallace with Tim Groenland
In this episode with talk with Irish scholar Tim Groenland, who has written extensively about Wallace and The Pale King. Groenland's doctoral work is concerned with authorship and the way Michael Pietsch molded The Pale King after Wallace's death. We also discuss Gordon Lish's editorial relationship with Raymond Carver.
You can follow Tim on Twitter @groenbot.
1 hr 4 min
December 07, 2015 Episode 4 - Discussing David Foster Wallace with Corrie Baldauf
In this episode we talk with artist Corrie Baldauf. If you haven't seen her Infinite Jest project, check it out here: http://hyperallergic.com/178866/reading-david-foster-wallace-for-the-colors/
And follow her on Twitter! https://twitter.com/CorrieBaldauf

Show notes courtesy of Jordan Tibbett.
Show Notes
(00:00) - Intro
(00:30) - Guest Corrie Baldauf
(01:50) - Corrie’s Infinite Jest Project
(03:50) - Pale King Cover Design
(06:51) - Corrie’s Introduction to Infinite Jest
(08:20) - Color References in The Book
(12:00) - An Excerpt of Color Usage
(13:30) - Jenni Baker’s Erasing Infinite Jest
(15:05) - Matt’s Entry in The Found Poetry Review (http://www.foundpoetryreview.com/wrt-david-foster-wallace/david-foster-wallace-titles-roughly-translated-into-other-languages-and-roughly-translated-back-into-english/)

(16:19) - Various Narrative Threads in Infinite Jest
(20:50) - Corrie’s Profile in Hyperallergic (http://hyperallergic.com/178866/reading-david-foster-wallace-for-the-colors/)
(20:50) - Corrie’s Cover Art on Unspeakable Failures: David
Foster Wallace
(25:15) - The Literary Community and Twitter
(28:38) - Infinite Jest’s 20th Anniversary Cover Redesign
(33:14) - Imagery of ‘The Cage’
(38:30) - Karen Green’s Bough Down
(42:28) - Corrie’s Experience Reading Infinite Jest
(45:04) - Autism and Wallace
(48:20) - Characters in The Pale King linked to Characters in
Infinite Jest
(50:36) - Corrie’s Optimism Project
(53:50) - Corrie’s New Book
(55:40) - Wallace in The Classroom
(57:45) - Final Thoughts
(59:30) - Outro

People Mentioned
Corrie Baldauf (http://corriebaldauf.com/home.html)
David Foster Wallace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace)
Karen Green (http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/apr/10/karen-green-david-foster-wallace-interview)
Jenni B. Baker (http://www.jennibbaker.com)
Clare Hayes-Brady (http://www.amazon.com/Unspeakable-Failures-David-Foster-Wallace/dp/1501313525)
Sarah Rose Sharp (http://hyperallergic.com/author/sarah-rose-sharp/)
Sidney Peterson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Peterson)
Matt Tresco
1 hr
November 05, 2015 Episode 3 - Discussing David Foster Wallace with Robyn O'Neil
In this episode we talk with artist Robyn O'Neil. Her artwork titled These final hours embrace at last; this is our ending, this is our past is the logo for our podcast.
See more of her work at http://robynoneil.com/ or listen to her reading stuff on her own podcast called "Me Reading Stuff" - http://robynoneil.com/me-reading-stuff/ She's @Robyn_ONeil on Twitter.Our podcast is @ConcavityShow on Twitter.
Show Notes

(00:00) - Intro
(00:39) - Guest Robyn O’neil
(02:00) - Robyn’s Image For the Podcast (http://www.themodern.org/programs/Past/Robyn-ONeil/1464)
(02:40) - Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
(04:38) - The Believer Interview with Wallace (http://www.believermag.com/issues/200311/?read=interview_wallace)
(04:38) - The Believer Interview with Robyn (http://www.believermag.com/issues/200811/?read=interview_oneil)
(05:05) - Robyn’s Style of Work
(07:50) - An Obsession with Oprah
(11:08) - Robyn’s Background with Wallace

(11:25) - Reluctance to Read Contemporary Literature
(14:28) - Vladimir Nabokov and A Passion for Writers
(17:24) - Nabokov’s Connection to Updike
(17:40) - The Obsession with Writers
(18:40) - Steeply/Marathe and The Idea of Attachment
(18:55) - The Connection Between Self-Obsession and Creation
(21:38) - This is Water Commencement Speech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI)
(22:20) - Finding Meaning in Art vs. A Higher Power
(23:49) - Art and Transcendence
(28:30) - Pop Culture’s Dominance in Society
(33:10) - Robyn’s Podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/me-reading-stuff/id1010827465?mt=2)
(37:29) - A Radically Condensed History of Postindustrial Life
and Self-Awareness
(44:20) - Handling a Public Profile
(48:38) - ‘Midwestern’ Politeness
(49:15) - Robyn’s Influences
(55:00) - Hurricane Sandy
(56:48) - Final Thoughts on Obsession and Ambition
(57:00) - Robyn Reading From Infinite Jest
(01:03:12) - Outro

People Mentioned
Robyn O'Neil (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_O%27Neil)
David Foster Wallace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace)
Oprah Winfrey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey)
E. Tyler Lindvall (http://etylerlindvall.blogspot.com)
Cormac Mcarthy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy)
Donna Tartt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Tartt)
Donald Barthelme (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Barthelme)
Vladimir Nabokov (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Nabokov)
Jeffrey Eugenides (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Eugenides)
John Updike (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Updike)
Hugh/Helen Steeply (http://infinitesummer.org/characters)
Remy Marathe (http://infinitesummer.org/characters)
Elena Ferrante (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Ferrante)
Howard Stern (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Stern)
Wallace Stevens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Stevens)
Kevin Christy
Nick Youssef
1 hr 4 min
November 05, 2015 Episode 3 - Discussing David Foster Wallace with Robyn O’Neil
In this episode we talk with artist Robyn O'Neil. Her artwork titled These final hours embrace at last; this is our ending, this is our past is the logo for our podcast.

See more of her work at http://robynoneil.com/ or listen to her reading stuff on her own podcast called "Me Reading Stuff" - http://robynoneil.com/me-reading-stuff/
She's @Robyn_ONeil on Twitter.
Our podcast is @ConcavityShow on Twitter.

Show Notes

(00:00) - Intro

(00:39) - Guest Robyn O’neil

(02:00) - Robyn’s Image For the Podcast (http://www.themodern.org/programs/Past/Robyn-ONeil/1464)

(02:40) - Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

(04:38) - The Believer Interview with Wallace (http://www.believermag.com/issues/200311/?read=interview_wallace)

(04:38) - The Believer Interview with Robyn (http://www.believermag.com/issues/200811/?read=interview_oneil)

(05:05) - Robyn’s Style of Work

(07:50) - An Obsession with Oprah

(11:08) - Robyn’s Background with Wallace

(11:25) - Reluctance to Read Contemporary Literature

(14:28) - Vladimir Nabokov and A Passion for Writers

(17:24) - Nabokov’s Connection to Updike

(17:40) - The Obsession with Writers

(18:40) - Steeply/Marathe and The Idea of Attachment

(18:55) - The Connection Between Self-Obsession and Creation

(21:38) - This is Water Commencement Speech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI)

(22:20) - Finding Meaning in Art vs. A Higher Power

(23:49) - Art and Transcendence

(28:30) - Pop Culture’s Dominance in Society

(33:10) - Robyn’s Podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/me-reading-stuff/id1010827465?mt=2)

(37:29) - A Radically Condensed History of Postindustrial Life
and Self-Awareness

(44:20) - Handling a Public Profile

(48:38) - ‘Midwestern’ Politeness

(49:15) - Robyn’s Influences

(55:00) - Hurricane Sandy

(56:48) - Final Thoughts on Obsession and Ambition

(57:00) - Robyn Reading From Infinite Jest

(01:03:12) - Outro

People Mentioned

Robyn O'Neil (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_O%27Neil)

David Foster Wallace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace)

Oprah Winfrey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey)

E. Tyler Lindvall (http://etylerlindvall.blogspot.com)

Cormac Mcarthy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy)

Donna Tartt (https://en
1 hr 4 min
October 27, 2015 Episode 2 - Discussing David Foster Wallace and The End of the Tour
In this episode, we spend most of the show discussing James Ponsoldt's film "The End of the Tour." If you have not seen the movie yet, there are spoilers of a sort.
Thanks again to Robyn O'Neil for her artwork, Parquet Courts for the intro song, and Jordan Tibbett for the transcript and show notes.
Show Notes
(00:00) - Intro
(00:30) - End of the Tour (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_end_of_the_tour_2015/)
(02:39) - James Ponsoldt
(04:20) - Jason Segel’s Performance
(07:42) - Faithfulness to The Book
(08:00) - David Lipsky
(09:54) - Jesse Eisenberg’s Performance
(10:53) - Lipsky and Wallace’s Relationship
(13:33) - The Facade of Fame vs. Authenticity
(15:00) - Success, Fulfillment, and Happiness
(17:25) - Today’s Relevance
(19:30) - Self-Promotion in Writing
(22:00) - Should It Exist (http://biblioklept.org/2013/12/13/although-of-course-you-end-up-riffing-obliquely-on-how-a-david-foster-wallace-road-trip-movie-is-a-terrible-idea/)
(23:47) - The Denunciation from Wallace’s Estate
(24:52) - “Saint”
Dave
(28:39) - Wallace’s Portrayal Too Happy/Sad?
(36:45) - DFW’s Cultural Relevance
(37:26) - Other Adaptations
(41:30) - The Novel’s Cultural Relevance
(43:19) - 20th Anniversary of Infinite Jest
(46:49) - Wallace and Feminism
(48:08) - Final Thoughts on The Movie
(51:37) - The Director James Ponsoldt
(54:44) - Outro

People Mentioned

David Foster Wallace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace)
David Lipsky (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lipsky)
James Ponsoldt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ponsoldt)
Jason Segel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Segel)
Jesse Eisenberg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Eisenberg)
Don DeLillo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_DeLillo)
Cormac McCarthy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy)
Thomas Pynchon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon)
Edwin Turner (Biblioklept) (https://twitter.com/biblioklept)
Brian Eno (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Eno)
Bonnie Nadell
D.T. Max (http://dtmax.com)
Michael Schur (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Schur)
John Krasinski (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Krasinski)
Chris Ayers (Poor Yorick Ent.) (http://pooryorickentertainment.tumblr.com)
Mary K. Holland (https://faculty.newpaltz.edu/maryholland/index.php/cv/)
Robyn O’Neil (robynoneil.com)
Parquet Courts (https://parquetcourts.wordpress.com)
56 min
October 09, 2015 Episode 1 - Discussing David Foster Wallace
The Great Concavity is inspired by the debate in David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest.
In this initial episode, we introduce ourselves and talk a little about what a DFW podcast might entail.
Artwork courtesy of Robyn O'Neil.
Intro song courtesy of Parquet Courts.
UPDATE: Below are show notes courtesy of Jordan Tibbett. A transcript of episode 1, also by Jordan is available here: https://www.scribd.com/doc/286341051/Great-Concavity-podcast-Ep-1-Show-Notes-Transcript
Show Notes

(00:00) - Intro
(01:08) - Matt’s Background
(01:10) - wallace-l
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon)
(01:55) - Howling Fantods (http://www.thehowlingfantods.com/dfw/)
(02:50) - Thomas Pynchon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon)
(05:04) - Sideshow Media Group (http://sideshowmediagroup.com)
(05:12) - Elegant Complexity (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1655890.Elegant_Complexity)
(05:12) - Nature’s Nightmare (http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Nightmare-Analyzing-Wallaces-Oblivion/dp/098893051X/)
(13:02) - Academic Papers
(14:21) - Dave’s Background
(14:55) - The Ogopogo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogopogo)
(15:10) - Infinite Jest/Molly Notkin/Joelle van Dyne
(17.30) - Roberto Bolano (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Bolaño)
(18:51) - Don DeLillo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_DeLillo)
(20:00) - Chris Adrian/McSweeney’s
(http://www.mcsweeneys.net)
(21:45) - Cormac McCarthy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy)
(24:00) - The Pale King/ Chris Fogel
(26:48) - Jonathan Lethem (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Lethem)
(29:34) - First Annual DFW conference
(36:48) - Special Thanks

People Mentioned

David Foster Wallace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace)
Nick Maniatis (https://twitter.com/nick_maniatis)
Thomas Pynchon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pynchon)
John Bucher (http://johnbucher.org/)
Greg Carlisle (http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Nightmare-Analyzing-Wallaces-Oblivion/dp/098893051X/)
David Hering (http://www.amazon.com/Consider-David-Foster-Wallace-Critical/dp/0976146576/)
Cormac Mcarthy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McCarthy)
Don DeLillo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_DeLillo)
Roberto Bolano (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Bolaño)
Jonathan Franzen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Franzen)
George Saunders (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Saunders)
Jeffrey Eugenides
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Eugenides)
William T. Vollmann (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_T._Vollmann)
Rick Moody (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Moody)
Chris Adrian (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Adrian)
Adam Levin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Levin)
Beth Nugent (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Nugent)
Larry McCaffery (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_McCaffery)
Jonathan Lethem (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Lethem)
William Faulkner (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner)
John Updike (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Updike)
41 min