Stephen Graham Jones, Alex Falcone, and Tropa Magica

Summary

Live Wire with Luke Burbank: Stephen Graham Jones, Alex Falcone, and Tropa Magica | November 29, 2024

Hosted by Luke Burbank and produced by PRX, this episode of Live Wire delves into the realms of horror literature, stand-up comedy, and psychedelic punk music. Featuring bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones, comedian and TikTok sensation Alex Falcone, and the vibrant band Tropa Magica, the episode offers a rich tapestry of discussions, insights, and entertaining performances.

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Interview with Stephen Graham Jones

Timestamp: 02:15 - 30:54

Introduction to Stephen Graham Jones Luke Burbank welcomes Stephen Graham Jones, a New York Times bestselling author renowned for his contributions to the horror genre, including awards like the Ray Bradbury Award, Shirley Jackson Award, and Bram Stoker Award. Stephen discusses his latest novel, I Was a Teenage Slasher, which intertwines elements from his upbringing in West Texas.

Exploring I Was a Teenage Slasher Stephen delves into the premise of his novel, explaining, “Tali is 17 years old in West Texas in 1989... He becomes a slasher because he feels the need to obtain justice” (10:26). The discussion highlights how the protagonist, Tali Driver, navigates the challenges of high school cliques, particularly facing bullies from the marching band—a unique twist in the slasher genre.

The Slasher Genre and the Final Girl Concept Stephen elaborates on the foundational rules of the slasher genre, emphasizing the motivation behind slashers: “The slasher is generally motivated by some, not just revenge, but a lack of justice” (09:50). He introduces the concept of the "final girl" as the antidote to the monster, stating, “The final girl is like the sole survivor who transforms from reserved to a warrior” (18:41). This transformation serves as a metaphor for pushing back against personal and societal bullies.

Personal Insights and Writing Philosophy Stephen shares personal anecdotes about his solitary upbringing as the only Native American in his West Texas school, which shaped his perspectives and writing. He advises aspiring horror writers to “write what you yourself are afraid of” (20:58), advocating for authentic storytelling rooted in personal fears and societal anxieties.

The Impact of Horror Discussing the psychological allure of horror, Stephen remarks, “When you're watching something scary, you experience terror and then relief, which makes you feel alive” (19:16). He contrasts this with the endless cycle of anxiety-inducing news, highlighting horror’s role in providing narratives with conclusive endings.

Daily Writing Practice When asked about his prolific writing, Stephen humorously attributes his productivity to “low standards” (24:23) but clarifies his unconventional approach: “I'm more of a binge writer or an opportunistic writer... any wedge in the day” (24:54). This flexibility allows him to continuously produce engaging horror stories without a rigid schedule.

Grave Situations Game In a lighthearted segment, Stephen participates in the “Grave Situations” game, choosing real-life horrors over traditional horror scenarios. He opts for “listening to the news first thing in the morning” (27:44) over “listening to twin girls speak in unison,” underscoring his discomfort with the relentless nature of real-world anxieties.

Notable Quote:
“Horror stories have endings. We like the idea that this horror we're in might have an ending.” – Stephen Graham Jones (29:11)

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Stand-Up with Alex Falcone

Timestamp: 35:28 - 44:20

Introducing Alex Falcone Alex Falcone returns to Live Wire with a blend of humor and candidness. Recognized as Portland’s Funniest Person and a TikTok star with over half a million followers, Alex shares his journey in comedy and personal life.

Attempting to Become a Father Alex humorously recounts his and his wife’s attempts to conceive, highlighting the frustrations and misconceptions they’ve encountered. He jokes, “When I was in sixth grade, they were like, there's a 90% chance you'll get pregnant if you go near a hot tub” (33:18), contrasting it with the realistic 18% chance explained by his obstetrician.

Reflections on Parenthood and Jury Duty Navigating the complexities of parenthood and his humorous take on jury duty, Alex quips, “If you die doing something you love, that's worse... I wanna die doing something I hate. So at least it's over with music” (35:28). He also shares his whimsical approach to jury duty, viewing it as an opportunity to share his opinions on crimes, blending his comedic insight with everyday experiences.

Cultural Observations and Personal Anecdotes Alex discusses his travels to Europe, particularly noting the efficiency of European bidets compared to the American reliance on toilet paper. He muses, “Other places are using water, and it's so much water is the way you clean stuff, right?” (42:25), humorously suggesting the rebranding of bidets to make them more appealing in the U.S.

Comedic Style and Personal Challenges Throughout his set, Alex blends observational humor with personal challenges, such as his struggles with shopping for clothes that fit without the unrealistic standards set by online models. He reflects, “I want to see models with good personalities... like, this guy is five'eleven and a half, and he can juggle” (34:25), poking fun at superficial marketing tactics.

Notable Quote:
“I think if you die doing something you love, that's worse. Cause you didn't get to finish that thing you love.” – Alex Falcone (35:28)

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Performance by Tropa Magica

Timestamp: 49:17 - 54:13

Introducing Tropa Magica Tropa Magica, a psychedelic cumbia punk rock band inspired by 90s East Los Angeles, captivates the audience with their vibrant performance. Described by the Chicago Reader as embodying the spirit of “laughing in the sun while food cooks outdoors and gazing up at a starry night sky while feeling small but content,” the band brings an energetic fusion of traditional rhythms and punk energy.

Musical Insights and Inspirations Before performing, band members Rene and [another member] share the inspiration behind their song “Alice D. Roma,” recounting a mystical experience in Mexico City involving magical pieces of paper, swirling colors, and jaguar sounds. This enchanting backstory adds depth to their music, blending cultural heritage with imaginative storytelling.

Live Performance Highlights The performance of “Alice D. Roma” showcases Tropa Magica’s unique sound, merging psychedelic melodies with energetic punk beats, creating an immersive experience for the audience. Their dynamic stage presence and cultural homage resonate with listeners, leaving a lasting impression of their eclectic musical style.

Notable Quote:
“We took this trip down to Mexico City. We went to the pyramids, and somebody gave us two little magical piece of paper, and we... colors started swirling all over us.” – Tropa Magica (49:34)

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Audience Engagement and Interactive Segments

Throughout the Episode

Best News Segment Elena Passarello shares uplifting stories, including a heartwarming reunion between a father and his biological mother at a bakery, and a community’s creative approach to encouraging public dancing for free coffee. These stories highlight the show's commitment to balancing dark themes with positive news.

Weirdest Fears Audience Segment The audience participates in discussing unusual fears, ranging from arachnophobia to the anxiety of parallel parking. Notable responses include Elena’s fear of creatures with more than eight legs and Alex’s humorous take on feared scenarios like jury duty.

Notable Interaction:
Elena Passarello on her fear: “I'm very afraid of things with more than eight legs... get the centipedes away from me.” (32:43)

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Conclusion and Credits

Timestamp: 54:37 - End

Luke Burbank wraps up the episode by thanking the guests, Stephen Graham Jones, Alex Falcone, and Tropa Magica, as well as the production team and supporters from the Portland Book Festival. He previews upcoming episodes featuring Amanda Montell, Laurie Kilmartin, and Lizzie Ngo, ensuring listeners have exciting content to look forward to.

Final Note:
The episode concludes with a heartfelt appeal for listeners to leave reviews, emphasizing the community-driven nature of Live Wire and its dedication to delivering engaging and diverse content week after week.

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Key Takeaways:

• Stephen Graham Jones offers a deep dive into the slasher genre, blending personal experiences with fiction to create compelling horror narratives.
• Alex Falcone combines humor with personal anecdotes, providing an entertaining look at the challenges of parenthood and everyday anxieties.
• Tropa Magica delivers a vibrant performance that bridges cultural influences with innovative musical expression.
• Audience Engagement segments add a personal and interactive dimension to the episode, fostering a sense of community among listeners.

Notable Quotes:

• "Horror stories have endings. We like the idea that this horror we're in might have an ending." – Stephen Graham Jones (29:11)
• "I think if you die doing something you love, that's worse. Cause you didn't get to finish that thing you love." – Alex Falcone (35:28)
• "We took this trip down to Mexico City... colors started swirling all over us." – Tropa Magica (49:34)

For more episodes and information, visit Live Wire Radio.

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

Hey there. Welcome to Livewire. I'm your host, Luke Burbank. This week on the show, we are talking to bestselling horror writer Stephen Graham Jones about his latest novel, I Was a Teenage Slasher, which features elements from his actual life growing up in West Texas. Alike being bullied by the marching band kids, which you don't hear about a lot. And I say this as a former drama kid, which is the only less tough group of people. Then stand up. Comedian and TikTok sensation Alex Falcone makes his triumphant return to the show where he will talk about trying to become a new father. And then we'll take a trip with the psychedelic cumbia punk rock band Tropa Mahika. Huge congrats if you had that on your bingo card for today as an experience you are going to have in your life. We're going to take a trip together right here on Livewire. Stick around. It all gets started right after this. Livewire is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart choice. Make another smart choice with Autoquote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy from prx.

[Elena Passarello]

It's Livewire.

[Luke Burbank]

This week.

[Elena Passarello]

Author Stephen Graham Jones.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

I've always been a compulsive reader. I have to have to be reading all the time. And that did not help me socially, even a little bit.

[Elena Passarello]

But comedian Alex Falcone.

[Alex Falcone]

I think if you die doing something you love, that's worse. Cause you didn't get to finish that thing you love. That's so sad. I wanna die doing something I hate. So at least it's over with music.

[Elena Passarello]

From Tropa Magica and our fabulous house band. I'm your announcer, Elena Passarello. And now the host of Livewire, Luke Burbank.

[Luke Burbank]

Hey, thank you so much, Elena Passarello. Thanks to everyone tuning in from all over America for this very special episode of Livewire. It's going to be a really fun show. All kinds of stuff happening. First, though, we got to start things like we usually do with a little bit of the best news we heard all week.

[Elena Passarello]

Best news.

[Luke Burbank]

This right here is our little reminder. It's top of the show. There's some good news that happens out there in the world from time to time. We find it for you and present it during this segment. Elena, what is the best news you heard all week?

[Elena Passarello]

This one is so good, right? This one involves maybe two of my top 10 favorite things on the planet.

[Luke Burbank]

All right.

[Elena Passarello]

Coffee and dancing. I do both every day. And I'm not even lying.

[Luke Burbank]

I believe you. I often see you backstage at the Alberta roast theater drinking coffee, and you enter the stage dancing. It's a whole part of the live show experience.

[Elena Passarello]

I love it. I mean, I think Ellen sort of cornered the market on dancing, but I think we should all be able to do it.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[Elena Passarello]

So you can especially do it in middleboro, Massachusetts, right now at the coffee milano cafe. A few days ago, regular patrons to the cafe noticed there was a sign taped to the door that said, if you walk in this door dancing, you're going to get a free coffee. And then they set up a camera facing the door, and then they put the results on TikTok, with the permission of the patrons, of course. And it's the kind of camera where usually it's like somebody's yelling at a service employee. You know that camera angle?

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[Elena Passarello]

But instead of that, the door opens, and like, a lady in, like, sweatpants comes in, and she kicks off her shoes and she moonwalks. And then, like, an older guy in a Christmas sweater does that kind of thing, like Hugh grant in love, actually, where he, like, spreads his arms and kind of, like, goes sideways like a crab. A woman comes in holding a baby, but then she grabs the baby's arm, and they kind of two step around, even though she's holding the baby and the baby's like, what this TikTok, which, by the way, has gotten 8 million views and gotten the coffee Milano Cafe, 10,000 followers. It's just clip after clip of people making their entrance into this place by dancing. And it just. I mean, you can see even from this weird bird's eye angle camera, the way that it completely lifts the mood of this already festive place.

[Luke Burbank]

I feel like dancing in public is one of those things that can create so much anxiety for folks, and yet no one else cares about your dancing. You know what I mean? In terms of, like, if you're, like, really skilled at it or not. But it's, like, up there with public speaking for some people as, like, something that makes them nervous. But if you incentivize them, yes, you offer them some free coffee.

[Elena Passarello]

But listen to this. It gets better. So this was huge, of course. And then coffee Milano cafe was like, what else can we do? And right in the middle of Thanksgiving season. Black Friday has not happened at the time of our recording, but on black Friday, all these other neighboring businesses are going to be posting their Own signs to their doors with their own, you know, deals involving dancing. So Middleboro, Massachusetts, is gonna be the dancenest town in New England, possibly the world, this Friday, which is so exciting.

[Luke Burbank]

The best news that I've seen is also bakery related, Elaine, if you can believe that. It's a bakery in Chicago down in kind of the South Shore area called Give Me Some Sugar Bakery. Okay. Where this guy named Vamar Hunter, he's 50 years old and he lives in South Shore, and he's been going to this bakery for years. He loves this place. And at the age of about 35, Vamar found out that he had been adopted. He didn't know that up until that point. And as can happen for a lot of folks, he sort of became really curious about his birth parents, in particular his birth mother. Just kind of wondering, you know, what was this person like? And just wanted to know a little bit more of his biology and his family history. So he did one of those genetic testing sort of things. And through a series of events after the genetic testing, he was able to basically zero in on who his biological mother was. And it turns out it's a woman named Lenore Lindsay who owns the Give Me Some Sugar bakery that he was going to. The lady at the bakery is his mom.

[Elena Passarello]

He was, like, frequenting this particular bakery and interacting with a woman that he did not know was his biological mother.

[Luke Burbank]

The owner of this bakery was his biological mother. And he had absolutely no idea until he was 50 years old and did the genetic testing. Turns out Lenore had given baby up for adoption when she was 17 years old and had no idea that this guy Vamar, who was coming into the store, was her actual son. And it's crazy because there's a photo of them in this article, and, like, they have the exact same nose. Like, if you look at them, you're like, of course this guy is this woman's son. But of course, if you don't have that context, like, if you've just been living your life and making food at Gimme Some Sugar Bakery and dealing with the customers, or if you're Vamar in this, if you're the customer, you would never put it together. But this was his mom, and it doesn't stop there. They've now created a relationship, and he and some business partners are now all part of the bakery. Like, help out at the bakery, invest in the bakery. His mom, Lenore, had some health stuff that she went through, so she couldn't actually operate the bakery. So they stepped in and kept the Whole thing running.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Wow.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Elena Passarello]

Oh, amazing.

[Luke Burbank]

No update on if they got free coffee or not?

[Elena Passarello]

Yeah, well, I don't know.

[Luke Burbank]

I mean, it's a great story, but does it involve free coffee?

[Elena Passarello]

There needs to be a mother son dance involved.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Right.

[Elena Passarello]

In order for that to happen.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, Vermar and Lenore being reunited after all those years, that is the best news that I saw this week. All right, let's welcome our first guest on over to the show. He is a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of such literary awards as the Ray Bradbury Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and critically, the Bram Stoker Award, which might give you a sense of the vibe of this guy's writing. He's also a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He's authored more than 30 books. How many books have you written, Elena?

[Elena Passarello]

Fewer than 30 books, Luke.

[Luke Burbank]

So, like, together combined, you and I have written however many books you've written. That's the total between the two of us, which falls far under the number that this guy's written.

[Elena Passarello]

10% of that.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. His latest is I Was a Teenage Slasher, which the New York Times says is imbued with a street smart lyricism that makes even the loftiest observations glitter like knife blades. Stephen Graham Jones joined us as part of the Portland Book Festival at the Alberta Rose Theater in Portland, Oregon, to talk about it. Take a listen. Stephen, welcome to livewire, man.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Thanks for having me.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, I will admit, and this may come up throughout the interview, I am not somebody who's been particularly immersed in the world of horror. And whether it's horror that's written or films. And so I found this book so riveting. I enjoyed it so much. But I learned a lot, including the fact that, like, I just thought the term slasher was like a person with a knife who is doing stabby things. But there's this. It's a very specific. There are rules in the genre. Right. Can you kind of lay out some of those rules?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Yeah. The slasher is generally motivated by some, not just revenge, but a lack of justice. Like they've had a prank visited upon them that has not been punished enough or punished what they think is enough. So they have to go on a killing spree. And they can generally find a class reunion or something like that, a prom.

[Luke Burbank]

I want to be careful that I'm not giving away too much from the book, so stop me if I get into that territory, but are you comfortable with me mentioning that Tali Driver is the star of the book? Ergo, Likely our slasher.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Correct? Yes. Tali Driver is the eye, and I was a teenage slasher.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay. So that's kind of right there on the COVID I'm not ruining anything. What's his story exactly? Like in the beginning of the book, like, who is this dude? Tully driver.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Tali is 17 years old in West Texas in 1989. And oddly enough, I was 17 years old in West Texas in1989. And he's got a best friend, Amber. He and her are kind of outsiders at the school. They don't fit into any of the cliques. They're not an ffa. They're not jocks, they're not popular, they're not rich. But when you stand at the fence outside the party, you kind of develop solidarity with whoever you're standing by. And so they've become close like that. And he goes to a party, and it's a party he's not invited to. He tries to show off how much he can drink, and that goes the predictable way. And he becomes a slasher. He has to get some justice on people. And he doesn't want to, but he has to.

[Luke Burbank]

I think one of the. The book is full of surprises. One of the biggest one is that the bullies at the party are in the marching band.

[Elena Passarello]

Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

And I want to just. I want to Let you know 80% of this crowd was in marching band.

[Elena Passarello]

Yeah. And the cool kids are the ffa. The farmers are like the hippest dudes in town.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Well, that's the way it was at my school in West Texas. My wife is from Houston, and she tells me at her school, FFA people were not cool. And that blows me away because that just doesn't make sense. It doesn't compute. Yeah. I mean, maybe I just thought I was cool. I don't know.

[Elena Passarello]

Were the marching band people bullies in West Texas?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Well, they weren't bullies, but they kind of strutted around with their big feathers and their tall hats, the epaulettes. So, yeah, they made me nervous. They always looked like they were going to march on me, you know?

[Luke Burbank]

We're talking to Stephen Graham Jones about his latest book, I Was a Teenager Slasher. More questions about La Mesa, Texas, and also hair metal of the era that is featured in the book when we come back. This is Livewire from PRX this week coming to you as part of the Portland Book Festival. Stay with us. We'll be back in just a moment. Special thanks to our sponsor, Up Up Books, a Portland bookshop specializing in diverse authors, local writers, and independent presses. They're located across from Revolution hall in the Buckman neighborhood, and they offer a space for book clubs, workshops and events. Check out their website and grab a [e-mail].

[Tropa Mahika]

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[Luke Burbank]

Special thanks to our sponsor, Hotel Crocodile, a hotel above the legendary Crocodile music venue in Seattle where you can rock roll and slide into bed. Interestingly, the Crocodile is where I saw most of my formative music shows growing up in Seattle. If you'd like to stay the night at the Hotel Crocodile, they've got you covered with 17 uniquely designed rooms. Or if you're just passing through, you can check out their ongoing music series called Lobby Sessions, an intimate concert series with artists you love and others you've yet to discover. Learn [e-mail] welcome back to Livewire from PRX. I'm Luke Burbank here with Elena Passarello. We are at the Alberta Rose Theater this week as part of the Portland Book Festival. We're talking to Stephen Graham Jones about his latest book, I Was a Teenage Slasher. Let's talk about the setting for the book, La Mesa, Texas. I know you grew up in West Texas. Did you grow up in Lamisa or near it in Midland?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

I thought I heard Midland is the town I usually claim because it's the biggest one close to where I lived, but really I was in Greenwood, which isn't on the map, it's so little. And Stanton, which is on the map, but it's only 3,000 people, so nobody knows where it is. So Midland is what I claim.

[Luke Burbank]

How do you feel that sort of shaped you to grow up in that environment, in that extremely rural environment?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

You know, when I was growing up, the only two options for a guy to work after high school was oil field or cotton field. And you made more money in the oil field. But I saw these upper class men coming back from the oil field missing like three fingers. And I would look at my fingers and think, I like these, you know. And so I was going to be a farmer. That's all I was ever going to do is be a farmer. And I think that mindset of I'm just going to drive tractor does shape you a lot, because I never thought school was necessary. So I didn't go to much high school at all.

[Luke Burbank]

But weren't you also. I saw an interview where you said you were also the only kid who did the reading.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

I was. I've always been a compulsive reader. I have to have to be reading all the time. And that did not help me socially even a little bit. But. But I think it's helped me in the long run.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, it seems to have. In your. In your career. Amber, who is Tali's friend, is the only Native American at the high school. You are Native American. What was your experience like in terms of other Native American folks in West Texas?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

There weren't any. It was me and my dad, but my dad was in the Air Force, so he was always in Germany or Korea or somewhere. So I was the only Indian in West Texas as far as I knew. I had some cousins as well, but we didn't go to the same school. So the result of that is, growing up, I was called chief as much as I was called Steven. And I learned the answer to it, which is weird, you know, And. But I felt bad because sometimes, like on a Saturday night, we'd need to throw a party at a house and the house was locked. And they. Everybody would say Steve. Steve. Everybody called me Steve back then. You can break into this. You're Indian. And I would think. And I would think, really, that's what we. That's like skill we have. But I always could too. So it worked out.

[Luke Burbank]

Another concept of the genre that I was unfamiliar with until this book is the idea of the final girl. Can you explain what that is exactly.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

You know, the werewolf has the silver bullet, the zombie has the headshot, the vampire has daylight, and the slasher has the final girl. She's the antidote to the monster. The slasher is. She puts a cap on the cycle of violence. She's really like. Nature provides a final girl for every slasher. This. Slashers occur naturally, but then final, final, final girls rise in response. Because what happens is the slashers get carried away. They start killing people who aren't actually deserving of being killed. You know, I'm not saying that these other people need to be killed either. I mean, preserve the marching band. We need to preserve the marching band at all costs.

[Elena Passarello]

Yes, absolutely.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

But the final girl is like, enough is enough. And she's the sole survivor of her friend group. And she kind of starts out bookish and conservative and reserved, but this adventure of watching her pets, her teachers, her family, her friends, everyone die, it transforms her. Like, she goes into a chrysalis, and she comes out as this warrior who can put a slasher down, put a monster down, and that's a big thing. And I think what slashers can do for us is they can tell us to all find the final girl in ourselves and push back against the bullies in our own lives. You know?

[Luke Burbank]

You know, I'm glad that you brought that up, because, again, as somebody who didn't grow up gravitating towards horror and, you know, the whole world of horror that some people enjoy so much and get so much out of, what is it that I've been missing? Like, what is at the core of this that really speaks to people and really is not just about violence being perpetrated on people, but there's something else going on because so many people get so much out of this.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Yeah, horror. It's not, for me, it's not about the gore, the violence, the desecration of everything. You know, the best way to say it maybe is in a dark theater like this when somebody's watching. When an audience is watching a scary film on screen, screen, if you put a night camera on them to watch their responses, you'll see them all grasp their armrest and spill their Slurpees and do all kinds of stuff when a scary thing happens. But then in the seconds following that, they laugh and smile and sigh, and what they're doing is they're being alive. You know, they've. They've experienced the terror, and then they're on the downslope of that is life, and they get to go back to the world. They knew. And that's why I watch and read and engage horror. It's to be alive.

[Luke Burbank]

So it's that sort of build up this moment of intense fear or a strong experience and then the kind of relief after it.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

The relief is what it's all about. Man, if I could bottle that, I would be in business.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, I mean, you are. In the many, many books that you've written, what do you think the key to. Because you've been so successful with this, what do you think the key to writing horror is? And you teach students that at Colorado. How do you teach it? And what is the secret?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

You know, I think if there is a single secret to horror, it's write what you yourself are afraid of. Don't do a survey and find out that people are scared of spiders and mummies and fire, and then try to stage some mummified spider that's on fire coming for you. You know, that's just going to be like, vaguely scary, but, like, what nightmares are you having as a writer? What are your issues with the world? What are you anxious about? Find a way to embody that dramatically in a story. And then you're cooking, man.

[Luke Burbank]

There are so many musical references in this book, which I was loving because I think we're roughly the same age. So when you're talking about Tesla, there are just so many moments where you, where you reference a song, you reference a character hearing a song. Did you have to, like, go back and double check and make sure that your memory of, like when a song was actually out? Because this book is set mostly in the past. It's what, 17 years ago?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

It's set in 1989, and it's sold from 2006.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, so did you have to actually really make sure that you were doing stuff that was historically accurate?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

No. Those songs. That hair metal era is ingrained in me so deeply, I never have to second guess it at all. It's like you scratch me and it just bleeds up, kicks and Cinderella.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Warrant.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

I love Warren, man. Yeah. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

I was wondering if you. And I don't know if this is how you thought about it or not, but you as a person of your age, writing as a teenager, in the voice of a teenager, with other teenagers. Is that part of why you said it in the period of time when you were a teenager? So you didn't get into this kind of false attempt at trying to sound younger than you are?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Yeah, that's a good question. I was talking to a friend about 15 years ago. Will Christopher Bear Some of you all may have read him. And he said, he's like a real contemplative, thoughtful guy, or he can be. And he said to me, hey, Stephen, you're really good at that teenage angst stuff, aren't you? And I thought, wow, Chris gave me a good compliment. And then I'm walking home later that night and I'm thinking, was that a compliment? You know? But as for why Tali is 17 in 1989, it's that kind of sneak wrote. I was a teenage slasher. I was supposed to be riding the angel of Indian Lake, which was due really soon.

[Luke Burbank]

And that's part of this Indian Lake trilogy.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

It is, yeah. It's the third book in that trilogy. But then I thought, you know, why not make it really difficult for myself and sneak another novel in? Okay. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

This actually brings me perfectly to the next question. You've said something like you feel like if you're not writing, you're stealing air.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Yeah. No, that's the only reason I've ever been able to think I might be on this earth is to write fiction. So when I'm not doing that, then I feel like I should hold my breath and let other people use this air because I'm not doing nothing good with it anymore. Wow.

[Elena Passarello]

That's how you write 30 books plus.

[Luke Burbank]

Plus 30 plus. The producers hastily told me because in the intro it says you've written 30 books. They were like, we are sorry to inform you, Luke, he has written more than 30 books. What is a typical day like for you in terms of your writing practice? How are you? Because I just want to say again, I loved this book. Like, this is not a genre I'm particularly familiar with, but this is such a well done book. It's not like you're just jamming out these books to get to a certain number. There's so much obvious care and thought that goes into them. Like, how are you actually generating this much good writing?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Just low standards, man.

[Luke Burbank]

I give you points for comedy, but I disagree with you. Having just read this book, I wish.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

I had, like, a daily writing practice. I keep waiting to grow up and have a skill, but it never happens. I wake up and if I want to watch a Rockford Files, I'll watch our Rockford Files. And then I listen to some Bob Seeger. Then I go ride my bike. And then I remember, oh, yeah, I'm a writer. And so I go right for a couple hours real fast, and I go back out on the trails. But I never, like, some writers will tell Me, they get up at 6:30, they start writing at 7, they go till 11, they eat lunch, then they do errands and life the rest of the day. And I think, wow, that must be nice to have that. But I just. I'm more of a binge writer or an opportunistic writer. Just any wedge in the day in which I can put words on the page. I sneak away around the corner and I'm doing that. Or I'll be talking to somebody and doing it in my head, which doesn't make navigation of conversations very easy. But I just. Yeah, I just love to write and I'm always doing it, and I like to. Maybe the way to say it is, do you remember when, like, Goblet of Fire came out and everybody was standing in line at the bank reading it and sitting in their car in traffic reading it? That's how I like to write. I like to fill my day with this novel I'm writing, this story I'm writing. So every spare moment, I'm just cooking away on it.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, you must. In writing so many of these books, you must have to imagine so many, let's just call them end of life scenarios. Like, are you running out of, like, ways for people to die in these books?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

No, I can't write enough books for how the. All the ways I've got for people to die. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

This is Livewire. We're talking to Stephen Graham Jones. All right. All right, Stephen. Certain people, by which I mean me, have sort of historically had a hard time handling the genre of horror because of. Maybe it's a little too scary. But I think really the truth is that we need to give people like me a little credit because we are all dealing with the terrifying reality of human existence every day. And since you're an expert on the genre of horror, but also a person in the world, we wanted to give you two scenarios, okay? One inspired by the horror genre, the second inspired by the everyday horror of modern life on this planet. And then we'd like you to try to decide which is actually scarier. It's a little game we're calling Grave Situations. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that music, Stig. It's kind of an obscure little number. Okay, so these are two situations. One that seems to come up in horror films, one that comes up in real life. You have to tell us which one is more terrifying to you. Listening to a couple of twin girls speak in complete deadpan unison, or listening to the news first thing in the morning. What is more horrifying for you?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Easily the news man. Easily.

[Luke Burbank]

Really?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Do you get ideas from the news ever? Like, do you see a story or read a story and think, oh, that could actually make sense in something you're working on.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

You know, if I'm reading, like, Weekly World News, I'll get my Fat boy. Yeah. Or like, Lumberjack, like a Bigfoot, kept me as a love slave, that kind of stuff, you know? But no, the news. I think I hide in fiction from the news, actually.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, interesting. You know, it's funny because, like, this week for this show, I was doing a lot of reading, and what I realized, it was displacing for me was my obsessive news consumption that I'm doing right now just to try to quell anxiety. And I've never been more relieved to hear about somebody just being killed in a swimming pool because it has nothing to do with persuadable voters in Pennsylvania.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Yeah, you're totally right. But you. The wonderful thing about engaging, like, in anxious times, engaging a horror story, novel, novella, play, film, poem, whatever, is that whatever form you're in, it has an ending. Like, you walk through a dark tunnel and there's some light at the end, and you're moving towards it, and you get there. It may be a train, but still you get there. Whereas this news cycle is never ending. You never get out of the tunnel. I think that's why horror has been on the rise these last few years. It's because horror stories have endings. And we like the idea that this horror we're in might have an ending.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. Well, on the subject of horror, real life, which is a more grave situation for you, Stephen? Seeing blood come up your shower drain or clogging the toilet at someone's Christmas party?

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Christmas party.

[Luke Burbank]

I know, right?

[Elena Passarello]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Although, during soundcheck, we were running through these, and. Elena, you seem to have a good system for unclogging the toilet.

[Elena Passarello]

Yeah, I know how to do it. Any toilet, any place I can unclog it. I have lived on this Earth for 46 years, and I've been in a lot of scenarios, and I've MacGyvered my way out of all of them.

[Luke Burbank]

Would you take. So you would take clogging a toilet?

[Elena Passarello]

I'm the final toilet girl. Thank you.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Thank you, thank you.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, here's the last one. What is a more grave situation? Having your car break down in a remote location near an old abandoned farmhouse? Or having a person in a car right behind you, impatiently waiting while you try to parallel park.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Oh, what's scarier? I guess the parallel parking. I'm a pretty good parallel parker, but I don't feel any fear being out in the country with a broke down truck because that's like every other night of my life growing up.

[Luke Burbank]

You know your stuff, Stephen Graham Jones. You're exactly right. That's how you play grave situations.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Thank you, thank you.

[Luke Burbank]

The book is I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones. Stephen, thank you so much.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Thank you, thank you.

[Luke Burbank]

That was horror writer Stephen Graham Jones. Very likable and friendly for someone who writes horror. Elaine. I mean, I know that's probably kind of like a stereotype for me to buy into, but as like a non horror consumer, I didn't know what to expect.

[Elena Passarello]

He was such a nice, friendly dude. He could be friends with Mr. Rogers, but he also writes slasher fiction.

[Luke Burbank]

Exactly. The latest of which is his new book, I Was a Teenage Slasher. We recorded that interview as part of the Portland Book Festival. Special thanks this episode to Nancy Wittig and Jody McKenzie, both of Portland, Oregon. Nancy and Jody are part of the Livewire member community. They are generously supporting our show with a donation each month. And we are grateful for the support because it is how we're able to do Livewire week in and week out. Thanks to amazing folks like Jody and Nancy. So big thanks for keeping Livewire in business. This, of course, is Livewire. I'm Luke Burbank. That's Elena Passarello. Each week we like to ask the Livewire audience a question related to the episode and inspired by Stephen Graham Jones book about teenage slasher. We asked the audience a question. Elena, what do we ask them?

[Elena Passarello]

We asked them, what is your weirdest fear?

[Luke Burbank]

Ah, okay. I mean, I would say being slashed by a teenage slasher. Not weird. Very normal. Very normal thing to be fearful of. We had our intern Andrea ask some of the audience at the Alberta Rose Theater to answer that question. And here are some of their answers. This is what Ellison said, Elena, that Ellison was weirdly afraid of. It's just not that weird.

[Elena Passarello]

But I am like very afraid of things with more than eight legs. Like, eight legs is my cutoff. I love a spider, but like, get the centipedes away from me.

[Luke Burbank]

So more than eight legs for Ellison is the problem.

[Elena Passarello]

That's right. The rare nine legged bug is just really messing them up.

[Luke Burbank]

I find the extra legs, like if you're talking about a millipede or a centipede, it's almost like visual ASMR for me. Like it makes me Feel relaxed because they're. It's so undulating. Like, think about the mechanics of all of those legs, you know, working together in unison. I think there's something kind of beautiful about it.

[Elena Passarello]

Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.

[Luke Burbank]

You're with Alison.

[Elena Passarello]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, this is something Cole says they're weirdly afraid of. Not being able to get everything on my grocery list and having to go to a second grocery store. I don't know if you caught that. It was a little loud. But not getting everything on the grocery list at the first location. I share this fear.

[Elena Passarello]

So where I live in Corvallis, Oregon, we joke about how you cannot get your entire grocery roster covered. Like, the grocery stores are conspiring against one another to have, like, everything you need except for that one bag of cheesy poofs that you like. Like, you always have to make multiple trips. Cole, do not move to Corvallis.

[Luke Burbank]

It's not the place for you.

[Elena Passarello]

No.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, here is Nick's answer to the question of what is something you are weirdly afraid of?

[Alex Falcone]

Hitting a tree while downhill skiing. Okay, yeah, I know that it's not likely to happen. Happen, but I'm. I'm scared of that.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, first of all, this is how Sonny Bono left this planet. So I think it's a pretty reasonable fear.

[Elena Passarello]

Some other celebrities, too.

[Luke Burbank]

I don't want to blame the scared person here, Nick, but have you noticed that when you're on the ski slope and you look around, there's a lot of trees? It's kind of a big mountain thing? Like, I think that's a very rational fear.

[Elena Passarello]

Well, I mean, it would be irrational, though, if Nick is afraid of hitting a tree while skiing and has never been skiing in his life.

[Luke Burbank]

You know what? That's a really good point. I assumed Nick was, like, an avid skier or something. All right, thank you to everyone who answered our question about weird fears. We really do appreciate it. Thanks to our intern Andrea, for collecting those up. This is Livewire from prx. Our next guest achieved the rare and coveted trifecta of Portland comedy during his time in Portland. He won the title of Port Portland's Funniest Person. He appeared on the TV show Portlandia, where I think, if I remember right, he showed off. He has one of these, like, insane abilities to spin a pen on his thumb. And I believe his character was just spinning this pen on his thumb in this way. That was totally remarkable. The other thing, the third leg in the Stool of Portland comedy trifecta, is that he's had an Ice cream flavor named after him at Salt and Straw, the famous Portland ice cream. Holy cow.

[Alex Falcone]

Holy cow.

[Luke Burbank]

Holy cow. Yeah, right. And then since then, he's also been up to great things. He's appeared on the Late show with Stephen Colbert. He released a comedy album which is called Vanilla. And he's got about a half a million TikTok followers, which includes me. He's now based in Los Angeles, but he made a triumphant return to the Alberta Rose Theater in Portland, Oregon, to make us laugh once again. This is Alex Falcone on Livewire.

[Alex Falcone]

Thank you. Good to see all of you. Tell you guys what I've been up to. I've been trying to get somebody pregnant recently, actually. Wait, let me go back. Sorry. I am married. My wife and I dated all the way to completion. And we are. We're at that interesting place where we've been trying to make a baby. And here's my main takeaway. If you've never tried it harder than they said it would be in sixth grade. Yeah, they made it sound super easy. It's taken us a while. Long enough. We were at a doctor's appointment, and I asked the ob. I was like, what are the actual odds of this happening? And she's like, well, remember, if you hit the peak day, which, remember, is one day in a cycle, which is a little bit less than a month, so it'll move around within the month, Right? But then also it can move around within the cycle. But also, sometimes it'll skip a month. But also you'll never know if it's the right day until several days after it. But if you nail it, 18%. That's what she said. When I was in sixth grade, they were like, there's a 90% chance you'll get pregnant if you go near a hot tub. One of you is lying. I don't know which one it is. I'm getting frustrated about it. My wife is very calm. She's very cool about it. I'm getting frustrated. Everybody's advice to me is don't be frustrated. That's what everyone tells me. They say the same thing and they sound like they're trying to be nice, but everybody says they're like, just relax. Just don't think about it. Put it out of your head. It'll happen when you least expect it. And that sounds nice, but that's not actually that good. When I least expect it is when my wife is having a quiet night at home in Los Angeles and I'm here in Portland with you fine people. I'm not expecting it right now. I thought I was at least going to be there, obviously. That number was real, by the way, that 18%. That's what she told us. And a part of the problem is that we are old, right? I'm in my late 20s, very late. I'm 40. And so we have an increased level of difficulty. There's actually a term for it if we get pregnant now for anybody over 30. Do you guys know what it is? Geriatric. All of you? Yeah. Geriatric pregnancy. That's what they call it. They say geriatric if you're over 34, they're like, geriatric pregnancy. And what I think of that is it's kind of mean. You could have picked any word. You already make more money than me, and you make me wait in that little room, and then when you show up, you roast me. That doesn't seem. Could have called it classic or something. I don't know. Do I at least get a senior discount? What do I. It's rough. It's weird. And that's so weird. Cause 35 is a very young age. We all agree, right? And you go in there and you're 35. The doctor's like, you want to get pregnant? Look at this. Moses over here thinks they're gonna have a baby. Oh, yeah. You want to look. I'm a doctor, not a witch. I don't know. I've got jury duty coming up. I'm very excited about it. I got jury duty, and I love jury duty. It's my favorite thing. I like anytime someone wants to know my opinion. So that's a perfect place. I have great opinions about, you know, like, movies and restaurants. They probably saw my work on Yelp, actually, and they were like, we gotta get this guy in here. He's tough, but fair. Let's give him a few crimes to look at. The whole premise of it's like, what a fun, like, powerful feeling. The whole premise of a jury duty is like, everyone else worked hard, but I get the last say. It's so cool. Like, there's at least two lawyers, which is like seven years of school each, at least. And then there's a judge, which is two lawyers sitting on each other's shoulders with a trench coat. And then they put on a show of all their research, right? They bring in experts and crime labs and witnesses, and they take all of that, and they put it together, and they're like, well, we've done everything we can. Let's see what Alex thinks. That's how it Works. They're like, we've done everything possible. Let's bring in one comedian and 11 retired people. We're gonna get to the bottom of this. I think if you die doing something you love, that's worse. Cause you didn't get to finish that thing you love. That's so sad. I wanna die doing something I hate. So at least it's over. I want my last thought to be like, someone else is on bathroom cleaning duty. That's what I want. I don't think anyone wants to die doing what they love. Like, every once in a while you see, like, there's like, a news story. Someone's in a skydiving accident, and his friend is like, well, at least he died doing what he loved. I don't know, man. I bet he loved landing safely and going again. I'm not sure you really. I don't think you really listened to your friend when he talked about his hobbies. That's what I think. I think for me, the perfect way to die would be in traffic. Not in a car accident, just sitting there. That's what I want, right? You know, I live in la, the traffic is terrible. I want it to be like, Monday morning, 9:00am Obviously, I'm not gonna let them take my weekend, but. But, like, Monday morning, I'm in traffic. Guy behind me honks, even though I can't make all these cars move, right? And then I'm like, you know what? I don't actually want to work today. And then I just check out, right? Great news for me. I'm not in traffic anymore. What an awesome day. Even better. The guy you honked for no reason has to wait way longer. This is a new shirt, by the way. I'm trying to dress better. Thank you. It's so hard. It's so stressful. Because when I go to buy clothes, when I look at clothes online, all of the pictures are of the clothes on hot people. And I don't need to see what it looks like on hot people. That's not where I'm gonna put it. When I need tires for my Civic, I don't look at pictures of Ferraris. I don't care. I don't need to see what a shirt looks like on a ten. I need a shirt that turns a six into a six and a half. That's my. That's what I want. I don't want to see any of these hot models. I want to see models with good personalities. That's what I want. You know how sometimes on closed ads, it'll be like, he's 5 9, and he's wearing a medium or whatever. I want mine to be like, this guy is five'eleven and a half, and he can juggle. That's what I want. I want show me pictures of guys who tip well. That's the market I'm in. I'll tell you one more thing. I got to go to Europe this summer. I was very lucky. Got to go to Paris and London this summer. It was wonderful. One of the things that's great about leaving the United States is seeing things that I took for granted that I just assumed we were better at than the rest of the world, because there's stuff that we're very good at, right? We are very good at barbecue and putting people on the moon, and we are less good at trains in healthcare. You know, it's, like, interesting to see the differences. But one of the things that blew my mind is, did you know that every other country is better at us at cleaning up after they go to the bathroom? Did you know that everywhere we went had bidets? And we are still using tree pieces like the cowboys? What are we doing? The thing that they came up with was using water to clean. It's brilliant. It's really good. We're still dry dragging like it's the 1800s. Other places are using water, and it's so much water is the way you clean stuff, right? It's like if you got someone else's poo on you, you're changing a diaper a little bit, gets on your arm, you wouldn't say, hand me a fast food napkin, right? You would want some moisture involved. If you got mud on your truck, you wouldn't be like, broom, broom, broom, right? You want when you turn the thing in the shower, towels don't come out. Okay. I think the reason we don't do it is just because the word bidets is too French. That's what I think, right? It just doesn't sound cool. We don't want bidets everywhere. But you know what we are into as a country? Power washers. Right? And what is a bidet but a power washer that lives in your toilet? That's all it is. So if we rebrand it, right, if we called them pooper soakers or Ass blaster, you would sell sharks. I'm asking for $200,000 for 15%. All right? My name is Alex. You guys have been so wonderful. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. It's always great to have you.

[Luke Burbank]

Alex Falcone, everybody. That was Alex Falcone right here on Livewire. His comedy album Vanilla is available right now. To listen to, it's Livewire. I'm Luke Burbank here with Elena Passarello. We have to take a very short break, but don't go anywhere. When we come back, we are going to hear a song from the psychedelic cumbia punk band Tropa Mahica. More Livewire in just a moment. Livewire is sponsored by Secret Aardvark hot sauce, celebrating 20 years of awesome sauce, plus a whole line of hot sauces and marinades, from their classic aardvark habanero hot sauce to their fiery reaper smoked and red scorpion. There's a sauce for every heat lover. Stay connected by following Secret Aardvark on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for recipes, hot sauce fun and more. Welcome back to Livewire from prx. I'm Luke Burbank here with Elena Passarello. All right, it's time for that part of the show where we play a little station location identification examination. This is where we quiz our esteemed announcer and master of not just the trivial, but the information based. Like, Elena, you know so much stuff. I'm always impressed.

[Elena Passarello]

I can get any stain out of anything.

[Luke Burbank]

That, by the way, could be another game at some point on the show.

[Elena Passarello]

Stain Location identification.

[Luke Burbank]

Here's where we ask Elena about a place in the country where Livewire is on the radio. She has got to figure out where we are talking about, maybe with a little help from the live crowd at the Alberta Rose Theater in Portland, Oregon, because that is where we recorded this session of station location identification examination. Elena, are you ready?

[Elena Passarello]

I'm so ready.

[Luke Burbank]

It's the birthplace of a writer named Carl Sandberg, and his home is now a historic site. I will be very honest. I was googling this side stage who Carl Sandberg was.

[Elena Passarello]

Oh, no. The city of Big Shoulders.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, this is why I'm not the person competing in station location identification. You knew this? You know who this is?

[Elena Passarello]

I have to tell you, I don't think I'm gonna get this right, but there's a Carl Sandberg home in North Carolina. It's where he died. And I went there with my family when I was a kid and a goat peed on my shoe.

[Luke Burbank]

And that's right. It's Goat Shoe, Wisconsin. That's the place we're looking for. Wow. You already know way more about Carl Sandberg.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

I don't think.

[Elena Passarello]

I think he's from North Carolina. I think that's where he retired and died. So is it somewhere in Illinois. It is cause he writes a lot.

[Luke Burbank]

About Chicago and won a Pulitzer for a book about Lincoln. So it is in Illinois. According to legend, the four Marx brothers, Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Gummo, received their nicknames during a poker game in this city. They were playing with a fellow vaudevillian named Art Fisher. They were at the city's Gaiety Theater. This was in 1914. My favorite detail of this is Zepo Marx received his nickname later. Even when the nicknames were being handed out, Zeppo was a second class citizen amongst the Marx Brothers. I don't think that's going to probably help you. It's in Illinois. It's.

[Elena Passarello]

Is it Weehawken?

[Luke Burbank]

That's New Jersey, but close. It's Galesburg, Illinois. I know.

[Elena Passarello]

Galesburg, Illinois. It's Holy Town. It's on the Iowa River. Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Galesburg, Illinois, where we're on the radio on wvkc. So shout out to everybody in Galesburg tuning into Livewire. Okay. All right. Before we get to our musical guest this week, a little preview of what we're doing on the show. Next week we're gonna talk to the writer and podcaster Amanda Montell, talking about her book, the Age of Magical Overthinking. In the book, Amanda talks about why we tend to think certain ways even when they're pretty provably wrong. We're also going to hear some standup comedy from the very funny Laurie Kilmartin, who is counting the days until her son goes to college so she can start dating again. We are hoping he doesn't tune into this episode and then finally we will round things out with some gorgeous music from the singer songwriter Lizzie Ngo. So make sure you join us for that. Our musical guests this week are two brothers who were inspired by the songs and vibes of 90s East Los Angeles. Backyard quinceaneras, baptisms, family gatherings, punk shows. The Chicago Reader says that their shows get down to music that has the spirit of laughing in the sun while food cooks outdoors and gazing up at a starry night sky while feeling small but content. Should I read that again so we can all just bask?

[Elena Passarello]

Yeah, I want to live in that review.

[Luke Burbank]

Please. I want to go to there, as we say. Anyway, this is Tropa Mahika, who joined us at the Patricia Reeser center for the Arts in Beaverton, Oregon. Take a listen. What song are we going to hear?

[F]

This first song? We wrote it, Rene and I. We took a trip to Mexico City. When we started this band, we went to the pyramids. And it actually works better if I play, like, kind of give it some context.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, absolutely.

[F]

So we took this trip down to Mexico City. We went to the pyramids, and somebody gave us two little magical piece of paper, and we, you know, so we were walking around, and all of a sudden colors started swirling all over us. And we heard these, like, jaguar sounds. And then we heard, like this. Like this very beautiful whistle. And that's what inspired this song.

[Luke Burbank]

And what's the name of the song?

[F]

It's called Alice D. Roma.

[Stephen Graham Jones]

Sa.

[Elena Passarello]

Forefinger sa.

[Luke Burbank]

That was Tropa Majica right here on Livewire performing the song LSD Roma from their newest ep, Tropa Magica y la muerte de los Commons. All right, that's going to do it for this week's episode of Livewire. A huge thanks to our guests, Stephen Graham Jones, Alex Falcone, and Tropa Mahika.

[Elena Passarello]

Laura Hadden is our executive producer. Heather D. Michel is our executive director. And our producer and editor is Melanie Savchenko. Eben Hoffer is our technical director. Leona Kinderman is our assistant technical director. And our house sound is by Dee Neal Blake. Ashley park is our production fellow. Andrea Castro Martinez is our intern.

[Luke Burbank]

Our house band is Sam Pinkerton, Ethan Fox Tucker, Eyal Alves, and A. Walker Spring, who also composes our music. This episode was mixed by Eben Hoffer and Hazik Bin Ahmad Farid.

[Elena Passarello]

Additional funding provided by the James F. And Marian L. Miller Foundation. Livewire was created by Robin Tenenbaum and Kate Sokoloff. This week, we'd like to thank members Nancy Wittig of Portland, Oregon, and Jody McKenzie of Portland, Oregon. Also, very special thanks this week to the amazing Amanda Bullock and the Portland Book Festival.

[Luke Burbank]

For more information about our show or how you can listen to our podcast, head ON over to livewireradio.org I'm Luke Burbank. For Elena Passarello and the whole Livewire crew, thank you for listening, and we will see you next week. Dear Livewire, when we first met, I was really shy. I had no idea we'd spend so much time together or that you'd be one to fill my heart with joy and make me want to be a better person. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here. I was busy reading a review from one of our many, many rapturously smitten listeners. Oh, wait. Actually, no. Sorry. This is from Elena. Anyway, the point is, it would be really helpful if you wanted to leave us a review. Feel free to say really nice things about us and we'll even read them now and then on the show. So you might hear your review of Livewire read on the program itself. A reviews help other people hear about the show and then we can keep doing this for a long, long time because we love having this job. Thank you so much. If you've left a review and if you're about to leave a review, you can go ahead and do it right. Where you get the podcast.

[Elena Passarello]

From PRX.