David Rakoff and the Bat

With all of our own end of year madness to get through, we took our time about noticing that Bat Segundo had posted not one, but two interviews with essayist, journalist and NPR correspondent David Rakoff, who we interviewed ourselves in this space several years ago.

“I’m very indulged,” Rakoff says to Segundo at one point, “I am allowed to be at least 50 per cent of the story, which is a weird thing to do. And I should learn how to do a little bit less of that. Simply because I think it’s a good set of tools to have. I think all of them are good sets of tools to have. Because of that, because I am allowed to be 50 per cent of the story, I’ve been tremendously careful. From day one, I was tremendously careful about what I revealed and what I didn’t reveal.”

Rakoff’s most recent book is 2006’s engaging, charming and deliciously offensive Don't Get Too Comfortable: The Indignities of Coach Class, The Torments of Low Thread Count, The Never-Ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems.

Part one of Rakoff’s Segundo interview is here, part two is there.

Segundo has been busy since the last time we put our heads in. January Magazine alumni, Edward Champion – and Bat Segundo’s keeper – has put the mothership blog, Ed’s Return of the Reluctant, on hold while he rethinks various aspects of the machine he has – perhaps inadvertently – built. Part of this is quite likely due to the fact that Champion’s own career has been quite understandably taking off and recent reviews, essays and articles have appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Guardian and Penthouse, to name a disparate few.

Meanwhile, the Segundo interviews continue to appear at a good pace. In addition to Rakoff, Segundo has recently skewered Will Self, Stewart O’Nan, Ken Kalfus and Jess Walter. More as they appear.