Method and Madness

In which we go deep into the life of John Williams: oil booms, abandonment, tall tales about WW2, booze, women, and three “perfect” novels.In this clip, I get into the influence of Yvor Winters’ odd brand of classicism on one of the 20th Century’s greatest novelists.Get access to the full episode at madmethodpod.com/subscribe

Clark Ashton Smith was a poet once called “The Last of the Great Romantics".” But he is more remembered as one of the three most significant writers of pulp mainstay Weird Tales. H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Clark Ashton Smith who was perhaps even stranger in his vision than either of them. “The Nameless Offspring” first appeared in Strange Tales in 1932. A tale of family secrets, a haunted manor, and a beast we’d now refer to as a Pale Crawler.

Matt Fresta and Matthew Sini of the Getting Lit Podcast join me to talk about the history of their show, niche literary podcasting, the Australian scene, Sini’s provocative statement that there is no such thing as an atheist fiction writer, and much, much more.Matt Sini’s substack pieces mentioned:No Atheists in PlotholesCurrent Thing Writing Killed the Literary JournalNeo-Passeism piece on Australian sceneMatt Fresta’s stories at Apocalypse Confidential:“A Super Position”“Black and White and Blue”“Count Whack-ula”

The ever-insightful Paul Heron joins me to figure out if History is in fact over, what Fukuyama meant by posing the question, cycles of history, nostalgia for the future, and much much more.Subscribe to Some Private Diagonal and check out Paul’s work at Café Américain

BUTCHER'S CROSSING by John Williams is an unassuming masterpiece. The writer Lake Markham (LO SIENTO) joined me to talk about what makes this book special. We get into the meaning of the Western, the ideas and images that drive this book, buffalo, what Williams has to say about America and Transcendentalism, and some of the things that writers can learn from this potent little volume.BUY LO SIENTOLake on instagram.Lake on twitter.Lake’s website.

David Simmons is a genre unto himself. We talk about his unsettling novel ERADICATOR--a white-knuckle book that is part AMERICAN PSYCHO, part THE FLY, and all Simmons. We also get into his upcoming short story collection FETTY ON THE SWITCHES, his creative process, why Baltimore is such rich terrain for fiction, and much, much more.This will be on the free feed next week.David’s linktreePre-order FETTY ON THE SWITCHES

The dynamic poet Tom Will has yet another modern classic. His new collection, RHYMES out now on Farthest Heaven , a unique exploration of poetic form is the new poetry you need. We talk about the history of the roundel and other poetic forms, the potency of poetry in the age of the algorithm, and much more.Pre-order RHYMES from Farthest HeavenTom on twitter

Grant Wamack is the author and tarot reader. His most recent book is THE SCARECROWS WILL WATCH OVER US, a folk horror thriller about cat people lust-demons stalking a farm in Wisconsin...and the occult practices that have warded them off for years. We also talked about tarot, bigfoot and other cryptids, and Grant’s time working for a psychic hotline.Grant’s twitterBuy SCARECROWS and Grant’s other booksGet a tarot reading from Grant

Explorations of the labyrinths hidden below the cult classic hoodoo novel MUMBO JUMBO by Ishmael Reed. Talking the real Book of Thoth and the secrets smuggled into the modern day through the Corpus Hermeticum, the identity of Moses, the real deal about Voodoo, and much, much more.

"The Open Boat" is a short story by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). First published in 1898, it was based on Crane's experience of surviving a shipwreck off the coast of Florida earlier that year while traveling to Cuba to work as a newspaper correspondent. Crane was stranded at sea for thirty hours when his ship, the SS Commodore, sank after hitting a sandbar. He and three other men were forced to navigate their way to shore in a small boat;

[PREVIEW} Down into the labyrinth of THE STRONGHOLD: the curious history of NYRB Classics, theories of literary time, the significance of the barbarian, the dream of Great Tartaria, and much more. Subscribe for full access to this episode, the growing Madness archive, and early access to all guest episodes..

The legendary Ken Layne joins me to talk about how he found the desert, what’s going on with UFOs, our Eldritch Republic, the role of the folklorist, and much, much more.Follow Ken.

The ever-insightful Jack BC joined me to discuss a paradoxical little masterpiece: THE STRONGHOLD by Dino Buzzati. To some, better known as THE TARTARIAN STEPPE. It’s a homage to Kafka, a beautiful bit of existentialism, and a torturous confrontation with the nature of time in the lives we live.Check out Jack on his great podcast BOOKCLUB FROM HELL.

Iain Ryan is the author of 8 books. His latest, THE CASINO, is a pulse-pounding crime story about police corruption in Queensland in the 1980s. He joined me to talk about the writing of this book, his overall Gold Coast Quartet--of which this book is just one part, the uneasy appeal of the 1980s, and much, much more.Buy THE CASINOFollow Iain

Matt Cardin is the author or editor of 12 books and ranks among the very finest of contemporary writers of Weird fiction and cosmic horror, as well as one of the most consistently interesting contributors to substack. His most recent book, WRITING AT THE WELLSPRING, is a spiritual guide for creative work and a manual for cultivating your relationship with your own daemon muse.

Author and podcaster Frank Kidd joined me to discuss his page-turning Western/frontier novel MEDICINE WOMAN (winner of Ian Barr’s Indie of the Year 2025), what makes a genre, why the Western still matters, and what makes America Weird.Buy MEDICINE WOMAN.Follow Frank on twitter.

A preview of the MADNESS presentation on Cormac McCarthy’s THE CROSSING. Here talking about the very, very strange relationship between man, wolf, and the other world. For access to the full thing, subscribe via substack or patreon. latest book: CROWBAR

UTTER GOODNESS is UTTERly GOOD. The writer Audrey Lee joined me to talk about her exciting new collection of short stories, out now via Farthest Heaven, comprehending America, STONER, and the state of confessional writing.Buy UTTER GOODNESS

The incredible writer Andrew Edwards joined me to talk about Cormac McCarthy’s oft-overlooked masterpiece THE CROSSING. We get technical on McCarthy’s high style, Crossings of all sorts, the spiritual bond of brothers, and what it means to say that the world is but a tale.Buy Andrew’s latest book: CROWBAR

The first 3 chapters of my new book THE EARTHEN DARK for your listening pleasure. Get a copy of the book: bradkellyesque.com.SPECIAL DEAL: In 2026, if you sign up for a yearly paid subscription to Method and Madness (via substack or patreon), and provide a US postal address, you’ll get a special signed copy of THE EARTHEN DARK, along with two hand-edited manuscript pages of early drafts, and a one-card tarot reading (with card). You’ll also get all the other benefits: early access to all episodes and exclusive access to one-of-a-kind MADNESS presentations.

A peek behind the paywall. In this episode, I go in depth on Ellroy’s stylistic forebears, play a little Glass Bead Game between AMERICAN TABLOID and very different book, give the quick and very dirty history of CONFIDENTIAL MAGAZINE, and go full-on true crime telling the ‘real’ story of Chuck Rogers.

In this clip from the full episode, I dive into the career of Hugh Everett III, a brilliant physicist who developed the groundbreaking Many Worlds Interpretation—and ushered in the algorithmic age with classified work for shadowy government entities.

Anthony Metivier is known as the magnetic memory master. Using time-tested techniques he has not only taught himself to memorize large quantities of complicated information, but he’s gained a reputation for being among the very best teachers of memory practice. Now, he’s written his second novel in the Decline series, a bold detective saga that puts these memory methods in praxis and takes the reader on a wild ride: serial killers, exotic drugs, and conspiracy, and the gradual fall of civilization.Find everything Anthony Metivier is up to here.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic 1836 story, first appearing in The Token and Atlantic Souvenir, later re-published in TWICE-TOLD TALES.

Andrew Edwards, the author of what just might be the best novel of 2025, joins me to talk conspiracy, LSD, the interior journey of writing, the 1980s, literary gnosticism, the quantification of everything, and, of course, his certified banger CROWBAR. Buy Crowbar

Jacob Austin, mastermind behind the fantastic Gnostic Pulp substack joined me to talk about the work of Thomas Pynchon, what the heck was going on with PKD, the nature of UFOs, and much, much more.LinktreeSome Gnostic Pulp pieces we touched on:Further Adventures in Pynchonian RealityYear of the LichenMoby-Dick is about UFOs

Writer, critic, and host of the podcast Strange Exiles, Bram E. Gieben joins me to talk about Philip K. Dick’s most unsettling work: THE THREE STIGMATA OF PALMER ELDRITCH: suspicion about reality, the commodification of the mind, PKD’s conception of God, whether sci-fi is still the trash stratum, and much more.Subscribe to Bram’s substack for his ongoing series CRISIS masculinity, the latest episodes of Strange Exiles, his upcoming book on PKD, and everything else he’s up to.Bram’s linktree.

The multi-talented Scott Laudati joined me to tell the crazy story of being courted by Hollywood for his great novel PLAY THE DEVIL, finding the spirit of America, and what it means to put in a hard day’s work.Scott’s twitterTo Kingdom Come (full tour movie)Buy PLAY THE DEVILScott’s linktree

Freud’s influence on the history of Egon Praediger’s favorite drug.Subscribe or sign up for a trial and check out the full episode:We get into the strange fates of several real figures referenced in the book, and the stories of one Pynchonian figure who may have proved ESP in the SHADOW TICKET era (J.B. Rhine) and another (Moritz Schlick) whose work made such things unmentionable in intellectual society.

Writer David Leo Rice  joined me to talk about his wildly imaginative and startlingly resonant new book THE SQUIMBOP CONDITION—along the way we discuss the deep meaning of the A-Bomb, the status of the American Dream, and how David came to be so freaking productive.Buy David’s latest book THE SQUIMBOP CONDITION out now from 11:11 Press.David’s substackDavid’s twitter

The brilliant writer David Leo Rice joined me to talk Thomas Pynchon’s latest, and possibly last, novel SHADOW TICKET. Pynchonian Zones, the warp and weft of history, the end of the systems novel, and the uber-American triad of Beer, Cheese, and Bowling.Buy David’s latest book THE SQUIMBOP CONDITION out now from 11:11 Press.x.com/raviddiceraviddice.com

The relentless writer J David Osborne joins me to talk GODS FARE NO BETTER, his upcoming novel BERSERKER CLUB (pre-order now, out 12/1/2025), drilling mud, escaping twitter, the brilliance of sitcoms and Spark Master Tape—and helps me get my mojo back.

In 1924, Weird Tales published a story by the world famous magician Harry Houdini entitled “Imprisoned with the Pharaohs.” In truth, this story was written by H.P. Lovecraft with some initial ideas provided by Houdini, who is also the narrator of the tale—presented as a genuine encounter that Houdini experience in Egypt in 1910. The story has also been called “Under the Pyramids” and “Entombed with the Pharaohs.” This is a story that predates Call of Cthulhu and the Shunned house and At the Mountains of Madness and yet is arguably represents a subtle turning point in Lovecraft’s oeuvre. lovecraft, weird tales, houdini, weird fiction, cthulhu, egypt

The writer and photographer Lake Markham joins me to talk about Texas, Cormac McCarthy’s SUTTREE, and his brilliant novel LO SIENTO, coming October 21, 2025 from Apocalypse Confidential.BUY LO SIENTOLake on instagram.Lake on twitter.Lake’s website.

A preview of my in-depth exploration of the labyrinth that lies beneath the first two volumes of Gene Wolfe’s masterpiece, BOOK OF THE NEW SUN. Subscribe to get the whole thing, plus the ever-expanding Madness archive, and early access to all episodes.

Writer and publisher Ben Thomas joins me to revel in the pleasures of the first two volumes of Gene Wolfe’s masterpiece tetralogy The Book of the New Sun. We talk science fiction vs. fantasy and why it matters, the linguistic brilliance embedded within the story, and how to savor the joy of not knowing what, exactly, is going on.Ben’s publishing house House Blackwood

Melee 13The erudite investigator himself, Dexter De La Paz, joined me to talk about John Keel and his enduring book of living mysteries OUR HAUNTED PLANET. I take a little sidequest from the strictly literary and into the unknown: ultraterrestrial theory, the mystery of the North American Mounds, and much, much more.This will be on the free feed next week.Follow Dexter on twitter.Check out The Scarlet Thread SocietyCheck out Timeline Earth

Melee 12Andrew H., the mastermind behind the voluminous Pynchonian project The Exegesis of Thomas Pynchon, joined me to talk Pynchon, literature as history, the political art debate, Pynchon contra DeLillo, and more.Follow him on substack or on twitter.

In 1895, American author Robert W. Chambers released a collection of short stories entitled The King in Yellow. Four stories in this collection are connected by play called The King in Yellow and the eponymous malevolent entity. This story cycle would go on to inspire H.P. Lovecraft and many others working in the genre of supernatural horror...right down to today with eerie references to Yellow King in True Detective..

Melee 11The brilliant moonandmouth joins me to talk about poetry, magic, holes, astral travel, and her magnificent new collection of poetry CATCALYSM MOVES ME I REGRET TO SAY out now from House of Vlad.Buy the book.Follow her on substack or on twitter.

An audio recording of Richard Connell “The Most Dangerous Game.” Long considered one of the most popular short stories of all time, Connell’s thriller has influenced countless stories and at least one serial killer.

Episode 9.2In this episode, I go in depth on Ellroy’s stylistic forebears, play a little Glass Bead Game between AMERICAN TABLOID and a (not so) very different book, give the quick and very dirty history of CONFIDENTIAL MAGAZINE, and go full-on true crime telling the ‘real’ story of Chuck Rogers.

Episode 9.1The brilliant and magnanimous Jacob Everett, the mastermind behind Apocalypse Confidential, joins me to discuss AMERICAN TABLOID by James Ellroy—a masterful classic of paranoia, carnage, and the real deal behind the forces of history. We talk the potency of Ellroy’s style, crime fiction as high art, the resonance of the JFK assassination, Ellroy contra Quentin Tarantino, and figure out which more recent unsolved mystery is prime to spawn its own subgenre in the coming years.Follow Jacob on Twitter.Apocalypse Confidential is one the best literary mags out there. You should be reading it closely.x/com/bradkellySUBSCRIBE FOR EARLY ACCESS AND BONUS CONTENT

Cairo Smith is the founder and EIC of Futurist Letters, host of The Futurist Letters Show, filmmaker, and author of the forthcoming novel SCENEBUX, out September 6, 2025 from New Ritual Press.We talked about the New Wave, a certain LA literary party that made headlines, what happens when no one puts you in check, the Idaho Basque, some of the books that have been most influential on Cairo and his work, and much, much more.This will be on the free feed next week.Pre-order SCENEBUX at Cairo’s website.SUBSCRIBE FOR EARLY ACCESS AND PREMIUM CONTENTx/com/bradkelly

Menagerie #2An audio recording of Jack London’s “Love of Life” first published in McClure’s Magazine in 1905. All the classic Jack London themes are here: the Yukon, survival, the cold, and wolves.

Following down just some of the many rabbit holes in John Fowles’ THE MAGUS. Hypnotism, Magic, Cruelty, and the so-called Real World. SUBSCRIBE for full access. x/com/bradkellySUBSCRIBE FOR EARLY ACCESS AND BONUS CONTENT

Alexandru Constantin joins me to talk in depth on John Fowles’ classic 1965 novel THE MAGUS. A postmodern bildungsroman that’ll remind every former sensitive young man of himself in his cringier days—and a mind-bending trip through a beautiful labyrinth.https://substack.com/@deceneusDon’t miss Alex’s podcast, the Black Ibis Social Club: https://blackibissocialclub.substack.com/x/com/bradkellySUBSCRIBE FOR EARLY ACCESS AND BONUS CONTENT

The incredibly talented author Andrew Edwards joins me to talk about his upcoming novel CROWBAR, his absolute banger of a novel KING OF DOGS, the philosophy of survival, and much more.Support Andrew’s crowdfunding effort for CROWBAR:https://substack.com/@goldengoatguild/p-166445394X: x.com/goldengoatguildWebsite: https://www.goldengoatguild.net/SUBSCRIBE FOR EARLY ACCESS AND PREMIUM CONTENTx/com/bradkelly

Brian Patrick Eha is a widely-published essayist, journalist, and critic. In this expansive conversation we talk Gustave Flaubert as a precursor to Modernism, the method of free indirect discourse in Madame Bovary and the madness of The Temptation of St. Anthony, as well as a few under-appreciated books from Brian’s personal canon..https://x.com/brianehaEssays by Brian that we mention:https://www.city-journal.org/article/madame-bovary-author-gustave-flauberthttps://www.city-journal.org/article/alfred-hayess-fiction-retains-contemporary-relevancex/com/bradkelly

or not), and much, much more. Get access to the full episode (and much more) via the patreon or substack feed at madmethodpod.com/subscribe. x/com/bradkelly