Episode 007: INTERVIEW with Blake Butler
“If I made it I might as well destroy it by eating it” – Blake Butler
In this interview episode of The Velvet Podcast, Caleb J Ross interviews Blake Butler, author of Ever (Calamari Press), Scorch Atlas (Featherproof Books) and the forthcoming There is no Year (Harper Perennial). Blake and Caleb discuss the impact of eReaders on visual-dependent literature, the novels vs. movies fallacy, and the importance of humility in a predominantly stuffy industry.
Show Notes: |
|
| 00:00:52 | Why has there been a sudden Blake Awareness with these last two books, Ever and Scorch Atlas? |
| 00:02:25 | Tell me about your style. Is there a connection between your interest in computers and your seemingly scientific style of writing? |
| 00:04:10 | The visual format of Ever |
| 00:06:37 | Is there a disconnect between the implied “edginess” of eReaders and their current inability to translate literature with visuals? |
| 00:14:12 | All about HTML Giant |
| 00:17:16 |
Blake Butler eats Page 1 of Scorch Atlas from blake butler on Vimeo. |
| 00:17:43 | Is there a necessary distinction between gimmick and traditional promotion? |
| 00:19:49 |
Scorch Atlas (destroyed) by Blake Butler from featherproof books on Vimeo. |
| 00:20:11 | How successful was the destroyed copies of Scorch Atlas promotion? |
| 00:23:50 | Was Baby Leg‘s blood really Brian Evenson’s? |
| 00:24:20 | Tell me about your deal with Harper Perennial. |
| 00:30:47 | Does knowing that you have an editor whose paycheck depends on your book put pressure on you? |
| 00:33:45 | Instead of charging books to compete against movies, why not write books that do something that movies cannot? |
| 00:37:50 | Tell me all about your forthcoming Harper Perennial books, your novel There is No Year and your non-fiction book about insomnia. |
Whoring |
|
|
|
|
 Scorch Atlas, Featherproof Books |
|
|
There is No Year, Harper Perennial (forthcoming April, 2011) |
Long ago, way back in 2010, when the world was a simpler place, a group of writers and readers decided to create a podcast which would establish a round-table, literary discussion format for the purposes of imbuing dick and clit jokes into otherwise serious literary discussion. Well, in late 2011, The Velvet Podcast sadly went the way of Robin Williams. But I didn’t feel it right to watch this great content fade away. So, over the next few months look forward to a resurgence of The Velvet Podcast…as much as re-posted archived material can be called a resurgence. Enjoy. And don’t hesitate to add this podcast URL to your favorite podcast subscription app so you can enjoy the wonderful content wherever you may be.
