Yes I put sex in the title to make you download it. Did it work? It shouldn’t be necessary, ‘cos this week’s guest is an absolute literary icon. Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, Haunted, Lullaby, Choke, and last year’s Not Forever, But For Now – a writer who helped shape the nihilism and extremity of 90s and noughties fiction. The man who makes people faint with his short stories.  He’s here, talking to us! In this conversation Chuck and I roam all over the blasted map of his fiction. We talk about transgression and provocation, about extremity in life and story, about bad reviews, toxic interviews and toxic masculinity. And yes, we talk about “Guts.” This was a privilege. I hope you are shocked and appalled. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: Fight Club (1996) by Chuck PalahniukHaunted (2005), by Chuck PalahniukLullaby (2002), by Chuck PalahniukDiary (2003), by Chuck PalahniukRant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey (2005), by Chuck PalahniukAdjustment Day (2018), by Chuck PalahniukCold Comfort Farm (1932), by Stella GibbonsRosemary’s Baby (1967), by Ira Levin“The Lottery” (1948), by Shirley JacksonInterview with the Vampire (1976), by Anne RiceGeek Love (1989), by Katherine DunnMost Delicious Poison: From Spice to Vices – The Story of Nature’s Toxins (2023), by Noah WhitemanThings Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (2021), by Eric LaRocca Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show