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Episode 58: The JV Club
Susan Orlean
The JV Club

The JV Club #58: Susan Orlean

This week multiple literal and metaphorical doors are knocked on and opened when Susan Orlean (The Orchid Thief! The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup! Many other amazing books and essays!) and special guest star, her son Austin, stop by to unsettle Scott the Dog. Plus, find out why Janet suggests Susan’s nickname be “Puddin.”

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Comments

  1. janet says:

    Wow, guys, thanks for the help on the audio front! Futzing and testing now. Glad I’m not Reaganing too much! And I’m looking into Glennon. Todd, I heard about Konigsburg too, and was talking about it while at Powell’s in Portland, which felt fitting. 🙂 Rachel- great answer! Ha!

  2. Rachel says:

    Too bad Susan did not answer “dogs” are a man’s best friend. What a silly situation to be in! And what a graceful overall view, to try to validate people asking questions 🙂

  3. Todd Mason says:

    Slightly surprised by how jovial and playful Orleans is here, but I’m not sure why, given not only the work she’s done but her willingness to play along with ADAPTATION.

    Another writer, repeatedly cited on the ‘cast, has, unfortunately, met her end:
    from ELLERY QUEEN MYSTERY MAGAZINE editor Janet Rudolph’s blog:
    Sad news. I just saw that one of my favorite children’s authors passed away today. E.L. Konigsburg was the author and illustrator of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. She was 83. From the Mixed-Up Files features a 12 year old girl and her younger brother who runaway and move into New York’s Metropolitan Museum. I’ve read that book so many times. The Metropolitan is one of my favorite museums, and every time I visit I find new rooms, paintings and sculpture. Quite the magical place! Who wouldn’t want to run away there?

    Konigsburg won the Newberry Medal in 1968 for From the Mixed Up Files. She won another Newberry Medal for The View from Saturday (29 years later). She was the author of many more children’s and adult books, as well as the illustrator.

  4. Jenny Smith says:

    As an ex A.V. tech, I might suggest that it could be something as simple as your connection(cables) They do wear out and need replacing more often than you might think. Good luck!

  5. Amy says:

    I loved the discussion about the importance of empathy- Susan was an awesome guest. Also, I don’t know if anyone else would be interested in this but I think Glennon Doyle Melton of momastery.com would be a great guest.

  6. Alec says:

    I don’t think you have to worry about ‘reaganing’ too much when you’re on the same podcast network as Chris Hardwick and Pete Holmes, Janet. Chris sounds like he wants to empathise with and see the best in everyone and Pete’s views on God and religion always seem to reflect the most recent guest on his show. 😛

  7. PJ says:

    Ah, orchids are like the Star Trek/Star Wars of the plant world. Really, those who get into them really get obsessive and passionate about them. It happened to my dad after a trip to San Francisco. We had violets and your run-of-the-mill indoor plants in the solarium before, after, it became all orchids. 25 years later, there are fewer of them in the solarium, but he’s growing some in the backyard (it’s a 3a plant hardiness zone… which is not usually what one associates with orchids, though indigenous orchids grow all over the world, they’re not confined to the tropics).

  8. Curtis says:

    Came to say the same thing as Joseph plus check your export settings to see if it’s not reducing qualities – and then add that if that doesn’t work, try and figure things out from the cheapest components of the setup first. Start with your cables, then check your microphones, then your soundboard, etc.

  9. Paul says:

    I hadn’t noticed the tinsel audio, then you mentioned it and I notice it A LOT, and then I forgot about it as we settled into the interview.

    I hope the stuff Joseph said above helps, but it isn’t bothering me either way.

    Paul

  10. Joseph says:

    Tinsel audio question…

    Sounds like your audio is a bit too digitally “compressed” to me. KInd of like a when you compress a jpg file and it’s color edges get all blocky… except you know… with audio. 🙂

    In the application you are using to record your podcast, go to the preferences or options and check that your sampling is at least 44,100hz and your bit rate is at around 128kbps. If you are still having trouble try increasing your sampling hz.

    Hope that helps…