Episode 54 — Jeff Ragsdale

Summary: Jeff Ragsdale is the guest. He's the co-author, along with David Shields and Michael Logan, of JEFF, ONE LONELY GUY. Here's what Bret Easton Ellis, author of AMERICAN PSYCHO, has to say about it: "You can either make fun of JEFF, ONE LONELY GUY (it would be very easy to parody) and reject its self-help earnestness or you can respond as I did: transported by a healing work of art despite (or because of) the enormous amount of pain surging through it. The symphony of voices here is an overwhelming reading experience. This short book is also a verification of a legitimate new form of narrative; it's the definitive document so far of where our medium is heading. I've never read anything like it." A great conversation about a unique and powerful book. Topics include: loneliness, desperation, New York, kindness, the Internet, candor, chaos, Oprah, selfishness, cell phones, demons, Reddit, altruism, abuse, happiness, alcoholism, depression, relationships, suicide, psychology, dating, murder, tragedy, listening, absurdity, phone sex, Washington, responsibility, violence, college, divorce, death, impulse, critical thinking, stand-up comedy, Last Comic Standing, negative energy, Greg Giraldo, collaboration, David Shields, Michael Logan, the godless universe, and literary collage. Monologue topics: literary accidents, helium balloons, Donut Sunday, Alpena, Lake Michigan, DUIs, breathalyzers, web designers, TNB 4.0, mugshots, Richard Branson, and invisible fire.