The Ellroy Boys are joined by one of the finest people on the planet, the crime fiction scholar and author, Steven Powell. This show would not exist without his work as he is truly the original Ellroy Boy. Additionally, he created the wonderful resource, The Venetian Vase (https://venetianvase.co.uk/) and if you're at all interested in this show, if you're fan of the demon dog, it's just essential, so if you haven't, check it out. Anyhow, today we're talking about James Ellroy's latest novel, Widespread Panic, a benzedrine blitzed confessional from real-life police officer turned Hollywood extortionist and private investigator, the one and only "hellhound who kept Hollywood captive" Fred Otash. The boys dig deep into the pervdog opus that chronicles everything from communist conspiracies to Caryl Chessman to the depraved antics of Nicolas Ray while shooting Rebel Without A Cause. The book is a rhizomatic and wildly entertaining tale. It's a joyous jolt to the system, a devilish dexedrine trip without the comedown. We celebrate and analyze the book, while exploring its grand excavation of Hollywood perversion, exposing and illuminating the industry's purposeful perpetuation of corruption, as well as deconstructing it's most insidious myths with aplomb. That aside! Forgive my hyperbole, I just loved this book and had such a great time talking to this crew. Hope you enjoy! Nothing is left unsaid.

Featuring

Steven Powell @EllroyReader

@luso_brendan @blauer_geist & @rubberwidow