David Marchese

Yeah. Are they worried about their status in the country? Are you worried about it?

Yeah. Are they worried about their status in the country? Are you worried about it?

Do you think there's any way in which your awareness of the cruelty that you had inside yourself and your own experience with cruelty gives you any understanding of the strain of our culture currently? in which cruelty seems like it's almost become fashionable. Oh, wow. Or there's almost like a performative cruelty that happens.

Do you think there's any way in which your awareness of the cruelty that you had inside yourself and your own experience with cruelty gives you any understanding of the strain of our culture currently? in which cruelty seems like it's almost become fashionable. Oh, wow. Or there's almost like a performative cruelty that happens.

Which is a form of controlling the situation.

Which is a form of controlling the situation.

I was curious, did you ever get your stolen bike back?

I was curious, did you ever get your stolen bike back?

You brought up the concept of Satori a couple times. Have you had any epiphanic moments of Satori recently?

You brought up the concept of Satori a couple times. Have you had any epiphanic moments of Satori recently?

That's Ocean Vuong. His new book, The Emperor of Gladness, will be published on May 13th. This conversation was produced by Wyatt Orme and Seth Kelly. It was edited by Annabelle Bacon. Mixing by Sophia Landman. Original music by Rowan Nemisto and Marion Lozano. Photography by Philip Montgomery. Our senior booker is Priya Matthew. Our executive producer is Allison Benedict.

That's Ocean Vuong. His new book, The Emperor of Gladness, will be published on May 13th. This conversation was produced by Wyatt Orme and Seth Kelly. It was edited by Annabelle Bacon. Mixing by Sophia Landman. Original music by Rowan Nemisto and Marion Lozano. Photography by Philip Montgomery. Our senior booker is Priya Matthew. Our executive producer is Allison Benedict.

Special thanks to Rory Walsh, Renan Borelli, Jeffrey Miranda, Nick Pittman, Matty Macielo, Jake Silverstein, Paula Schumann, and Sam Dolnick. If you like what you're hearing, follow or subscribe to The Interview wherever you get your podcasts. To read or listen to any of our conversations, you can always go to nytimes.com slash theinterview.

Special thanks to Rory Walsh, Renan Borelli, Jeffrey Miranda, Nick Pittman, Matty Macielo, Jake Silverstein, Paula Schumann, and Sam Dolnick. If you like what you're hearing, follow or subscribe to The Interview wherever you get your podcasts. To read or listen to any of our conversations, you can always go to nytimes.com slash theinterview.

And you can email us anytime at theinterview at nytimes.com. Next week, Lulu talks to Whitney Wolf Hurd. In her 20s, she founded the dating app Bumble. Now, she's got to figure out how to make it popular with a new generation of users.

And you can email us anytime at theinterview at nytimes.com. Next week, Lulu talks to Whitney Wolf Hurd. In her 20s, she founded the dating app Bumble. Now, she's got to figure out how to make it popular with a new generation of users.

I'm David Marchese, and this is The Interview from The New York Times.

I'm David Marchese, and this is The Interview from The New York Times.

From the New York Times, this is The Interview. I'm David Marchese. Pretty much whenever I watch a buzzy new stand-up comedy special, at some point I end up having to scramble for the remote control to hit the mute button because one of my kids has wandered into the room. The material's just too blue for their precious little ears.

From the New York Times, this is The Interview. I'm David Marchese. Pretty much whenever I watch a buzzy new stand-up comedy special, at some point I end up having to scramble for the remote control to hit the mute button because one of my kids has wandered into the room. The material's just too blue for their precious little ears.