Off The Leash
Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe television critic and author, joined Tim in this episode to talk about his recently released book, Off The Leash. Tim and Matthew discussed how he came up with the idea for the book, the challenges with being a first time author and the lessons that he has learned from his dog Toby. If you’ve ever visited a dog park, you’ll want to listen to Matthew’s own experiences at his favorite dog park.
BIO:
Matthew Gilbert is the TV critic at the Boston Globe. Before that, he covered books and movies for the Globe, as well as celebrity and author interviews. The most fascinating of that last beat: David Foster Wallace. The most exciting: Yeah, Meryl Streep, who was every bit as lovely in person as you might hope. The lingering question from that beat: Why do celebrities have seriously larger heads than normal folk? Seriously, why?
Gilbert and Globe colleague Sarah Rodman do a weekly show about TV called “We Like to Watch.” He has also written for Slate and appeared on NPR. Early in his career, he worked as a clerk at the Harvard Bookstore and at the Book Exchange, and he was the managing editor of the Boston Review, where he acquired poetry and fiction and managed the copy flow.
Other facts:
Born and raised in New Bedford, Mass.
Spent an inordinate amount of time hanging at the North Dartmouth Mall and writing bad apocalyptic poetry.
Worked at Friendly’s in high school serving extra scoops of ice cream to munched-out friends at the takeout window.
B.A. in English from Connecticut College, M.A. in Literature from University of New Hampshire.
Lasted three months at Suffolk Law School. There was no faking it when moot court rolled around. Phew.
Still reads Victorian fiction. A lot. Life goal: All of Trollope.
Was afraid of dogs and would wash hands every time he accidentally touched one.
Fell in love with dogs and now likes kissing them on the snout and petting them for hours on end.
Thinks that if movies are dreams, TV is stream of consciousness.