Episode 311: Talking G.W. Pabst with author Daniel Kehlmann

On this episode of Geek4, I’m joined by award-winning and internationally renowned author, Daniel Kehlmann. Kehlmann’s latest novel —The Director — has recently been translated into English and is available now wherever fine books are sold.

The Director tells the story of pioneering Austrian filmmaker G.W. Pabst (Pandora’s Box, Diary of a Lost Girl, Threepenny Opera) who finds himself back in his homeland just before the outbreak of World War II. With some reluctance, Pabst resumes making films under the Nazis, making both artistic and moral concessions and compromises.

In our conversation, Kehlmann describes why he was drawn to write this story as well as the nature of artists.

Kehlmann’s novel is both intimate and sweeping, the story of an artist and his relationships and a world at war. It is profound and beautiful.

I recommend you order The Director: A Novel from your local independent bookstore or (if you must) from Amazon.com, Amazon.ca Amazon.co.uk

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod

Episode 310: Treking into the Final Frontier with Dr. Adam Kotsko

On this episode, I’m talking late Star Trek with Dr. Adam Kotsko. Adam is a scholar and professor of political theology, continental philosophy, and the history of Christian thought. He also writes about popular culture, and his new book, Late Star Trek: The Final Frontier in the Franchise Era is available now from The University of Minnesota Press (BUY FROM THE PRESS). Adam defines “late Star Trek” as any of the media from Enterprise to the current crop of shows (like Star Trek: Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and Lower Decks).

We talk about how Adam first discovered Star Trek and how he turned his scholarly attention to the franchise.

You can follow Adam and his work on his website (https://adamkotsko.com) where you can sign up for his Substack. He’s also on Bluesky. His book, Late Star Trek: The Final Frontier in the Franchise Era is available now from The University of Minnesota Press. You can order it from the publisher (HERE) or at any fine bookstore.

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod

Episode 309: Talking Toxic Fans with Dr. Erin Keating

On this episode of Geek4 I’m joined by Dr. Erin Keating (she/her). Erin’s Graduate Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media at the University of Manitoba (my alma mater). She is Associate Editor of the journal Restoration: Studies in Literature and Culture and has published on 17th-century celebrity, secret history, and coffeehouse culture, as well as the comic Watchmen. She is in the initial stages of a new research project on queer kinship in fantasy and its fandoms focusing on Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen and Muir’s Locked Tomb Series.

Recently, she’s started a brilliant Youtube channel where she talks about some of her eceletic interests in an analytical, crtical way. One of her videos (Has Fandom Always Been Toxic? A 17th-Century Fan Novel and Capitalist Thought) prompted me to reach out to her and see if she wanted to discuss toxic fans. We discuss her discovery of a 17th century secret history, The Player’s Tragedy, which she argues is a product of a toxic fan. We talk Chappel Roan and boy bands and Taylor Swift. We cover a lot of ground.

Erin and I have known each other since our undergrad days, and she’s always been one of the smartest people I know. If you enjoy this conversation half as much as I had haivng it, you’re going to love this episode.

In addtion to her Youtube, you can catch Erin’s occasional musings on Bluesky, @drerinnerung

Follow me on Instagram @mwboyce , Threads @mwboyce and Bluesky @mwboyce. And you can always check out the show on Instagram @geek4pod