Episode Six: Hell's Half Acre by Will Christopher Baer with Kareem Badr
3/28/2024 | 32m
This week on Finding Good Bones actor, improviser, and musician Kareem Badr brings a hypnotic and vibrant neo-noir - Hell’s Half Acre by author Will Christopher Baer. The discussion includes the wonder in terrible things expressed beautifully, the works we find that help us rebuild ourselves, and the fatalistic hope at the heart of noir. Come for the conversation, stay for Kareem’s Actor Voice.
This Episode's Guest
Kareem is an actor, improviser and musician based out of Austin, TX. He portrayed the tortured Salieri in 'Amadeus', the terrified Actor in 'Woman in Black', and the traumatized Nazrullah in 'Heartland'. He is a co-owner of The Hideout Theatre, and has performed and toured with his improv troupe PGraph since 2005.
Amy's Show Notes
What Amy’s reading - The Sister Holiday Mystery series by Margot Douaihy: https://www.margotdouaihy.com/novels
What Kate is reading - Sunbringer by Hannah Kane: https://www.hannahkaner.com/books
Yes, this is the second book in a trilogy
The author is Hannah Kaner, not Hannah Kanah
Can you have a “main protagonist”? According to The Write Practice website, you can at least have multiple protagonists, and if you can have multiples, you can have a main, right? Right? WRITE? https://thewritepractice.com/protagonist/
Kareem’s band is called Concrete Horse, links will be provided once available.
Kareem won the B.Iden Payne award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for his portrayal of Nazrullah in the play Heartland and the B.Iden Payne award for Outstanding Achievement in Improv as a cast member in his troupe PGraph.
Hell's Half Acre, Phineas Poe #3 by Will Christopher Baer: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/2f1162bf-f729-49d9-8815-606f473fab06
The original iPhone was released June 29, 2007.
Prescient is indeed the word.
Amy is right and this line Kareem speaks absolutely needs to be written down: “You’re both playing the record and cutting the groove at the same time.”
A vinyl record plays sound by providing an analog representation of sound waves. A final mix of the recording is fed through a cutting lathe, which then cuts a continuous spiral groove recreating the sound waves with a needle.
Donna J. Bridge, Ph. D., has done studies on the effect of remembering on memory: https://www.donnajobridge.com/memory/malleableMemory
Chuck Palahniuk’s website: https://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/
Will Christopher Baer’s substack: https://substack.com/@will7christopher
The paragraph that made Kareem throw down the book and yell “God damn!”: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/33805f_832a2de6feae4c15998f3a9da7933fbd~mv2.jpeg
The other two books in the Phineas Poe series:
Kiss Me, Judas, Phineas Poe #1: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/5555efd7-0788-4cab-a207-883d7ca86e4c
Penny Dreadful, Phineas Poe #2: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a17d1f8f-6ef5-498a-a30a-88f6a594e5b5
Will Christopher Baer’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/will7christopher/
So there isn’t a “Bolivar Mental Institution" but there is the Western Mental Health Institute (WMHI) in Bolivar, TN: https://www.tn.gov/behavioral-health/hospitals/western.html
It is not confirmed if this is where Will Christopher Baer has been working.
Blood Money is an album released by Tom Waits in 2002: http://www.tomwaits.com/albums/album/6/Blood_Money/
Kareem’s improv troupe PGraph: https://www.pgraph.com/
The Hideout Theatre: https://www.hideouttheatre.com/
Kareem’s Website: https://www.kareembadr.com/
Kareem’s band is called Concrete Horse, links will be provided once available.
Request a recommendation on a selection of writing picked by Kate and Amy just for you: https://www.findinggoodbones.com/contact