Each week, Duncan Crary and James Howard Kunstler take to the web to talk about the world, and what’s to come in communities across America.
Crary has taken those insightful and sometimes unconventional conversations and turned them into a new book. “The KunstlerCast: Conversations with James Howard Kunstler…The Tragic Comedy of Suburban Sprawl” is a collection of more than 100 hours of recorded conversations with Kunstler over a span of four years that have turned into a popular podcast and radio show.
“We’re in uncharted territory as far as media consumption and the book industry in general,” Crary said. “I think maybe this book is a nice example of how different media can compliment each other.”
Kunstler is a nationally known author, commentator and lecturer who travels around the country to offer his thoughts and analysis on issues related to suburban sprawl and the development of everything from shopping centers to housing in suburban areas. Crary first spoke with Kunstler, a resident of Saratoga Springs, while he was a reporter for The Spotlight. Their relationship continued as Crary’s career took off.
“I continued to interview him as a reporter for every newspaper or magazine I went on to work for,” Crary said. “I always felt like he had so much more to say, and there’s only so much you can fit into a clever sound byte.”
The two linked up for the podcast, which attracts 10,000 listeners each week, according to Crary. The relationship is one that meshes two distinct personalities. Crary described Kunstler as a “snarky, curmudgeonly, witty critic and commentator,” while admitting that he has been accused of being a smirking, satirical sidekick on the podcast.
By the time their conversations are completed, the two have tackled issues facing communities across the nation, while taking in the problems facing the country with a grain of salt.
“Part of it is being able to laugh at ourselves, and some of the pain we cause ourselves,” said Crary. “When I laugh at these things, I’m not trying to come off as feeling superior. I understand why people make the choice to live in suburbia. There are a lot of reasons. I’ve heard them all, and some of them are compelling. But, you’ve got to be able to laugh at the fiasco we’ve gotten ourselves into right now as a country and a culture.”
The shows, which are the basis for the book, are filled with discussions of topics as global as the consumption of fossil fuels and as local as the growth of towns and cities. Crary contends that there is more interest these days in talking about the important issues.
“People are getting more concerned about the quality of the buildings and the businesses in their town, because the price of gas is getting more expensive, and the price of everything is getting more expensive,” said Crary. “People are getting laid off and they’re worried that they are going to be trapped in some neighborhood or environment where they can’t access anything to function in their daily lives.”
During their shows, Crary and Kunstler use issues facing the Capital District as a basis for their conversations, but find a way to attract a national audience that finds similarities in their own communities.
“I wanted to take the essential conversations that I’ve had with Jim over the years and present them in a book form to reach a larger audience,” said Crary.
More information about Crary’s book and the weekly podcast can be found at www.kunstlercast.com.
