Show notes
Do you know who designed the Twin Towers?Probably not.Chances are, you don’t know who designed most of the buildings you instantly recognize.Why is that?Well, this is one of many fascinating ideas I explore with my guest in the latest episode of the show, as we discuss a relatively little-known book called Sandfuture, by the American artist Justin Beal.Oh, and what a guest I have for you today…It was an insanely enormous pleasure to be joined from Toronto by the brilliant musician and writer, Meg Remy, who you might better know as U.S. Girls.Indeed, welcome to The Library of Lazy Thinking Podcast, with me, your host, Glenn Fisher.As you may well know by now, in each episode, I'm joined by a guest from the world of books and culture to talk about a specific book they'd like to put in the library.There's no plan and no agenda, just two people lazily thinking about literature.If you enjoy the show and would like to support us (and get your hands on a coveted Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge in the process), you can upgrade your subscription on either a monthly or annual basis.But either way, please do like and share the show—it all helps.In this episode, as I say, my very special guest is the musician and writer, Meg Remy. We discuss her pick for the library, the 2021 biography Sandfuture by Justin Beal.About MegMeg Remy is a multi-disciplinary artist, performer, and author. Originally from Illinois, she is established as one of the most acclaimed songwriters and performers to emerge from Toronto’s eclectic underground music scene, where she currently lives. Primarily known as the creative force behind the musical entity U.S. Girls, her celebrated discography includes three Polaris Prize-shortlisted albums: Half Free (2015), In A Poem Unlimited (2018), and Heavy Light (2020). All three albums also garnered Juno nominations for Best Alternative Album. In 2021, Remy made her authorial debut with her memoir Begin By Telling. Her most recent album, Scratch It (2025), is released by 4AD.About JustinJustin Beal is an artist with an extensive exhibition history in the United States and Europe. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in architecture and continued his studies at the Whitney Independent Study Program and the University of Southern California. His work has been reviewed in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Artforum, Frieze, Art in America, and The Los Angeles Times, and is included in the permanent collections of the Albright-Knox Museum, the Hammer Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. He teaches at Hunter College and Sandfuture is his first book.Links to obscure (and not so obscure) things mentioned in this episodeOrder Sandfuture by Justin Beal from my local independent bookshop in Sheffield here.Listen to U.S. Girls on Spotify here.Watch Minoru Yamazaki’s Pruitt Igoe building being demolished here.Find Meg on Instagram here.Find Glenn on Instagram here.Find The Library of Lazy Thinking on Instagram here.About the LibraryThe Library of Lazy Thinking is a place to hang out and learn more about books. If you’d like to support the library and get access to everything here, you can become a paid member (and get an exclusive The Library of Lazy Thinking bookmark, sticker, and pin badge). All support goes back into the library, helping to organize live events, exclusive merchandise, and more podcasts.About GlennGlenn Fisher is a writer—wait, Glenn Fisher is me. I’m the one writing this. Let’s drop the third-person act. My writing has been published in Lunate, The Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, 3am Magazine, Dogmatika, and Litro Magazine. I write about books and interview other writers and artists here in The Library of Lazy Thinking. I live in Sheffield and work as a freelance copywriter. I have had a best-selling non-fiction book published on the subject called The Art of the Click. It was published by Harriman House and shortlisted for Business Book of the Year. It has been translated into Simplified Chinese and Korean. I also have a dog called Pablo. He is harder to translate. Indeed, most of my life revolves around trying to understand his often unreasonable demands. Meanwhile, I am currently working on my first novel about a man who accidentally kidnaps a pig. Brave/insane agents: hit me up. Get full access to The Library of Lazy Thinking at lazythinking.substack.com/subscribe