Lunch Box Podcast Ed Skoog and J. Robert Lennon

John went to Canada; Ed stayed home. Neither of them had roast beef. Together, they discuss, yes, restaurants and books, but also John’s chummy surgeon, Oscar’s wounded toe, Ed’s brush with embezzlement, and more. Follow links to Maangchi’s shaved ice, Kim Jong Grillin, Demarco’s Sandwiches, Lorna Crozier, Ethel Rackin, The Beat Generation, Slim Gaillard, The Barry Sisters, 10cc, Updike on Greer, Terrance Hayes, Great Place Books, and Daniel Hornsby.

Ed’s got brain fog and a bread machine, and John’s got a one-year-old and a lump under his ear. Both of them have a penchant for crime, more so in Scotland than elsewhere, and a list of favorite Lees and Riches. Follow links to H. G. Carillo in the New Yorker, Rose VL Deli, Oklahoma National Stockyards, Midsomer Murders, Malcolm Mackay’s Glasgow Trilogy, Simenon’s Maigret in New York, Yannis Ritsos’s Monochords, T. R. Johnson’s New Orleans: A Writer’s City, and Jordan Ellenberg’s How Not to Be Wrong.

John just got back from a very sweet Rosh Hashanah. Ed has a new job. Together, they discuss John’s new novel manuscript and why he wrote it, Ed’s ongoing musical adventure, why it takes a while to write back, whether it’s OK to get rid of your friends’ books, John’s parents’ weird neighbors, the people who buy specialized hardware, and what it’s like for a baby to learn to snap his fingers. Follow links to Blacksmith Bolt & Rivet Supply, the White Horse Machine catalog, the weird narratives of Lee Hazlewood, 24th and Meatballs, Smitten Kitchen knishes (please double the caramelized onions), The People’s Pig, za’atar spiced beet dip, The New Best Recipe, Maangchi’s eggplant side dish, Ina Garten’s banana sour cream pancakes, and Shalom Y’all.

Ed’s on a diet and is mad at poetry. John’s worried about his new books going unnoticed. Together they discuss some pretty OK TV shows, a few books published during the pandemic, whether artists should edit themselves, and what’s the point of book criticism. Follow links to Bob James’s “Take Me to the Mardi Gras”, Klara and the Sun, John’s GbV playlist, Work in Progress, Postcolonial Love Poem, Deaf Republic, office meetings held in Red Dead Online, and Idyllwild Writers’ Week.

Ed’s washing machine has become sentient, and John is looking a little gaunt. Only Ed has acquired a tuba, but both of them have gochujang in the fridge; and nine months into the pandemic, they’re not sure what other people even are anymore. They discuss teaching online, what to name Ed’s brass quintet, good people who recently died, and recent books worth reading. Follow links to Jamkazam, NRBQ, Arthur Russell, Shocking Blue, Miranda Popkey, Tony Rice, more Tony Rice, Sebastian Castillo, Priya Krishna, Maangchi, and Fanny.

Covid-19 had Ed and John feeling low, but now they’re all riled up. John’s avoiding joggers, chopping vegetables, and working on his Grease 4 spec script. Ed’s in a logjam at Target, trying to remember the bones of the hand, and getting schooled on roller skates. Together they discuss the unproduced Grease 3, escalators for grocery carts, H. C. Carrillo, the Brooks Brothers Riot, what Some Lovers try, The Country of Ice Cream Star, John Boos, Maangchi, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Jessica Lee, Lockwood on Updike, and the new Otessa Moshfegh.