Drinks with Tony

Michael Marcus is the author of #1 Son and Other Stories on Punk Hostage Press. One of the main takeaways from this fantastic confessional is that you shouldn’t smoke crack. Michael’s life journey is incredible and fascinating. Enjoy our conversation and if you want to dig deeper into the narrative, definitely get the book. Drinks with Tony is also available on  iTunes ,  Spotify ,  St...

Jack Grisham is the author of An American Demon: A Memoir , Code Blue: A Love Story , A Principle of Recovery , and I Wish There Were Monsters . He’s also the founder and lead singer of T.S.O.L , who had a song called Code Blue with the chorus “I want to fuck the dead.” My friends and I discovered the song in 1987, and sang it constantly in English class to the horror of our teac...

Ayser Salman is the author of The Wrong End of the Table: A Mostly Comic Memoir of a Muslim Arab American Woman Just Trying to Fit in . She is also writer and producer/editor for companies like Universal Pictures, Miramax Films, Disney, FX, and Lantern Entertainment. Salman is funny, as you’ll find out when you listen to the show and even more… when you buy her book. Drinks with Tony i...

Allan MacDonell is the author of Punk Elegies: True Tales of Death Trip Kids, Wrongful Sex, and Trial by Angel Dust , Now That I Am Gone: A Memoir Beyond Recall , and Prisoner of X: 20 Years in the Hole at Hustler Magazine. Amidst our fantastic discussion on the Los Angeles punk scene, writing, and such, we dig deep into the film  Highlander . Actually, I thought we were discussing the TV series,...

Mitchell S. Jackson is the author of Survival Math: Notes on an All-American Family . He’s also the author of The Residue Years and winner of a 2016 Whiting Award. Survival Math has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, and Library Journal. Yeah, that’s four stars across the board, a rare feat indeed. Read all of his work, listen to the podcast, and...

Irvine Welsh is the author of Dead Man’s Trousers . It’s the final chapter of the saga of the characters from  Trainspotting . Trainspotting was made into a film, you know. There’s also Trainspotting 2 . Welsh’s other books include Filth (also a film) , Crime , Porno , The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins , and many more. Join us as we answer the hard questions, like, if we want...

Poranguí is a musician, healer, and producer. Check out his self-titled album as well as the companion record Guided Journey . “He lives in service to pachamama as an artist and activist offering transformational music and healing experiences designed to awaken the body, mind, and soul.” In other words, an amazing fella with lots of wisdom on the brain. www.porangui.com . My 6-week onl...

Charlie Jane Anders is the author of The City in the Middle of the Night . Her previous books include Choir Boy and All the Birds in the Sky . Her novelette Six Months, Three Days won the 2012 Hugo Award. She hosts Writers with Drinks, and if you’re a writer and find yourself in San Francisco, it’s the best reading series there is….just go, you won’t be disappointed. But wait, there’s even m...

Lee Goldberg ‘s latest book is Killer Thriller . It’s the sequel to True Fiction . Both books are fantastic reads as Goldberg is a master of his craft. He’s written too many books to count as well as scripts and TV shows. We talk about his time on Diagnosis Murder with Dick Van Dyke , his Monk series of books as well as working on the show, his big break into the TV biz, and most...

Gabriel Hart is the frontman of the band Jail Weddings. His twin novellas  Virgins In Reverse & The Intrusion  was released last month on Traveling Shoes Press and includes a forward by  Tav Falco . Lydia Millet is the author of a ton of great books. This is from the DwT archives when I caught up with her promoting Oh Pure and Radiant Heart.  We recorded at Tommy’s Joynt in San Francisco...

Delfin Vigil is the author of Death of a Newspaper Man and  Nikko: Concrete Commando. He’s also an ex-Jehovah’s Witness and was a features writer and editor at the San Francisco Chronicle for many years. Vigil is also the lead singer of Amores Vigilantes . Ned Vizzini is the author of It’s Kind of a Funny Story and Be Chill . This interview is from the DwT archives, circa 2005 or...

Jerry Minor is an actor and comedian. He’s also an ex-Jehovah’s Witness, so, we talk a lot about that and how he has been able to thrive after suffering major losses in his life. Minor’s TV credits include SNL , Those Who Can’t , Comedy Bang! Bang! , Community , Key and Peele , Curb Your Enthusiasm , Lucky Louie , and so many more. Amy Sedaris starred as Jerri Blank and cre...

Hugh Patterson is a chess master, a chess instructor, a writer, and his moniker is Johnny Genocide. As Mr. Genocide, he’s best known for the band No Alternative . He’s a cancer survivor and we talk A LOT about that on this episode. As well as chess. Michael Muhammad Knight is the author of The Taqwacores and many other books including Muhammad: Forty Introductions that came out last we...

hackedepicciotto are Alexander Hacke and Danielle de Picciotto . Their music and utterly amazing, so check them out as they tour the West Coast the rest of the month. Hacke is also the bass player for Einsturzende Neubauten and has his own solo career. Danielle de Picciotto is also the author of two books The Beauty of Transgression and We Are Gypsies Now . Blixa Bargeld is the lead singer of Eins...

Jay London is a stand-up comic. He was on two seasons of the TV show Last Comic Standing and his other credits include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno , The King of Queens , and he’s the opening act for Louis CK’s special Live At The Comedy Store . Edward Furlong is an actor known for his iconic roles in Terminator 2 , American History X , and Pecker . This interview is from the DwT arc...

Scot Sothern is the author of Curb Service: A Memoir , Streetwalkers , and Big City . He’s also a photographer and his portraits of sex workers have been shown in galleries around The States and Europe. William T. Vollmann is the author of The Royal Family , Whores for Gloria , and Rising Up and Rising Dow n. This interview is from the Drinks with Tony archives circa 2005. Wanna write a nove...

Jim Ruland is the author of  Forest of Fortune and co-author of My Damage with Keith Morris. He’s also a long time contributor to Razorcake and runs the reading series Vermon on the Mount . Ruland is currently working on a book with Bad Religion. Marky Ramone was the drummer for The Ramones and his book is  Punk Rock Blitzkrieg . This interview is from the DwT archives circa 2015. Also note,...

Gabriela Herstik is a writer, fashion alchemist, and witch. She is the author of Inner Witch: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Craft . She also writes for Nylon and HelloGiggles. Wesley Strick is an executive producer and writer for the TV series The Man in the High Castle . He’s written a ton of other screenplays like Cape Fear , The Saint , and Batman Returns . His novel Out There in the Dark...

Stephen Jay Schwartz is the editor of Hollywood vs. the Author , stories behind the scenes from those who have experienced what has been called development hell. He’s also the author of Boulevard and Beat . Bent Hamer is the director of Factotum , a film based on the novel by Charles   Bukowski . My interview with the Norwegian filmmaker is from the DwT archives circa 2005. Wanna write a nov...

Stuttering John Melendez is famous for his crazy hijinks on The Howard Stern Show and later for joining The Tonight Show with Jay Leno . His book Easy For You To Say digs into his time on both those shows, the ugly and the great. Great read and a fun guest. Adrian Belic received an Oscar nomination for his film Genghis Blues . Since then he directed Beyond the Call and Fallen Not Forgotten . From...

Shawna Kenney is the author of I was a Teenage Dominatrix and co-author of Live at the Safari Club . She teaches at UCLA Extension and co-runs a writing retreat in Denmark called Hamlet’s Hideaway. She’s married to Rich loves to talk about Star Wars. Steve Kilbey is the lead singer of The Church. This interview is from the DwT archives. Known for their album Starfish and the hit Under...

Ben Loory is the author of Tales of Falling and Flying , Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day , and The Baseball Player and the Walrus . He has never watched the game show $10,000 Pyramid, which makes him very cool. See the photo below of his wall of index cards that prompted the references to the game show. Daniel Clowes is the author and screenwriter of Ghost World and Art School Confident...

David Ulin is the author of The Lost Art of Reading: Books and Resistance in a Troubled Time and Sidewalking: Coming to Terms with Los Angeles . He edited the Books section of the Los Angeles Times from 2005 – 2010. His last name is pronounced you-lin. Wim Wenders is the director of Wings of Desire and Buena Vista Social Club . This interview from the DwT archives was taped in 2005. Check ou...

Matthew Stokoe is the author of Cows , High Life , Empty Mile , and Colony of Whores . We connected years ago when I ran CherryBleeds.com , but this was our first meeting in person because he lives far away, or, from his POV I live far away. And, he brought his lovely wife Elizabeth, and we chatted in Larchmont Village. Steve Almond is the author of (Not That You Asked): Rants, Exploits, and Obses...

Seth Greenland is the author of The Hazards of Good Fortune . His other books include The Bones , The Angry Buddhist , and I Regret Everything . Greenland has also worked in TV and film on shows like Big Love and Arli$$ . His first appearance on Drinks with Tony was in 2005 when we were young, innocent fellas. Jon Ronson is the author of So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed . His other books inclu...