For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads, I’ve shaken up the formula once again and decided to talk about The Big Somewhere: Essays on James Ellroy’s Noir World. Named after my favourite Ellroy novel, this was the most difficult but rewarding project I ever worked on, and I thought viewers might be interested in the book’s tortuous journey into print. Without this book, I never would have landed the role of Ellroy’s biographer.
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For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads, I look at Jean-Patrick Manchette’s neo-polar classic The Mad and the Bad. Manchette had a role in making Ellroy a cultural phenomenon in France, and I give some insight into the Demon Dog’s decades long love affair with the country.
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Ellroy Reads – The Son by Jo Nesbø
For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads, I delve deep in to Scandi-Noir with a look at Jo Nesbø’s modern classic The Son.
I talk about the connections between Ellroy and Nesbø. I also share some insights into Nesbø’s appearance at Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate in 2012, in which Nesbø spoke at length about his father’s service in the German Army during World War Two. Nesbø was shocked to discover this hidden side of his father’s past, and it has had an enormous impact on his writing ever since.
Enjoy the episode and do remember to subscribe and spread the word, as this keeps the show going.
Ellroy Reads – 1980 by David Peace
For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads, I look at David Peace’s novel 1980. The third novel in Peace’s Red Riding Quartet series, 1980 is set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire Ripper murders and is one of Peace’s most powerful novels. I discuss some of the parallels between Peace and Ellroy’s work.
I hope you enjoy the episode, and please remember to subscribe, comment, share and like as this helps with YouTube’s algorithm.
Ellroy Reads – Conversations with James Ellroy
For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I’ve shaken up the format a little. I discuss the process of getting my first book, Conversations with James Ellroy, into print. Your first book is a steeping learning curve and I talk about what I learned about Ellroy, publishing and the writing life along the way.
I hope you enjoy the episode. Remember to like, subscribe, share and comment as this helps to keep the channel going.
Highbrow Lowbrow – Volker Schlöndorff Special
We’ve had a break and now Dan Slattery and I are back with a new episode of our Highbrow Lowbrow podcast. In this episode we look at two films directed by acclaimed German director Volker Schlöndorff.
Dan’s choice is Schlöndorff’s unfairly maligned adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel and the recent television adaptation have been justly garlanded, but the film is also well worth a look. My pick is a film that barely received a theatrical release. The Ogre is a World War Two epic that few people have seen, and yet it features one of John Malkovich’s finest performances.
Enjoy the show and let us know your thoughts. You can listen to the episode here.
One of the finest and most overlooked war movies – The Ogre.
Ellroy Reads – The Ticket Out by Helen Knode
I got the urge to film an Ellroy Reads about an hour ago, and this episode was shot in the fading evening sun. The book for this week is Helen Knode’s stunning debut novel The Ticket Out, a Hollywood mystery with a difference. I talk a little about Helen’s background, her relationship with Ellroy and my friendship with the two of them.
This episode also features some Hollywood gossip I had some difficulty getting past the lawyers. Enjoy!
Ellroy Reads – Poetry Special
In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads, I look at some of the poetry which has been the most important to James Ellroy over the years.
This is a unique episode as I ‘sing’ a song written by Ellroy, which he performed regularly in the nineties but has never been caught on film. You’re about to find out why!
For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at Darcy O’Brien’s True Crime classic Two of a Kind: The Hillside Stranglers. Depraved killers Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono caused panic in Los Angeles during their killing spree in late 1977. I discuss Ellroy’s TV pilot on the Hillside Strangler Task Force and his personal connection to the case.
If my intro to the video seems unusual, I tried to insert a clip from a film but ran into copyright issues. Anyway, enjoy the video and remember to press those Like and Subscribe buttons.
Ellroy Reads – When The Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman
For the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at Jonathan Kellerman’s debut novel When The Bough Breaks. I dive into Kellerman’s friendship with Ellroy and my interview with him when I was researching Love Me Fierce in Danger: The Life of James Ellroy.
Enjoy the show. As Ellroy would put, ‘Ellroy Reads rules, all other YouTube shows drool!!!’
The Venetian Vase 