Method and Madness

Jacob Austin, mastermind behind the fantastic Gnostic Pulp substack joined me to talk about the work of Thomas Pynchon, what the heck was going on with PKD, the nature of UFOs, and much, much more. Linktree Some Gnostic Pulp pieces we touched on: Further Adventures in Pynchonian Reality Year of the Lichen Moby-Dick is about UFOs

Writer, critic, and host of the podcast Strange Exiles, Bram E. Giebe n joins me to talk about Philip K. Dick’s most unsettling work: THE THREE STIGMATA OF PALMER ELDRITCH: suspicion about reality, the commodification of the mind, PKD’s conception of God, whether sci-fi is still the trash stratum, and much more. Su bscribe t o Bram’s substack for his ongoing series CRISIS masculinity, the latest e...

The multi-talented Scott Laudati joined me to tell the crazy story of being courted by Hollywood for his great novel PLAY THE DEVIL, finding the spirit of America, and what it means to put in a hard day’s work. Scott’s twitter To Kingdom Come (full tour movie) Buy PLAY THE DEVIL Scott’s linktree

Freud’s influence on the history of Egon Praediger’s favorite drug. Subscribe or sign up for a trial and check out the full episode: We get into the strange fates of several real figures referenced in the book, and the stories of one Pynchonian figure who may have proved ESP in the SHADOW TICKET era (J.B. Rhine) and another (Moritz Schlick) whose work made such things unmentionable in intellectual...

Writer  David Leo Rice  joined me to talk about his wildly imaginative and startlingly resonant new book THE SQUIMBOP CONDITION—along the way we discuss the deep meaning of the A-Bomb, the status of the American Dream, and how David came to be so freaking productive. Buy David’s latest book  THE SQUIMBOP CONDITION  out now from 11:11 Press. David’s substack David’s twitter

The brilliant writer David Leo Rice joined me to talk Thomas Pynchon’s latest, and possibly last, novel SHADOW TICKET. Pynchonian Zones, the warp and weft of history, the end of the systems novel, and the uber-American triad of Beer, Cheese, and Bowling. Buy David’s latest book THE SQUIMBOP CONDITION out now from 11:11 Press. x.com/raviddice raviddice.com

The relentless writer J David Osborne joins me to talk GOD S FARE NO BETTE R , his upcoming novel BERSERKER CLUB (pre-order now, out 1 2/1/2025), drilling mud, escaping twitter, the brilliance of sitcoms and Spark Master Tape—and helps me get my mojo back.

In 1924, Weird Tales published a story by the world famous magician Harry Houdini entitled “Imprisoned with the Pharaohs.” In truth, this story was written by H.P. Lovecraft with some initial ideas provided by Houdini, who is also the narrator of the tale—presented as a genuine encounter that Houdini experience in Egypt in 1910. The story has also been called “Under the Pyramids” and “Entombed wit...

The writer and photographer Lake Markham joins me to talk about Texas, Cormac McCarthy’s SUTTREE, and his brilliant novel LO SIENTO, coming October 21, 2025 from Apocalypse Confidential. BUY LO SIENTO Lake on instagram. Lake on twitter. Lake’s website.

A preview of my in-depth exploration of the labyrinth that lies beneath the first two volumes of Gene Wolfe’s masterpiece, BOOK OF THE NEW SUN. Subscribe to get the whole thing, plus the ever-expanding Madness archive, and early access to all episodes.

Writer and publisher Ben Thomas joins me to revel in the pleasures of the first two volumes of Gene Wolfe’s masterpiece tetralogy The Book of the New Sun . We talk science fiction vs. fantasy and why it matters, the linguistic brilliance embedded within the story, and how to savor the joy of not knowing what, exactly, is going on. Ben’s publishing house House Blackwood

Melee 13 The erudite investigator himself, Dexter De La Paz, joined me to talk about John Keel and his enduring book of living mysteries OUR HAUNTED PLANET. I take a little sidequest from the strictly literary and into the unknown: ultraterrestrial theory, the mystery of the North American Mounds, and much, much more. This will be on the free feed next week. Follow Dexter on twitter. Check out The...

Melee 12 Andrew H. , the mastermind behind the voluminous Pynchonian project The Exegesis of Thomas Pynchon, joined me to talk Pynchon, literature as history, the political art debate, Pynchon contra DeLillo, and more. Follow him on substack or on twitter .

In 1895, American author Robert W. Chambers released a collection of short stories entitled The King in Yellow. Four stories in this collection are connected by play called The King in Yellow and the eponymous malevolent entity. This story cycle would go on to inspire H.P. Lovecraft and many others working in the genre of supernatural horror...right down to today with eerie references to Yellow Ki...

Melee 11 The brilliant moonandmouth joins me to talk about poetry, magic, holes, astral travel, and her magnificent new collection of poetry CATCALYSM MOVES ME I REGRET TO SAY out now from House of Vlad. Buy the book. Follow her on substack or on twitter .

An audio recording of Richard Connell “The Most Dangerous Game.” Long considered one of the most popular short stories of all time, Connell’s thriller has influenced countless stories and at least one serial killer.

Episode 9.2 In this episode, I go in depth on Ellroy’s stylistic forebears, play a little Glass Bead Game between AMERICAN TABLOID and a (not so) very different book, give the quick and very dirty history of CONFIDENTIAL MAGAZINE, and go full-on true crime telling the ‘real’ story of Chuck Rogers.

Episode 9.1 The brilliant and magnanimous Jacob Everett, the mastermind behind Apocalypse Confidential , joins me to discuss AMERICAN TABLOID by James Ellroy—a masterful classic of paranoia, carnage, and the real deal behind the forces of history. We talk the potency of Ellroy’s style, crime fiction as high art, the resonance of the JFK assassination, Ellroy contra Quentin Tarantino, and figure ou...

Cairo Smith  is the founder and EIC of  Futurist Letters , host of The Futurist Letters Show, filmmaker, and author of the forthcoming novel SCENEBUX, out September 6, 2025 from  New Ritual Press. We talked about the New Wave, a certain LA literary party that made headlines, what happens when no one puts you in check, the Idaho Basque, some of the books that have been most influenti...

Menagerie #2 An audio recording of Jack London’s “Love of Life” first published in McClure’s Magazine in 1905. All the classic Jack London themes are here: the Yukon, survival, the cold, and wolves.

Following down just some of the many rabbit holes in John Fowles’ THE MAGUS. Hypnotism, Magic, Cruelty, and the so-called Real World. SUBSCRIBE for full access. x/com/bradkelly SUBSCRIBE FOR EARLY ACCESS AND BONUS CONTENT

Alexandru Constantin joins me to talk in depth on John Fowles’ classic 1965 novel THE MAGUS. A postmodern bildungsroman that’ll remind every former sensitive young man of himself in his cringier days—and a mind-bending trip through a beautiful labyrinth. https://substack.com/@deceneus Don’t miss Alex’s podcast, the Black Ibis Social Club: https://blackibissocialclub.substack.com/ x/com/bradkelly S...

The incredibly talented author Andrew Edwards joins me to talk about his upcoming novel CROWBAR, his absolute banger of a novel KING OF DOGS, the philosophy of survival, and much more. Support Andrew’s crowdfunding effort for CROWBAR: https://substack.com/@goldengoatguild/p-166445394 X: x.com/goldengoatguild Website: https://www.goldengoatguild.net/ SUBSCRIBE FOR EARLY ACCESS AND PREMIUM CONTENT x...

Brian Patrick Eha is a widely-published essayist, journalist, and critic. In this expansive conversation we talk Gustave Flaubert as a precursor to Modernism, the method of free indirect discourse in Madame Bovary and the madness of The Temptation of St. Anthony, as well as a few under-appreciated books from Brian’s personal canon.. https://x.com/brianeha Essays by Brian that we mention: https://w...

or not), and much, much more. Get access to the full episode (and much more) via the patreon or substack feed at madmethodpod.com/subscribe . x/com/bradkelly