Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2023-11-08
Tyler Cowen & Brian Koppelman: books mentioned on Conversations with Tyler
Brian Koppelman on TV, Movies, and Appreciating Art
Brian Koppelman is a writer, director, and producer known for his work on films like Rounders and Solitary Man, the hit TV show Billions, and his podcast The Moment, which explores pivotal moments in creative careers.
Brian Koppelman recommended Difficult Men by Brett Martin, Deadwood by Pete Dexter, Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, The Biggest Game in Town by Al Alvarez, and Billy Phelan's Greatest Game by William Kennedy and others, and discussed A soldier of the great war by Mark Helprin, Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland, Norwegian Wood, Big Deal by Anthony Holden, Chronicles by Bob Dylan, and American Tabloid by James Ellroy.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Difficult Men
Difficult Men by Brett Martin is a critically acclaimed non-fiction book that explores the Golden Age of television and the influential showrunners who revolutionized modern prestige drama.
Recommended“and you know David milch cuts his teeth on um and Hill Street Blues there's a wonderful book by Brett Martin called difficult men that's about showrunners and it starts in a way with botcho and milch in in that time period and it's a great look into uh how this idea of showrunners created um modern modern television and”
Where to get it
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Deadwood
Deadwood is a critically acclaimed television series created by David Milch, and books exploring its production or featuring writings by its creator offer deep insights into the meticulous craft of television writing.
Recommended“uh and so this is why someone like David milch and that's another book I would recommend as milch's book which is one of the best maybe the best book ever written about television the one that came out last year when you think about a guy like that who was able to write some of the best episodes of”
Where to get it
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A soldier of the great war
A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin is an epic and sweeping historical novel that follows an elderly Italian man reflecting on his youth, art, and his harrowing experiences fighting on the Italian front during World War I.
Discussed“um Mark help uh and Mark said uh Mark helin wrote a soldier of the Great War um uh and um winter tale not the political journalist so they're different people not halin but helprin and and he talked about the cost the emotional cost of reading novels after 50 and that the way a novel can stir you up”
Where to get it
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Winter's Tale
Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin is a sweeping, magical realist novel set in a mythical New York City around the turn of the twentieth century.
Discussed“um Mark help uh and Mark said uh Mark helin wrote a soldier of the Great War um uh and um winter tale not the political journalist so they're different people not halin but helprin and and he talked about the cost the emotional cost of reading novels after 50 and that the way a novel can stir you up”
Where to get it
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Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami is a labyrinthine, surreal masterpiece that intertwines a futuristic data-processing thriller with a melancholic fable about a walled town.
Discussed“I'm glad you asked I saw that somebody wondered about mami I'm glad you asked the question for me it's hardboiled Wonderland but I love that would have been my number two choice I what's your number one choice well I think Kafka on the shore is like an astonishing so to me Kafka on the shore is it works”
Where to get it
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Kafka on the Shore
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami is a celebrated surrealist novel featuring parallel storylines that explore isolation, fate, and human consciousness through magical realism.
Recommended“well I think Kafka on the shore is like an astonishing so to me Kafka on the shore is it works so well uh and it shouldn't work it doesn't it it encompasses the entire experience of life and and Love and War it just encompasses it just encompasses so much”
Where to get it
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End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami is a surreal, speculative novel exploring dual narratives of a futuristic data-processing underworld and a walled town where shadows are separated from their owners.
Discussed“I'm glad you asked I saw that somebody wondered about mami I'm glad you asked the question for me it's hardboiled Wonderland but I love that would have been my number two choice I what's your number one choice well I think Kafka on the shore is like an astonishing so to me Kafka on the shore is it works”
Where to get it
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Norwegian Wood
Haruki Murakami's acclaimed novel Norwegian Wood is a nostalgic and melancholic exploration of loss, youthful longing, and complex romantic relationships in 1960s Tokyo.
Discussed“uh and um because I want to have two that I can read later that I've never read uh but I find him a Marvel a miraculous Marvel and I'm I I'll never forget reading um Norwegian Wood for the first time and and just understanding that there was somebody out there working at the highest possible level that you”
Where to get it
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The Biggest Game in Town
The Biggest Game in Town by Al Alvarez is a classic non-fiction book published in 1983 that chronicles the high-stakes world of professional poker players during the early eras of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
Recommended“I have um there's a little known book so the books about poker that that are the non-fiction book you know a Alvarez's book is is perfect it's a perfect book I highly recommend it”
Where to get it
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Big Deal
Discussed“um Anthony Holden's book is really entertaining Peter alon's book about the World Series of Poker there are many many great poker I'm leaving so many out”
Where to get it
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Billy Phelan's Greatest Game
Billy Phelan's Greatest Game is a compelling novel by William Kennedy that explores the life of a small-time gambler navigating the gritty underworld of Albany, New York, during the Great Depression.
Recommended“and that is William Kennedy's Billy fail's greatest game uh if I have you ever read that book no never read it Tyler it's as good as Kennedy to me is like you know another one of these people like Kennedy I think should have won the Nobel”
Where to get it
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Chronicles
Chronicles, Volume One by Bob Dylan is an evocative memoir by the legendary singer-songwriter that offers a rare glimpse into his creative process, early days in New York City, and evolving artistic philosophy.
Discussed“and Bob saying the thing about the basing himself and all the [ __ ] he made up in Chronicles that per that the lesson is that none of the externalities matter yes Bob wanted success and it's always confusing with Bob because he's a multi-headed Hydra and all that stuff”
Where to get it
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American Tabloid
American Tabloid by James Ellroy is a sprawling historical fiction novel that delves deep into the dark underbelly of American politics, organized crime, and the conspiracies surrounding the Kennedy assassination.
Discussed“James elroy's American tabloid clearly to me is best the book that's going to live on of his and um I mean like Dalia K too same confidential but but for me American tabl was this guy at the moment in his life as an artist when he was kind of firing an all cylinders”
Where to get it
