Episode 97 with Kyle Beachy, Profound Wordsmith, Masterful Observer of the World Through Skateboarding, and Author of the Critically-Acclaimed The Most Fun: Dispatches from a Skateboard Life

Episode 97 Notes and Links to Kyle Beachy’s Work 

 

    On Episode 97 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Kyle Beachy, and the two talk about impactful childhood and adolescent experiences, both recreationally and involving reading, his formational days at the university school paper, his meeting with David Foster Wallace and his relationship to the latter’s work, his first novel, Slide, the myriad intricacies of skateboarding culture and its evolution, and existential questions that govern the critically-acclaimed The Most Fun Thing.

 

      Kyle Beachy‘s first novel, The Slide (Dial Press, 2009), won The Chicago Reader’s Best Book by a Chicago Author reader’s choice award for the year. His short fiction has appeared in journals including Fanzine, Pank, Hobart, Juked, The Collagist, 5 Chapters, and others. His writing on skateboarding has appeared in The Point, The American Reader, The Chicagoan, Free Skateboard Magazine (UK & Europe), The Skateboard Mag (US), Jenkem, Deadspin, and The Classical. He teaches at Roosevelt University in Chicago and is a co-host on the skateboarding podcast Vent City with pro skater Ryan Lay and others. His newest book was released in 2021 to rave reviews-the book is The Most Fun Thing: Dispatches from a Skating Life.

 

Buy Kyle Beachy's Books

 

Chicago Reader Review of Kyle’s The Most Fun Thing

 

“A Interview with Kyle Beachy”-regarding Slide -from 2009-Hobart Pulp

 

The Most Fun Thing Featured with NPR’s “12 books NPR staffers loved in 2021 that might surprise you”-by Mia Estrada

At about 2:20, Pete and Kyle jump right into the important topics: Was the remix better than the original for “Flava in Ya Ear” 

 

At about 4:00, Kyle responds to Pete’s questions about his early relationship with reading and language

 

At about 7:00, Pete asks Kyle about the balance between the philosophical and the realistic as he got into adolescence, and Kyle responds with how these ideas impacted him and his reading/skating

 

At about 10:00, Kyle discusses his attitude toward realism and how it plays out (or doesn’t) in his writing process 

 

At about 12:30, Pete wonders about any “ ‘Eureka’ moments” in Kyle becoming a writer, and he references his incredible Pomona College student newspaper editor, David Roth, as well as Kyle’s embrace of 90s hip hop styles

 

At about 16:00, Pete wonders about chill-inducing writers for Kyle, who shouts his “ravenous” reading after college, including John Barth, Murakami, Denis Johnson, David Foster Wallace, and Don DeLillo; later reading brought out Joan Didion, Marilyn Robinson, Annie Dillard

 

At about 19:00, Kyle details his career as a professor/teacher, and Pete and Kyle wax nostalgic about being “young, cool teachers”

 

At about 21:00, Kyle talks about how he does (or does not) use skateboarding and his personal experience in the classroom

 

At about 24:45, Pete wonders how Kyle would identify himself-as a “novelist?”

 

At about 26:50, Kyle summarizes and discusses seeds for his first book, Slide, including how Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections informed the work

 

At about 30:00, Pete and Kyle begin talking about Kyle’s recent critically-acclaimed The Most Fun, and Kyle shouts out texts that informed his, like Iain Borden’s Skateboarding and the City

 

At about 33:45, Kyle explains his understanding of why skateboarding hasn’t necessarily been “put under the microscope” too often before

 

At about 35:30, Kyle discusses exciting and fast-moving changes in the last decade in skateboarding scholarship

 

At about 36:20, Pete compliments the book as “unclassifiable” and masterful in so many ways, and Kyle responds by talking about the particular challenges of writing about skateboarding 

 

At about 40:15, Pete shouts out Kyle’s thoughtful comments as shared on the excellent writer’s podcast, “I’m a Writer But…”

 

At about 41:55, Kyle muses about what skateboarding is and what it isn’t, as described through the book

 

At about 45:00, Pete shouts out one of many skillful lines from Kyle’s book, and Pete details his first (and only) skateboarding incident; this 

 

At about 49:30, Pete asks Kyle about the word at the center of his book title, as well as parallels between David Foster Wallace’s work, Infinite Jest, and Kyle’s recent work

 

At about 50:50, Kyle details the time he met David Foster Wallace

 

At about 53:25, Pete and Kyle nerd out over one of DFW’s pieces, “The View from Mrs. Thompson’s,” as well as the stunningly-good “A Supposedly Fun Thing…”

 

At about 56:20, Pete shares a chill-inducing final line from Wallace’s work

 

At about 57:00, Kyle discusses the troublesome fandom of “Wallaceheads” and how he endeavors to “foreground” the info when discussing Wallace’s work in his classes

 

At about 58:50, Pete recounts a profound quote from Kyle’s book involving his meeting DFW, and Kyle explains his usage of “equipped” and the “real costs” that can come with the writing life

 

At about 1:00:15, Kyle shouts out great storytellers like Danny Khalastchi

 

At about 1:02:00, Pete and Kyle recount examples of writers (like Kyle) who actually have fun writing, and Pete asks Kyle if he can detect writers (he notes Anne Carson and Christian TeBordo) who have a good time

 

At about 1:05:00, Kyle discusses the ever-evolving balance needed to figure out competitiveness in his writing life 

 

At about 1:06:15 Pete asks Kyle about nostalgia in skateboarding and the balance between celebrating history while being open to new developments

 

At about 1:12:00, Pete and Kyle discuss the evolving demographics of skateboarding, the furor over Jason Jessee’s racist comments, and Kyle’s written response

 

At about 1:13:30, Kyle discusses the evolving and more inclusive skateboarding culture of the last ten years or so, including Chandler Burton and Matt King’s important work

 

At about 1:17:20, Kyle responds to Pete’s musings about hip hop culture and possible appropriation by skateboarding

 

At about 1:18:15, Pete asks Kyle about his skating “end date” and its implications

 

At about 1:21:15, Pete reads some masterful and profound lines from the book

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     The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.

      Pete is excited to share Episode 98 on January 4, with guest Greg Bishop. Greg is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated whose feature subjects have ranged from Ricky Williams to Adrian Peterson to Aaron Rodgers. He spent time as the Jets beat writer for the New York Times and the Seahawks beat writer for the Seattle Times.