Slow Learners

Mar 11 2024 18 ep. 56 mins 69

Slow Learners Podcast artwork

A podcast about big books. Season One is devoted to a reading an analysis of Thomas Pynchon's 1973 novel "Gravity's Rainbow," and other issues directly related to the text.

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Mailbag Time (Listener Qs, A'd)

Mar 11 2024 54 mins

We open the ol' mailbag, which is really more of google voicemail inbox, to answer some listener Q&As. At long last! We accidentally deleted one and apologize. So if you're the person who called in to ask about the "keying waves" sequence, where Slothrop is talking to his dad...well....we are truly sorry. It was a good question! Stay tuned. We are starting pre

APPENDIX - Is GRAVITY'S RAINBOW an autobiography? (W/ Albert Rolls)

Feb 20 2024 65 mins

In this extra, bonus "appendix" episode, Asher lays out his theory of Gravity's Rainbow, as a coded biography of its author, Thomas Pynchon. Also: we're joined by author and researcher Albert Rolls to talk about his book, Thomas Pynchon: Demon in the Text, which is itself a not-quite-a-biography of Pynchon.

EP 13 - The Final Delta T (W/Gregory Marks)

Jan 30 2024 86 mins

Covering Part 4: 12...The End. We take an elevator ride to the skies, reflect on "anarcho-sadism," catch up with some of our old pals in Der Platz, smoke out of a kazoo, and take a tour around the L.A. freeways with our man Richard Zhlubb. Oh also, we lean what the S-Gerät is, and figure out the final terminus of the 00000 (sort of). Additionally: we are joined by ⁠Dr.

BONUS - Weissman's Tarot (W/ Answers In Tarot)

Jan 23 2024 38 mins

This week: before we head into the final stretch of Gravity's Rainbow, we stop to talk tarot and esotericism with Answers In Tarot, also known as L.A. Lubuschagne. He offers us some insights into the cultural context for the Tarot's reemergence in the '60s/'70s counterculture, unpacks Slothrop's identification with "The Fool," and offers a thorough rea

EP 12 - Raketen Stadt Of Mind (W/ Jeffrey Severs)

Jan 16 2024 74 mins

Covering Part 4: Chapters 7-11. We follow the Counterforce to a surprise dinner, reflect on The World, learn of Weissman's new frontier, and finally reach the THRILLING climax between Tchitcherine and his Herero half-brother, Enzian. Also: we speak with Professor Jeffrey Severs, literary scholar and co-host of the podcast Don DeLillo Should Win The Nobel Prize, about the 1962 S

EP 11 - Shine On, You Crazy Sentient Lightbulb (W/ The Computerized Ghost of Harold Bloom)

Jan 09 2024 65 mins

Covering Part 4: Chapters 1-6. We enter the fourth--and final!--part of the novel. We discuss the formation of the "Counterforce," Slothrop's dispersal, and a fan-favorite episode about a sentient lightbulb that goes nuts. In this episode, we embrace the threat of sentient technology by speaking with an A.I. generated spectre of the late literary critic Harold Bloom.

EP 10 - Do You Believe In Magic? (W/ Matt Christman)

Jan 02 2024 74 mins

Covering Part 3: Chapters 24-32. We exit THE ZONE. Many BIG THINGS are revealed about Slothrop's purpose, his family history, and just what the HELL this book is about. Also: there's some pinball. In this episode we chatted with Matt Christman (@cushbomb) from Chapo Trap House, Hell on Earth and his own Cushvlog about the Masons, the Rosy Cross, and how Protestantism gave r

BONUS - Slow Learners Advent Spectacular

Dec 24 2023 20 mins

We're taking a short break until the New Year. But for all you true sickos, here's a short (?) seasonal reading of a great passage from Gravity's Rainbow. Blast it with your family, in the car to visit your relations, on the P.A. system of the local mall as last-minute shoppers scramble to snag the last Power Man or Tickle-Me-Elmo. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to

EP 9: The Banana Imperium (W/Noah Kulwin)

Dec 19 2023 60 mins

Covering Part 3: Chapters 13-23. Slothrop goes on a boat, and maybe has sex with a child. Then he goes on another boat. And then back to the same boat. Gravity's Rainbow? They should call this book Boats! Also: Slothrop's beging "thinning out." What does that mean? Has Ozempic claimed Tyrone Slothrop?! This episode: we talk with with journalist and podcast Noah Ku

EP 8: Better Living Through Chemistry (W/Hamilton Morris)

Dec 12 2023 65 mins

Covering Part 3: Chapters 6-12. Slothrop is reborn as "Rocketman," steals some hash, and meets Mickey Rooney, The John E. Badass appears, and does battle using a hot new drug named Oneirine Thiophosphate (or is it Theo-phosphate???). This episode: we talk with documentarian and chemist Hamilton Morris about the novel's use of drugs, and chemistry, both technically an