Known Associates | Season 2, Episode 1: Jonathan Lethem
To kick off season two of Known Associates, a podcast brought to you by New Pony in affiliation with Southwest Review, we’ve got the great prose stylist, songwriter, and cultural critic Jonathan Lethem in the house to talk about all things writing as well as the new record from his band, The Dissociation. He’s a legend round these parts as well as just about everywhere, so it was an honor to get him to come onto the pod this past August.
After a bit of discussion of Maine and Graham Platner, Elizabeth and Jonathan get onto the topic of interviewing people and some of Jonathan’s profiles of true legends like James Brown and Bob Dylan (3:50). They then talk about critics, the role of the critic-as-auteur, and what is gained and what is lost as the media space transforms to accommodate new technologies and new ways of experiencing culture and criticism (22:00). Then, they shift gears to discuss his songwriting, his band The Dissociation, and their new album Losing Is a Luxury, which came out in March 2026 (32:20). They also dive into the writing of Charles Portis, one of their favorite authors (45:35), as well as noir fiction, a genre they both love (49:55). They then discuss Jonathan’s affection for the band The dB’s (53:50) before they segue into a conversation about the writing process, how to deal with feeling blocked, their experience of when a writer loses their fastball, and how to endure over the course of a lengthy career (60:20). Finally, they play a game where Jonathan has to rank some of his favorite film directors (69:15) before they discuss the subject of Jonathan’s legacy (73:00).
You can find Jonathan’s books wherever you buy books and pick up the Dissociation record Losing Is a Luxury from Grapefruit Records on Bandcamp. Subscribe to Known Associates and check out Southwest Review’s website. Pick up a subscription to the magazine while you’re at it!
Elizabeth Nelson is a DC-based journalist who hosts the New Pony/Southwest Review podcast Known Associates, where she speaks to fellow writers, artists, and musicians. She is also a singer-songwriter in the band the Paranoid Style; their new album, also titled Known Associates, was released on Bar/None Records in February.
Mixed by Clay Jones
More Interviews | Podcasts