Episode 288: Tom Bissell

from Longform · host Longform

Tom Bissell is a journalist, critic, video game writer, and author of The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made. His latest book is Magic Hours. “I kind of have come around to maybe not as monkish or fanatical devotion to sentence idolatry as I was when I was a younger writer, earlier in my career. I think I’m coming around to a place where a lot of middle-aged writers get to, which is: I tried to rewire and change the world with the beauty of language alone—it didn’t work. Now how about I try to write stuff that’s true, or that’s not determined to show people I am a Great Writer. Like a lot of young writers, you’re driven by that. Then at a certain point you realize A) you’re not going to be the Great Writer you wanted to be, and B) the determination of that is completely beyond your power to control, so best that you just write as best you can and as honestly as you can, and everything else just sort of becomes gravy.” Thanks to MailChimp and Tripping.com for sponsoring this week's episode. Bissell on Longform [00:50] The Father of All Things: A Marine, His Son, and the Legacy of Vietnam (Pantheon • 2007) [01:25] "Cinema Crudité" (Harper’s Magazine • Aug 2010) [01:40] The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made (Simon & Schuster • 2013) [02:40] "Loch Ness Memoir" (VQR • March 2007) [03:15] " Video Games: The Addiction " (The Guardian • March 2010) [04:25] Chasing the Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia (Pantheon • 2016) [05:25] Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter (Vintage • 2011) [21:55] "Escanaba’s Magic Hour" (Harper’s Magazine • Sep 2000) [22:50] Chasing the Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia (Pantheon • 2003) [23:45] "Euphorias of Perrier: The Case Against Robert D. Kaplan" (VQR • June 2006) [42:40] "How to Get Rich Playing Video Games Online" (Taylor Clark • The New Yorker • Nov 2017) [52:15] Magic Hours (Vintage • 2018) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 4, 2018

Embed this episode

Attribution link and audio player

Ready to play

Episode 288: Tom Bissell

0:00 54:19

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

No similar episodes found.

Similar Podcasts

The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma Amit Varma The Seen and the Unseen, hosted by Amit Varma, features longform conversations that aim to give deep insights into the subjects being discussed. Timeless and bingeworthy. The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper CNN Podcasts The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, is a collection of unique and immersive single subject episodes from CNN’s Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning longform storytelling team. Every week we showcase character-driven stories, special interviews, profiles, and investigative deep dives featuring reporting from CNN’s anchors and correspondents. Behind The Bucks Bucks+ Behind The Bucks is an original longform storytelling podcast series diving into all things Milwaukee Bucks, offering fans a look at Bucks-related topics from the hardwood to the city streets and everything in between. Franchise history, pivotal moments, legendary players, community impact and more… Behind The Bucks covers it all, bringing you Bucks stories like you've never heard before. One Handshake Away: Peter Bogdanovich and the Icons of Cinema Audacy Studios When iconic director, actor, critic and historian Peter Bogdanovich was getting his start in the movie business, he had the opportunity to interview some of the greatest directors of the Golden Age of Hollywood, including Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Howard Hawks, and John Ford. In the process, he accumulated a treasure trove of conversations with masters of cinema. Near the end of his own storied career, and what would turn out to be the end of his life, Bogdanovich decided to take his career full circle and began to interview his favorite contemporary directors about their heroes from the past. Bogdanovich passed away before this project could be completed. His ex-wife Louise Stratten stepped in to serve as narrator and co-host, with three-time Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro filling in as host for the final three episodes.One Handshake Away is a collection of unprecedented longform conversations with some of the most acclaimed directors working today.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Longform?

This episode is 54 minutes long.

When was this Longform episode published?

This episode was published on April 4, 2018.

Can I download this Longform episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.

URL copied to clipboard!