Bookworm Friends of Michael
Sep 20, 2023
Longtime friend and editor, Alan Howard, hosts the last episode of Bookworm. He reflects on Michael's impact on writers and readers. The episode features interviews with rock band Sparks, Art Spiegelman, Françoise Mouly, Ann Beattie, Susan Sontag, and Dennis Cooper. Topics include creating theme music, the enduring value of Lulu's character, thoughts on a book and the writing process, the meeting with Susan Sontag, the power of music in adolescence, living and writing in France, and a reflection on friendship, community, and literary achievement.
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How Sparks Built Bookworm's Theme
- Sparks composed Bookworm's new theme as a compact yet grand piece, using stacked vocals and studio overdubs to create an orchestral-circus sound.
- Russell recorded many vocal layers (around 50) in his home studio while Ron added gang vocals to enlarge the texture.
Maus As Testimony Not Whimsy
- Art Spiegelman treated Maus as testimony rather than whimsy, using animal allegory to resist sentimentality and holo-kitsch.
- He subordinated personal images to his father's deposition, aiming to withhold easy emotional manipulation and allow understanding.
Assembling The Tomb Treasury Of Children's Comics
- Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly compiled Tomb Treasury by scouring 1930s–1960s American comic books and excluding comic-strip reprints.
- They prioritized material worth rereading and aimed to create a 'Desert Island' primer of golden-age children's comics.