FULL CONTACT NERD

L.E. Modesitt Jr interview – Science Fiction novel – “Quantum Shadows” (Tor Books, 2020)

Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2AFVwuO

L.E. Modesitt, Jr. has held a wide range of jobs. In 1973 he published his first story and since then he’s published numerous science fiction and fantasy novels. His recent publication is a science fiction novel Quantum Shadows. We spoke about the book, writing, religion, and his time as a Navy helicopter pilot.

0:39 – LE talks about why he wrote Quantum Shadows.

1:29 – LE talks about the current events that prompted the writing of this book and “true-believer culture.”

2:49 – LE talks about the setting and protagonist of the book.

4:56 – LE talks about the idea of faith and belief in the novel.

6:19 – LE talks about the science fiction of the book.

7:49 – LE talks about the planet on which the book takes place.

9:15 – LE talks about the research for the book especially in religious systems.

11:19 – LE explains why we has 10 religions in the book.

12:54 – LE talks about the works that have inspired him.

14:36 – LE talks about having started as a poet and enjoying Yates.

17:40 – LE talks about the romantic feel of the musical quality to the book.

18:35 – LE talks about the skeptic characters within the novel.

19:57 – LE talks about his writing process.

22:55 – LE talks about being a Navy pilot, an economist, a speechwriter, and a consultant.

26:19 – LE talks about the adaption of movies from novels.

27:27 – LE talks about having been a Navy helicopter rescue pilot.

30:18 – LE talks about his son having gone to the US Naval Academy.

32:03 – LE talks about being a terrible pilot.

33:48 – LE talks about having wanted to be a space pilot.

35:22 – LE talks about the poetic feel to the Quran and the King James Bible.

39:20 – LE can be found at LEModesittjr.com

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2AFVwuO

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250229212

https://www.lemodesittjr.com/

For more “Full Contact Nerd” please follow me at crisalvarez.com, on Facebook at CrisAlvarezFCN, on youtube at Cris Alvarez on twitter @CrisAlvarezFCN, on Instagram @crisalvarezscifi, and on Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts / Stitcher / Spotify for the podcast

Guests: L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: science fiction, fantasy, writer, novel, novelist, fiction, true believer, raven, couplet, faiths, hegemony, religion, Heinlein, Bester, Dixon, Tepper, le Guin, Moorcock, poetry, yates, writing, missile range, helicopter pilot, rescue, Vietnam War, Naval Academy, space pilot, Quran, Koran, King James, Bible

Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2AFVwuO

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Film history – “What Price Hollywood?” (University Press of Kentucky, 2020) – Elyce Helford interview

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Check the book out here https://amzn.to/38gJft7

Dr. Elyce Helford has spent years, studying, writing on, and teaching popular culture. She’s studied and written about anime, Octavia Butler and now most recently on the director George Cukor. She talks about the queer and gender-bending aspects of this early director’s work.

0:42 – Elyce talks about how she got into studying George Cukor.

4:53 – Elyce talks about how actresses felt like they good trust Cukor. She also talks about the homophobic actors who didn’t want to work with Cukor.

8:57 – We talk about how Hollywood prizes success and money and how Cukor dealt with the studios.

12:20 – Elyce talks about how few close friends Cukor had in Hollywood.

13:58 – Elyce talks about how the big Hollywood moguls were Eastern European Jewish. However Cukor was Jewish but his roots were in Western Europe.

16:29 – Elyce talks about his lack of influence on other directors despite his huge success.

20:49 – Elyce talks about Cukor’s stage experience and voice coach work.

22:14 – Elyce talks about how Cukor adapted to Hollywood.

27:17 – Elyce talks about Cukor’s dating life.

29:41 – Elyce talks about whether Cukor could have pushed boundaries in Hollywood.

36:05 – Elyce talks about whether Cukor had the power to push boundaries.

40:09 – Elyce talks about how she gathered information on Cukor.

49:38 – Elyce talks about Cukor’s output as a director.

52:24 – Elyce talks about whether Cukor might have identified as a woman.

56:23 – Elyce talks about how surprising it was to find so much to write about this subject.

1:00:00 – Elyce talks about the various subjects she’s studied including manga and anime.

1:03:10 – Elyce talks about trying to avoid Cukor’s answers on his own personality.

1:05:16 – Elyce discusses the importance of what the creator was intending to produce versus wht the viewer interprets.

1:06:47 – Elyce talks about having had breast cancer and turning to digital art for a time.

1:19:53 – Elyce talks about the past use of ethnicity as mysterious and dangerous.

1:21:44 – Elyce can be found at elycehelford.com and on twitter @elycehelford

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/38gJft7

https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813179292/what-price-hollywood/

http://www.elycehelford.com/

https://twitter.com/elycehelford

Guests: Elyce Rae Helford

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: Philadelphia Story, George Cukor, Katherine Hepburn, bisexuality, homosexuality, drag, Octavia Butler, gender, homophobia, Jewish, Gone With The Wind, Billy Wilder, long take, Hitchcock, theater, HUAC, censorship, women’s director, noir, queer, trans, Judy Garland, Wizard of Oz, Hitchcock, gaslighting, academy award, Othello, lavender marriage, musicals, Star Trek, digital art, classic Hollywood, directing

Check the book out here https://amzn.to/38gJft7

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Gothic film history – “Gothic Film” (Edinburgh University Press, 2020) – Richard Hand and Jay McRoy interview

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Check the book out here https://amzn.to/37Z9jZM

Richard Hand and Jay McRoy have both been studying horror and gothic for many years. They recently co-edited a book of essays on Gothic Film and I got to speak to the both of them about the gothic, the book, and the editorial and publishing process.

0:40 – Richard talks about his interest in Gothic film and horror.

3:48 – Jay talks about reading horror literature when he was a little kid.

5:11 – Richard and Jay talk about how the book looks at a wide span of how horror is adapted.

7:49 – Jay talks about an American take on the gothic.

13:58 – Richard and Jay discuss Gothic and Japanese anime.

15:40 – Richard talks about manga writing.

16:46 – Richard and Jay talk about Lovecraft and the Gothic.

19:08 – Jay talks about Lovecraft movies and the Gothic.

22:23 – Richard talks about prime examples of Gothic films.

24:19 – Jay talks about the translation of Gothic stories from word to film.

27:39 – We discuss the gothic feel to the Sopranos.

31:56 – They talk about the range of topics the book covers.

35:42 – They discuss Alien and Gothic film in space.

39:06 – They discuss the strangest combination of gothic with another setting.

41:22 – Jay talks about the gothic in spongebob squarepants and Sesame Street.

43:15 – Richard talks about the use of Gothic structure in documentaries.

44:30 – Richard and Jay talk about Ren and Stimpy and the Gothic.

46:19 – Richard talks about his favorite Gothic films.

48:31 – Jay talks about his enjoyment of Nosferatu films.

50:22 – They discuss how they access the films the book mentions.

53:26 – Richard goes into detail about the Dracula story.

54:21 – Jay talks about how well the essays blend.

55:14 – They talk about the editorial process and the publishing process.

59:01 – Richard can be found on his webpage on the University of East Anglia website and Jay has a website www.the jaymcroy.com.

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/37Z9jZM

https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-gothic-film.html

https://www.thejaymcroy.com/

https://people.uea.ac.uk/r_hand

Guests: Richard Hand and Jay McRoy

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: fiction, gothic, horror, radio, theater, transformationm, transmutation, film, Universal Pictures, Western Gothic, Pornographic Gothic, manga, Poe, Jinji Ito, Lovecraft, cosmic horror, Dracula, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, Stephen King, Sopranos, Gangs of London, Hammer films, British film history, surrealism, Alien, science fiction, haunted house, Ready Player One, The Shining, spongebob squarepants, documentaries, Ren and Stimpy, Lighthouse, Night of the Living Dead, Nosferatu, Innkeepers, House of the Devil, Westerns, The Innocents

Check the book out here https://amzn.to/37Z9jZM

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.