The Socialized Recluse

Liam Wong

Presenting: a conversation with director, game designer, and photographer Liam Wong [https://liamwong.com] on his two sublime books of photography, TO:KY:OO [https://www.liamwong.com/book] and the just-released AFTER DARK [https://www.liamwong.com/afterdark]. In which: we discuss the creative spark of side projects turned obsessions; the nature of seeing; inspirations – including MIRROR'S EDGE, COLLATERAL, and HEAT – and the evolving nature of our realtionships to them; zines; taking creative risks; and letting your work be a creative spark for others in need. *** About Liam Liam Wong [https://liamwong.com] -リアム・ウォン - is a director. game designer and photographer, best known for defining, designing and directing visual identities and was listed as one of forbes magazine’s influential 30 under 30. Born and raised in Scotland - within two years of graduating, Wong moved to Canada - becoming the youngest director at Ubisoft [http://www.ubisoft.com/], the video game company behind Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed. In parallel with his blossoming career in video games, Wong was teaching himself photography. In December 2015 he purchased his first DSLR (a Canon 5D III) and his debut photo series: 'Tokyo Nights (TO:KY:OO) [https://www.liamwong.com/art]’ - capturing the beauty of night through moments after midnight - inspired by sci-fi, neon-noir, cyberpunk and Japanese animation - gained over a million views worldwide, accumulating a following online and kickstarting his journey into photography. Wong has since collaborated with many high profile companies, artists, musicians and directors. His work has been recognized by media outlets such as BBC [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5Lnn9Lg48jv1RvvvLnKKrJK/neon-dreamland-atmospheric-photographs-of-tokyo-after-dark], Forbes [https://www.forbes.com/profile/liam-wong/], Business Insider [http://uk.businessinsider.com/liam-wongs-photos-of-tokyo-at-night-2016-6], Saatchi [https://www.saatchigallery.com/] and Adobe [https://www.adobe.com/]. Full press list available here. [https://www.liamwong.com/press] In 2019 ‘TO:KY:OO’ became the largest crowdfunded book in the UK and has remained a best-selling book since launch. It is available for purchase at: ‘TO:KY:OO [https://www.liamwong.com/book]’. Includes words by game creator Hideo Kojima and visual futurist Syd Mead. In 2021, his second book ‘AFTER DARK [https://www.afterdarkbook.com/]’ raised $280k in pledges, surpassing the funding outcome of his first book. ‘AFTER DARK [https://www.afterdarkbook.com/]’ releases October 2022 and is now available. *** Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:21- “I just felt this release of creativity that I hadn’t felt before…”  06:50 - “I’m at a point in my (photography) where people don’t know that I work in video games…” 12:28 -  “If it’s a rainy night in Seoul and I know it’s going to be empty, there’s nowhere I’m going to be other than this Zaha Hadid [https://www.zaha-hadid.com] building…”  17:45 - “When I think of rain, I think of music…” 24:12 -  “I think back to the people that inspired me… It felt like the right thing to encourage people…”  35:54 - “With (AFTER DARK) I wanted to make sure the content was solid and the color grading was secondary…”  47:00 -  “It gave me that second wind [https://parentheticalrecluse.com/blog/202212061438] where I didn’t have it before…” 51:45 - What medium or media other than your own would you like to play with? 53:20 - What’s your greatest fear with your work?  55:10- Conclusion *** View his work and order his books (and more) via his website, liamwong.com [https://liamwong.com]. Find him around the web via his linktree page [https://linktr.ee/liamwong] An interview with Liam [https://www.unseen-tokyo.com/blog/see-the-unseen-meet-liam] via UNSEEN, the new games studio founded by Ikumi Nakamura [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikumi_Nakamura], where he serves as Visual Director. *** Theme music, INTERSECTIONS, by Uziel Colon; all rights reserved. Keep up with my latest conversations via RSS [https://parentheticalrecluse.com/socializedpod?format=rss], Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-socialized-recluse/id1579752027], or your preferred podcast delivery system. If you enjoy my efforts at being conversant and social, saying so at Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-socialized-recluse/id1579752027?utm_source=twweaver&utm_medium=email] would be most appreciated.

Maud Newton

Presenting: a conversation with Maud Newton, writer, critic, and now author of ANCESTOR TROUBLE: A RECKONING AND A RECONCILIATION. In which: we discuss the ins and the outs of writing ANCESTOR TROUBLE; of “making the line well”; of Aristotle at two in the morning; of freedom from and fealty to form in books and in blogs; of creative evolution; of taking the time to get to the truth; and of freeing oneself from the creative and personal boulders we push up the hills in before us. *** About Maud: Maud Newton is a writer, critic, and occasional speaker. Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation [https://maudnewton.com/book/ancestor-trouble/] (Random House), her first book, has been called “a literary feat” by the New York Times Book Review [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/29/books/review/maud-newton-ancestor-trouble.html] and a “brilliant mix of personal memoir and cultural observation” by the Boston Globe [https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/24/arts/our-tangled-family-trees-maud-newtons-ancestor-trouble/], praised by Oprah Daily [https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/g38571510/most-anticipated-books-2022/], NPR [https://www.npr.org/2022/03/31/1089897524/maud-newton-and-jhumpa-lahiri-interrogate-ones-place-in-the-world], the New York Times [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/books/march-new-books.html], Vanity Fair [https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/photos/2022/04/7-books-we-couldnt-put-down-this-month], Vulture [https://www.vulture.com/article/best-new-tv-movies-books-music.html], the Los Angeles Times [https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2022-02-28/10-books-to-add-to-your-reading-list-in-march], Wired [https://www.wired.com/gallery/summer-books-list-2022/], and many others, and named one of Esquire’s [https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g38675785/best-books-2022/] best books of 2022. Excerpts from the book have appeared in Esquire [https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a39475357/ancestor-trouble-maud-newton/], Time [https://time.com/6165605/maud-newton-family-history-racism/], and the Wall Street Journal [https://www.wsj.com/articles/learning-about-ourselves-from-genealogy-11649260824]. Her essay on “America’s Ancestry Craze [https://harpers.org/archive/2014/06/americas-ancestry-craze/],” a seed of the book, was a Harper’s [https://www.harpers.org/] cover story. Both the book and the essay are outgrowths of old weekend ancestry posts [https://maudnewton.com/tag/weekend-ancestry/] on her blog. Newton was born in Dallas, grew up in Miami, and graduated from the University of Florida [https://www.ufl.edu/] with degrees in English and law. Eventually she moved to Brooklyn, and for the past six years she’s lived on Lenape land in Queens. She started blogging in May 2002 with the aim of finding others who were passionate about books, culture, and politics, and to establish an informal place to write about her life and family. Within a few years, her site had been praised, criticized, and quoted in the New York Times Book Review [https://donswaim.com/nytimes.digital.lit.html], Forbes [https://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/review.jhtml?id=7807], New York Magazine [https://www.nymetro.com/nymetro/news/media/columns/download/n_9457/], the Washington Post [https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A43254-2003Nov14?language=printer], the UK Times, Entertainment Weekly [https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1204561,00.html], USA Today [https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2005-02-16-literary-blogs_x.htm], the New [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60613FE3B5A0C718CDDAC0894DF404482] York [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/18/books/review/18paul.html?ex=1179288000&en=a5ad85210b4cb504&ei=5070] Times [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30B11FA385E0C748DDDAB0894DD404482], the Guardian [https://www.guardian.co.uk/], the Telegraph [https://www.arts.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/05/22/boblog.xml], the Wall Street Journal [https://tinyurl.com/ahrdm], the New York Daily News [https://www.nydailynews.com/city_life/story/170121p-148528c.html], Poets & Writers Magazine [https://www.pw.org/mag/0407/newshopkins.htm], the San Francisco Chronicle [https://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/04/10/ING0UC4K431.DTL], the New Yorker [https://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?040531ta_talk_radosh], Book Magazine [https://www.bookmagazine.com/issue31/inthemargins.shtml], the Evening Standard, the Scotsman [https://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=68052004], Slate [https://slate.msn.com/id/2093333/], the Denver Post [https://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~31109~2514144,00.html], and Canada’s National Post. Newton has blogged less frequently in recent years but sends her Ancestor Trouble [https://ancestorhunger.substack.com/] newsletter every month (or so). You can also follow her on Twitter [https://twitter.com/maudnewton], Instagram [https://instagram.com/maudnewton], and Medium [https://medium.com/@maudnewton]. She maintains a Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/maudnewtonwriting] page. *** Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 03:00 - "My guiding principle in all this was to get at truth – in all its complexity." 05:44 - "I wanted to re-create the exact emotional dynamic for the reader... there was a didactic impulse there." 10:04 - "I realized that being stuck in the (memoir) form... is sort of a false way of looking at it..." 15:08 - "We need to do the work... to be able to sit with out feelings, accept those histories, and then talk about it with other people who are resistant...'' 21:20 - On ancestor veneration and "making the line well." 31:42 - "My sense is that what we're looking for often is not limited to fact..." 37:35 - "If you're claiming to make the historical records available, they should ALL be available..." 43:40 - "There was a time when I was reading Aristotle at two in the morning... and I remember thinking, 'Am I writing a book or is this actually crazy?'" 51:56 - "That was one of the reasons I was so drawn to the blog form..." 55:46 - "... I don't think that I gave myself the opportunity to approach fiction as an opportunity to truly make things up..." 57:15 - Where to connect / Twitter / Newsletter / Etc 58:03 - Conclusions *** Linkage Find all of ANCESTOR TROUBLE’s considerable accolades (and order a copy) via the main ANCESTOR TROUBLE page [https://maudnewton.com/book/ancestor-trouble/] at maudnewton.com You can connect with Maud via Twitter [https://twitter.com/maudnewton], Instagram [https://instagram.com/maudnewton], and Medium [https://medium.com/@maudnewton]; her ANCESTOR TROUBLE newslette [https://ancestorhunger.substack.com]r is an essential read and always a joy to receive. Maud's latest article, My father’s family kept slaves – and he defended it. Acknowledging it matters [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/14/slavery-family-racist-history-ancestors-wrongdoing], at The Guardian. And, in the interest of blatant self-promotion (but only because we talked about it), my seven-year-paragraph [/descanso]. *** Theme music, INTERSECTIONS, by Uziel Colon [https://uzcmusic.com/]; all rights reserved. Keep up with my latest conversations via RSS [https://parentheticalrecluse.com/socializedpod?format=rss], Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-socialized-recluse/id1579752027], or your preferred podcast delivery system. If you enjoy my efforts at being conversant and social, saying so at Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-socialized-recluse/id1579752027?utm_source=twweaver&utm_medium=email] would be most appreciated.

MJ Slide

Presenting: a conversation with maker of things and writer of film, MJ Slide. In which: we discuss their now year-old monthly zine, Prismatic Slant, and the juxtapositions, situations, lives, tools, and process behind each issue. Along the way, we manage – speaking of juxtapositions – to work in dirt, homemade jam and saunas, canning, typefaces, the Twitter of yore, Detroit, the freedom of fan fiction, and more. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:00 - "I've found it to be... the most cyberpunk city in the United States." 05:43 - "I realized that I needed to find a medium to express the things I was feeling... without nuancing it to death." 11:39 - "I'm not going to write these 3700 word essays and put them on Medium..." 17:53 - "It's just me goofing around... angrily muttering to myself in my bedroom." 23:55 - Tools: InDesign, Lightroom, Grammerly, NY Public Library public domain archive [https://www.nypl.org/research/collections/digital-collections/public-domain] / We Are Legion. 27:49 - "I know what it's like to think everything's going to be ok then get hit with something at the end of the month that you're not expecting – that shouldn't stop you from having things that bring you joy." 33:28 - "We are so interconnected: why do we feel so lonely?" 40:00 - What's a medium you'd most like to play with that you haven't? 42:10 - "I try to limit the places people can get ahold of me... I want to be able to give people the time they deserve." 44:00 - Thanks and jealousy and inspiration and conclusion. Linkage If you're interested in joining the Prismatic Slant list, send MJ an email: MJ(at)junkinkfilms(dot)com The Noun Project [https://thenounproject.com], home of very, very cool icons and design inspiration. // Theme music, INTERSECTIONS, by Uziel Colon [https://uzcmusic.com/]; all rights reserved. Keep up with my latest conversations via RSS [https://parentheticalrecluse.com/socializedpod?format=rss], Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-socialized-recluse/id1579752027], or your preferred podcast delivery system. If you enjoy my efforts at being conversant and social, saying so at Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-socialized-recluse/id1579752027?utm_source=twweaver&utm_medium=email] would be most appreciated.

Wallace Stroby (II)

SPOILERS AHEAD: Throughout this episode, Wallace and I discuss numerous topics, any and all of which should be considered SPOILERS for not only ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, but all of Leone's works as well as for Wallace's third Crissa Stone novel, SHOOT THE WOMAN FIRST. As such, I recommend/request/demand that you bookmark this page and then go watch, read, and devour them before returning here to listen to Wallace and I chat about same. You may consider yourself duly warned and advised. Presenting: a return conversation [https://parentheticalrecluse.com/socializedpod/ep0004-wallace-stroby] with Wallace Stroby about Sergio Leone's masterpiece, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. In which: we discuss all things surrounding Leone's masterpiece – history, beginnings, endings, duels, landscapes, influences, restraint (and the lack thereof) characters – and Leone himself as well as a broad look at spaghetti westerns (and their successors), the music of Ennio Morricone, the impact of the film on Wallace's writing – as well as his own designs on tackling (or not tackling) the western genre – and more. About Wallace: Wallace Stroby is an award-winning journalist and the author of nine novels, four of which feature Crissa Stone, the professional thief labeled “crime fiction’s best bad girl ever.” His new novel, HEAVEN'S A LIE [https://www.mulhollandbooks.com/titles/wallace-stroby/heavens-a-lie/9780316540605/], was called "a pure hit of adrenaline" by author Harlan Coben on NBC's TODAY SHOW. Stroby’s first novel, THE BARBED-WIRE KISS, was a Barry Award finalist for best debut novel. For 13 years, he was an editor at the Newark Star-Ledger, Tony Soprano's hometown paper. A native of Long Branch, N.J., he’s a lifelong resident of the Jersey Shore. Chapters 0:00: Introduction / SPOILER WARNINGS 01:25: "Roger Ebert said... 'Leone didn't know when to quit.'" 05:00: "No titles... you don't know who these people are... the dialogue that's there is GREAT." 09:45: "The writing on this film is an odd mixture of names..." 11:30: "It's hard to imagine the movie witout her..." 14:10: "The final duel is the final duel..." 16:40: "A lot of times when directors wait a long time to make the movie (ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA) they want to make, it doesn't work out that well..." 23:05: "Leone was not above hammering a point home... once you accept that, it's great..." 27:35: "If you go back and watch A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, you really wouldn't think the guy that made that was capable of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST..." 31:50: "If youre looking for the best spaghetti western films, you run through that list pretty quickly..." 37:50: "The thing about Morricone... " 43:00: Crissa Stone + OUATITW: "At the end of the book, I didn't know how it was going to end... " 47:36: "Again, restraint is not a word you would use too much with Leone." 49:50: "Italy was a very grim place after WWII – and you only have to watch BICYCLE THEIVES to see that." 51:55: "I'm daunted by the amount of research that would have to be done – and that research won't get you everything you need..." 57:10: Outro Linkage You can connect with Wallace at his website, wallace stroby.com [http://wallacestroby.com], and on Twitter, @wallacestroby [https://www.twitter.com/wallacestroby]. HEAVEN'S A LIE at Mulholland Books [https://www.mulhollandbooks.com/titles/wallace-stroby/heavens-a-lie/9780316540605/]. You can check out our first conversation, about HEAVEN’S A LIE and more, here [https://parentheticalrecluse.com/socializedpod/ep0004-wallace-stroby]. Author photo by Patrick Millikin. Theme music, INTERSECTIONS, by Uziel Colon [https://uzcmusic.com]; all rights reserved.

Justin Duke

Presenting: a conversation with the creator and resident plate-spinning human behind Buttondown, Justin Duke. In which: we discuss the past, present and future of Buttondown and, along the way, tackle tools v. ecosystems, longevity in the digital age, the art of spinning plates, breathing space, Super Mario Bros., and the reasons that I started my own newsletter. Justin’s Bio: Justin Duke is the creator and maintainer of Buttondown [https://buttondown.email], a tool for building and growing newsletters. He spends his waking hours working at the payments company Stripe as an engineering manager; he spends his precious free time spoiling his corgi rotten, watching basketball, mixing cocktails for his fiancee, and playing video games. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:45 - "It's a relationship between a reader and an author..." 04:05 - "I had the worst thought a engineer or developer could have: 'I'll bet I could build a better version of that myself in a weekend...'' 07:20 - "Building software can be the equivalent of having a hobby shop in your backyard..." 09:48 - "When you build a Substack, you are building a Substack... it's a bit of a faustian bargain..." 13:30 - "The philosophy I like... is actually from (Super Mario Bros)..." 19:15 - "What made YOU start a newsletter?" 26:27 - "Longevity is so chronically under-discussed when it comes to software..." / a 15-year mystery solved 32:22 - "The web that I fell in love with... was this thing that felt Wild Western in a wildly constructive way..." 37:32 - "I started building Buttondown in a completely different phase of my life – I didn't have all the accoutrements and beautiful burdens that I have today..." 43:30 - "I always end up defaulting to playing my Switch..." 48:58 - Connect / "I love getting emails from strangers..." 49:08 - Outro / Why I started my own newsletter, take two / making porkchops Linkage You can connect with Justin via his website, arcana.computer [https://arcana.computer], on Twitter, and via email: me(AT)jmduke(DOT)com; here is his cool dog [https://www.instagram.com/itstellybelly/]. If you are considering starting your own newsletter, Justin's creation, Buttondown [https://buttondown.email] has – for what it's worth – my full endorsement. He also works with aspiring technologists who have been marginalized by conviction via Unloop [https://www.un-loop.org]. Theme music, "Intersections," by Uziel Colón [https://www.uzcmusic.com/)]. All rights reserved. Keep up with my latest conversations (with others) via RSS [https://parentheticalrecluse.com/socializedpod?format=rss], Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-socialized-recluse/id1579752027], or your preferred podcast delivery system; earlier episodes live here [https://parentheticalrecluse.com/tsrarchive].