Jonah Andrist - Podcast Details

Shows

Western ThoughtThomas Hardy, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Hunter S. Thompson, Herman Hesse,About 4 minutes in Jonah reveals the idea for this episode: he is going to list off bursts of authors he's read in the last five years of doing the podcast which they haven't featured and Will is going to riff on whatever comes to mind. Thanks for listening fellow littérateurs. This may be our last episode ... Jonah is tired of doing jobs he doesn't like so he's gonna get out of Idaho and get beat on the dirty streets of Hollywood. He is leaving behind a box of books of his short stories at the Walrus and Carpenter. I...2023-11-171h 12

Western ThoughtMallarme (accent not included)This is a very loosely styled podcast. I know, usually we keep it so on point and tight. But often I think podcasts are more fun this way. At least we had fun. It's the conversation you'll get in the Walrus and Carpenter bookstore. Come sit for a while and geek out about language.2023-08-151h 02

Western ThoughtMilan Kundera Dies Age 94A eulogy Live from the Walrus and Carpenter bookstore. Ten years ago, when Jonah first fell headfirst into an obsession with Kundera (and his new English translations) Jonah was surprised to learn Kundera was still alive. Shortly after he started writing notes for an article about the importance of Kundera's novel Immortality to 20th century literature - halfway expecting at some point to have a relationship with a literary journal which might publish it. Those notes still exist but suffice to say said relationship never occurred. But what might be the best simplification is Immortality and NOT the unbearable l...2023-07-201h 09

Western ThoughtHarold BrodkeyFrom the Western Thought archive a conversation about an author who hasn't been in style for decades - but is arguably one of the most interesting prose stylists to have ever lived. Jonah had a love affair with Brodkey and as such, during this conversation, is probably a bit overly denigrating due to the feelings once held so convincingly. This conversation is from the early second year of the podcast where Jonah could still talk Will into closing the store and sitting in the back where there's less traffic noise. Initially never released because Jonah didn't think the content...2023-07-091h 21

Western ThoughtA Deadly DayJust a little short story told loosely.This is a little inside baseball for anyone who wonders why creators keep stumbling into using sites like patreon. And like inside baseball, you're gonna have to care to find this interesting so feel free to change channels quickly. At a certain threshold of published episodes your server fees for posting continue to grow, steeply. From where this podcast is now to the next level would cost me triple the yearly cost. On Patreon you can post anything with no upfront cost they just take a little cut on the...2023-06-2512 min

Western ThoughtWar and PeaceThis month we discuss perhaps the most famous novel in the world. A novel which was said to possess every aspect of human life and feeling. Despite its aging in certain, one might even say, predictable, ways. the attempt still holds solid. The realism of this grand Russian exploration of the soul is solidified with potent realism considering the randomness our universe (cultural and physical) can throw at a living being. As always, in the podcast tradition, we engage with that randomness perhaps a little too willingly but another chance to come sit in the bookstore for a while.2023-05-3151 min

Western Thought"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"You've been clamoring for it and it's finally here! More clanging of the chimes on Will's bookstore door, more conversational meandering. More of Jonah suggesting they talk about books which Will hasn't looked at in decades but Jonah stubbornly thinks will be interesting anyway until he realizes, again, he's forced a topic which he wasn't prepared for. This topic is the physicist Richard Feynman. Apparently you can get free pdf's of this classic lighthearted romp through the intellect online. So, go give Feynman a looksee. The pleasures of thinking really do drip off the page. Come sit in the b...2023-05-0351 min

Western ThoughtJohn Muir, John Steinbeck, John O'HaraDid Joseph Campbell make out with John Steinbeck's wife? Why yes, he did. Also in discussion Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire which Will reveals he owns a first edition of. You better watch out Will, with this public knowledge someone might try to break into the bookstore and mug you with an automatic pistol. Enjoy a chat about John's. Weirdly, we didn't even plan it this way.2023-04-0657 min

Western Thoughtee cummingsIt would be cool to be really interesting in one of these description areas ... But I don't think it is possible. It's like the summation for a piece of fiction. You're sort of telling what the story is about but if you get to close to saying exactly what happens you either A. Miss the larger metaphorical or allegorical content or B. You end up risking spoilers. The thing, with podcasts, is they're impossible to spoil so I suppose this could literally be a transcription for words spoken. Yuck.Oh I read something from my friend, a poet...2023-02-2740 min

Western ThoughtShaggy and the Old German FableThe second and third acts to a Scooby Doo! mystery started at the end of the Metalhead trailer. I got one comment about enjoying the imagination so I continued to think about what the rest of the story might be. It's kinda fun to write movies where you don't have to pay attention to all the dialogue. Legitimate literary conversations having to be moved over to the Patreon for our podcast. I'm still in the red over here making stuff for you guys. But what else am I gonna do, really? Apply to medical school?2023-02-1134 min

Western ThoughtThe Murder of Isaac BabelThis month we become more of a history podcast. Discussing the Bolshevik revolution, money, power. What it might mean to try and be a revolutionary. Babel's phrase about the artistic strictures instituted on writers in Stalinism; "My friends, we are not allowed to write badly anymore." There's no such strictures on podcasts - as we have happily explored. Also, Babel's murder was sad, and as is our want, we think it would be a good play. Come sit in the bookstore for a while.2023-02-0759 min

Western ThoughtA Metalhead: Trailer for a NovelThis is an audio introduction to a novel you can access over at the Western Thought patreon. patreon.com/westernthought. On the patreon page I will also include an unlocked version of the text (the first chapter) if you'd like to peruse that before making a leap into patronage. 2023-01-1620 min

Western ThoughtVirginia WoolfThe initial idea for this episode was to do a centennial retrospective of the year 1922. The writers TS Eliot, EM Forster, and last but not least, Woolf. Woolf, I think for both of us, ended up being the most fascinating. Partially because a week before, in the Walrus and Carpenter (Will's bookstore) Jonah found a copy of Beginning Again. One part of five of Leonard Woolf's autobiography. A fascinating remnant of literary history which is used to create, in our opinion, literary speculation of which you're hardly going to find the kind in any other podcast (for better and...2023-01-061h 06

Western ThoughtMeditations on the TarotNot necessarily literature but a larger discussion about the nature of the universe. Whether it's open or closed. These Meditations are from a book by a anonymous author and are basic discussions for the understanding of Christian Hermeticism. Just pop your head into the bookstore and see if anything peaks your interest. We had fun.2022-11-1742 min

Western ThoughtThe Town of Books - Part 1Written as something of a playful experiment with a simple idea - a rich and famous children's book author (a JK Rowling type figure) comes to a stagnant town (like Pocatello, ID) and figures she could buy a lot of the downtown storefronts. She decides to open up a series of bookstores. Hijinks occur. An accidental death, a theft of a first edition of Melville's Moby Dick. The second two parts of this novella can be found on the Patreon. patreon.com/westernthought 2022-11-072h 12

Western ThoughtWas Herman Melville homosexual?Will stumbled upon a book (Homosexuals in History) with a reference to Hawthorne being potentially homosexual. We try and dig into the confluence of art and sex. So far, for this year, I think this may be our best podcast. Maybe because it's now chilly enough in Idaho that Will has the fireplace running at the front of his store again. Come sit near for a bit. As always, old episodes available at patreon.com/westernthought.2022-11-0259 min

Western ThoughtRice and Nathaniel HawthorneSeriously considered editing this for more focus on Nathaniel, but maybe we'll get around to that next week. In this episode Will's new squeeze, Sonai, stops by to drink a beer in front of the fireplace and chat. Isn't that one of the appeals for podcasts - containing a weird, possibly interesting moment of time? Anyway, don't be planning to use this as reference material for your next book report. Come hang out in the bookstore for a bit.2022-10-2055 min

Western ThoughtGertrude SteinA fairly busy Tuesday at the bookstore with a few sales and auditory distractions from a new roof being applied. Still, there's a few good one-liners and a (possibly) good introduction to Stein and her cubist doodlings with words (my words). Shorter episodes these days as Will now has a standing dinner date. Perhaps we will compensate by doing them more frequently. As always, old episodes are now stored for you perusal at patreon.com/westernthought. Come sit in the bookstore for a while.2022-10-0638 min

Western ThoughtCreative Writing MFAs and Durrell's JUSTINEBack from a hiatus we try to discuss a novel that Will hasn't read in twenty years. But luckily, with art as our master, we finally tackle the liberal art MFAs and why they don't seem to produce the random passion which makes reading so compelling. Putting our personalities out there you'll have to be the judge if you can pan out the fluff to find the treasures (this will make more sense if you listen). Come sit in the bookstore for a while.2022-09-2343 min

Western ThoughtTwo StoriesAnother fictional supplement to the podcast. Two independent stories which have been recorded for your listening interest (written far apart with very different styles). The first story is a touch of exaggerated reality - with an artist who makes exceptional pictures in the foam of coffee. The second story is a Henry Miller inspired first person wander through a mysterious death and a "postmodern" deconstruction of the mystery genre. The second story begins 24 minutes in.2022-08-031h 09

Western ThoughtSimone de Beauvoir's THE MANDARINSA couple technical (battery) hiccups fragment the show a little at the beginning, but not necessarily to its detriment. Beauvoir is a writer that Jonah has wanted to do for some years and it's fun to get around to that period of French letters and another female - though our depth in reviewing Beauvoir's THE SECOND SEX is quite limited. Reminder that we have a Patreon for old episodes. Another two hours to come hang out in the bookstore.2022-07-211h 56

Western ThoughtThe Drug Show (a podcast about Jack Kerouac and the Beat Generation)This felt pretty good after we'd finished. The format Jonah always had in mind for the function of the podcast. A lot of Will talking with some pointed questions and secondary material thrown in. Some other secret magic may also have been involved. Come sit in the bookstore for a while.2022-06-101h 34

Western ThoughtTrying to Understand William FaulknerWe are joined by a cool painter in a Canadian tuxedo named Sydney who plays the good sport. This one is rambling and reaching with a lot of laughter and Will tells me in the second half we get very un-PC. Jonah remembers a certain amount of belligerence ... but that's usually the most fun one can have with a podcast. So come sit in the bookstore and try to figure out what's the deal with William Faulkner.www.patreon.com/westernthought 2022-05-211h 08

Western ThoughtPhantasmagoria, Robert Musil and a Writer's FestivalThis one starts a little bit slow. Jonah wanted to do an examination of what potential writer's festivals have become in this world of many other distractions. This kinda gets done? But basically commits the same sin that was meant to be avoided. Namely, dropping info that most of you wont really have that much context for. Reminder that we have a Western Thought Patreon now. Why would anyone pay for this? I mean I've never subscribed to anyone else's Patreon, why should you? I hate being a hypocrite in this fashion - but there's only so much better...2022-04-281h 21

Western ThoughtRalph EllisonThe middle of this discussion features an interview about Human Rights - and how to make money from them. Jonah tries his best to discuss Ralph Ellison's life in essays but mainly reflects on the one which tickled him the most. Come sit in the bookstore for a while. Oh yeah, and Western Thought has a Patreon now. Check it out for episodes removed because of server storage costs that our number of listeners doesn't really justify paying as of yet.2022-04-031h 00

Western ThoughtWhen We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin LabatutAn exciting little book from an author to look out for. Jonah drinks his beer too fast and Will talks about Leonard Cohen, which honestly should probably be the title. Come sit in the bookstore for a while.2022-02-181h 49

Western ThoughtThe David Foster Wallace SpecialWarning: this episode contains irony. (To ruin the fun: It's actually about Henry Miller. Wait ... is that technically irony? It's not what I mean, and it's intended for comedic affect - I think it counts. Wallace was more concerned with Irony on a large scale cultural level which is obviously what this podcast will never have - so we get to have fun with the irony instead of wringing our hands.)Come sit in the bookstore for a while.www.patreon.com/westernthought 2022-01-061h 36

Western ThoughtA Beautiful Lie, or, A Fairly Boring TruthA cold open song, disrupted by thoughts on nihilism and and wisdom. Will talks about a biography he read on Eva Gardner. Some loose ends of the podcast are discussed. Jonah ends with a rant about an awful foreword to a collection of Stanislaw Lem's Ijon Tiichy cycle. Check Lem out if you haven't already.2021-11-261h 18

Western ThoughtLABYRINTHS by J.L.BA purposeful labyrinthine title for an episode that starts with a real world mystery.You will know if you're in the know who JLB is - the famously blind and brilliant librarian of the imagination.Honestly there was something of a miscommunication for this episode. We started with an idea of doing Borges and then Jonah gave Will a supplementary text titled the Oxford Book of Latin American Short Stories just to round out the conversation. But Will seemed so enamored with a few of these that he kind of pivoted in his mind to d...2021-10-211h 28

Western ThoughtTruman Capote, John Kennedy TooleCapote's MUSIC for CHAMELEONS and Toole's "Confederacy of Dunces" are discussed.Jonah discovers after the fact that he is wrong about much of Toole's biography. This well written article is probably worth more than his words. https://www.newyorker.com/books/second-read/the-uneasy-afterlife-of-a-confederacy-of-duncesYet the virtue of the medium allows for the display of ignorance-par-excellance. Pretty breezy discussion with perhaps a touch too many personal stories, but hey, we're not getting paid.Come sit in the bookstore for a while.2021-09-241h 39

Western ThoughtA Susan Sontag ReaderWith a dash of irony I'm going to set up a false dichotomy: this is either the worst show we've ever done or it's the best. Jonah laments not having it more prepared like a lecture - yet what would a lecture bring that reading Sontag's work in her own words would not? Perhaps this mess is preferable. In fact this is part of Sontag's themes in The Aesthetics of Silence. She argues for the spoken word rather than the written.Which, by the way, like any difficult or messy work of art, you the listener is...2021-08-271h 25

Western ThoughtCormac McCarthy or The Evening Redness in the WestCould probably fill up multiple podcasts with this author. An American and Western writer of first order. Unlike our first episodes we don't really deviate much into other authors - though Will gives some interesting personal accounts. Come sit in the bookstore for a while.2021-08-051h 24

Western ThoughtHaruki MurakamiShorter episode where we discuss the short stories of Murakami. Perhaps the most famous Japanese writer translated into English? Come sit in the bookstore for a while.2021-07-0903 min

Western ThoughtFinding Everett RuessYou may recognize this name from Jon Krakauer's book Into the Wild which featured a chapter on Everett. Painter, poet, vagabond for beauty. Also victim of a mysterious disappearance in 1934. Though he lives on as a figure onto whom the artistic soul can commune. The book we mainly discuss is authored by David Roberts. Come sit in the bookstore for a while.2021-05-281h 28

Western ThoughtChristina RossettiWe start with a discussion of Rossetti's poetry and potential meanings. Soon though we move onto a secret that Jonah's been keeping under his hat. Once A Fool! by Boye de Mente. A journey from Tokyo to Alaska by Amphibious Jeep. A story perfect for a screenplay but would need 15 million dollars and a director with the nascent hutzpa to try and film on the ocean. Come sit in the bookstore for a while.2021-05-071h 34

Western ThoughtJames Joyce FINNEGAN'S WAKETripping through some passages of this cultural mish-mash of a book there is a lot of laughter. We're joined by Pam, a helping hand for giving us everyman context. Also discussed is Albert Camus whom I hope to discuss more in a future episode .... though to be honest I doubt we'd do better than The Partially Examined Life #4 on Camus. Check that one out if you want as good a philosophical starter course as any you'd get at university.2021-04-011h 05

Western ThoughtSpring Non-FictionTwo non-fictional pieces on tap for this episode. One is what I should've lead off with to start this whole podcast. It's a character piece I did on Will Peterson. The second piece is an article I wrote about strippers in Reno (back in 2018). This episode is brought to you by The Town of Books. Jonah's audiobook with professional reader Tom Strah, instead of Jonah's weedy voice.2021-03-2648 min

Western ThoughtEps 19: Charles Bukowski PORTIONS FROM A WINE-STAINED NOTEBOOKJonah and Will end up talking a decent amount about drinking and fighting. Surprise surprise. You guys, don't think of writing as your dream. Don't fantasize this shit. Your neighbor who's going to work to afford the lease on a mustang is closer to pursuing a dream than you are. You are grub in a vast universe of time. Don't try ... write only when you are risking being hated, hated for saying you think you see the world how it is.2021-03-041h 31

Western ThoughtTHE MASTER AND MARGARITA by Mikhail BulgakovA jaunty Russian novel that is one of Will's favorites. We get to really dig our teeth into some big topics in this one. Meaning! Yes, what is the meaning of meaning? Listen and be as confused as when you started (though hopefully amused for an hour).2021-02-041h 29

Western ThoughtFranz Kafka and the Logic of LiteratureTouch a few bases of Kafka's oeuvre in this episode. As always we fall down a few separate rabbit holes. Fun though. I've always loved thinking and talking about Kafka. Definitely a fundament of Western Thought.Does our podcast need music? Intros or outros? Personally I like just getting straight into the talking but any feedback is welcomed.Still looking for submissions if you got em. In the spring Will mentions that he's going to do a Crater's of the Moon anthology. Take a shot at writing something.Send to jonah.andrist@gmail.com 2021-01-061h 31

Western ThoughtMilan Kundera and Michel HouellebecqThis episode's discussion begins with a reading from Kundera's THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING.I cannot stress this enough - if you go out and get one of Kundera's middle period novels (and you should, right now) you need to get the Aaron Asher translations. He worked closely with Kundera in the 90's and they really are superior in every way.We get pretty french this week.2020-12-051h 35

Western ThoughtWilliam Gibson's PATTERN RECOGNITIONWill and Jonah are on their game for this one. Unfortunately for you we shut off the recorder and talked for another two hours, but I like to think that it's burying peat, fertilizing the soil for future episodes.2020-11-111h 05

Western ThoughtEdits and Improv on a Novel Idea - Part 1?Doing something different this week. Taking 'the bones' of a novella idea that Will had some years ago and riffing off its theme. Will gave Jonah the book to possibly edit and Jonah thought that this would be much effort with little reward. But talking candidly for you here is pretty fun. Anyway, who wants to read expertly crafted sentences when they can just listen to a couple whiskey drinking yahoos bullshit on the main topic of the book. Called, by the way, KHAMSIN. A story of a lonely lost German tank in the North African desert.2020-10-201h 32

Western ThoughtFall FictionWhen Will and I first conceived of Western Thought we pictured it as a literary magazine. Obviously there were practical roadblocks to this and I thought a podcast would be more fun. But I've maintained interest in doing something with more fiction. If you or anyone you know has a piece of fiction that they think is solid and would be good as audio I encourage you to submit. Will and I do this podcast cause we like reading and will read most anything.Submit to my email jonah.andrist@gmail.comIf we like it I'll find...2020-09-291h 06

Western ThoughtIs Our Podcast Elitist?Jonah and Will discuss the writer Harold Brodkey's collection of non-fiction: SEA BATTLES ON DRY LAND. The title of this one says it all. The answer? Yeah, we probably are. Brodkey has a very slash and burn (solipsistic might be another word for it) writing style that very much attracted Jonah when he was younger. The idea of being absolutely free when creating your art. Perhaps Jonah has grown up a little since then. Don't start with Brodkey's non-fiction. His short stories are where all the magic is. I'd promise that one day I'll get the audio consistent, but...2020-09-261h 21

Western ThoughtGrace Paley and a (bad) Introduction to PostmodernismJoined again by Andrea Lovelace to discuss another female writer ... though a writer not particularly liked by Andrea or Will. Digressions are had, as the last time Andrea was on, about genre. Including discussion of a new young adult series that Jonah will have no part in writing.2020-08-281h 29

Western ThoughtFriedrich Nietzsche's THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDYOther writers discussed in conversation. Italo Calvino, Proust, Toni Morrison. Pretty hard to do a whole podcast on Nietzsche without lecture notes, but you should learn something. One thing each podcast - that's all I ever hope for.2020-08-011h 24

Western ThoughtAnnie Proulx's "The Wamsutter Wolf": And Other StoriesBack to Western Thought classic, just Jonah and Will. A year of doing this podcast (albeit with long hiatuses). I think we've got another year in us.2020-07-061h 16

Western ThoughtVladimir Nabokov's PALE FIREWe are joined by the subtle wit of sir Thomas Strah. Painter, writer, narrator of Jonah's audiobook The Town of Books. What isn't to like about Nabokov. Hopefully this will urge you to pick him up again.2020-06-161h 19

Western ThoughtRaymond Chandler's FAREWELL MY LOVELYThis is one of Will's favorite writers. Jonah gets Chandlerian level drunk. We are joined again by the lovely Andrea Lovelace, pay extra attention to her laugh. Also, enjoy the outdoors bird sounds. patreon.com/westernthought for archived episodes.2020-05-291h 34

Golden Walkman MagazineIssue 7.4A - Fiction, April 2020This issue features fiction from Jonah Andrist // www.goldwalkmag.com 2020-05-0209 min

Western ThoughtPossession by AS ByattWe are joined by the delightful great grand-niece of Ada Lovelace (would be cool) Andrea Lovelace, to discuss a novel which we all sort of liked at the beginning. Hey, at least it's by a woman. That was the thought process anyway.2020-04-152h 01

Western ThoughtRaymond Carver and Interception TheoryThis episode mainly discusses Will's new literary theory. It's not so fully formed but we try and get there. Luckily for you the listener, we are joined by Mark, a beer bumming customer of the bookshop who will be your voice of confusion.I think this is a fun one.2020-03-091h 07

Full Audiobook That Come to Life, AnywhereTown of Books Audiobook by Jonah AndristListen to this audiobook in full for free onhttps://hotaudiobook.com/freeID: 412671 Title: Town of Books Author: Jonah Andrist Narrator: Thomas Strah Format: Unabridged Length: 05:27:24 Language: English Release date: 12-05-19 Publisher: Authors Republic Genres: Fiction & Literature, Literary Fiction Summary: A wealthy children's book author is compelled by the availability of real estate in a small American downtown to purchase property and set up a series of bookstores. In her attempts to turn the town into a minor tourist attraction she has problems with her employees (three local girls and a boyfriend). A death occurs and a mystical consideration about...2019-12-055h 27