Room Escape Artist

“Who Knew Trolling Could Be So Fun?”

Author A.J. Jacobs is no stranger to gonzo journalism. He often puts himself directly into the story he’s writing, whether it’s about taking the Bible literally, or living out the Constitution. Much like gonzo journalism, there’s no attempt or pretense about remaining objective. In A.J.’s writing, he describes in hilarious detail how his lifestyle experiments have impacted his family and work life.

David talks about the origins of gonzo journalism, and we discuss how it differs from A.J.’s own writing style. A.J. also shares some insights he learned from his latest book, A Year of Living Constitutionally. Today’s game is called This Game is LIT…erature. Players are given the names of chapters, and must figure out the subject of the book.

If you enjoyed this episode, check out our interviews with A.J. about his book The Puzzler on S3E11 of Reality Escape Pod and our interview about his puzzling podcast Hello Puzzler on S6E13 of REPOD.

Time Stamps

• 02:15 Game: This game is LIT…erature
• 20:31 About: A.J. Jacobs & A Year of Living Constitutionally
• 26:30 Topic: Gonzo Journalism
• 34:35 Credits

Guest: A.J. Jacobs

Facebook

IG: @ajjacobsinc

Twitter: @ajjacobs

A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help. Among his books are “The Year of Living Biblically” and “The Know-It-All.” He has told several Moth stories, and given several TED talks that have amassed over 10 million views.

His latest book is “The Puzzler,” which Booklist called “ridiculously entertaining,” and The New York Times called “A romp, both fun and funny.”

He was the answer to 1 Down in the March 8, 2014 New York Times crossword puzzle.

More Podcasts from Peih-Gee & David

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Production Credits

• Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
• Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
• Produced by Theresa Piazza
• Supported by Lisa Spira
• Edited by Peih-Gee Law
• Music by Matt Farthing
• Logo by Theresa Wagner