Podbit · Last Podcast On The Left
Joe Hill sweats through 3 pages; Stephen King responds 45 minutes later with 5 more. Writing with his dad is less collaboration and more survival.
Where this was said
At 9:39 · chapter starts 4:20
After the pleasantries, Joe Hill immediately launches into a memorably grotesque story: a fan at a Boise book signing handed him a doctor's leather bag that turned out to contain his late father's embalming equipment, complete with rotten-meat odor and chemical stench. Joe had it chucked immediately. Stephen one-ups with his own signing memory — a fan asking where the 'Nazi books' were — before the conversation pivots to the truly disturbing: John Wayne Gacy sent Stephen King prison art. Joe reveals this was so deeply unsettling it became the opening paragraph of his debut novel Heart-Shaped Box. Henry then insists Gacy allegedly ran a production line in prison using other incarcerated serial killers including Herbert Mullin to mass-produce paintings attributed to him. Stephen and Joe are skeptical but intrigued. The segment is a perfect tonal preview of what makes LPOTL tick: true crime energy wrapped in literary conversation.
John Wayne Gacy sent Stephen King art from prison, an experience so disturbing it became the seed of the opening paragraph of Joe Hill's debut novel Heart-Shaped Box.
John Wayne Gacy sent Stephen King art from prison. Joe Hill found it so disturbing he opened his debut novel Heart-Shaped Box with it. Then Henry revealed Gacy allegedly ran a serial-killer art assembly line.
Henry Zabrowski claimed John Wayne Gacy orchestrated an art production system in prison using other incarcerated serial killers, including Herbert Mullin, as an assembly line to create paintings under his direction.
Steven Pressfield's insight: don't wait for the commitment to feel real before acting like a professional. Set up the studio. Make the schedule. Show up. Commitment doesn't precede action — it follows it. You act like a pro first, and your brain catches up with justifications after. The action is the commitment.
Robby Hoffman isn't fearless — she's terrified all the time. The difference is she does it anyway, because not doing it feels worse than the fear itself.
John Mulaney texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere saying he'd been a fan for a while and wanted to make a Netflix special with her. Robby called it 'shocking, horrifying, anxiety-inducing, surreal and thrilling' — and said yes.
Mulaney is buttoned-up, suit-wearing, classy. Robby is gritty, raw, and undefined. Together they made the collab nobody expected. Batman and Robin. Eminem and Dido.
Music had Pope Gregory forcing notation. Comedy has had 'magical thinking' — he's just got funny bones. But jokes work through discoverable, teachable mechanics. Writing down the rules doesn't kill the magic; it gives more people access to it.
Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.
The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.
The anonymous French artist Invader has hidden 1,500 pixelated mosaic artworks across Paris alone, with thousands more scattered across 80+ cities — affixed to the Eiffel Tower, the Hollywood sign, and even sent to the International Space Station. He might be even busier than Banksy.
The Flash Invaders app turns city streets into a treasure hunt, letting players scan Invader's hidden mosaics for points. Players have collectively logged over 47 million flashes. Unlike most mobile games that glue you to a screen, this one forces you to look up and engage with your surroundings.
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