Tag Archives: Mark Haskell-Smith

Who Chose The Great Bear Sleeping Bag?

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Mark Haskell Smith
Steve Brodner by Nik Kowsar
Zuzu
Patrick O’Neil
Robert Newman
Great Bear Sleeping Bag

We called upon a distinguished panel of guests to take part in the 3rd Annual Life Elsewhere Holiday Gift Special and asked them to come up with three books and one non-book gift. The results are as diverse as they are intriguing and unpredictable. One guest selected for their non-book gift, a Great Bear Sleeping Bag. Can you guess who? Could it be frequent contributor and witty author, Mark Haskell Smith? Perhaps it was astute caricaturist and social commentator, Steve Brodner? Or maybe talented new British-American singer-songwriter Zuzu, who demonstrated in last week’s edition she has a cheeky sense of humor. Then there’s the erudite raconteur, Patrick O’Neil, a master of incorporating the unconventional into his tales. And, finally, did Robert Newman the esteemed creative director, widely recognized for his perceptive take on life, select the Great Bear Sleeping Bag? Find out in the next edition of Life Elsewhere.

Also in the program, we are very pleased to welcome back, renowned film and media critic, Bob Ross, who will give us his sensible overview of this year’s Holiday movie releases.

Life Elsewhere airs:
Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 7.00pm ET at WROM Radio
Mondays 5.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio

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A Human Instinct For War is the title of Norman B’s latest contribution to Trebuchet Magazine.

Interviews With Authors

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Next on Life Elsewhere, a review of some of our favorite books, authors and interviews:

1. Rebecca Scherm is the author of Unbecoming, a remarkable and moving debut novel, “It’s a thriller, a psychological study, a love story and disquietingly disturbing as it is brilliant!” says Norman B. Rebecca reads from her book and explains how her fascination with Grace Kelly molded her femme fatale, noir-like heroine. 2. In On the Road with Janis Joplin, John Byrne Cooke, chronicles his life as her road-manager. He lovingly tells of his three extraordinary years with the legendary singer, right up until her untimely death, 3. Mark Haskell Smith, a frequent guest on the program, became the naked author for his latest book, Naked at Lunch: A Reluctant Nudist’s Adventures in the Clothing-Optional World. His wry observations include, “feeling cheated for not having a foreskin!”  4. Lynsey Addario graphically recalls being tortured and molested in her book, It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War. From the front-line, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Darfur and the Congo, the photo-journalist brings a female perspective to the horrors of war. 5. International best-selling, British crime fiction writer, Peter James, talks about his fascination with criminal minds, and doing research in prisons with psychopathic murderers for Want You Dead, the tenth in the Roy Grace detective-thriller series.

This week’s Hit that Never Was features Headache, a track from the 2009 debut album Album by Girls. Frontman Christopher Owens’ bio could easily qualify as the plot for a harrowing novella.

Life Elsewhere airs:
Sundays 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays 7.00pm ET at WROM Radio
Mondays 5.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio

 

 

The Naked Author Causes Mass Downloads!

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HIking rear view

Occasionally we check the stats for the most popular Life Elsewhere shows. We were delighted, if not a little amazed at the huge number of downloads for the edition we titled, The Clothing-Optional Interview. The tremendous numbers tell us that the interest in nudism must be far greater than we had imagined. Our guest was, smart, witty author, Mark Haskell Smith who talked candidly about his latest nonfiction book, Naked at Lunch: A Reluctant Nudist’s Adventures in the Clothing-Optional World. Smith is the author of five novels, Moist, Delicious, Salty, Baked, and Raw: A Love Story, and the non-fiction book Heart of Dankness: Underground Botanists, Outlaw Farmers, and the Race for the Cannabis Cup. He regaled us with his keen observations and explained how being a nudist is more complicated than simply letting it all hang out. To research his topic, Mark uncovered nudism’s amusing and provocative past, and publicly disrobed for the first time in Palm Springs. He observed the culture of family nudism in a clothing-free Spanish town, and traveled to the largest nudist resort in the world, a hedonist’s paradise in the south of France. He reported on San Francisco’s controversial ban on public nudity, participated in a week of naked hiking in the Austrian Alps, and rounded out his adventures with a week on the Big Nude Boat, a Caribbean cruise full of nudists. 

If you missed  The Clothing-Optional Interview, here is the link. Nudist or not, we would love to hear what you think about the show, send your comments to: info (at) life elsewhere (dot) co

Life Elsewhere airs:
Sundays at 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays at 7.00pm ET at WROM Radio
Mondays at 5.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio

Recent editions of Life Elsewhere can be heard at our Soundcloud page

The photo above is author, Mark Haskell Smith, hiking in the Austrian Alps. Used by permission of Mr. Smith.

Stoned: A Doctor’s Case for Medical Marijuana

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We have explored the idea of Medical Marijuana before on Life Elsewhere. We’ve talked with people suffering from crippling ailments who use cannabis to ease their pain. Medical professionals who believe there is place for medical marijuana have joined the program. Mark Haskell Smith, the author of Heart of Dankness: Underground Botanists, Outlaw Farmers, and the Race for the Cannabis Cup gave his overview on the topic. We’ve even talked to people convinced of the evil of cannabis. And, we’ve talked to lawyers about the legal ramifications of Medical Marijuana use. Yet, after all of our exploration on the subject, we had not come across the definitive and articulate case for medical marijuana. That is, until now… Stoned: A Doctor’s Case for Medical Marijuana is the new book by Dr. David Casarett who brings a welcome objectivity to a contentious topic by applying a unique mix of science, humanity, and even humor to effectively dispel common myths and misconceptions about Medical Marijuana. Make sure you don’t miss this important interview on Medical Marijuana with Dr. David Casarett, on the next edition of Life Elsewhere.

Life Elsewhere airs:
Sundays at 12 noon ET at The Source WMNF HD3  
Mondays at 7.00pm ET at WROM Radio
Mondays at 5.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio

The Bare Facts, Again.

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MJ bottom

Naked at Lunch: A Reluctant Nudist’s Adventures in the Clothing-Optional World, the new book from Mark Haskell Smith, the main subject of the latest edition of Life Elsewhere has resulted in a lot of visits to this site and numerous enquiries as to how to hear the interview again. Our show goes out every Sunday at 12 noon ET on The Source, WMNF HD3 and every Monday at 5.00pm PT on NWCZ Radio. But, if you happen to miss those times, you can find our three most recent shows up on Soundcloud. To hear shows from our archives, send your request to info@lifeelsewhere.co

Past shows have included a conversation with Patrick O’Neil, the ex-roadie-junkie-bank robber and author of the brilliant memoir, Gun, Needle, Spoon. Margot Bennett‎, Executive Director at Women Against Gun Violence on gun culture in America. Robert Priest, founder and editor of Eight By Eight, the dazzlingly creative magazine devoted to the beautiful game – soccer on the Power, Corruption & Lies of FIFA. Former banker at J P Morgan, Michelle Miller talked about her debut novel, The Underwriting. Catherine Hyde, Regional Director of PFLAG – Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, and mother of a transgender child on the media blitz surrounding Caitlyn Jenner. Matthew Collin on his new new book, Pop Grenade: From Public Enemy to Pussy Riot – Dispatches from Musical Frontlines. Plus a lot of new music including, Lyves, Tabitha Tamara, Miso and Sorcha Richardson.

We love to know what you think of Life Elsewhere, send your thoughts to: info@lifeelsewhere.co

Life Elsewhere airs every Sunday at 12 noon ET on The Source WMNF HD3 and Mondays at 5.00pm PT at NWCZ Radio
The photograph above is by Norman B, from a series shot in the autumn of 2008. To see and learn more about Norman B’s photo work, write to info@lifeelsewhere.co

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