I’m thrilled to have, on this episode, noted author, “Chopped” champion and shameless robe enthusiast Drew Magary. His most recent novel, Point B, is available in electronic and print form now. If you’d like to purchase a copy, there are multiple ways to do so, but print versions can be found at Barnes & Noble here and at Amazon here.
Magary is a writer with talent so many of us envy for his ability to deliver humor, anger, cynicism and critical bite with a casual bluntness that all of us could use more of, frankly. I highly recommend his first novel, The Postmortal, as well.
Magary has long been one of my must-read writers, going back a decade with his time at Deadspin. If you’ve stumbled upon this podcast, chances are pretty good you are familiar with his work and unmistakable writing style. Most importantly, it was a joy to do this podcast with Drew, considering the brain hemorrhage (and subsequent coma) he suffered in late 2018. He eventually wrote a gripping, vital recollection of that incident, and so much more, for Deadspin in 2019. I can’t recommend it enough; the piece was so good, Magary’s next book will be centered around the near-death experience.
This episode begins with some writing and book chatter, then soon enough delves into Magary’s favorite artist: Bob Mould. He of Hüsker Dü and Sugar. Mould is nearing 60 and has been a professional musician for essentially two-thirds of his life. Are you familiar, even if a little, with Hüsker but not necessarily Mould’s solo work or Sugar? Or maybe you know of Copper Blue and not much else? Let’s get you caught up.
Why is Mould’s work worth a deep dive? The reasons are many, led by his steadfast consistency at putting out heartfelt records that seem incapable of ever letting his fortified fan base down. And as usual, if we’re talking about an artist, we’re ranking the best records. That comes at the end of the podcast. Magary’s got a couple of curveballs in there, for sure.
Hey, Drew: thanks for the rock.