{"id":11322,"date":"2018-04-02T21:13:21","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T01:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/?p=11322"},"modified":"2018-04-02T21:23:35","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T01:23:35","slug":"episode-263-jonathan-ames","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-263-jonathan-ames","title":{"rendered":"Episode 263 &#8211; Jonathan Ames"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/virtualmemories\/Episode_263_-_Jonathan_Ames.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Virtual Memories Show 263:<br \/>\nJonathan Ames<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_3990\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-11322-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/virtualmemories\/Episode_263_-_Jonathan_Ames.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/virtualmemories\/Episode_263_-_Jonathan_Ames.mp3\">http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/virtualmemories\/Episode_263_-_Jonathan_Ames.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/virtualmemories\/Episode_263_-_Jonathan_Ames.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/?powerpress_pinw=11322-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/virtualmemories\/Episode_263_-_Jonathan_Ames.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"Episode_263_-_Jonathan_Ames.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4itPQhel9GzH3WK2iXr4Zw\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_spotify\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe on Spotify\" rel=\"nofollow\">Spotify<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/tunein.com\/podcasts\/Interviews\/The-Virtual-Memories-Show-p1091071\/\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_tunein\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe on TuneIn\" rel=\"nofollow\">TuneIn<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/feed\/podcast\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/subscribe-to-podcast\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_more\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"More\" rel=\"nofollow\">More<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;For me, all writing &#8212; scripts, essays, novels &#8212; it comes down to enjoying writing a sentence.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Were-Never-Really-Here-Movie\/dp\/0525562893\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11324\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-263-jonathan-ames\/ywnrhcover\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ywnrhcover.jpg?fit=308%2C475\" data-orig-size=\"308,475\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ywnrhcover\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ywnrhcover.jpg?fit=308%2C475\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11324 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ywnrhcover.jpg?resize=285%2C440\" alt=\"\" width=\"285\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ywnrhcover.jpg?resize=285%2C440 285w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ywnrhcover.jpg?w=308 308w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 285px) 100vw, 285px\" \/><\/a>On the eve of the premiere of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youwereneverreallyhere.movie\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">You Were Never Really Here<\/a>, writer <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/@jonathanames\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jonathan Ames<\/a> returns to his stomping grounds of northern NJ to talk about crime novels, the literary pilgrimages of his youth, getting laughs at AA meetings, and more. We get into the process of seeing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0525562893\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0525562893&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=117e3bdab89d534ecc58ef4643f929a4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his novella<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0525562893\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/> adapted into film, his decade-long fascination with Richard Stark&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.donaldwestlake.com\/parker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Parker<\/em><\/a> novels, the catharses and paradoxes of his confessional writing, learning on the fly to write for TV and working with a writers&#8217; room for <em>Bored to Death<\/em> and <em>Blunt Talk<\/em>, the experience of studying creative writing at Princeton under Joyce Carol Oates, learning <em>The Secret<\/em> to stop being cheap with himself, his favorite writing form (given that he&#8217;s made novels, stories, columns, nonfiction, films, TV, and comics), the act of subsuming himself into fictional characters, the bizarre error on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0024718\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his IMDB page<\/a> that left me totally flummoxed, and the amazing NJ coincidence of one of the locations used in the movie. <a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/virtualmemories\/Episode_263_-_Jonathan_Ames.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Give it a listen!<\/a> And go buy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0525562893\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0525562893&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=117e3bdab89d534ecc58ef4643f929a4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">You Were Never Really Here<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0525562893\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/> and go catch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youwereneverreallyhere.movie\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the movie<\/a>!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;With this movie being made of my book, it&#8217;s like I&#8217;m throwing a party, but I&#8217;m not invited.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/naF9VI47-hQ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;In the novel, you can do everything. The reader is there, collaborating with you. You&#8217;re making that art together.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/tunein.com\/embed\/player\/t120686630\/\" style=\"width:100%; height:100px;\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/virtualmemories\/Episode_263_-_Jonathan_Ames.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enjoy the conversation!<\/a>\u00a0Then check out\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/podcast-archive\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the archives<\/a>\u00a0for more great episodes!<\/p>\n<p>Lots of ways to follow <em>The Virtual Memories Show<\/em>! <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-virtual-memories-show\/id531173075\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iTunes<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/vmspod\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vmspod\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VirtualMemoriesShow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/virtualmemoriespodcast.tumblr.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tumblr<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/virtualmemories.libsyn.com\/rss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RSS<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>About our Guest<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9373.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"11325\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-263-jonathan-ames\/img_9373\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9373.jpg?fit=1280%2C1280\" data-orig-size=\"1280,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 8&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1522502777&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;2.87&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_9373\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9373.jpg?fit=525%2C525\" class=\"alignright wp-image-11325\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9373.jpg?resize=320%2C320\" alt=\"\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9373.jpg?resize=440%2C440 440w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9373.jpg?resize=170%2C170 170w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9373.jpg?resize=768%2C768 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9373.jpg?resize=620%2C620 620w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9373.jpg?resize=100%2C100 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9373.jpg?w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9373.jpg?w=1050 1050w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/@jonathanames\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jonathan Ames<\/a> is the author of the novels <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/067103426X\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=067103426X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=19fbc7721d9e103539843d4ab6675e6f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I Pass Like Night<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=067103426X\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0671015583\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0671015583&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=7fd2c78d5c3e18bf492b11866e2ed750\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Extra Man<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0671015583\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/074344907X\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=074344907X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=9640495a6bc87beb2d7974524790342a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wake Up, Sir!<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=074344907X\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>, the graphic novel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1506708080\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1506708080&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=2dc4e52569e9ee21b3bb71cb572d2445\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Alcoholic<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1506708080\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/> (illustrated by Dean Haspiel), the novella <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0525562893\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0525562893&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=117e3bdab89d534ecc58ef4643f929a4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">You Were Never Really Here<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0525562893\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>, and the essay collections <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0375726497\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0375726497&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=4173de752f7d4ed7bd0f9054356623a0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What&#8217;s Not to Love?<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0375726497\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1560253754\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1560253754&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=5209af3827654674d73720eb6602dc9a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">My Less Than Secret Life<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1560253754\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/080217017X\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=080217017X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=81651449cbeb68a3e70248285c19cd20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I Love You More Than You Know<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=080217017X\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1439102333\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1439102333&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=7d17f85c10fd2f2a7060116288302f09\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Double Life Is Twice as Good<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1439102333\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>. He is the editor of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B002GKGBPU\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B002GKGBPU&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=9112a9007c9eeef4f0a627b59ea90c7d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sexual Metamorphosis: An Anthology of Transsexual Memoirs<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B002GKGBPU\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>, and has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is also the creator of two television shows: the HBO series <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hbo.com\/bored-to-death\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bored to Death<\/a> and the STARZ series <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt4197508\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Blunt Talk<\/a>. His novel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0671015583\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0671015583&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=6d6ec297cedf11b8ab65a9635c9915f1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Extra Man<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0671015583\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/> was made <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1361313\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">into a film<\/a> starring Kevin Kline, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0525562893\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0525562893&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=117e3bdab89d534ecc58ef4643f929a4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">You Were Never Really Here<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0525562893\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/> has been adapted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youwereneverreallyhere.movie\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">for the screen<\/a>, starring Joaquin Phoenix.<\/p>\n<p><em>Credits: This episode\u2019s music is <\/em>Nothing&#8217;s Gonna Bring Me Down<em>\u00a0by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/davidanddavidmusic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">David Baerwald<\/a>, used with permission from\u00a0the artist. The conversation was recorded at my home on a pair of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B002SQJLA4\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B002SQJLA4&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=URDAV7Z2QAHX4UAB\">Blue enCORE 200 Microphones<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B002SQJLA4\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/> feeding into a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00KCXMBES\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00KCXMBES&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=4WKYIFHCCL6N44BR\">Zoom H5<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B00KCXMBES\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/> digital recorder. I recorded the intro and outro on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B000SOYOTQ\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B000SOYOTQ&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=04f89e1b44161aff17be7ee9479f6d64\">Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B000SOYOTQ\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/> feeding into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B004MQSV04\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B004MQSV04&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=1a177654d0c55797588bc43949ef369e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cloudlifter CL-1<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B004MQSV04\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/> and a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B003VZG550\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B003VZG550&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=M2DKYCZ52E6ZFUA3\">Mackie Onyx Blackjack 2&#215;2 USB Recording Interface<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B003VZG550\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>. All processing and editing done in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00DRPVEUK\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00DRPVEUK&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=virtualmemories-20&amp;linkId=902a694e24a241f7cee18f483a6ce2dd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Adobe Audition CC<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=virtualmemories-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B00DRPVEUK\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/>. Photos of Mr. Ames by me. It&#8217;s on my <a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/vmspod\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">instagram<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virtual Memories Show 263: Jonathan Ames &#8220;For me, all writing &#8212; scripts, essays, novels &#8212; it comes down to enjoying writing a sentence.&#8221; On the eve of the premiere of You Were Never Really Here, writer Jonathan Ames returns to his stomping grounds of northern NJ to talk about crime novels, the literary pilgrimages of &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-263-jonathan-ames\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Episode 263 &#8211; Jonathan Ames&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,1083,1183,3,19],"tags":[5116,152,5112,5111,5119,1855,3198,2692,5126,4807,338,1373,871,4842,1812,886,5125,5121,5124,5114,2483,1353,1365,5127,5115,5117,5122,3713,5128,5118,5123,1885,322,3190,5129,2185,5120,2920,5113],"class_list":["post-11322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-literature","category-movies","category-podcasts","category-suburbs","category-urban-issues","tag-amy-grace-loyd","tag-anthony-powell","tag-blunt-talk","tag-bored-to-death","tag-carson-mccullers","tag-cervantes","tag-dashiell-hammett","tag-dave-eggers","tag-david-goodis","tag-dawn-powell","tag-donald-westlake","tag-ernest-hemingway","tag-george-plimpton","tag-gordon-van-gelder","tag-graham-greene","tag-henry-miller","tag-hubert-selby-jr","tag-jason-schwartzman","tag-jerzy-kozinski","tag-joaquin-phoenix","tag-jonathan-ames","tag-joyce-carol-oates","tag-kurt-vonnegut","tag-leonard-gardner","tag-lynne-ramsay","tag-nick-yetto","tag-patrick-stewart","tag-paul-auster","tag-pema-chodron","tag-pg-wodehouse","tag-pinckney-benedict","tag-raymond-carver","tag-raymond-chandler","tag-richard-stark","tag-robert-crais","tag-somerset-maugham","tag-ted-danson","tag-thomas-mann","tag-you-were-never-really-here","post_format-post-format-audio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9145.jpg?fit=1280%2C1125","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4C7K-2WC","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15524,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-503-jonathan-ames","url_meta":{"origin":11322,"position":0},"title":"Episode 503 &#8211; Jonathan Ames","author":"Gil","date":"September 6, 2022","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 503: Jonathan Ames \"I would tell my writing students that it's okay to be deeply influenced. I was struck when I was watching Ken Burns' documentary on jazz; every great jazz musician would talk about their influences, like Miles Davis saying he heard Charlie Parker play and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Art&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/art"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ames2022comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C530&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ames2022comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C530&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ames2022comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C530&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ames2022comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C530&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ames2022comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C530&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17351,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-625-jonathan-ames","url_meta":{"origin":11322,"position":1},"title":"Episode 625 &#8211; Jonathan Ames","author":"Gil","date":"February 11, 2025","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 625: Jonathan Ames \"My primary reading for a while now has been private detective novels and various Buddhist philosophical tests. So when Happy expounds on these things, in a way it's that I love reading these sorts of books.\" Can LA private detective Happy Doll live up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Art&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/art"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ames2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C637&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ames2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C637&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ames2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C637&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ames2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C637&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/ames2025comp.jpg?fit=1200%2C637&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17896,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-668-the-guest-list-2025","url_meta":{"origin":11322,"position":2},"title":"Episode 668 &#8211; The Guest List 2025","author":"Gil","date":"December 23, 2025","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show: The Guest List 2025 It's time for our year-end Virtual Memories Show tradition, now celebrating its thirteenth anniversary: The Guest List! I reached out to 2025's pod-guests and asked them about the favorite book(s) they read in the past year, as well as the books or authors\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Architecture&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Architecture","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/architecture"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4872-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C783&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4872-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C783&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4872-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C783&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4872-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C783&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_4872-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C783&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15758,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-519-the-guest-list-2022","url_meta":{"origin":11322,"position":3},"title":"Episode 519 &#8211; The Guest List 2022","author":"Gil","date":"December 19, 2022","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show: The Guest List 2022 It's time for our year-end Virtual Memories Show tradition, now celebrating its tenth anniversary: The Guest List! I reached out to 2022's pod-guests and asked them about the favorite book(s) they read in the past year, as well as the books or authors\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Art&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/art"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022booksWeb.jpg?fit=1200%2C842&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022booksWeb.jpg?fit=1200%2C842&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022booksWeb.jpg?fit=1200%2C842&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022booksWeb.jpg?fit=1200%2C842&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022booksWeb.jpg?fit=1200%2C842&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11344,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-264-dean-haspiel","url_meta":{"origin":11322,"position":4},"title":"Episode 264 &#8211; Dean Haspiel","author":"Gil","date":"April 9, 2018","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 264: Dean Haspiel \"I decided at age 12 that I wanted to dedicate my life to making comics, so I became otherwise unemployable.\" Cartoonist and playwright Dean Haspiel joins the show to talk about his new play, The Last Bar At The End Of The World (running\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Art&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/art"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9384color.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9384color.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9384color.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9384color.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9384color.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17973,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-672-dean-haspiel-and-doug-latino","url_meta":{"origin":11322,"position":5},"title":"Episode 672 &#8211; Dean Haspiel and Doug Latino","author":"Gil","date":"April 9, 2026","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show 672: Dean Haspiel and Doug Latino With REAL LIFE COMIX: ONLY IN NEW YORK (Cosmic Lion Productions), editors Dean Haspiel and Doug Latino bring together 66 fantastic cartoonists and writers to tell 51 autobiographical comic stories about NYC . . . and I'm among them! We got\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Architecture&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Architecture","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/architecture"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/dougdeancomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C489&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/dougdeancomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C489&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/dougdeancomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C489&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/dougdeancomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C489&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/dougdeancomp.jpg?fit=1200%2C489&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11322"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11330,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11322\/revisions\/11330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}