The Millions Interview
October 10, 2012
Why Does Everyone Love It But Me? An Interview with Daniel Mendelsohn 15
by Lisa Levy
For the record no serious critic goes into a job planning to do a takedown. All I heard about Mad Men was that it was great…I sat in my bedroom watching with a good friend of mine and we looked at each other after three episodes and I said, “The love is not happening.” Then it becomes interesting.
September 20, 2012
The Paris Review’s Favorite Stories: The Millions Interviews Sadie Stein 11
by Bill Morris
So many of us had collections of short stories we read in seventh grade as an introduction to fiction. We were never taught the short story as a unique form. It was an introduction to longer forms. This book was really about looking at what makes a short story such a distinct discipline.
September 19, 2012
Experiencing the Superabundance of Bach: The Millions Interviews Paul Elie 0
by J. Greg Phelan
The fact that there is so much of Bach’s music, and so many recordings, means that you know from the start that you are never going to hear it all, even if you live to be 100. There’s always going to be a freshly rearranged cantata, or another new recording. So as a writer you know you have to cover all the important works and let other pieces fill themselves in.
September 14, 2012
Joe Sacco Grapples with Human Nature: The Millions Interview 3
by Paul Morton
Every time you draw something, much like acting, you have to get into the role on some level of what that person is thinking or feeling. It’s easier to draw a sadist. The more difficult thing is to draw ordinary people doing atrocious things.
September 10, 2012
A Supposedly Brief Interview with D.T. Max 1
by Alex Engebretson
It’s not really that David had any answers for people. But he never stops taking his life seriously and he never stops taking the reader’s life seriously. And I think that’s the connection: you never stop mattering to him and he never stops mattering to himself.
September 7, 2012
An Ex-Con Walks into an Ivy League Classroom: The Millions Interview with Matthew Parker 3
by Liza Monroy
Columbia’s bureaucracy got weird when they found out I was a convicted felon. I lost my three campus jobs. You’re basically fighting against a system.