Method and Madness

A preview of the MADNESS presentation on Cormac McCarthy’s THE CROSSING. Here talking about the very, very strange relationship between man, wolf, and the other world. For access to the full thing, subscribe via substack or patreon. latest book: CROWBAR

UTTER GOODNESS is UTTERly GOOD. The writer  Audrey Lee  joined me to talk about her exciting new collection of short stories, out now via  Farthest Heaven , comprehending America, STONER, and the state of confessional writing. Buy UTTER GOODNESS

The incredible writer Andrew Edwards joined me to talk about Cormac McCarthy’s oft-overlooked masterpiece THE CROSSING. We get technical on McCarthy’s high style, Crossings of all sorts, the spiritual bond of brothers, and what it means to say that the world is but a tale. Buy Andrew’s latest book: CROWBAR

The first 3 chapters of my new book THE EARTHEN DARK for your listening pleasure. Get a copy of the book: bradkellyesque.com . SPECIAL DEAL: In 2026, if you sign up for a yearly paid subscription to Method and Madness (via substack or patreon), and provide a US postal address, you’ll get a special signed copy of THE EARTHEN DARK, along with two hand-edited manuscript pages of early drafts, and a o...

A peek behind the paywall. In this episode, I go in depth on Ellroy’s stylistic forebears, play a little Glass Bead Game between AMERICAN TABLOID and 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.

In this clip from the full episode, I dive into the career of Hugh Everett III, a brilliant physicist who developed the groundbreaking Many Worlds Interpretation—and ushered in the algorithmic age with classified work for shadowy government entities.

Anthony Metivier is known as the magnetic memory master. Using time-tested techniques he has not only taught himself to memorize large quantities of complicated information, but he’s gained a reputation for being among the very best teachers of memory practice. Now, he’s written his second novel in the Decline series, a bold detective saga that puts these memory methods in praxis and takes the rea...

Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic 1836 story, first appearing in The Token and Atlantic Souvenir, later re-published in TWICE-TOLD TALES.

Andrew Edwards , the author of what just might be the best novel of 2025, joins me to talk conspiracy, LSD, the interior journey of writing, the 1980s, literary gnosticism, the quantification of everything, and, of course, his certified banger CROWBAR. Buy Crowbar

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.