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Episode 331: Grief Is A Witch-Hag (Part 2) (Patreon)

Published:
2023-11-06 14:40:46
Edited:
2024-03-05 17:29:42
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

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Content

We visited legendary writer William T. Vollmann (Rainbow Stories, Europe Central) in his Sacramento studio for a long talk about lots of things. Part two of two.

Read his new essay “Four Men” in Harper’s

Files

Comments

Kirk

Went out and bought rainbow stories bc of episode 1 thank you so much

Quinn

Same. Incredible so far.

ploob

The new mix slaps YC

Francis Mahlie

Related but not, anyone know why braces has a standing dislike of Tom waits? I thought of Gavin Bryars collab w/ Tom for "Jesus' Blood" during the last episode.

marley

listening to these eps made me buy his first book of climate ideologies.. super excited for it! thanks TA crew

AlexT

I refuse to listen to part one on the basis that I have free will and I will not be told what do. Now, on that note, Liz’s drinking is out of control.

Mickey Soltys

Great episode. That dude has got some words. The passage Brace read at the start was as good as Faulkner.

TrueAnonPod

Self serious version of Buster Poindexter

sweet_geez.mp3

righteous dopefiend by bourgois deep dives into tenderloin drug / homeless lives (it's an ethnography though)

TrueAnonPod

My stepmom gave me that book when I was in highschool I think (or I took it from her)—vividly stayed with me. I believe those guys were mostly under the overpass towards the donut spot off Army/Cesar Chavez st

Chris

I have a traumatic brain injury and the amount of of homeless people I have meant with one too scares me so much

Jakupe

I can't believe Marc Maron, the comedian podcaster, starting talking material dialectics on the pod.

Z

“Who are your guys?” Is definitely Maron’s question

diptherio

The story behind the murder of the royal family in Nepal is...interesting. I was there right after it happened and have spent a good bit of time in the country over the years. Here's what my sources tell me. Gyanendra, King Birendra's brother, wanted the crown, and so had him and his family killed and pinned it on the son. A friend told me that the first reports on the radio said Prince Dependra had "exit wounds in his chest." He said he heard that one report, and then it was all "Dependra smoked a bunch of hash and got drunk and killed his entire family over who they wanted him to marry." I know a lot of Nepalis who think Gyanendra was behind it (I'm told he's trying to make a return now, after being forced to abdicate in the late aughts).

Bud D.

These two episodes have been deeply affecting. I could listen to many more hours of this conversation. I'm grateful that you've introduced me to this man and thankful that there is so much of his writing for me to dive into.

Kath Rin

Same. Looking forward to reading it after this episode!

J98

Damn, imagine being interesting

Horseloverfat

Shout out Havre — extremely weird place

Michael S. Judge

If anybody knows his son Jackson or his wife/agent Melanie, I'll fly anywhere for that. It only makes sense that Pynchon would finally give an interview to another faceless opaque weirdo in the dark

sweet_geez.mp3

I'm not from the States but yeah this book is hard to shake, when I visited SF I couldn't believe it was really happening in front of me

malpertuis

I studied under Bourgois at SFSU. And Nancy Scheper Hughes was at Berkeley. It was crazy time to be an anthropology student.

meyer

i have terrible insomnia and have been listening to part 1 to fall asleep the past few days - not bc it’s boring (far from it), i also listened to it awake, it’s just very comforting somehow. maybe his voice, maybe the coziness of the studio chat. anyway very excited for part 2 and glad to have a fascinating new to me author to read. thank you so much for this interview

Dr. No No No

I would really love you guys to interview Billy Woods

Matt Pierce

That Soviet War and Peace film is unbelievable.

sweet_geez.mp3

This is a pretty iconic line up 😭

JD

Epic episode, more novelists please!!!

Kling Klang

I think the "mole people documentary" Brace is talking about is called "Dark Days". It came out in 2000 so that would track.

Marcus

I really want to know how someone gets the name Seven.

Max Bucher

Only time I’ve been proud to be an Ohio State graduate is hearing they gave Bill a bunch of money

Ron

loving how much all four of you are fascinated by tunnels and mines

Dan Z

This was really nice. And what I love is that every episode has multiple book recs

Rose Bud

Crazy story about Saddam. Vollmann said he had the same birthday as his dad, he has the same birthday as me too. April 28th. My dad was a language analyst for the FBI & he interrogated Saddam. I was a kid when he left and when he got home he told me, “a very bad guy wished you a happy birthday.” I didn’t think much of it because I was like 4, but I asked him about it again years later. My dad said he told Saddam he was missing his daughter’s birthday for that, and Saddam responded (this isn’t perfectly translated from Arabic but almost), “eye for an eye, I owe your daughter a birthday present.” Well, he was hanged, I never got my ‘present’ but I think about it every time I hear his name 😅

Reece Coren

born into the Costanza family

Louis Wilkins

This is the best interview I’ve ever heard.

Solferino

Love these kinds of recorded conversations with Vollmann, Finkelstein and even the whole thing with John Vanderslice! Love the regular content but more of this stuff would be great also

jonnn

what's the occasional rumbling?

Paige

Does anyone in the uk know where to get his books?

Matthew

This has been such an incredible interview. Just bought The Rainbow Stories, loving it so far. Thank you for this 🫡

Joan Guenther

This interview is going to be an important resource ongoing for scholars concerned with Vollmann studies and the general reading public … I’m sure you all three understand the value of your work but it bears remarking on … congratulations …

Jake Paterson

Wow what’s a genuinely beautiful set of interviews we’ve had. Will have to pick up some of the man’s books now What a beautiful soul

Eric

Both Berlin Alexanderplatz and the Sergei Bondarchuk War and Peace are streaming on the Criterion channel fyi

Bud D.

He said it is a train going by in the first episode.

kiki

Listening to this while I take photos of vintage books for my job and realizing I just photographed 5 copies of whores for Gloria woah

kiki

I work at an indie bookstore so anything my boss thinks we can’t sell in person goes on ebay and i take all the pics

Antipaganda

Thanks to TrueAnon and Vollman for this incredible ride. Changed my brain in the best way.

Rimbo Jackson

Order them from your local bookstore. Or the library!

Paige

I work at the library and we don’t have any unfortunately! I’ve been to a couple of places and they didn’t have any Vollman - just wondering where other people got their copies

caseman

This is top tier True Anon. Thank you.

Elliott Prendergast

Such a good episode(s). Working construction in the city in close proximity to many people on the street, The homelessness question and what can I as an individual do to help is a topic that weighs on my mind regularly. To hear about the initiatives these men took to help the people they could is really inspiring. Thank you for introducing me to this author too. I am excited to explore his writing.

Alec Gutteridge

Can we make bill a regular contributor? Can he have like a column, lil 5 min sound bites, leave him a tape recorder he can send them in the mail! Plz I need this, also thanks now I read everything he writes in his actual voice.

gatito

idk who you are but i hope you know that you’re the coolest person and i love you, billy woods is such a fucking amazing person

Daryl Dingman

I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. I listened to it pretty passively while running errands today and suddenly found myself excitedly discussing Bill and his outlook to my friend out of nowhere hours later. This one was from the soul. Thank you thank you thank you.

Joseph Podrasky

Yo what that dude said about Algeria is not true.

Turlough Kelly

Whenever TrueAnon interviews one of these anti-establishment boomer libertarians, the guy always circles back to - "well, obviously the CIA does some terrible things, but OF COURSE it has a right to exist". Always seems like a lost opportunity to put them on the spot as to why on earth they think that.

DaFunkBackToDaPunk

Totally thought Brace was asking about a different kind of “bird” lol

Brian Williams

In an effort to make the most niche comment imaginable about this, Vollman, in the way he speaks, reminds me a lot of Emil Amos of Holy Sons, Grails, Om, Drifter's Sympathy, etc.

Zzz

“Ostrich doesn’t count because it’s like a big chicken” lmao

meyer

can i buy one lol

Patrick

Recent used bookstore find was ‘The Mole People’ by Jennifer Toth, about tunnel dwellers in NYC, this reminded me to read it. Great conversation, thanks.

Oscar G.

Brace being attacked by a magpie somehow is the most Brace-thing I've ever heard in the 331 episodes of this show.

S. Walker

Have Bill hit me for the design work 👉 seanamazing@gmail I did the TA stuff - facts!

Charles Frum

Totally not true, and whether or not someone is a practicing Muslim has nothing to do with their family would kick them out. Only in extreme cases. It’s amazing the things that some people feel are important to highlight about other places

Jon Spiegler

Hard agree on Whores for Gloria

Amanda M

Loved these two eps! I love when they do culture/art eps. Nice break from bleak state of the world

COM

Loved this, as someone completely new to his work I'd love to know more about his earlier days that led him to this path.

jonah peters

drifter’s symp gang rise up

Hannah Lee

Hamlet episode please

Nic Bodiford

Brace almost got away with a a “font and length” joke

Crosley Querin

Can all the nice interviews be the theme yung chomsky uses for this.

🤷🏼‍♀️

I lived in Switzerland for four years and would routinely come across bunkers in the mountains and even around Zurich. Theres a big one in the hill next to Zurich only accesible by train for higher up people

pq

YC beeping in the background driving me crazy 😭

Timothy

Which Columbia is Bill referring to?

Gasbag

Love when you do relaxed conversations like this, Brace and Liz you’re perfect interviewers and the anecdotes and comments are always so compelling and insightful. Luv yas.

Jesse Goodrum

Insane coincidence happened and thought I’d share. Since these episodes, I’ve been wanting to get into Vollmann, but couldn’t decide which book. Happened to vacation in Kauai this week and came across a copy of “The Atlas” in a free book library first book when I opened the little doors. Was such a meant to be moment.

Sixten Heekin

just bought his book Poor People. I felt bad for him and wanted to help in some small way. I feel evil as often as I don't.

Tyson Duffy

Guys this was such a lovely wide ranging interview with a great writer and overall interesting person. Bet it was a highlight of your lives. Thank you.

Daniel Goffe

New theme tune is great 👍🏻

Jeremy Traver

Great episodes. Love these ‘cozy’ style ones

Sarah Bee

I can’t believe I skipped these episodes so many times. Absolutely excellent.

Mao Zedong Superstar

I’m from sacramento and this is an anecdote but my good friend who I consider to be a genius writer and filmmaker once met Vollman and, ostensibly, told my friend that if he wants to make it in that world he needs to get a rich girlfriend and smoke the crack he is offered. I say ostensibly only because I don’t want him to be upset if he reads this. Also the first and only time I smoked crack was on the other side of loaves and fishes across the river on a copper water pipe when I was mourning my friend who loved the trains there more than anything. Great episode by the way I was shocked to see that you guys interviewed to Vollman

Robbo✌🏻

These were really amazing episodes. Thanks