There are albums I listen to that make me want to listen to music for every moment of the rest of my life. There are movies I watch that make me want to grab my friends and head off to shoot a film as soon as the credits roll. There are books that make me want to keep reading forever while simultaneously checking out all of the works these books reference. At the same time I wish to also be writing my own book. These are, essentially, pieces of art that reframe my world, that make me want to consume and create, that produce an unimaginably pure excitement.
Meaghan Garvey’s Midwestern Death Trip is one of those books. It makes me want to read it and everything else—it makes me want to write about characters in the book (my novel about Alex Jordan Jr….coming soon!). I’m afraid I’ve already gushed too much, but simply put, it’s thrilling, and I’m so stoked that I got to speak with Meaghan about the book.
Garvey is a friend from the shattered and deflated world of music journalism, the sort of writer who regularly reminds me what great criticism looks like. She’s unpretentious and deeply curious, serious about the work she does but never bloviating about her own skill or standing in the practice. Others should take note. This is a pure “love of the game” ballplayer, a person I want on my team 10/10 times.
Midwestern Death Trip is out now via County Highway’s Panamericana Editorial imprint. Buy it here via my affiliate link. Check out Meaghan’s amazing Substack here. Read our conversation below. We get into the purpose of booze, the best time to write, and the necessity of living near water.
