Skylight Books Podcast Series

Nepo babies are a necessary byproduct of our modern world. They've been with us always, and yet only recently have they become fodder for internet scuttlebutt, thinkpieces, and the like. Vulture writer and comedian Fran Hoepfner has provided the average joe with the public service of her handy new book, The Field Guide to Nepo Babies, a fully illustrated, often tongue-in-cheek guide to unpacking the phenomenon of nepotism in public life. Bookseller Tyler Austin talks with Fran Hoepfner about her book, and about sorting the innocuous and good nepo babies (actors, musicians) from the harmful and evil (politicians, corporate and tech scions).

Also, if you enjoy this episode, check out Tyler's discussion with Kliph Nesteroff about the book Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars for another thoughtful chat about pop culture history.

Hosted by Tyler Austin.
Produced by Justin Remer, Tyler Austin, and Fran Hoepfner.

If you like podcasts, maybe you would enjoy audiobooks too. Please check out the Skylight Books Podcast playlist of audiobooks featured in our recent Skylit author interviews, on Libro.fm.

Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire.
Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.

You may be hyped for Disclosure Day, but the BTTM crew is taking you back 65 mill-- well, 33 years to another of director Steven Spielberg's iconic summer blockbusters: Jurassic Park! Writer, artist, and bookseller Val Lesser joins the podcast to discuss the classic film and its Michael Crichton source material. Allan also watched all seven (!) Jurassic movies in the lead-up to this episode, so you can probably spare 90 minutes to listen to it. Right?

Also, if you like this one, search back in the feed for Better Than the Movie, Ep. 5: Jaws w/ Kristen Lopez. That episode was a real blockbuster too.

Hosted by Allan Traylor, Justin Remer, and Tyler Austin.
Produced by Justin Remer.
Recorded at the LAPL Octavia Lab.

Check out the "Better Than the Movie" audiobook playlist on Libro.fm - https://libro.fm/playlists/skylight-better-than-the-movie

Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire  
Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band

Cartoonist and illustrator Jim Rugg (Street Angel, The Plain Janes) joins comics creator (and Skylight's own) Sina Grace to talk about Rugg's forthcoming book in the Marvel Age of Comics criticism series: Wolverine: Weapon X - An Exploration (street date June 11). From the iconoclastic Barry Windsor-Smith, Weapon X is a brutal look at the long-secretive and hazy origins of mutant superhero Wolverine. Rugg goes deep and discursive in discussing Windsor-Smith's work and his own.

Pick up a copy of Jim Rugg's book from Skylight or order the audiobook version from Libro.fm.

Hosted by Sina Grace.
Produced by Sina Grace and Justin Remer.
Recorded remotely via Zencastr.

Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire.
Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.

Minimalist music is not about minimal materials. It's about time. It's a process that puts the experience of time into sound. In discussing Minimalist Music, his new book for 33 1/3's GENRE series, musician and critic George Grella, Jr. (Miles Davis' Bitches Brew) looks at the classical music history that pushed composers like Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Meredith Monk, and Arvo Pärt to pursue a musical approach that shunned early 20th Century academic trends and brought classical music back to the public. He also talks about the ways this music interacts with pop culture, through film scores and soundtracks and appearances on TV shows like The Simpsons and Ted Lasso.

Hosted and produced by Justin Remer.
Recorded remotely via Zencastr.

If you like podcasts, maybe you would enjoy audiobooks too. Please out the Skylight Books Podcast playlist of audiobooks featured in our recent Skylit author interviews, on Libro.fm.

Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire.
Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.

In the early 2000s, Marvel Comics decided to create a new line of books that would set aside four decades of continuity and offer modern readers fresh entry points into their classic characters. The Ultimates was their new Avengers title that would prove enormously influential, helping shape the future of the superhero genre - in comics, in movies, and on TV. In this episode, IDW Publishing co-founder Ted Adams discusses his new book, which examines the combined work of Ultimates writer Mark Millar and artists Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, and Paul Neary to revitalize these characters - and their stories - for the 21st Century.

Hosted and produced by Justin Remer. 
Recorded remotely via Zencastr. 

If you like podcasts, maybe you would enjoy audiobooks too. Please check out the Skylight Books Podcast playlist of audiobooks featured in our recent Skylit author interviews, on Libro.fm. 

Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire. 
Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band.