Hey you there, you listener of substance! All full of the choice whether to listen to this podcast and/or the choice to do good or evil. We get you. John Steinbeck gets you too, as proven in his 1952 masterwork East of Eden. One part character epic, one part soap opera, and one part philosophical tract on the merits and challenges of individual agency, this book undeniably occupies a special place in American fiction. But are the characters maybe a little too one dimensional? Is it a little too loaded down by side story after side story? And did the B.O.S.S. team really do any research when theorizing that he wrote a rough caricature of an evil female after his divorce? (Answer: No, we didn’t. Sorry about that, investigatory podcast fans.)

Also making a guest appearance is Diana, Nathan’s vocal coach, as she lends her expert guidance on just how to nail a snappy introduction. It’s proof that, with enough 1950s gumption and elbow grease, we all just might be able to choose our own destinies. Maybe.

In this episode of the Books of Some Substance podcast, Nick is joined by Steve Von Till of the seminal metal band Neurosis for a conversation about Ted Hughes’ Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow. Von Till’s prolific career now includes his latest solo record, No Wilderness Deep Enough, and his first published book of poems, Harvestman: 23 Untitled Poems and Collected Lyrics, both of which provide ample material for discussing his approach to songwriting, lyrics, poetry, and their endless overlaps. Naturally, references to the film The Crow are made and Nick predictably (and repeatedly) confesses that he likes things with a dark tone.

Grab some Hughes, some Neurosis, Von Till’s new solo record and/or poetry collection, and settle in for a relaxing discussion of language, art, and the subtleties of everything in between.