{"id":16795,"date":"2024-05-06T14:03:32","date_gmt":"2024-05-06T18:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/?p=16795"},"modified":"2024-05-06T14:03:35","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T18:03:35","slug":"episode-588-randy-fertel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-588-randy-fertel","title":{"rendered":"Episode 588 &#8211; Randy Fertel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/virtualmemories\/Episode_588_-_Randy_Fertel.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Virtual Memories Show 588:<br \/>\nRandy Fertel<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_4642\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-16795-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/virtualmemories\/Episode_588_-_Randy_Fertel.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/virtualmemories\/Episode_588_-_Randy_Fertel.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/virtualmemories\/Episode_588_-_Randy_Fertel.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/virtualmemories\/Episode_588_-_Randy_Fertel.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/?powerpress_pinw=16795-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/virtualmemories\/Episode_588_-_Randy_Fertel.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"Episode_588_-_Randy_Fertel.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;The paradox of spontaneity is that it&#8217;s rhetorical while claiming to be free of rhetoric.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fertel.com\/winging-it-improvs-power-and-peril-in-the-time-of-trump\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16797\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-588-randy-fertel\/wingingitbook-mockup3copy\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wingingitbook-mockup3copy.png?fit=847%2C1245\" data-orig-size=\"847,1245\" 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=\"Winging+itbook-mockup3+copy\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wingingitbook-mockup3copy.png?fit=422%2C620\" class=\"alignright wp-image-16797\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wingingitbook-mockup3copy.png?resize=280%2C412\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wingingitbook-mockup3copy.png?resize=299%2C440 299w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wingingitbook-mockup3copy.png?resize=422%2C620 422w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wingingitbook-mockup3copy.png?resize=768%2C1129 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wingingitbook-mockup3copy.png?w=847 847w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px\" \/><\/a>With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fertel.com\/winging-it-improvs-power-and-peril-in-the-time-of-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WINGING IT: Improv&#8217;s Power &amp; Peril in the Age of Trump<\/a> (Spring Publications), author, professor &amp; philanthropist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fertel.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Randy Fertel<\/a> explores the role of improvisation &amp; spontaneity in the arts, sciences &amp; culture. We talk about what drew him to the conflict between reason and intuition, the importance of &#8220;Yes, And&#8221; in more than just a comedic context, the neuroscience of Hot and Cold Cognition, and the moment in graduate school that started him down this path 50 years ago. We get into what improvisation really is, how it underlies creativity and innovation, how Trump embodies its dark side, and how his upbringing in New Orleans may have contributed to his improv-epiphany. We also discuss how canonical authors &amp; works began as outsiders, why the essence of improv is disruption, the importance of ego death and unmediated experience (and why he futilely took heroic amounts of hallucinogens to prepare for a conference panel), the relationship of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to his archetypes, his love for Jon Batiste&#8217;s 2023 Jazz Fest set, his next project exploring the emergence of global pop culture, and a lot more. <a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/virtualmemories\/Episode_588_-_Randy_Fertel.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Give it a listen!<\/a> And go read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fertel.com\/winging-it-improvs-power-and-peril-in-the-time-of-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WINGING IT<\/a>!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;New Orleans didn&#8217;t invent improv, but it did bring improv into popular culture.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TFDMqN6DihY?si=QxzEt0Tp-1zq2RkU\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Getting lost in a novel is the surest way to reset myself.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe style=\"width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/episode-588-randy-fertel\/id531173075?i=1000654703778\" height=\"175\" frameborder=\"0\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;This is the only book I&#8217;ve written where I never entered a library. I improvised!&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/249wo1PFO67zEUFwrZm8xb?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/virtualmemories\/Episode_588_-_Randy_Fertel.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=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4itPQhel9GzH3WK2iXr4Zw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/vmspod.bsky.social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BlueSky<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vmspod\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCXoLbP-9GbhHJZpCQP5TR5A\/videos?view_as=subscriber\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/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\">good ol&#8217; RSS<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>About our Guest<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fertel.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Randy Fertel<\/a> is a writer and philanthropist dedicated to the arts, education, New Orleans, and the environment. He holds a Ph.D. in English and American literature from Harvard University and is the author of <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/4669\/9780882149875\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A Taste for Chaos: The Art of Literary Improvisation<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/4669\/9781496804136\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak: A New Orleans Family Memoir<\/a>. Randy has taught English at Harvard University, Tulane University, LeMoyne College, and the New School for Social Research. He specializes in the literature of the Vietnam War and the literature of exile. In addition to his writing, he is president of the Fertel Foundation and the Ruth U. Fertel Foundation, named for his mother Ruth Fertel, founder of Ruth\u2019s Chris Steak House. He lives in New Orleans and New York.<\/p>\n<p>Follow Randy on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rfertel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rfertel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rfertel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/fertel.com\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16798\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-588-randy-fertel\/img_9252\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9252.jpeg?fit=2536%2C2536\" data-orig-size=\"2536,2536\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1714823886&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.86&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;160&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0082644628099174&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_9252\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9252.jpeg?fit=525%2C525\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-16798\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9252.jpeg?resize=525%2C525\" alt=\"\" width=\"525\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9252.jpeg?resize=620%2C620 620w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9252.jpeg?resize=440%2C440 440w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9252.jpeg?resize=170%2C170 170w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9252.jpeg?resize=768%2C768 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9252.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1536 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9252.jpeg?resize=2048%2C2048 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9252.jpeg?resize=100%2C100 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_9252.jpeg?w=1050 1050w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Credits: This episode\u2019s music is <\/em>Fella<em>\u00a0by <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/may4th\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hal Mayforth<\/a>, used with permission from\u00a0the artist. The conversation was recorded at Randy&#8217;s home on a pair of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3Rvj3R6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Blue enCORE 200<\/a> microphones feeding into a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3Q9Br0z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zoom PodTrak P4<\/a> digital recorder &amp; interface. I recorded the intro and outro on a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3cGZ1Em\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone<\/a> feeding into a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3Q9Br0z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zoom PodTrak P4<\/a>. All processing and editing done in <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3RwlQsW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Adobe Audition CC<\/a>. B\/W photo of Randy by . . . someone else. Color one 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 588: Randy Fertel &#8220;The paradox of spontaneity is that it&#8217;s rhetorical while claiming to be free of rhetoric.&#8221; With WINGING IT: Improv&#8217;s Power &amp; Peril in the Age of Trump (Spring Publications), author, professor &amp; philanthropist Randy Fertel explores the role of improvisation &amp; spontaneity in the arts, sciences &amp; culture. We &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-588-randy-fertel\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Episode 588 &#8211; Randy Fertel&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16799,"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":[22,27,26,1023,4,1083,40,12,1183,17,18,19],"tags":[7440,7449,7444,7438,3924,7448,3453,4424,1448,1533,7437,7443,904,5410,1879,1171,7445,7434,1240,3499,7435,201,860,6297,7432,993,3466,6254,5677,7441,2327,7439,7446,6957,4570,3088,6713,5743,2497,7442,515,7431,2721,5717,7447,275,277,7436,6388,7433,155,1767,4443,1438,2920,7430,3481],"class_list":["post-16795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-big-business","category-comics","category-fashion","category-literature","category-movies","category-music","category-pharmaceuticals","category-podcasts","category-politics-explicit","category-politics-implicit","category-urban-issues","tag-adam-gopnik","tag-alice-watters","tag-antonio-damasio","tag-barbara-kingsolver","tag-basquiat","tag-beth-ann-fennelly","tag-brad-gooch","tag-carl-jung","tag-charles-dickens","tag-chekhov","tag-christopher-guest","tag-del-close","tag-einstein","tag-elaine-may","tag-ernie-bushmiller","tag-flaubert","tag-gwen-thompkins","tag-herbie-hancock","tag-jack-kerouac","tag-jackson-pollock","tag-james-gleick","tag-james-joyce","tag-jane-jacobs","tag-jd-salinger-2","tag-jon-batiste","tag-jules-feiffer","tag-keith-haring","tag-kenneth-burke","tag-larry-david","tag-lin-manuel-miranda","tag-lucretius","tag-mark-plotkin","tag-mel-chin","tag-michael-pollan","tag-michael-tisserand","tag-mike-nichols","tag-mikhail-bakhtin","tag-miles-davis","tag-milton","tag-neville-brothers","tag-oscar-wilde","tag-randy-fertel","tag-randy-newman","tag-rebecca-solnit","tag-richard-lanham","tag-robert-caro","tag-robert-moses","tag-sam-wasson","tag-sherry-turkle","tag-speedie-levitch","tag-stanley-fish","tag-stendhal","tag-stephen-greenblatt","tag-t-s-eliot","tag-thomas-mann","tag-thomas-nashe","tag-ts-eliot","post_format-post-format-audio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/fertel2024comp.jpg?fit=1035%2C800","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4C7K-4mT","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17239,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-618-the-guest-list-2024","url_meta":{"origin":16795,"position":0},"title":"Episode 618 &#8211; The Guest List 2024","author":"Gil","date":"December 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show: The Guest List 2024 It's time for our year-end Virtual Memories Show tradition, now celebrating its twelfth anniversary: The Guest List! I reached out to 2024'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\/IMG_2197.jpeg?fit=1200%2C583&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2197.jpeg?fit=1200%2C583&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2197.jpeg?fit=1200%2C583&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2197.jpeg?fit=1200%2C583&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2197.jpeg?fit=1200%2C583&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9346,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-151-harold-bloom","url_meta":{"origin":16795,"position":1},"title":"Episode 151 &#8211; Harold Bloom","author":"Gil","date":"January 18, 2016","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show #151: Harold Bloom I visited Harold Bloom in New Haven and we recorded a podcast. He recited poetry, and we talked about his new book, The Daemon Knows, the weight of age, the intifada of the young, and the epigraphs of his life. You should give it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;literature&quot;","block_context":{"text":"literature","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/literature"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/24214505752_7e8729961c_z.jpg?fit=640%2C480&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/24214505752_7e8729961c_z.jpg?fit=640%2C480&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/24214505752_7e8729961c_z.jpg?fit=640%2C480&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1951,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/eliot-the-classics","url_meta":{"origin":16795,"position":2},"title":"Eliot &#038; the classics","author":"Gil","date":"March 13, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Spitzer: tragedy or comedy?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics (explicit)&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics (explicit)","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/politics-explicit"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8923,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-127-the-meandering-reflections-of-a-literary-sybarite","url_meta":{"origin":16795,"position":3},"title":"Episode 127 &#8211; The Meandering Reflections of a Literary Sybarite","author":"Gil","date":"July 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show #127: Michael Dirda - The Meandering Reflections of a Literary Sybarite \"I enjoy going back to Lorain, Ohio because I'm reminded that the world of Washington and the East Coast literary establishment is a very narrow, special one that's parochial in its own way. The rest of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Comic books &amp; strips&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Comic books &amp; strips","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/literature\/comics"},"img":{"alt_text":"browsingscover","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/browsingscover-294x440.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8638,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/episode-112-remainder","url_meta":{"origin":16795,"position":4},"title":"Episode 112 &#8211; Remainder","author":"Gil","date":"March 28, 2015","format":"audio","excerpt":"Virtual Memories Show: Clive James - Remainder \"I should have led a more balanced life, but that's easy to say at the end of things. When you're caught up in what you're doing, it's very hard to be reasonable. And art isn't really made out being reasonable.\" Clive James\u00a0was diagnosed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Football&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Football","link":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/category\/sports\/football"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/clivejames-e1535852544725.jpg?fit=1200%2C940&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/clivejames-e1535852544725.jpg?fit=1200%2C940&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/clivejames-e1535852544725.jpg?fit=1200%2C940&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/clivejames-e1535852544725.jpg?fit=1200%2C940&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/wp-content\/uploads\/clivejames-e1535852544725.jpg?fit=1200%2C940&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1945,"url":"http:\/\/chimeraobscura.com\/vm\/eliot-p-ness","url_meta":{"origin":16795,"position":5},"title":"Eliot P. Ness","author":"Gil","date":"March 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, I mentioned NY Gov. Spitzer's creative use of campaign funds in a post about why I hate writing about politics. This afternoon, Spitzer got nailed in a federal investigation of a high-class prostitution ring (with lead reporting again by St. John's College alum Danny Hakim!). 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