Tales From The Mall

The Los Angeles-based Brittany Ackerman is the renowned author of the tremendous novel, The Brittanys, & is working on a brand new book called The Style Of Your Life. We talk about that book, what it was like promoting her last book, meeting boys through MySpace, the medical establishment, yoga, & more. Brittany... what a tremendous guest, what a tremendous episode. And thank you very much listene...

Noam Hessler is an authentic genius - a poet, and the author of the brand new "Officeparks", his collection of poetry pending release from Farthest Heaven. Noam has been a very enjoyable guest on the show previously, and he returns for an astounding episode where we talk poetry & visual art; he recounts his most recent trip to Europe; we talk about Bob Dylan, Noam's parents, & I read a poem as wel...

The great Dan Spencer returns to Tales From The Mall. If you don't know Dan Spencer yet, you're going to want to! He's a genius singer & songwriter from Cookeville, TN. I recommend streaming his music and catching him live. He's also a great guy - very smart, very funny, and he's my great friend. We have a wonderfully relaxed & hilarious chat on Tales From The Mall. You're gonna love it! Thank you...

Incredible episode. Nicholas Rall is an incredibly talented writer. He is the author the fantastic novella AFX8CCD out now on Expat Press. I talk to him about his book & the creative process, Pittsburgh, Final Fantasy, John Steinbeck, cats and more. Thank you so much, Nick, and thank you, listener! Nicholas on "X": https://x.com/viiviidsmiile Nicholas on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/viividsmii...

Sean Moeller is a legendary figure in the world of American music, and is now an author as well. Sean ran the iconic music website, Daytrotter, which featured live-to-tape sessions of some of music's greatest acts. Now, the Quad Cities-based Sean has written Plain Clothes Hamburglar, a collection of fascinating writing, out now on the press Rejection Letters. Sean and I talk music, talk writing, t...

Bill, aka Will, is the founder and CEO of Farthest Heaven. He's also one of Tales From The Mall's greatest friends. Brendan was the Best Man at his wedding. And he joins the show for a FREE chat about everything under the sun, including Joyce Carol Oates, Real Genius, fish research, gaming, R. Kelly, and so much more. I love you Bill. Enjoy. Bill on Twitter: https://x.com/20gaShotgun Bill on Insta...

Scout Gillett is a multi-talented musician/singer/songwriter/director. She's been putting out tremendous music from her home base of Brooklyn, NY but is presently making some big moves: she's made the leap from label artist to totally independent, and she's leaping across our continent from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Her latest single, "Closer", presages her forthcoming EP "Imagination, MO"... a sin...

Brittany Menjivar is the author of the hit new book Parasocialite. She is also a columnist for the LA Review of Books, and the cofounder of Car Crash Collective, an LA-based reading series. She is also a wonderful guest, as we discuss the great malls of our lives, how she came to found her reading series and meeting Richard Hell. Great episode. Brittany on Twitter: https://x.com/_brittpop_ Brittan...

Andrew Wittstadt is a new friend of mine, and a recent alum of TFTM After Hours. He's also one hell of a smart dude, a writer, a thinker, and a podcaster. He's the host of the Heavy Bored podcast which I recommend you check out. He and I have a really wide-ranging talk about writing, movies, love, art, life... what don't we talk about? Enjoy. And thank you, Andrew! Andrew on Twitter: https://x.com...

Listen for a special Tax Day announcement. Subscribe to Tales From The Mall for only $5/month here: https://patreon.com/talesfromthemall?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

Orson Welles is an iconic figure. In many ways he's a 20th century American folk hero. Non-cinephiles know him from appearances in TV commercials and Dean Martin comedy roasts & as the one-hit wonder behind Citizen Kane. But the length, depth, & power of Orson Welles' directing career is much greater than many people realize, and he even made some crime melodramas... or film noir. The greatest liv...

Spencer Desmond is an incredible individual; a force of nature. He's a writer, artist, producer, musician & beautiful person. We talk about his film making pursuits, weightlifting, sobriety, New England, John Carpenter, Pauly Shore, & more. Many thanks to Spencer! Many thanks to you, the listener! Spencer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rooster_puncher Spencer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.c...

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Tales From The Mall! Today's very special episode features my great friend Patrick Kehoe: first and foremost a father & husband, but also an Irish-Canadian, a '90s dot com entrepreneur, an OG theorycel, a writer, a boxing expert and much more. Patrick and I talk about family, boxing, French theory, the 90s dot com boom, & more. Many thanks to Patrick & many thanks to y...

Brantley is an old friend of the show, a return guest... more importantly he is a film professional, a flower farmer, a Southern gentleman and a wonderful soul. He has, of late, become a golf scholar & active golfer. On this episode we talk about breaking up, about golfing, about the great Ron Shelton movie Tin Cup, about screenwriting and much more. Many thanks to Brantley. Brantley's Twitter: ht...

The brilliant, young Canadian musician, public intellectual, & co-host of the runaway hit podcast NICE, Big Mac McCarthy joins the show for a raw, unfiltered, frank conversation about contemporary Canada, songwriting, love in the 21st Century, the life of a Bohemian musician, going back to school in one's 30s and much much more. Thank you, Mac. Thank you, listener. Enjoy. Mac on Twitter: https://t...

Eric Tolzmann is a tremendous filmmaker, writer & music aficionado. On this episode he and I discuss working in the film industry, Terrence Malick, record collecting, the wounds afflicting the Millenial soul, Dean Martin, growing up in a house with little access to pop culture, and much much more. Eric's Twitter: https://twitter.com/erictolzmann Eric's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whoiseri...

Dom is a very good friend of mine, a public intellectual, a hockey player & hockey historian, a resident of Detroit City, & all around great guy. In this extraordinarily wide-ranging episode we touch on a number of amazing topics: hockey, Canada, music, cigarettes, love/romance, the NCAA 2006 soundtrack & much much more. Enjoy, & thank you, Dom. Thanks to the sponsor of this episode, Ava G. Dom on...

The genius mind of Bill - books editor at Apocalypse Confidential & writer in his own right - who has been on the show many times before, brought me an extraordinary pairing of media for this episode. We discuss both the tremendous work of non-fiction literature The Journalist & The Murderer by Janet Malcolm; & the tremendous 1970 Italian satire/crime film Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicio...

Erik, aka Organized Meat, is an extraordinary friend of mine. He's a genuine thinker, feeler & educator. He's from SoCal... one of the most extraordinary places on earth... but he's a desert dweller now. He lives in Las Vegas... and we talk about Vegas, we talk about California, we talk about movies, we talk about Leonard Maltin. We have a blast. Enjoy the blast. Erik on Twitter: https://twitter.c...

The great Harold Becker is a master craftsman & the director behind some underappreciated, overlooked, maybe forgotten, Hollywood Gems. My friends Monty Carlo & Marianne join me for a lively discussion of two of his neo-noir classics, Sea of Love (1989) & City Hall (1996). We really get into it & I really find myself loving Harold Becker so much. Enjoy the episode! Monty Carlo on Twitter: https://...

Laura returns to the show for a nice relaxing chat about food, the restaurant business, & Wisconsin. Relax & enjoy. Many thanks to Laura. Laura on Twitter: https://twitter.com/toshibasoundbar Laura on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spirulaura/

I'm joined by crime fiction expert & writer Peter Dragovich and former lawman & writer Parker Longbaugh to reckon with the work of one of the most popular crime writers of the 20th century, Mr. Elmore "Dutch" Leonard. Most-discussed is his novel LA BRAVA but we also allude to SWAG, various film adaptations of his work, and a documentary on the man, ELMORE LEONARD'S CRIMINAL RECORDS. Thank you, Pet...

Graham Irvin is a talented poet from Philadelphia, PA. Graham was the author of the smash hit book, Liver Mush, from Back Patio Press. Graham and I have a wonderful talk about his NEW forthcoming book, I Have A Gun; about Philadelphia; about growing up. It's a very beautiful and relaxed conversation. Enjoy. Graham on Twitter: https://twitter.com/grahamjirvin Graham on Instagram: https://www.instag...

Keenan O'Meara is a singular musical talent. He's the greatest living guitarist; he's a singer songwriter with a voice like an angel. He joined me for one of the most magical conversations of the 21st Century right after he returned home from a European tour. We talked about music; we talked about sports; we talked about taxes. We are great friends and shared our love for the world. Enjoy. Keenan...

Dani is a wonderful friend of mine. She happens to be a talented artist. She is also a consummate outdoorswoman - a bear guide in Yellowstone & Alaska, a dog musher in the wilds of Colorado - and an incredibly intelligent and funny person. We have a relaxed chat about movies, her outdoor adventures, & more. Dani on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dragonkazooie