Pynchon Pals

Pynchon Pals
  • 5.0 (25)
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  • Biweekly

Pynchon Pals is a podcast about finally reading Thomas Pynchon. Join co-hosts and good friends Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long as they talk through, break down, and identify exciting new recipes from the works of one of American literature's foremost figures. Just saw One Battle After Another? Picked up Shadow Ticket? Had Gravity's Rainbow on your shelf for a decade? Or just a longtime fan looking to revisit your favorites? Everyone's welcome to be a Pynchon Pal! Support us at patreon.com/pynchonpals for additional bonus episodes, and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social.

  1. 1d ago

    30: In which we take chemistry lessons from the manosphere and Missouri is mentioned (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.29-3.30)

    Listener, there’s a lot of talk at the top of this episode about how we’re “leaving the Zone” and “finishing Book 3” and so on. Well, that dog just wasn’t gonna hunt. Instead, this novel continues to kick our collective butts, and we spend a record-setting 2 and a half hours discussing just 14 pages of text. But hey, these 14 pages have a lot to do with the book’s, uh, secret magical mystery shadow plot?  Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.31 and 3.32, or pp. 601-627 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social.  For the month of November’s Patreon-exclusive bonus episode, we’re watching Carol Reed’s The Third Man (1949).  Show Notes: “Laughing With the Fascists,” by Livia Gershon (https://daily.jstor.org/laughing-with-the-fascists/)  Reefer Madness ORIGINAL TRAILER - 1936 (https://youtu.be/sbjHOBJzhb0)  Interview with Devin Thomas O’Shea, author of The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle for St. Louis (https://www.full-stop.net/2026/07/14/interviews/griffinreed/devin-thomas-oshea/)  St. Louis on the Air: Civil Rights Activist Percy Green And Writer Devin Thomas O’Shea On All Things Veiled Prophet (https://www.stlpr.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2019-07-03/civil-rights-activist-percy-green-and-writer-devin-thomas-oshea-on-all-things-veiled-prophet)  A Brief History of Pinball & Gambling (https://www.pacificpinball.org/pinball-gambling)  “The Man Who Saved Pinball,” by Daniel McKay (https://onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/the-man-who-saved-pinball/)  Pioneer Zephyr at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago (https://collections.griffinmsi.org/collections/2777)   “Ishmael Reed’s Hoodoo Detective,” by Scott Adlerberg (https://crimereads.com/ishmael-reeds-hoodoo-detective/)  “Motor Spirit,” by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard on PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation (https://youtu.be/U0AcBryPUxY)  Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, antisemitism, xenophobia, homophobia, genocide, suicide --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io and @patfio.bsky.social). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland.

  2. Oct 21

    29: In which not all those who wander are lost, but Tyrone Slothrop sure is (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.25-3.28)

    It’s aaaaall coming together, folks. That’s right: the manicules are back and even more thematically relevant than ever! Elsewhere, Thomas Pynchon finally figures out what his books have been missing: adorable animal mascots.  Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.29, 3.30, 3.31, and 3.32, or pp. 587-627 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social.  For the month of October’s Patreon-exclusive bonus episode, we’re watching David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1983).  Show Notes: Professor Irwin Corey’s Acceptance of Pynchon’s National Book Award (https://thomaspynchon.com/professor-irwin-coreys-acceptance-of-pynchons-national-book-award/)  “...Don't Drink the Mummy Juice,” by Sara G. Miller (https://www.livescience.com/63126-dont-drink-sarcophagus-mummy-juice.html)  “Milwaukee Art Museum: German Tankards and Steins: Part 8–Character Steins,” by Catherine Sawinski (https://blog.mam.org/2015/03/31/german-tankards-and-steins-part-8-character-steins/)  “Lemmings: Disney’s White Wilderness” with an extra content warning: these lemmings really violently jump off those cliffs (https://youtu.be/k8iXYeWYFJQ)  “Street at Schöneberg,” by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (https://artsandculture.google.com/story/street-at-sch%C3%B6neberg-milwaukee-art-museum/EQWhnOtbaqgaKA?hl=en)  “sophie tucker 50 Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong” (https://youtu.be/u-IP0DE2kTI)  “JINGLE ALL THE WAY Clip - ‘Pick a Kid’ (1996)” (https://youtu.be/s2jwM1CN0GA)  “An Outer Banks Tradition: Old Christmas,” by Hannah Lee Leidy (https://outerbanksthisweek.com/blog/outer-banks-tradition-old-christmas)   “Gossip Girl: You can tell Jesus that the bitch is back!” (https://youtu.be/trsWEJqGfT8)  Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, antisemitism, xenophobia, genocide, suicide --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io and @patfio.bsky.social). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland.

  3. Oct 7

    28: In which, thanks to several tangents, the pod’s “temporal bandwidth” goes wild (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.21-3.24)

    Topics include: Gravity’s Rainbow’s Hot or Not, hypertext, philosophy of technology, our expanding universe, old fashioned candy stores, and moles (the coastal structure, not the digging creatures). Oh, and Katje and Pirate are back! Yay? Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.25, 3.26, 3.27, 3.28, and 3.29, or pp. 558-590 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social.  For the month of October’s Patreon-exclusive bonus episode, we’re watching David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1983). Show Notes: “Romantasy girl is still reading Gravity’s Rainbow” by bakingisscience (https://www.reddit.com/r/literature/comments/1wjnz0j/romantasy_girl_is_still_reading_gravitys_rainbow/)  “Do Artifacts Have Politics?” by Langdon Winner (https://www.jstor.org/stable/20024652?seq=1)  “The Question Concerning Technology,” by Martin Heidegger (https://nissenbaum.tech.cornell.edu/papers/heidegger_concerningtechnology.pdf)  “Technology” section of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s entry on Heidegger, by Mark Wrathall (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/heidegger/#Tech)  “Timeline of Art History Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778),” by Wendy Thompson (https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/giovanni-battista-piranesi-1720-1778)  “Hegel on History,” by Lawrence Evans (https://philosophynow.org/issues/129/Hegel_on_History)  “The End of History?” by Francis Fukuyama (https://www.jstor.org/stable/24027184?seq=9)  Andor: Luthen Rael’s Monologue (https://youtu.be/-3RCme2zZRY)  Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, genocide, suicide --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io and @patfio.bsky.social). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland.

  4. Sep 23

    27: In which we drive like a demon from station to station… to station to station (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.19-3.20)

    In this Action-Packed One-Year Anniversary Episode (!), Tyrone Slothrop takes us from Pirates of the Caribbean to Metal Gear Solid. Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.21, 3.22, 3.23, and 3.24, or pp. 527-527 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social.  For the month of September’s Patreon-exclusive bonus episode, we’re watching Dave Green’s Coyote vs. Acme (2026).   Show Notes: Shirley Temple “On the Good Ship Lollipop” (https://youtu.be/WLLSqpYyPD8)    Georgia Tech Fight Song (https://www.gtalumni.org/news/georgia-tech-traditions/fight-song.html)  Peenemunde Army Research Center on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peenem%C3%BCnde_Army_Research_Center)   Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io and @patfio.bsky.social). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland.

  5. Sep 9

    26: In which the Pynchon Pals all kinda help each other reach several retrospectively obvious conclusions (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.15-3.18)

    No sooner did we encounter the Anubis than, as the old sea shanty goes, “it’s time for us to leave her!” And thank heavens for that. But watch out, Slothrop—it’s werewolf season again.  Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.19 and 3.20, or pp. 500-527 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social.  For the month of September’s Patreon-exclusive bonus episode, we’re watching Dave Green’s Coyote vs. Acme (2026).  Show Notes: “I FOUND ICE CUBE’S ‘GOOD DAY,’” by Donovan Strain (https://murkavenue.tumblr.com/post/16553509655/i-found-ice-cubes-good-day)  “Blood libel,” in Britannica Online (https://www.britannica.com/topic/blood-libel)  “The Career of a Medieval Accusation in an Age of Science,” by Hillel Kieval (https://history.washu.edu/news/career-medieval-accusation-age-science)  “Italian Futurism and Avant-Garde Sculpture,” a conversation with Ara H. Merjian (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/2024/11/22/italian-futurism-and-avant-garde-sculpture/)  “MUSSOLINI: SON OF THE CENTURY | Official Trailer | Now Streaming on MUBI” (https://youtu.be/F_iRg076H6g)    “Romantasy girl reads Gravity’s Rainbow,” by bakingisscience (https://www.reddit.com/r/literature/comments/1voluzx/romantasy_girl_reads_gravitys_rainbow/)  Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, antisemitism, xenophobia, genocide, pedophilia, incest. --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io and @patfio.bsky.social). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland.

  6. Aug 26

    25: In which the Pynchon Pals disagree about what Thomas Pynchon’s best pun is from this week’s reading (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.12-3.14)

    Rocketman: I have to go now. My planet needs me. (Note: Rocketman died on the way back to his home planet.) Meanwhile, the book returns, unfortunately for us and for everyone involved, to some of its go-to subjects. And no, not just toilets.  Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.15, 3.16, 3.17, and 3.18 or pp. 476-500 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social.  For the month of August’s Patreon-exclusive bonus episode, we’re watching Fritz Lang’s The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933).  Show Notes: “Toilet sketch from Not the Nine O'clock News,” by (https://youtu.be/j2b-wTJ8x3E)   “Gravity’s Rainbow fan art — The Toiletship,” by (https://www.reddit.com/r/ThomasPynchon/comments/cbjdfy/gravitys_rainbow_fan_art_the_toiletship/)  “Head (ship’s restroom) of Navy Destroyer USS Kidd that sailed from 1943 to 1967. One seat is painted red: This was called the "Hot Seat" and it was reserved for crew who had sexually transmitted diseases,” by (https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/rrcfbj/head_ships_restroom_of_navy_destroyer_uss_kidd/)  “Whistled language of the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands), the Silbo Gomero,” on YouTube (https://youtu.be/PgEmSb0cKBg)  “‘A Suspension Forever at the Hinge of Doubt’: The Reader-trap Of Bianca In Gravity’s Rainbow,” by Bernard Duyfhuizen SPOILER ALERT (https://www.pomoculture.org/2013/09/26/a-suspension-forever-at-the-hinge-of-doubt-the-reader-trap-of-bianca-in-gravitys-rainbow/)  “What Was the Deal With Graham Greene Calling Shirley Temple ‘a Fancy Little Piece’?” by L.V. Anderson (https://slate.com/culture/2014/02/graham-greene-and-shirley-temple-what-to-make-of-the-novelists-sexual-review-of-wee-willie-winkie.html)  “The Party. Tomi Ungerer (Les Cahiers Dessinés),” by Pedro Moura (https://yellowfastcrumble.wordpress.com/2019/07/06/the-party-tomi-ungerer-les-cahiers-dessines/)   Supercut - Snake Asking Unnecessary Questions by (https://youtu.be/cGOb1TcO-8o)   Clive Barker’s illustrations for Abarat (https://www.clivebarker.info/galleryabarat.html) and “Christopher Carrion,” specifically (https://www.clivebarker.info/carrion3.html).   Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, antisemitism, xenophobia, genocide, pedophilia, incest. --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io and @patfio.bsky.social). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland.

  7. Aug 12

    24: In which, of all the fantastical buses out there, magic-school or cat-shaped, we had to end up on THIS one (Gravity’s Rainbow Episode 3.11)

    Have we arrived at Thomas Pynchon’s single best piece of writing so far? We three may very well think so. Get the ladder—because this one’s going up in the rafters next to Mondaugen’s story and Oedipa’s dark night of the soul. Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.12, 3.13, and 3.14, or pp. 440-476 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social.  For the month of August’s Patreon-exclusive bonus episode, we’re watching Fritz Lang’s The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933).  Show Notes: The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms, by Margaret A. Boden (https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Creative_Mind/6Zkm4dz32Y4C)  “The Kekulé Problem,” by Cormac McCarthy in Nautilus (https://nautil.us/the-kekul-problem-236574)  “Were you a mail carrier or mayor at Exchange City? Kansas City, tell us your stories,” by Eleanor Nash in The Kansas City Star (https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article289893189.html)  Exchange City on r/LiminalSpace (https://www.reddit.com/r/LiminalSpace/comments/11vmvvj/exchange_city/)  “The Children’s Republic: A Scale-Model City in Argentina,” by Agustina Iñiguez in ArchDaily (https://www.archdaily.com/1128117/the-childrens-republic-a-scale-model-city-in-argentina)  “Gunther von Hagens, Creator of Polarizing ‘Body Worlds’ Exhibits, Dies at 81,” by Clay Risen in The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/science/gunther-von-hagens-dead.html)  Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, antisemitism, xenophobia, genocide, pedophilia, incest. --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io and @patfio.bsky.social). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland.

  8. Jul 29

    23: In which meet die ganze kaputte Bande und/y la dotación enferma (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.6-3.10)

    Well gang, we made it to our very own brennschluss point. Or at least we think we did? Join us for the thrilling first issue of ROCKETMAN and reencounter some old friends and some old, old friends.  Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episode 3.11, or pp. 403-440 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social.  For the month of July’s Patreon-exclusive bonus episode, we’re watching Merian C. Cooper’s King Kong (1933).  Show Notes: Explanation of Lucretius’ “swerve” by Simon Trépanier in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/lucretius/#Book2)  “Althusser’s Clinamen: Aleatory Materialism and Revolutionary Politics,” by Promise Li in Meditations: Journal of the Marxist Literary Group (https://mediationsjournal.org/articles/Aleatory_Materialism)  “Scottish Commentary on the Worst Tackle in the History of Football by Boris Johnson - McKallaster,” via YouTube (https://youtu.be/0UYrLfxvfhM)  Excerpts from Roland Barthes’ The Pleasure of the Text, .pdf via The University of Pennsylvania (https://web.english.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Barthes_Pleasure_of_the_Text.pdf)  Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, antisemitism, xenophobia, genocide. --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io and @patfio.bsky.social). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland.

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5
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Pynchon Pals is a podcast about finally reading Thomas Pynchon. Join co-hosts and good friends Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long as they talk through, break down, and identify exciting new recipes from the works of one of American literature's foremost figures. Just saw One Battle After Another? Picked up Shadow Ticket? Had Gravity's Rainbow on your shelf for a decade? Or just a longtime fan looking to revisit your favorites? Everyone's welcome to be a Pynchon Pal! Support us at patreon.com/pynchonpals for additional bonus episodes, and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social.

Information

  • Creator
    Pynchon Pals
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Pynchon Pals

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