Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch

Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch
  • 4.6 (14)
  • Books
  • Updated Monthly

With their expertise in a grand total of 3 advanced degrees in English literature, as well as a lifetime of reading, Michael & Ethan get together every other week to drink Scotch and talk about books, but not about Scotch. You don’t need to listen in order, but just search for a book (story, play, poem, etc.) that interests you and follow along!

  1. 6d ago

    "The Little Mermaid," by Hans Christian Andersen, and Craigellachie 13yo

    With special guests Kelsie, Hannah, and Jessica from the Reading Revisited podcast, Michael and Ethan discuss “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen, while drinking Craigellachie 13yo Speyside Single Malt.. In this episode: First and most important: NO SNITCHING There’s no rule that says you can’t mock husbands Talking about the end first Getting what you want vs. getting something better Devil’s Contract: The History of the Faustian Bargain, by Ed Simon Lowercase love vs. Uppercase Love Myths and the myths behind them Pride must suffer pain (mean) If the deal is today-only, walk away Potential uses for a mermaid’s tongue If you haven’t been reading fairy tales, they’re actually very nice Here’s one investigation into the alleged Einstein “read your children fairy tales” quote One version of the Children of Lir Andersen’s Fairy Tales as translated by Tiina Nunnelly There’s still no snitching Next time Michael and Ethan will discuss The Seven Strings of the Lyre, by George Sand! Join the discussion! Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line. We'd love to hear from you! And submit your homework at the Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch page. Join us on GoodReads! Get on our Substack! Donate to our Patreon! MUSIC & SFX: "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco. Used by permission. "The Grim Reaper - II Presto" by Aitua. Used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. "Thinking It Over" by Lee Rosevere. Used under an Attribution License. (Links to books & products are affiliate links.)

    1h 45m

  2. Jun 15

    Faust (film) by F.W. Murnau, and Tamdhu 12yo

    Michael and Ethan discuss the 1926 silent film Faust by F. W. Murnau, while drinking Tamdhu 12yo Single Malt. In this episode: Quintessential film bro stuff Everything is political with a small p, but some things are political with a capital P (especially in cinema of the Weimar Republic) Faust is saved (spoilers) Silent film may be the only genre less subtle than the musical Ethan absolutely garbles a reference to Christopher Isherwood, partly by thinking he might be Herman Hesse. Isherwood was associated with Vedantic Hinduism and his novel Goodbye to Berlin was the basis for the musical Cabaret. Emil Jannings shade (deserved) Hitler’s Monsters, by Eric Kurlander In case it was unclear: Ethan didn’t want to be watching this film, even as he was watching this film All things are Star Trek (annoying) Michael makes an unacknowledged “jam” pun If you want to read along to our recurring unlistenable segment Next time Michael and Ethan will discuss “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen! Join the discussion! Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line. We'd love to hear from you! And submit your homework at the Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch page. Join us on GoodReads! Get on our Substack! Donate to our Patreon! MUSIC & SFX: "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco. Used by permission. "The Grim Reaper - II Presto" by Aitua. Used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. "Thinking It Over" by Lee Rosevere. Used under an Attribution License. (Links to books & products are affiliate links.)

    1h 29m

  3. May 11

    Jack Faust, by Michael Swanwich, and Tamdhu 12yo, Part 2

    Michael and Ethan discuss Jack Faust, by Michael Swanwick, while drinking Tamdhu 12yo Single Malt.. In this episode: Caliban and the Witch, by Sylvia Federici Jack Faust is Goethe’s Faust and Marlowe’s Faust and a little bit Gounod’s Faust (which is also Goethe’s Faust) Faust goes from a disciple to Pontius Pilate in one paragraph What’s behind the door?????? (it doesn’t matter) The Star Trek-ification of Faust Faust decides he is God, something that always goes super well for everybody Interjections at random times from our special guest, Michael’s cat A fun triumvirate of epigraphs! (Including Jack the Ripper) Tap into Poetry Next time Michael and Ethan will discuss F.W. Murnau’s silent film, Faust! Join the discussion! Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line. We'd love to hear from you! And submit your homework at the Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch page. Join us on GoodReads! Get on our Substack! Donate to our Patreon! MUSIC & SFX: "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco. Used by permission. "The Grim Reaper - II Presto" by Aitua. Used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. "Thinking It Over" by Lee Rosevere. Used under an Attribution License. (Links to books & products are affiliate links.)

    1h 27m

  4. Apr 28

    Jack Faust, by Michael Swanwich, and Tamdhu 12yo, Part 1

    Michael and Ethan discuss Jack Faust, by Michael Swanwick, while drinking Tamdhu 12yo Single Malt.. In this episode: The End of History and the Last Man (wiki page) A theory of threads and tatters Spoilers for Office Space and Fight Club, I guess Then We Came to the End… of history? Jack Faust was published in 1997, but it makes more sense as a 2026 novel Turns out, reducing other humans to instruments of pleasure is extremely dehumanizing Leaf, by Niggle, by JRR Tolkien Ethan fails to call Michael out for using Latin, but here’s the phrase he uses (nerd) Fiction writers across the board agree: don’t try to make yourself God Speech from The Great Dictator Tap into Poetry Next time Michael and Ethan will continue discuss Jack Faust, by Michael Swanwick! Join the discussion! Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line. We'd love to hear from you! And submit your homework at the Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch page. Join us on GoodReads! Get on our Substack! Donate to our Patreon! MUSIC & SFX: "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco. Used by permission. "The Grim Reaper - II Presto" by Aitua. Used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. "Thinking It Over" by Lee Rosevere. Used under an Attribution License. (Links to books & products are affiliate links.)

    1h 19m

  5. Apr 15

    Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day, by Jonathan L Howard, and Tamdhu 12yo

    Michael and Ethan discuss the short story “Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day,” by Jonathan Howard, while drinking Tamdhu 12yo Single Malt.. In this episode: Shout-out to Jamie from the Chanhassen Total Wine Very interesting Bluetooth headphone talk A short story is somewhere between a tweet and a novel, but closer to a tweet Putting the screws to Michael Faust both is and is not a necromancer Cabal both is and is not a D&D figure What is a homunculus? or, Ethan is Frankenstein(‘s monster)ed by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Fantasy Autism Hero Mr Spock is the Star Trek guy, not Dr Spock, a distinction you need and Ethan doesn’t Some remarks on “chatty” prose styles and TV writing Inevitable Lovecraft discussion, sorry Conclusion: TV writing predates TV A third-person narrator can have an opinion (and a D&D alignment) Next time Michael and Ethan will discuss Jack Faust, by Michael Swanwick! Join the discussion! Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line. We'd love to hear from you! And submit your homework at the Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch page. Join us on GoodReads! Get on our Substack! Donate to our Patreon! MUSIC & SFX: "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco. Used by permission. "The Grim Reaper - II Presto" by Aitua. Used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. "Thinking It Over" by Lee Rosevere. Used under an Attribution License. (Links to books & products are affiliate links.)

    1h 31m

  6. Mar 23

    Things That Are Also Faust

    What makes a Faust story? Michael, Ethan, and special guests Josiah & Jacob discuss this ontological question and all things Faust in this special episode. In this episode: Michael begins confrontationally. Is this episode Faust? Is this podcast Faust? Ethan is NOT in Law School. Is capitalism Faust? The Bible is inevitable. Josiah brought it up. Totally. It was Josiah. He's very smart. The Josian Anti-Faust idea (C) 2026. Demon, Helen, Margaret - Where are the lines of demarcation between them? Two questions: 1) What are you willing to sacrifice [to get what you want; and is it your very soul]? 2) What do you worship? (Josiah came up with the smart thing again. (C) 2026.) What you worship you will sacrifice. Ethan cheats with Wikipedia. Vein. American Faust: do we win? (Sorry for the Beetlejuice summoning.) If it looks like an exchange but is a gift, it's grace. If it looks like a gift but is an exchange, it's vampi-- Faust. When you're having night terrors, fart in the Devil's face and confess the Apostles' Creed. Shout-out to Reading Revisited! Every time he comes on this podcast, Jacob makes it a different podcast and/or a deal we need to wiggle out of. There are other things in Detroit other than Eminem. Let it be known, we can be charitable to a garbage fire. The answer is a tautology. Or cake. Here's each work we discuss: Is it Faust? The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton: Is it Faust? The book of Job: Is it Faust? It's A Wonderful Life: Is it Anti-Faust? Is it Faust? Jesus tempted in the desert: Is it Faust? Is it Anti-Faust? Is Faust a fan-fiction of Jesus? Genesis 3: Is it the OG Faust? A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens: Is it Faust? Trust, by Hernan Diaz: Is it Faust? The Secret History, by Donna Tartt: Is it Faust? The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde: Is it Faust? "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," by Oscar Wilde: Is it Faust? Of One Blood, by Pauline Hopkins: Is it Faust? Hadestown, by Anaïs Mitchell: Is it Faust? Orpheus & Euridice: Is it [proto-]Faust? Dracula, by Bram Stoker: Is it Faust? Hades & Persephone: Is it Faust? Interview with the Vampire: Is it Faust? Underworld: Is it Faust? "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," by Charlie Daniels: Is it Faust? Robert Johnson: Is he Faust? O Brother, Where Art Thou?: Is it Faust? Oedipus: Is he Faust? Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke: Is it Faust? Devil's Advocate: Is it Faust? Beetlejuice: Is it Faust? Macbeth, by William Shakespeare: Is it Faust? The Waterboy: Is it Faust? Rick & Morty: Is it Faust? Doctor Who: Is it Faust? Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie: Is it Faust? Ghosts, S4E22-S5E1: Is it Faust? The Passenger, and Stella Maris, by Cormac McCarthy: Are they Faust? Previously featured on Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy: Is it Faust? Grimm's Fairy Tales, e.g. "The Devil's Sooty Brother," "Bearskin," "The Devil and His Grandmother," "The Gravemound," "The Peasant and the Devil," "Doctor Know-all," "The Spirit in the Bottle": Are they Faust? Irish Fairy Tales, and Russian Stories: Are they Faust? Luther throwing his inkwell at the Devil: Is it Faust? "The Little Mermaid," by Hans Christian Andersen: Is it Faust - WAIT, we'll talk about it later! "The Magic Thread": Is it Faust? Click: Is it Faust? The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare: Is it Faust? Breaking Bad: Is it Faust? Rapid(-ish) Fire: Fullmetal Alchemist "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked," by Cage the Elephant Better Call Saul Melmoth the Wanderer, by Charles Maturin - WAIT, we might also talk about that later(?) It Follows The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Death Note "Button, Button," by Richard Matheson "The Monkey's Paw," by W.W. Jacobs The Third Man[, by Graham Greene] The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis That Hideous Strength, by C.S. Lewis The Magician's Nephew, by C.S. Lewis Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis The Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe Hamlet, by William Shakespeare Love's Labours Lost, by William Shakespeare "Goblin Market," By Christina Rosetti Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones Paradise Lost, by John Milton The Tempest, by William Shakespeare "Calliope," by Neil Gaiman Ravelstein, by Saul Bellow Previously featured on Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch KPop Demon Hunters The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, by Laurence Sterne Previously featured on Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes Previously featured on Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley Liar, Liar Bruce Almighty Big Darby O'Gill and the Little People Phantom of the Opera[, by Gaston Leroux] "Alastor," by Percy Bysshe Shelley Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo "Young Goodman Brown," by Nathanael Hawthorne Wittenberg, by David Davalos - DON'T BOTHER Stranger Things (especially Season 5) Next time Michael and Ethan will discuss “Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day,” by Jonathan L. Howard! Join the discussion! Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line. We'd love to hear from you! And submit your homework at the Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch page. Join us on GoodReads! Get on our Substack! Donate to our Patreon! MUSIC & SFX: "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco. Used by permission. "The Grim Reaper - II Presto" by Aitua. Used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. "Thinking It Over" by Lee Rosevere. Used under an Attribution License. (Links to books & products are affiliate links.)

    1h 59m

  7. Mar 9

    Opera de Lille's Gounod's Faust and Toki Suntory

    Michael, Ethan, and special guest Josiah discuss Gounod’s opera Faust while drinking Suntory Toki Japanese whisky. In this episode: We watched Opera de Lille’s production of Gounod’s Faust This is a two-intermission opera Josiah’s favorite aria How sincere is Faust? (not a Romeo and Juliet discussion) Also not The Age of Innocence podcast However, it MIGHT be the “Tragedy of Marguerite” podcast Misinterpreting the plot to make it more interesting Did the devil make Faust do it, or did Faust make the devil do it? The Romantic Era in literature is from when Michael said to when Ethan said; the Romantic Era in music begins a couple decades before the date Ethan said Does Michael hate opera??? Next time Michael, Ethan, and Josiah (still/again!) will discuss the Gounod opera Faust! Join the discussion! Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line. We'd love to hear from you! And submit your homework at the Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch page. Join us on GoodReads! Get on our Substack! Donate to our Patreon! MUSIC & SFX: "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco. Used by permission. "The Grim Reaper - II Presto" by Aitua. Used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. "Thinking It Over" by Lee Rosevere. Used under an Attribution License. (Links to books & products are affiliate links.)

    1h 38m

  8. Feb 9

    The Memory of Whiteness, by Kim Stanley Robinson, and Toki Suntory, Part 2

    Michael, Ethan, and special guest Josiah discuss The Memory of Whiteness, by Kim Stanley Robinson while drinking Suntory Toki Japanese whisky. In this episode: The orchestra! Lots of tree stuff, also snake stuff and lizard stuff Curation vs collage vs other art stuff We GOTTA talk about the metadrama Vertumnus, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1591) (another trap for a date-pilled boy) At least two topological surnames All (or at least some) about Margaret College is the time when men become deterministic Margaret in this book is the scholars from Marlowe, Margaret from Goethe, Zeitblom from Mann, and also Horatio from Hamlet Two-thirds of this podcast think the book is an anime The score: 2 damned, 2 saved, 2 (????) (Enraging) Next time Michael, Ethan, and Josiah (still/again!) will discuss the Gounod opera Faust! Join the discussion! Go to the Contact page and put "Scotch Talk" in the Subject line. We'd love to hear from you! And submit your homework at the Michael & Ethan in a Room with Scotch page. Join us on GoodReads! Get on our Substack! Donate to our Patreon! MUSIC & SFX: "Kessy Swings Endless - (ID 349)" by Lobo Loco. Used by permission. "The Grim Reaper - II Presto" by Aitua. Used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. "Thinking It Over" by Lee Rosevere. Used under an Attribution License. (Links to books & products are affiliate links.)

    1h 22m
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4.6
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

With their expertise in a grand total of 3 advanced degrees in English literature, as well as a lifetime of reading, Michael & Ethan get together every other week to drink Scotch and talk about books, but not about Scotch. You don’t need to listen in order, but just search for a book (story, play, poem, etc.) that interests you and follow along!

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