Independent Thinking - Gary Shteyngart (@shteyngart); "Khrushchev meets Liberace” and all that ticks

Another episode of the Independent Thinking Show for FifthWrist Radio. Hosts: Roman (@TimesRomanAU) and Adam (@mediumwatch) chat with best-selling novelist and watch enthusiast Gary Shteyngart (@shteyngart). Join us as for a conversation about Gary’s writing and his headlong dive into watches, Bauhaus, Nomos, Seiko, Rolex and Patek. Find out which Rolex model shall henceforth be dubbed “The Shteyngart” forever and why Gary is not a chronograph guy! Erudite, thoughtful and hilariously funny (just like his books), we guarantee you will enjoy our conversation with Gary. Shout-outs in this episode to friends of FWR podcast: @anordain, @Habring2, Eric Wind, @colibrica Design, Theo Diehl, William Massena, Kathleen McGivney & Ming Watches. Special mentions to Jack Forster, Allen Farmelo, and Stephen Pulvirent. Recommendations from this episode Gary - @mrzaratsu; @waitlisted; Book - “Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson  Adam:  Gary’s Book “Lake Success”; Shipping service DeJapan.com Roman: Gary’s New Yorker Article: “Confessions of a Watch Geek"; William Gibson’s WIRED Article “My Obsession”  Follow Gary on Instagram @shteyngart and check out his books, including his latest Our Country Friends released in November 2021. New Theme Music for 2021: Circle Round by Spinning Clocks (via YouTube Free Music Channel) Follow us on Instagram: @FifthWrist To join our group chat please email us at [email protected] and if you have time please leave us a review. SHOW NOTES 8:20 - Gary’s collecting philosophy 16:10 - An ode to Nomos, William Massena, Ming and Habring watches 23:05 - A brief detour to Ukraine, Chernobyl and Soviet design (Khrushchev meets Liberace) 25:30 - Gary’s ancestral watch (Raketa) 36:10 - Revenge of the nerds 42:40 - Watches as key plot devices in Gary’s novel “Lake Success” 47:45 - Obscurity vs mass recognition 53:40 - Tips for writing about watches 1:06:20 Unavoidable discussion of Gary’s Talking Watches appearance on Hodinkee 1:19:00 Tips for aspiring writers everywhere 1:26:00 Recommendations Cheers from sunny Melbourne and Stay On Time!