Scott Jennings

Episode 7 – Monica Byrne

Scott Jennings — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:23:48 +0000

Monica Byrne is a writer living in Durham, NC. I talked to her about traveling around the world to research her upcoming novel, why she’s not an astronaut, and there was an awkward moment when I assumed she’d opt not to menstruate if given the option.

I screwed up two quotes during this conversation: “They should have sent a poet” is from Jodie Foster’s character in the film Contact, not from an actual astronaut. And the Mamet quote I was reaching for: “Those with something to fall back on invariably fall back on it.”

Episode 6 – Greg Brainos

Scott Jennings — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:00:45 +0000

Oh, Greg Brainos. Where to begin? We’ve known each other for the better part of a decade, and it’s been my privilege to witness his transformation from choir boy to total fucking degenerate. No one does “total fucking degenerate” like Greg Brainos, and I’m proud to call him a friend.

We sat in the stands at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, scene of a couple of our more youthful misadventures, and chatted about his gambling problem, his stand-up comedy, how he’d rather be alone, and how all those things sort of tie together. I really put this guy on the couch. Also, I discover that play-by-play of a baseball game is not as easy as it looks.

(The Bulls defeated the hated Norfolk Tides by a final tally of 11-3.)

Episode 5 – Bill Henderson

Scott Jennings — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 01:38:51 +0000

Bill Henderson is a writer living in Chapel Hill, NC. He has written books involving Elvis Presley and Ernest Hemmingway, so we talked a bit about each of them — what the research process was like, what it was like getting into their heads, and what it was like talking smack about Hemmingway while sitting on a panel with six lookalikes.

Also, Bill’s phone rang, which required me to stop the recording and do some awkward editing. Thanks, Bill.

Episode 4 – Dave Siegel

Scott Jennings — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:35:30 +0000

Dave Siegel was my roommate for two years. He actually signed two different leases with me! That second lease was like George Bush in 2004 – you might forgive that first mistake, but then you don’t correct it, so it’s hard to elicit sympathy in the international community.

At the point of this recording, Dave was the only person in the world who could claim to have listened to all three of the previous episodes, so who better to evaluate my performance thus far? We also talked about improv and giving it up, moving away from home and moving back, and I’m mocked roundly for asking a stupid question.

Episode 3 – Patrick Link

Scott Jennings — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:33:45 +0000

Patrick Link is a playwright who lives in Manhattan. I sat down with him in his home to try to figure out why the hell he’s doing that.

Aside from an uncomfortably drawn-out demand for Patrick to justify his existence, we talked about his creative process, how he develops new material, how to get a play produced in New York City, and innovations in the theater. Or theatre? (I should have asked him.)

Episode 2 – Jeff Jennings

Scott Jennings — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:25:57 +0000

My younger brother Jeff visited for Memorial Day weekend, and I took the opportunity to talk with an honest-to-goodness veteran in my backyard while the barbecue was slowly doing its thing.

Jeff served for ten years in the United States Navy, and his tour ended earlier this year. He shared some memories of serving in the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the ports he visited along the way, how he should have the Navy Lifesaving Medal (and why he doesn’t), his work in improvised explosive devices, and how to defeat an insurgency.

Episode 1 – Chris Conklin

Scott Jennings — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:18:00 +0000

I bought a digital audio recorder, and have set myself to podcasting. I’m fortunate to know a lot of interesting people, and I’d like to talk to them and share those conversations.

Chris Conklin was my obvious first choice for the highly metareferential first edition. We talked about the kinds of people who create content for the Internet, the rise and demise of something called “howRDUdoin.com,” blogs, bloggers, gossip bloggers, subsistence farmers, and we decided whether we’re wasting our time.