Say what you will about Brand (I happen to love him), but this interview is undeniably riveting, overflowing with terrific and sometimes absurd soundbites about the modern religion of celebrity, the universality of the Law (secular and sacred!), moral questions of motivation and spontaneity, the problem of control when it comes to things like legacy and the media, and the human need for God, not to mention some characteristically inspired nonsense. Perhaps a little coked-out, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, out of the sheer entertainment value if nothing else (ht CE & JM):
Martin Sheen talks about God
I ran across this interview with Martin Sheen and Emilio Esteves about their new movie called The Way, about the famous 500 mile Jacob’s Way pilgrimage from from the French Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela, which had some wonderful bits about religion and spirituality and the intersection of the two. Here is the final section:
I really appreciate that you’re trying to deal with religion and spirituality in this movie in an open-minded, non-cynical fashion, without totally embracing it or totally rejecting it. That’s a difficult thing to do. Our country is so messed up around religion. …
Woody Allen on Faith, Media and Happiness
The NY Times interviewed Woody Allen about his new film You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, and he had some characteristically thought-provoking (and gloomy) things to say. Nothing we haven’t heard from him before, but nonetheless notable:
Q. The ideas of psychic powers and past lives, or at least people who believe in them, are central to your latest film. What got you interested in writing about them?
A. I was interested in the concept of faith in something. This sounds so bleak when I say it, but we need some delusions to keep us going. And the people who successfully…
Jonathan Franzen on Growth
Pretty phenomenal soundbite from the Freedom author, being interviewed on NPR’s Marketplace:
“We have this notion in this country, not only of endless economic growth but of endless personal growth. I have a certain characterological antipathy to the notion of we’re all getting better and better all the time. And it’s so clearly belied by our experience. You may get better in certain ways for 10 years, but one day you wake up and although things are a little bit different, they’re not a lot different. And I think if one can get more…
David Foster Wallace on Fear, Achievement and Internal Means
One last quote from the book-length interview Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, after which I promise to give the St. Dave stuff a rest:
That the fear is the basic condition, and there are all kinds of reasons for why we’re so afraid. But the fact of the matter is, is that, is that the job that we’re here to do is to learn how to live in a way that we’re not terrified all the time. And not in a position of using all kinds of different things, and using people to keep that kind of…
David Mitchell on Power, Events and Agency
A few soundbites from the masterful author’s recent interview with The A/V Club, in support of his new The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet. We strongly recommend his work, esp Cloud Atlas and Black Swan Green, to all “students of the human condition”:
AVC: You do seem to continue looking at exploitation, inequality, and people kept in place by their lack of economic and social power. Is it safe to say that’s an ongoing theme in your work?
DM: It’s a fair notation.
AVC: It certainly isn’t a theme that’s going to lose relevance anytime soon.
DM: [Laughs.] That’s true. I’m trying…
Mary Karr Discusses "Lit"
This one comes to us by way of MB contributor Emily. I think it’s safe to say that Mary Karr is a fellow Mockingbird, whether she knows it yet or not! Her life story reminds me of another MB favorite, Brennan Manning (author of “The Ragamuffin Gospel”), of whom it’s been said that the Lord allowed him to walk through dark valleys so that he could later lead others to the Light.
An Interview with the Writers of LOST
A few MB-related highlights from a recent New York Times interview with LOST writers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. If you are interested in the show at all, the interview is worth the full read.
On their literary influences:“One of the things that we completely own is that in many ways “Lost” is a mash-up/remix of our favorite stories, whether that’s Bible stories from Sunday school or “Narnia” or “Star Wars” or the writings of John Steinbeck. Carlton and I both had to take philosophy classes when we were in college, and we talk about philosophy, so when certain ideas…
Another Reason To Buy Bob Dylan’s Christmas In The Heart
From an interview he did with the North American Street Newspaper Association last week in support of Christmas In The Heart. The entire interview is very much worth reading, but for our purposes, the clear highlight is:
Interviewer: You really give a heroic performance of O’ LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM. The way you do it reminds me a little of an Irish rebel song. There’s something almost defiant in the way you sing, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” I don’t want to put you on the spot, but you sure deliver that…
Exclusive Interview: Mark Galli of Christianity Today (pt. 2)
Last week we posted part 1 of Mockingbird’s exclusive interview with Mark Galli, Senior Managing Editor of Christianity Today. Galli’s experience—from local pastor, to magazine editor, to columnist, to author—has all reflected and informed his passion for a cross-centered, true-to-life articulation of the Gospel. Part 2 of the interview explores Galli’s view on transformation in the Christian life, the place of spiritual disciplines, and the future of Evangelicalism. Enjoy!
Mockingbird: Earlier you pointed out the tendency among Evangelicals towards activism, an “addiction to the horizontal.” As someone who’s been in the Evangelical world for a long time, do you see connections…
Exclusive Interview: Mark Galli of Christianity Today (pt. 1)
Back in July, many of us at Mockingbird discovered (see earlier blog posts here and here) the writings of Mark Galli, Senior Managing Editor of Christianity Today, the flagship magazine of Evangelicalism (started in 1956 by Billy Graham). Galli’s grasp of the Gospel—God’s grace in Jesus Christ to broken human beings (including Christians who can’t get it together)—was as deeply refreshing as it was (almost) unique in the wider world of Evangelical Christianity. We were so intrigued that we sat down with him to find out more. It proved to be a fascinating conversation about the current landscape…
Religious, not Spiritual
The other day, I listened to an NPR Speaking of Faith interview with the late Jaroslav Pelikan entitled The Need for Creeds. For those of you who don’t know of this radio program, its sort of like the website Beliefnet.com, but with Harris Tweed and allusions to Kafka. This seemed to be one of the more difficult subjects for the host, Krista Tippett, because, as she mentioned throughout the interview, the very nature of a creed—a confession of what is believed—goes against the enlightened sensibilities of “modern people.” “Isn’t faith, at heart,” she asks Dr. Pelikan at one point,…
Love Doesn’t Justify; Faith does: an interview with Dr. Mark Mattes
Regular readers of our blog will, no doubt, be familiar with the deep thoughts of our favorite philosopher-hunter, David Browder. Recently, he forwarded me a discussion that he had been havingwith one of our heroes, Dr. Mark Mattes, who gave these addresses at our first-ever Mockingbird conference in 2008 and is the author of the MUST-READ The Role of Justification in Contemporary Theology. They thought that their conversation may be of interest to us here on the blog, and were they ever right. We’re hoping that this will be a regular feature here, but in good reformation-theological form, we’re just…
John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats on Psalm 40:2
Not sure how I missed it, but a couple weeks ago, Pitchfork posted an interview with John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, where he spoke about their upcoming, highly biblical new record The Life Of The World To Come. Well, add Darnielle to the list of churchgoing indie-rock royalty (top of that list being Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian). The interview is really fascinating and doesn’t pull any punches, so I’d recommend you read the entire thing. Probably the most-Mbird moment comes when Darnielle talks about his new song “Psalm 40:2″. Wowza:
Pitchfork: “Psalms 40:2″ quotes the Bible verse in…
Blind Bound By Love – An Interview with Derek Webb
It’s no secret that musician Derek Webb has long been an inspiration, and not just because of his 2005 album Mockingbird. Like any artist worth paying attention to, his path has taken a number of dramatic twists and turns, most recently with the release of the controversial and predominantly electronic Stockholm Syndrome. Last week I had the great privilege of speaking with Derek about a number of things, among them the new record, the unpredictable trajectory of his career, the concept of “Christian” artistry and the mad genius of rapper MF Doom. Regardless of what one makes of the issues…
Rebecca Todd: Well, I am sure both of you would win a debate so I'm not going there....
Jim McNeely: Rebecca, I agree, great comment! Yummy. Here are my thoughts.I thi...
Sam: Isn't the empty tomb proof? I remember a debate that involved Christo...
Zach: Wonderful jewel of honesty amidst the dregs of mealy pap spewed from l...
Rutger-Jan Heijmen: *Conan's...