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Even Vulture has its very own take on this; shout-out toGood One.
Orlean is no stranger to podcasts.
(That show is no longer active, and these days is only accessible behind the Earwolf paywall.)
1.5x Speed: It was such a treat to hear that you were hostingBook Exploder.
How did you end up collaborating with Hrishi on this?
Susan Orlean:Well, Hrishi and I had met several years ago.
Im a bigSong Exploderfan, so I was super-excited to meet him.
I dont know if you know him, but hes just the nicest, sweetest person.
So when he came to me withBook Exploder, it felt instantly right.
Speaking to people about the first line of their story, or something like that.
It was as if the idea existed simultaneously for the both of us.
When you sit down for one of these conversations, what are you looking for?
Im looking for a way to illuminate the actual mechanics of creativity.
Creativity is in large part sort of magical, something that defies analysis.
Thats something we dont talk about very often.
How do you make this thing that ultimately feels magical, but involves some real machinery?
It doesnt remove the mystery to understand how it happens.
Youre just filled with a different appreciation.
Or at least, less unreachable.
Have you ever dabbled in magic?
I once got an app that allowed you to do one magic trick on your phone.
I forget how to do it, but that was it.
Ive never done anything else magical.
Except give birth, I suppose.
Do you find it difficult to talk about writing?
Absolutely, because a lot of it happens on a subconscious level.
Is it hard to talk about writing?
Yeah, it can be very hard.
A lot of it is intuitive.
It comes from something deep and inaccessible.
I will also say that writers dont talk to each other about writing very often.
They, you know, gossip about editors.
But they dont very often talk about nuts and bolts.
Thats been my experience.
My group chats are mostly about drama.
Why do you think that is?
Is it an insecurity thing?
Its a shame, because I think you learn a lot from it.
Id like to go back to what you said earlier about reading a college paper on your writing.
What was that like?
It was extremely strange.
Somebody can take it and read it and analyze it.
Its very flattering, of course, but also disembodying.
Did you feel compelled to defend yourself?
What do you do in that situation?
Well, this was something someone did as a masters thesis.
I cant remember the exact context, but there wasnt any commentary that I could make.
To be honest, I found her discovery of a certain thematic coherence kind of fascinating.
I guess thats a little bit like what were trying to do withBook Exploder.
It provokes a heckle-raising experience where you want to say, Wait, I didnt mean that.
1.5x: Whats your dreamBook Exploderguest who isnt alive?
William Faulkner comes to mind instantly.
His work is so crafted and so, so dense.
Theres almost an element of poetry in his work that really does beg for interpretation.
Do you reckon hed like being interviewed like that?
Orlean:Oh my God.
From what I understand, he was a very ornery guy.
So chances are, he would not.
But wouldnt that be cool, though?
1.5x: Lets pivot to another podcast.
Are we ever going to get more episodes ofCrybabies?
You know, we had so much fun doing it.
The door isnt shut.
I love working with Sarah, and we still felt confident that it was a really good workable concept.
What are you listening to right now?
I get the sense youre into narrative podcasts.
Orlean:I am!
Though I feel like Ive just run out of them.
Now Im a little adrift.
I mean, every night, so that fall asleep, I listen totheDatelinepodcast.
Which, of course, means Ive never heard one all the way through.
I know how theystart, but I really dont know how they end.
Theyre cheesy and terrible, but theyre great white noise.
Usually, Id start one, then I fall asleep and my husband turns it off for me.
Theres something about the lilt in the way they narrate stories.
Its singsongy, like theyre reading a Mother Goose story.
I know lots of people who fall asleep to the television show.
I mean, its funny because of course theyre talking about gory horrible crimes.
And then on the table at night … a knife … covered in blood!
I guess the consistency is why I always listen to it.
And also because I dont really care what the outcome is.
The first episode ofBook Explodercan be foundhere.
New installments come out every other Wednesday, sandwiched between normalSong Explodereps.
Producers on the show are Hirway, Julia Botero, Theo Balcomb, with Nick Song.
