David James Keaton is a brilliant and hilarious author. He’s put out a hefty stack of books, and created some of the most entertaining podcast moments I’ve captured in the thirteen years I’ve been doing this.
For this episode, we’re looking at his upcoming release, SHALLOW ENDS, which may or may not ask “what would you do if you were on the back of a fire truck party bus and you realized that this bus has no plans to stop?”
Is there even an answer to this question?
The book switches between a night of ill-fated revelry, and flashbacks to the partygoers’ early lives, stories that challenge our sympathy for their plight in the current day. From shark people to prison crank calls, bar heists to assembly line mishaps. SHALLOW ENDS is jammed with wild stories and ridiculous situations, all anchored by Keaton’s ability to write stories that we all deeply relate to.
We also talk about a movie that is an influence on the book even though he wrote the book before learning the story even existed. It’s a film called THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY? Which has also been a book, and I believe a play. It’s about the dancing marathons that happened back in the post-depression era. Wildly exploitative, dangerous, and cruel never-ending events of misery.
I highly encourage you all to order SHALLOW ENDS now, and once you’re hooked on DJK, THE LAST PROJECTOR is an epic experience not to be missed!
Finally, I’ll be posting an Afterparty episode here on the website, which will be available for paid subscribers at any level. In it, we take a walk down memory lane, and talk about some of the writers we’ve known and readings we’ve attended over the years.
For the folks that prefer YouTube:
David James Keaton - SHALLOW ENDS