Method and Madness
Episodes
“The Nameless Offspring” by Clark Ashton Smith [audio recording]
01 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Clark Ashton Smith was a poet once called “The Last of the Great Romantics".” But he is more remembered as one of the three most significant write...
Melee - Getting Lit
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Fresta and Matthew Sini of the Getting Lit Podcast join me to talk about the history of their show, niche literary podcasting...
Melee - Paul Heron on The End of History
20 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The ever-insightful Paul Heron joins me to figure out if History is in fact over, what Fukuyama meant by posing the question, cycles of history, nosta...
Ep. 16.1 - BUTCHER’S CROSSING by John Williams w/Lake Markham
10 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
BUTCHER'S CROSSING by John Williams is an unassuming masterpiece. The writer Lake Markham (LO SIENTO) joined me to talk about what makes this book...
Melee - David Simmons on ERADICATOR
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
David Simmons is a genre unto himself. We talk about his unsettling novel ERADICATOR--a white-knuckle book that is part AMERICAN PSYCHO, part THE...
Melee - Tom Will on RHYMES
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The dynamic poet Tom Will has yet another modern classic. His new collection, RHYMES out now on Farthest Heaven , a unique exploration of po...
Melee - Grant Wamack on ThE SCARECrOwS WILL WATCH OVER US
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Grant Wamack is the author and tarot reader. His most recent book is THE SCARECROWS WILL WATCH OVER US, a folk horror thriller about cat people l...
Ep. 15.1 - Ishmael Reed's MUMBO JUMBO w/Glen Rockney (PREMIUM)
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A perennial citation of bombastic mid-Century experimentation and different ways of knowing. MUMBO JUMBO is a kaleidoscope, a conspiracy theory, a ...
Ep. 15.2 - The MADNESS of Ishmael Reed’s MUMBO JUMBO
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Explorations of the labyrinths hidden below the cult classic hoodoo novel MUMBO JUMBO by Ishmael Reed. Talking the real Book of Thoth and the secrets ...
“The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane [audio recording]
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
"The Open Boat" is a short story by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). First published in 1898, it was based on Crane's experience of surviv...
Ep. 14.2 - The MADNESS of Dino Buzzati’s THE STRONGHOLD
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
[PREVIEW} Down into the labyrinth of THE STRONGHOLD: the curious history of NYRB Classics, theories of literary time, the significance of the barbaria...
Melee - Ken Layne on DESERT ORACLE RADIO
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The legendary Ken Layne joins me to talk about how he found the desert, what’s going on with UFOs, our Eldritch Republic, the role of the folklorist...
Ep. 14.1 - Dino Buzzati’s THE STRONGHOLD w/Jack BC
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The ever-insightful Jack BC joined me to discuss a paradoxical little masterpiece: THE STRONGHOLD by Dino Buzzati. To some, better known as THE TARTAR...
Melee - Iain Ryan on THE CASINO
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Iain Ryan is the author of 8 books. His latest, THE CASINO, is a pulse-pounding crime story about police corruption in Queensland in the 1980s. He joi...
Melee - Matt Cardin on WRITING AT THE WELLSPRING
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Cardin is the author or editor of 12 books and ranks among the very finest of contemporary writers of Weird fiction and cosmic horror, as well as...
Melee - Frank Kidd on MEDICINE WOMAN
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Author and podcaster Frank Kidd joined me to discuss his page-turning Western/frontier novel MEDICINE WOMAN (winner of Ian Barr’s Indie of the Year ...
[PREVIEW] Ep. 13.2 - The MADNESS of Cormac McCarthy’s THE CROSSING
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A preview of the MADNESS presentation on Cormac McCarthy’s THE CROSSING. Here talking about the very, very strange relationship between man, wolf, a...
Melee - Audrey Lee on UTTER GOODNESS
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
UTTER GOODNESS is UTTERly GOOD. The writer Audrey Lee joined me to talk about her exciting new collection of short stories, out now via ...
Ep. 13.1 - Cormac McCarthy’s THE CROSSING w/Andrew Edwards
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The incredible writer Andrew Edwards joined me to talk about Cormac McCarthy’s oft-overlooked masterpiece THE CROSSING. We get technical on McCarthy...
[PREVIEW] THE EARTHEN DARK by Brad Kelly
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The first 3 chapters of my new book THE EARTHEN DARK for your listening pleasure. Get a copy of the book: bradkellyesque.com.SPECIAL DEAL: In 2026, if...
*Leak* Ep. 9.2 - The MADNESS of AMERICAN TABLOID
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A peek behind the paywall. In this episode, I go in depth on Ellroy’s stylistic forebears, play a little Glass Bead Game between AMERICAN TABLOID an...
*LEAK* Ep. 9.2 - The MADNESS of AMERICAN TABLOID
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A peak behind the paywall. In this episode, I go in depth on Ellroy’s stylistic forebears, play a little Glass Bead Game between AMERICAN TABLOID an...
[PREVIEW] Ep. 12.2 - The MADNESS of PKD’s THREE STIGMATA
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this clip from the full episode, I dive into the career of Hugh Everett III, a brilliant physicist who developed the groundbreaking Many Worlds Int...
Melee - Anthony Metivier on VITAMIN X
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Edwards, the author of what just might be the best novel of 2025, joins me to Anthony Metivier is known as the magnetic memory master. Using t...
“The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne [audio recording]
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic 1836 story, first appearing in The Token and Atlantic Souvenir, later re-published in TWICE-TOLD TALES.
Melee - Andrew Edwards on CROWBAR
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Edwards, the author of what just might be the best novel of 2025, joins me to talk conspiracy, LSD, the interior journey of writing, the 1980s...
Melee - Gnostic Pulp on Pynchon, PKD, & UFOs
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jacob Austin, mastermind behind the fantastic Gnostic Pulp substack joined me to talk about the work of Thomas Pynchon, what the heck was going on wit...
Ep. 12.1 - THE THREE STIGMATA OF PALMER ELDRITCH w/Bram E. Gieben
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Writer, critic, and host of the podcast Strange Exiles, Bram E. Gieben joins me to talk about Philip K. Dick’s most unsettling work: THE THREE STIGM...
Melee - Scott Laudati on PLAY THE DEVIL
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The multi-talented Scott Laudati joined me to tell the crazy story of being courted by Hollywood for his great novel PLAY THE DEVIL, finding the spiri...
[PREVIEW] Ep. 11.2 - The MADNESS of Thomas Pynchon’s SHADOW TICKET
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Freud’s influence on the history of Egon Praediger’s favorite drug.Subscribe or sign up for a trial and check out the full episode:We get into the...
Melee 16 - David Leo Rice talks THE SQUIMBOP CONDITION
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Writer David Leo Rice joined me to talk about his wildly imaginative and startlingly resonant new book THE SQUIMBOP CONDITION—along the w...
Ep. 11.1 - Thomas Pynchon’s SHADOW TICKET w/David Leo Rice
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The brilliant writer David Leo Rice joined me to talk Thomas Pynchon’s latest, and possibly last, novel SHADOW TICKET. Pynchonian Zones, the warp an...
Melee 15 - J David Osborne Talks BERSERKER CLUB
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The relentless writer J David Osborne joins me to talk GODS FARE NO BETTER, his upcoming novel BERSERKER CLUB (pre-order now, out 12/1/2025), drilling...
"Under the Pyramids" by H.P. Lovecraft and Harry Houdini [audio recording]
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1924, Weird Tales published a story by the world famous magician Harry Houdini entitled “Imprisoned with the Pharaohs.” In truth, this story wa...
Melee 14 - LO SIENTO w/Lake Markham
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The writer and photographer Lake Markham joins me to talk about Texas, Cormac McCarthy’s SUTTREE, and his brilliant novel LO SIENTO, coming October ...
[PREVIEW] Ep. 10.2 - The MADNESS of Gene Wolfe’s SHADOW & CLAW
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A preview of my in-depth exploration of the labyrinth that lies beneath the first two volumes of Gene Wolfe’s masterpiece, BOOK OF THE NEW SUN. Subs...
Ep. 10.1 - Gene Wolfe’s SHADOW & CLAW w/Ben Thomas
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Writer and publisher Ben Thomas joins me to revel in the pleasures of the first two volumes of Gene Wolfe’s masterpiece tetralogy The Book of the Ne...
Melee 13 - Dexter De La Paz on OUR HAUNTED PLANET
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Melee 13The erudite investigator himself, Dexter De La Paz, joined me to talk about John Keel and his enduring book of living mysteries OUR HAUNTED PL...
Melee 12 - Andrew H. on the Exegesis of Thomas Pynchon
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Melee 12Andrew H., the mastermind behind the voluminous Pynchonian project The Exegesis of Thomas Pynchon, joined me to talk Pynchon, literature as hi...
"The Yellow Sign" by Robert W. Chambers [audio recording]
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1895, American author Robert W. Chambers released a collection of short stories entitled The King in Yellow. Four stories in this collection are co...
Melee 11 - moonandmouth on CATACLYSM MOVES ME…
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Melee 11The brilliant moonandmouth joins me to talk about poetry, magic, holes, astral travel, and her magnificent new collection of poetry CATCALYSM ...
[PREVIEW] Ep. 9.2 - The MADNESS of AMERICAN TABLOID
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 9.2In this episode, I go in depth on Ellroy’s stylistic forebears, play a little Glass Bead Game between AMERICAN TABLOID and a (not so) ver...
“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell [Audio Recording]
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An audio recording of Richard Connell “The Most Dangerous Game.” Long considered one of the most popular short stories of all time, Connell’s th...
Ep. 9.1: James Ellroy’s AMERICAN TABLOID with Jacob Everett
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 9.1The brilliant and magnanimous Jacob Everett, the mastermind behind Apocalypse Confidential, joins me to discuss AMERICAN TABLOID by James E...
Melee 10 - Cairo Smith talks SCENEBUX
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cairo Smith is the founder and EIC of Futurist Letters, host of The Futurist Letters Show, filmmaker, and author of the forthcoming novel SC...
[PREVIEW] Ep. 8.2: The MADNESS of THE MAGUS
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Following down just some of the many rabbit holes in John Fowles’ THE MAGUS. Hypnotism, Magic, Cruelty, and the so-called Real World. SUBSCRIBE for ...
“Love of Life” by Jack London [audio recording]
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Menagerie #2An audio recording of Jack London’s “Love of Life” first published in McClure’s Magazine in 1905. All the classic Jack London them...
Ep. 8.1: THE MAGUS with Alexandru Constantin
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alexandru Constantin joins me to talk in depth on John Fowles’ classic 1965 novel THE MAGUS. A postmodern bildungsroman that’ll remind every forme...
Melee 09 - Andrew Edwards talks KING OF DOGS
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The incredibly talented author Andrew Edwards joins me to talk about his upcoming novel CROWBAR, his absolute banger of a novel KING OF DOGS, the phil...
Melee 08 - Brian Patrick Eha talks Flaubert
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brian Patrick Eha is a widely-published essayist, journalist, and critic. In this expansive conversation we talk Gustave Flaubert as a precursor to Mo...
[PREVIEW] Ep. 7.2: The MADNESS of Gerald Murnane’s THE PLAINS
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
or not), and much, much more. Get access to the full episode (and much more) via the patreon or substack feed at madmethodpod.com/subscribe. x/com/br...
Ep. 7.1: Gerald Murnane’s THE PLAINS with Jack BC
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jack BC of the always entertaining and enlightening podcast Book Club from Hell, joins me to talk about the singular masterpiece of Australian letters...
Melee 07 - Andrew Wittstadt talks HEAVY BORED
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Wittstadt (@andrewwittstadt) joins me to talk about his great podcast on poetry and literature, HEAVY BORED. We also get into the problem of au...
“The Man of the Crowd” by Edgar Allan Poe [Audio recording]
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An audio recording of Edgar Allan Poe’s 1840 short story “The Man of the Crowd", in which Poe’s narrator finds that he can read a man’s entire...
Ep. 6.2 - The MADNESS of LIBRA
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How Don DeLillo renders visible the invisible, the forces of history, conspiracy theory as literature, and the Discordian weirdness of the JFK assassi...
[PREVIEW] Ep. 6.1: LIBRA with Glen Rockney on Gain of Fiction
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I joined Glen Rockney on his monumental Gain of Fiction bookclub show to talk about Don DeLillo’s 1988 pseudohistorical masterpiece LIBRA—arguab...
Melee 06: Jack BC’s TOWER
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jack BC of the great books podcast Bookclub from Hell joins me to discuss his exceptional work of corporate surrealism, TOWER and the origins of Bookc...
Melee 05: Gaining Fiction w/Glen Rockney
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Glen Rockney of Rare Candy joins me to talk about his superb Gain of Fiction bookclub show, bros reading and why they should, and I finally share what...
[5 Fathoms Special] The History of the Tarot
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
[5 Fathoms Special} This is an in-depth presentation on the history of the Tarot, from rudimentary card games of Egypt and Persia all the way to the m...
[PREVIEW] Ep. 5.3: The MADNESS of LOLITA
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the first solo deep dive on Method and Madness, I go into LOLITA contra CRASH, what the hell even is literary Postmodernism, theories of time, and ...
Ep. 5.2: The METHOD of LOLITA
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More LOLITA. Aaron walks us through the deep narratology behind the concept of the ‘unreliable narrator’ and how Nabokov keeps the reader at just ...
Melee 04: DUSTIN COLE
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Melee episode, the brilliant Dustin Cole joins Brad to discuss his new poetry collection AFTER SUNSTONE, writing poetry versus writing novels...
Ep. 5.1: LOLITA with Kat Rosenfield
19 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The brilliant writer Kat Rosenfield joins us to talk LOLITA and misreadings thereof, the new (and past?) censoriousness in books discourse, love versu...
Melee 03: Always Be Castigating - GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
06 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Melee episode we discuss the recent revival of GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS and some of the very questionable reviews. https://www.thedailybeast.com/re...
Ep. 4.3: [PREVIEW] The MADNESS of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
06 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 4.3. A [PREVIEW] of our exclusive MADNESS episode on NCFOM for paid subscribers ONLY. We go in-depth on the history of Moss's unit in Vietnam, the...
Ep. 4.2: Everything Humming - The METHOD of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2 of our in-depth series on Cormac McCarthy’s NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. We talk about what makes NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN so effective, the subtlet...
Ep. 4.1: Some Ripe Petunias - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN w/ Ben Avery
15 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Part 1 of our in-depth series on Cormac McCarthy’s NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. We’re joined by Ben Avery of the legendary Lemonparty podcast. linktr.e...
Ep. 3.3: Play Us A Mighty Dub - The MADNESS of NEUROMANCER
15 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part 3 of our in-depth episode on William Gibson's NEUROMANCER. In the MADNESS portion of this series, we talk hacking in the ‘80s, what this boo...
Ep. 3.2: The Neon Dead, the Holograms Inert - The METHOD of NEUROMANCER
08 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part 2 of our in-depth episode on William Gibson's NEUROMANCER, Aaron and Brad go METHOD talking about what makes this book tick, how to write some...
Ep. 3.1: To Call Up A Demon - NEUROMANCER w/Ewan Morrison
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We talk with the great Ewan Morrison about his new novel FOR EMMA, a cyber thriller par excellence, about the influence of Gibson, hyperstition, and t...
MELEE 02: Tolkien, Catastrophes, and Jungian UFOs
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We talk Aaron’s recent Tolkien “controversy,” where the Borges meets the road, the importance of plot, the looming and forgotten catastrophes of...
EP. 02: Knausgaard’s My Struggle (Vol. 1)
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss the mysterious mastery of Karl Ove Knausgaard’s “My Struggle,” go on a crash tour of the history of the memoir/autobiography, and exa...
MELEE 01: Lynch, Loneliness, and Larry
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lynch, Loneliness, and Larry
Ep. 01 Moby-Dick: That Inscrutable Thing
11 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our first episode of method and Madness, we leave a white and turbid wake: the focus is MOBY-DICK. In our Method segment, we discuss Melville’s t...