“If you go through your life expecting moral purity from every artist you love, you’re going to have a very lonely life, aesthetically.” – Tom Bissell

Tom Bissell is an American author, journalist, and critic. He co-authored the book The Disaster Artist, which has been adapted into a movie starring James Franco, Seth Rogen, Dave Franco, and Alison Brie.

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Tom discuss Metallica and thrash metal (5:25); violence in music and video games (23:30); how one’s relationship to one’s own writing transforms over time (28:10); the shallowness of cultural criticism in social-media (33:55); the dubious concept of “authenticity” as applied to food, music, and travel (42:00); co-writingThe Disaster Artist with actor Greg Sestero, and making sense of The Room (58:50); and finding joy and contentment within the creative process (1:06:00).

Articles, books and movies:

The Geto Boys, by Rolf Potts
Slayer’s Reign in Blood, by D.X. Ferris
Some Kind of Monster (documentary film about Metallica)
The Defiant Ones (documentary about Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre)
Straight Outta Compton (movie about N.W.A)
“My Holy Land Vacation,” by Tom Bissell
“Euphorias of Perrier: The Case Against Robert D. Kaplan,” by Tom Bissell
“One Man’s Odyssey into ‘Eat, Pray, Love’,” by Rolf Potts
Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture, by David Kushner
Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads, by Paul Theroux
“The Mystical High Church of Luck,” by Rolf Potts (about Las Vegas)
“Humor Doesn’t Translate Internationally,” by Rolf Potts (about The Asylum)

Bands, songs, and albums mentioned

Disaster Artist writer Tom Bissell on bogus authenticity and violence in art

Deviate

Disaster Artist writer Tom Bissell on bogus authenticity and violence in art