8 Ball
We've got a big new podcast with Rian Hughes about TYPERACTIVE, a post-travel update, a bunch of great Instax pix from the UK, and more
The Virtual Memories Show News
A 2x/week email about a podcast about books & life
Podcastery
This week, I posted Episode 662 of my Virtual Memories Show, with multi-hyphenate Rian Hughes rejoining the show to celebrate his new Kickstarter, TYPERACTIVE: Thirty Years of Device Fonts (closing November 20, 2025)! We talk about designing and publishing a catalog-collection of every font he ever designed for his foundry, how the Kickstarter has proved a lot more successful than he was expecting, seeing one of his fonts showing up on Poker Face, and how typography means designing a form without content. We get into the history of type design and how he approaches new design with respect for his precursors, the serendipity that led to one of his best-known fonts, how he balances commercial work with pushing the limits of design in personal projects, the artist’s trajectory from inspired amateur to spent expert, how he knows when one of his fonts has been ripped off, and his take on AI in illustration and type design. We also discuss his new novel and how it fits with XX and The Black Locomotive, the pros and cons of advertising work, designing the new EC Horror comics, the next Kickstarter he’s considering, how he used to keep three different portfolios until he realized it was All Rian and integrated them into one, why his creative mind leaves him with zero interest in meditation, and more. Give it a listen! And go support TYPERACTIVE!
Last week I posted Episode 661, with comics journalist Josh Neufeld joining the show to talk about the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the legacy of his fantastic graphic reporting of the lives upended by that catastrophe, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge (Pantheon). We talked about his new ‘zine followup, Beyond A.D., how the storm inspired him to become an emergency response volunteer and what he learned when he was stationed in Biloxi, what it was like to learn journalism and reporting on the fly and integrate those with his comics storytelling skills, and why his goal with A.D. was to make a people’s history. We got into how he viewed the anniversary, whether he’s gone back to New Orleans since reporting on it, and how he stayed connected with his subjects after the project and what it was like putting the anniversary ‘zine together. We also discussed his comics upbringing, what it was like drawing for Harvey Pekar after years of American Splendor fandom, how neither of us have the lying gene necessary for fiction, the difference between journalism and nonfiction, how Michael Jordan’s minor league baseball experience helps explain why comics people (usually) treat newbies well, and more. Give it a listen! And go read A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge and Beyond A.D.!
Recent episodes: Dean Haspiel & Whitney Matheson • Ron Rosenbaum • Lance Richardson • Tom Tomorrow • Kayla E • Hunter Prosper • M.L. Rio
8 Ball
I made it back from my Frankfurt/London trip Sunday night in one piece. Physically, at least; mentally, I’m still pretty scattered, although not as bleak as last mid-week’s newsletter, thankfully.
I had a great time on the trip, between work & the arts/podcast/friend stuff, but I also feel perpetually behind the 8 Ball —
— incapable of getting ahead or not feeling like I’m scrambling all the time. Which, I know, is partly self-imposed, but is also wearing on me.
But there’s plenty of work to get done today for my job, and tomorrow morning I have to catch a 5:40am train to Baltimore so I can get to an FDA negotiating session, so I’ll leave you here and hope I’m feeling more profound by Sunday.
In keeping with last week’s fractional selfie, he’s another view, from Jesus Green in Cambridge:
*
This email setup runs $29/month, podcast-hosting via LibSyn is $20/month, and the remote recording setup on Zencastr is $20/month, so if you want to help out with these expenses or otherwise Contribute To The Cause, you can support the Virtual Memories Show with a contribution of any size, one-time or recurring.
Instaxery
Look out! It’s ALL the Instaxes! I took a bunch of pix with pod-guests and past guests during my UK visit (though I forgot to take one).
Tier one: woodblock typefaces at Rian Hughes’ house, and the paint rags/gear of Celia Paul.
Tier two: the door of the Cambridge flat where I recorded with Clive James in 2015, and the quinces of Prue Shaw.
Tier three: lobby art from my hotel podcast with Jonathan Sandler, and Hayley Campbell’s superchonk cat, Ned.
Artistry
Didn’t draw anything, sorry. You should go to the Flickr album of most of the art I’ve made & find something you like.
Postcardery
Let me know if you want to be on my postcard-a-day list. (Financial supporters of the podcast get a hand-drawn or painted postcard as a thank-you.)
Until Next Time
Thanks for reading this far. I’ll be back on Sunday with links, books, & workout-/meditation-craziness, and on Wednesday with a new episode, and maybe some more art & a new Instax.
You bring light in / You bring light in to a dark place / Walking in light, glowing walking in light / Gold ring around you, the hues of you / The golden sunlight of you,