Am I the only one who always imagined a sort of Tyrion Lannister from Newt when I read the book? I quite liked his character.

I gotta say, I'm siding with Michael on so many of these pronunciations

It wasn't Jack's hobby shop that was a front, Frank left to work in a similar shop in Florida, that Florida shop was the front that got Frank in trouble.  Not to be persnickety.

I see Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things) as Frank!

In the same vein as Cat's Cradle,  I'd also like to recommend "A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter M. Miller, which features similar themes as Cat's Cradle:  namely, the inevitability of mankind's self-destruction by its own curiosity.  Truly a heart-breaking story (if slow at times).  There's a great (and FREE) rendition of it here:  http://www.oldradioworld.com/shows/A_Canticle_for_Liebowitz.php

I'd like to mention here that Strauss (author of 'The Game') is a lot more self-aware than most people give him credit for. He eventually realises that the life of a pick-up artist is shallow, and the PUA ends up objectifying women while simultaneously being dependent on their attention. As he writes in the final chapter: "The goal of the Game is to stop playing."

From the Group! (01:00)

Plot Time! (07:45)

Kurt Blurt! (11:40)

Kurt Cameo! (1:53:20)

Recurring Characters! (1:54:40)

VonneWHAT! (1:57:15)

The Meat! (2:07:15)

VonneGrades! (2:12:20)

Movie Time! (2:16:00)

Related Reading! (2:26:10)

Vocab Quiz! (2:33:50)

Vonnegut News! (2:37:00)


Related Reading:

Article: Scientific American: Let's Colonize Titan: https://goo.gl/KP4dx0

Song: 10cc - Sand in My Face (Dynamic Tension): https://goo.gl/S0UbEP

Movie: Synecdoche, New York: https://goo.gl/h6AV1Z

Book: Ginger Strand - The Brothers Vonnegut: https://goo.gl/zIYN0X

Short Story: Ray Bradbury - The Fire Balloons (in The Illustrated Man): https://goo.gl/ihH8r9

Book: Will Self - The Book of Dave: https://goo.gl/ApmVV4

Song: Ambrosia - Nice Nice Very Nice: https://goo.gl/m6xlA3

Short Story: Harlan Ellison - The Deathbird (in Deathbird Stories): https://goo.gl/neeVyS

Short Story: Harlan Ellison - The Executioner of Malformed Children (in Shatterday): https://goo.gl/b1koGV

Book: Robert Heinlein - The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag: https://goo.gl/fdU6RM

Book: John Brunner - The Traveler in Black: https://goo.gl/unBNQG

Book: Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale: https://goo.gl/Sf4rdn

Book: Lois Lowry - The Giver: https://goo.gl/1PPIWv

Music: Ice-9 Ballads: https://goo.gl/CQc5jS

Cat's Cradle

Join reader-comedians Alex Schmidt and Michael Swaim for a fun, digressive trip through the Kurt Vonnegut canon. It’s a book club, a comedy show, and a cavalcade of smart, entertaining segments. Discover Vonnegut works you’ve never read! Rediscover your Kurt favorites! And cure the terrible disease of loneliness by going on a K.V. appreciation deep dive with a friendly karass of your fellow listeners.

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Frank Kool

Richie Stix

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Jackie Marr

Mike Mullins

Mike Mullins

Gândesc Degeaba

Várady Csongor

Paul Nevius

Zack Kenyon