Best Ian Scuffling Podcasts (2025)

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Mailbag Time (Listener Qs, A'd) 54:21

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1+ y ago54:21

54:21

We open the ol' mailbag, which is really more of google voicemail inbox, to answer some listener Q&As. At long last! We accidentally deleted one and apologize. So if you're the person who called in to ask about the "keying waves" sequence, where Slothrop is talking to his dad...well....we are truly sorry. It was a good question! Stay tuned. We are …

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APPENDIX - Is GRAVITY'S RAINBOW an autobiography? (W/ Albert Rolls) 1:05:30

1+ y ago1:05:30

1:05:30

In this extra, bonus "appendix" episode, Asher lays out his theory of Gravity's Rainbow, as a coded biography of its author, Thomas Pynchon. Also: we're joined by author and researcher Albert Rolls to talk about his book, Thomas Pynchon: Demon in the Text, which is itself a not-quite-a-biography of Pynchon.…

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EP 13 - The Final Delta T (W/Gregory Marks) 1:26:45

1+ y ago1:26:45

1:26:45

Covering Part 4: 12...The End. We take an elevator ride to the skies, reflect on "anarcho-sadism," catch up with some of our old pals in Der Platz, smoke out of a kazoo, and take a tour around the L.A. freeways with our man Richard Zhlubb. Oh also, we lean what the S-Gerät is, and figure out the final terminus of the 00000 (sort of). Additionally: …

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BONUS - Weissman's Tarot (W/ Answers In Tarot) 38:10

1+ y ago38:10

38:10

This week: before we head into the final stretch of Gravity's Rainbow, we stop to talk tarot and esotericism with Answers In Tarot, also known as L.A. Lubuschagne. He offers us some insights into the cultural context for the Tarot's reemergence in the '60s/'70s counterculture, unpacks Slothrop's identification with "The Fool," and offers a thorough…

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EP 12 - Raketen Stadt Of Mind (W/ Jeffrey Severs) 1:14:01

1+ y ago1:14:01

1:14:01

Covering Part 4: Chapters 7-11. We follow the Counterforce to a surprise dinner, reflect on The World, learn of Weissman's new frontier, and finally reach the THRILLING climax between Tchitcherine and his Herero half-brother, Enzian. Also: we speak with Professor Jeffrey Severs, literary scholar and co-host of the podcast Don DeLillo Should Win The…

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EP 11 - Shine On, You Crazy Sentient Lightbulb (W/ The Computerized Ghost of Harold Bloom) 1:05:35

1+ y ago1:05:35

1:05:35

Covering Part 4: Chapters 1-6. We enter the fourth--and final!--part of the novel. We discuss the formation of the "Counterforce," Slothrop's dispersal, and a fan-favorite episode about a sentient lightbulb that goes nuts. In this episode, we embrace the threat of sentient technology by speaking with an A.I. generated spectre of the late literary c…

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EP 10 - Do You Believe In Magic? (W/ Matt Christman) 1:14:25

1+ y ago1:14:25

1:14:25

Covering Part 3: Chapters 24-32. We exit THE ZONE. Many BIG THINGS are revealed about Slothrop's purpose, his family history, and just what the HELL this book is about. Also: there's some pinball. In this episode we chatted with Matt Christman (@cushbomb) from Chapo Trap House, Hell on Earth and his own Cushvlog about the Masons, the Rosy Cross, an…

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EP 9: The Banana Imperium (W/Noah Kulwin) 1:00:54

1+ y ago1:00:54

1:00:54

Covering Part 3: Chapters 13-23. Slothrop goes on a boat, and maybe has sex with a child. Then he goes on another boat. And then back to the same boat. Gravity's Rainbow? They should call this book Boats! Also: Slothrop's beging "thinning out." What does that mean? Has Ozempic claimed Tyrone Slothrop?! This episode: we talk with with journalist and…

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EP 8: Better Living Through Chemistry (W/Hamilton Morris) 1:05:20

1+ y ago1:05:20

1:05:20

Covering Part 3: Chapters 6-12. Slothrop is reborn as "Rocketman," steals some hash, and meets Mickey Rooney, The John E. Badass appears, and does battle using a hot new drug named Oneirine Thiophosphate (or is it Theo-phosphate???). This episode: we talk with documentarian and chemist Hamilton Morris about the novel's use of drugs, and chemistry, …

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EP 7: The Genocidal Gaze (W/Elizabeth Baer) 54:24

2y ago54:24

54:24

Covering Part 3: Chapters 1-5. Our read-through of Gravity's Rainbow continues as we enter THE ZONE. The War--at least in Europe--is over. But the novel is merely beginning, in some ways. Slothrop meets a witch, a Herero revolutionary, and stumbles upon an abandoned rocket factory factory building rockets. Try not to zone out, eh? We are joined by …

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BONUS - Interview with Prüfstand VII director Robert Bramkamp 38:13

2y ago38:13

38:13

Hallo Leute! Interrupting the regular flow with this bonus interview with German writer/director Robert Bramkamp, whose film Prüfstand VII uses Gravity's Rainbow as a way into analyzing the history of the rocket in Germany, and the Nazi program itself. Some very interesting insights on how the novel resonated with a German reader. Also...some fun l…

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EP 6: Im(i)polex, Gee (W/Alex Ross Perry) 1:12:49

2y ago1:12:49

1:12:49

Slow Learners continues! This episode covers the entire second section of Gravity's Rainbow, in which Tyrone Slothrop emerges as our clear hero, or the closest thing to it. We speak with filmmaker Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell, The Color Wheel, Queen of Earth) about his debut feature, Impolex, and about his relationship with Pynchon's writing, literar…

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EP 5: Use Your Allusion (W/Prof. David Cowart) 57:47

2y ago57:47

57:47

We wrap the first part of Gravity's Rainbow (chapters 18-21), which sees Pointsman getting lucky, Slothrop shipped off to the Riviera, and Roger and Jessica checking out a cheeky Christmas panto. In this episode, we're joined by David Cowart, author of Thomas Pynchon and the Dark Passages of History and Thomas Pynchon: The Art of Allusion, to talk …

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EP 4: Systems, Scandals, and Literary Hoaxes (w/Alex Shephard) 57:06

2y ago57:06

57:06

We continue our journey "Beyond the Zero," covering Gravity's Rainbow, Part 1, Chapters 14-17. And: Alex Shephard (The New Republic) joins us to talk about literary hoaxes, Pynchonian mysteries, how Gravity's Rainbow scandalized the hoity-toity world of arts and letters. Other topics include: S&M, prosthetic vaginas, church ceremonies, "The Book," …

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EP 3: Military Mind Control (W/Stephen Kinzer) 51:42

2y ago51:42

51:42

We get further into the weeds, covering Gravity's Rainbow, Part 1, Chapters 10-13. We're joined by Stephen Kinzer, author of the Sidney Gottlieb biography ⁠Poisoner In Chief⁠ to talk about the history of military mind-control, and Project MKUltra. Other topics discussed: toilets, jive accessories, having sex with a snake, racism, genocide, LSD. Rea…

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EP 2: A Screaming Comes Across The Sky (W/Dr. Jordan Bimm) 54:01

2y ago54:01

54:01

The season begins in earnest with this recap and discussion of Gravity's Rainbow, Part 1: Chapters 1-9. We chat with Dr. Jordan Bimm, a historian of science and technology, about the history of the V-2 rocket, the Space Race, and the mystical/material dimensions of interstellar travel, Britain's most famous witch. Other topics include: bananas, '50…

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EP 1: Who is Thomas Pynchon, And Why Are We Talking About His Book? 26:00

2y ago26:00

26:00

Hallo Leute! In this, intro episode of Slow Learners, hosts Asher Dark and John Semley lay out their ambition plan, or "plot": to read through Thomas Pynchon's massive 1973 Gravity's Rainbow, discuss it, and talk with experts about its themes and ideas, big and small, smart and stupid. Topics this episode include: Prof. Irwin Corey, literary awards…