Episode 261 with Greg Mania, Author of Born to Be Public, and Hilarious Chronicler of the Absurd, Eccentric, and Profound

Notes and Links to Greg Mania’s Work

 

  

   Greg Mania’s words have been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, HuffPost, Oprah Daily, PAPER, among other international online and print platforms. He is also a contributing editor to BOMB Magazine, he hosts The Rumpus’s #ShowUsYourDesk on Instagram Live, and co-hosts Empty Trash, a reading series in Los Angeles. His debut memoir, Born to Be Public, is out now from CLASH Books.

   He lives in Los Angeles, where he spends his days writing and hanging out with his boyfriend, the poet and TV writer Tommy Pico, whose commitment to the bit rivals his own.

 

 

 

Buy Born to Be Public

 

Greg Mania’s Website

 

Lambda Literary Review of Born to Be Public

 

“How Born to Be Public Author Greg Mania Lived a Double Life Before Coming Out” for Oprah Daily

At about 2:10, Greg talks about growing up in Central New Jersey, and his cultural life and the ways in which New York City held a special magnetism for him

At about 5:35, Greg describes the different parts of New Jersey and its immortal malls 

At about 6:45, Greg responds to Pete’s questions about growing up speaking Polish and whether his writing in English has parallels in Polish 

At about 8:15, Greg explains how he’s a “word nerd” and how this and his family affects his joke creation 

At about 9:40, Greg talks about how he and Ruth Madievsky vibe for me many reasons, including a shared affinity for dark humor

At about 12:30, Greg notes that Born to Be Public has been **translated into Polish**

At about 13:20, Greg gives background on Poland and its evolving conservatism and liberalism 

At about 14:15, Greg shows his Beverly Cleary-related tattoo and shouts out his love of Garfield and other dark/weird humor in growing up; Phyllis Diller gets stanned 

At about 16:30, n expanding upon his love for Pee Wee Herman, Greg talks about his love for and interest in persona 

At about 17:40, Phyllis Diller gets stanned more as Greg notes an incredible sign from Phyllis/the universe

At about 19:25, Greg discusses the litany of publications with which he works, and being a “freelance” writer in a year of transformation

At about 21:20, Greg responds to Pete’s question about his writing routine

At about 24:50, Greg gives information on his upcoming novel project 

At about 27:15, Greg answers Pete’s question about how taking his nonfiction to fiction is “freeing”

At about 30:10, Greg lists Ruth Madievsky, Samantha Irby, Emily Austin, Rufi Thorpe, Kristen Arnett, Chantal Johnson, Kimberly King Parsons as some of the writers who thrill and challenge her

At about 32:40, Greg responds to Pete’s asking about how one is funny on the page

At about 34:25, Greg makes a startling Friends’-related admission

At about 35:15, Pete and Greg discuss the interplay between the humor and heaviness in his book

At about 39:20, Sand art!

At about 40:30, Greg talks about advice from a writer about how he ended up writing a book that has resonated with so many 

At about 41:30, Greg reflects on childhood fears and the ways in which he has worked through these fears and compulsions 

At about 43:45, The two discuss fixations with death

At about 44:40, Greg gives background on his childhood fascination with chimneys and diesel trains, and his dad’s selflessness

At about 47:30, Greg talks about the ways in which his parents’ generosity and love was counterbalanced by homophobia and migraines and anxiety 

At about 51:00, Greg details some harmful words from a childhood doctor 

At about 53:15, Greg responds to Pete’s question about his mindset in retorting to bullies and he mentions the “power” that came with quips 

At about 55:15, Pete connects Greg’s humor to a Tillie Olsen line and wonders about Greg’s feelings at the time 

At about 57:45, Greg details how his friend Rachel brought him so much confidence and helped him build his humor

At about 1:00:00, Greg talks about the “no inhibitions” that govern his relationships with his boyfriend Tommy in the same way as with Rachel

At about 1:01:15, Greg charts how educating himself on his fears has been helpful, particularly with regards to “fight or flight”  

At about 1:05:15, Pete notes a “LOL” moment that sums up a classic college trope 

At about 1:07:30, Greg speaks to the idea of “identity as never neat”

At about 1:09:00, Greg talks about the links between his first friends in New York and Lady Gaga and the ways in which “Greg Mania” (MAYN-ee-uh) grew to fit him

At about 1:10:10, Greg discusses how his writing mentors in high school and college helped him on his way to professional writing 

At about 1:13:20, Greg talks about the book as A memoir, and how it’s him “pars[ing] the different parts of [him]”

At about 1:15:50, Greg responds to Pete’s questions about his days at “Magic Mondays” and its connection to the worlds of publishing

At about 1:19:00, Greg talks about his “majestic” hair (Pete’s words) and the ways in which it was his calling card in his clubbing days

At about 1:20:40, Greg answers Pete’s questions about what comedy writing “satisfies” for him, and Greg expands on the “sacred[ness]” of joke writing

At about 1:23:00, Greg details the “reward” in writing jokes and talking humor with his boyfriend

At about 1:24:40, Greg talks about the difference between memoir/memoirs and how his book applies to the former

 

 

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    Please tune in for Episode 262 with Rus Bradburd, who teaches writing classes in New Mexico State University’s MFA program and coached basketball at UTEP and New Mexico State for fourteen seasons. His work has appeared in The Southern Review, Colorado Review, Puerto del Sol, SLAM Magazine, Bounce, Los Angeles Times, and many others. Rus is a two-time guest spoke about 2018 nonfiction book, All the Dreams We've Dreamed: A Story of Hoops and Handguns on Chicago's West Side on Chills at Will Episode 15. November 19 is Pub Day for Big Time, his fourth book and second novel. The episode airs on Pub Day.

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