Kurt Vonnegut: Reporter on the Afterlife

About Kurt Vonnegut: Reporter on the Afterlife

Could death be a quality? A place? Not an ending, but an occurrence that changes those it happens to? In Kurt Vonnegut: Reporter on the Afterlife, Vonnegut skips back and forth between life and the Afterlife as if the difference between them were rather slight. In light hearted interviews with Sir Issac Newton, Adolf Hitler, Isaac Asimov, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, William Shakespeare, Joan of Arc, and Kilgore Trout, among others - Vonnegut trips down “the blue tunnel to the pearly gates” in the guise of a roving reporter for public radio, all the while dodging the crotchety bureaucrat, Saint Peter. Kurt Vonnegut: Reporter on the Afterlife, began in 1999 as a series of 90 Second interludes for WNYC, New York City’s public radio station. It has evolved over the past 25 years through writing and rewriting, into a fiction podcast adventure series - available everywhere you listen to pods. This provocative exploration about who and what we live for shines a light on the uplifting truth Vonnegut embraced in life, “Everything was beautiful. Nothing hurt.”

Publisher

Fountainhead Transmedia, Inc.

Category

fiction · history · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Nov 2022

Latest episode

3 Nov 2024

Latest episodes

4 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Nov 2024

   Election Special - S1-E4

   Following the recent election “Kurt Vonnegut: Reporter on the Afterlife” roams the great beyond interviewing legendary figures from across the political spectrum: Shirley Chisholm, the first black female U.S legislator singing explains, "being female put many more obstacles in her path than being black", her homie Abraham Lincoln ponders the next American civil war, antagonist General Curtis “Bombs Away” LeMay shares his ironic philosophy on peace, and hero Eugene Debs “Workers of the World Unite!” outlines a new path. All the while, Vonnegut deploys his trademark wit and charm digging into an oven-hot contest in the Afterlife about the best baked treat. Hear Vonnegut explore different perspectives that remind us that we are all human. Kurt Vonnegut: Reporter on the Afterlife, is created, directed, and executive produced by Fredric King, based on the novel, God Bless You, Doctor Kevorkian by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., This episode is written by Andrew Frothingham and Jon Rosen. Starring:Ben Becher as Kurt Vonnegut,Danielle Davenport as Shirley Chisholm,Lewis Black as General Curtis Lemay,Tony Torn as Eugene Victor Debs,and Harrison Lambert as Abraham Lincoln, Produced by Jon Rosen, Grant Johnson, Ben Becher, Jim Helton, and Patrick Lyons. Music Supervision by Jesse Kennedy, Special Thanks to Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, Indianapolis IN Kurt Vonnegut Reporter on the Afterlife, © 2025 Fountainhead Transmedia, Inc.

2. 

   28 Oct 2023

   Revolutionary Women - S1-E3

   Kurt Vonnegut interviews Joan of Arc and Mary Quant. Living 600 years apart, they were both in their own way instrumental in defining how women are perceived today. Not just equals, but leaders on the battlefield and in the business world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3. 

   29 Mar 2023

   Romantic Writers - S1-E2

   Kurt Vonnegut interviews historical romantic writers, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, John Keats, Lord Byron, William Shakespeare, along with some surprising new characters. This provocative exploration about who and what we live for shines a light on the uplifting truth Vonnegut embraced in life. “Everything was beautiful. Nothing hurt.”

4. 

   12 Nov 2022

   The Afterlife - Pilot - S1-E1

   Kurt Vonnegut interviews roster of (dearly and not-so-dearly) departed historical figures, Sir Isaac Newton, Hitler, Uncle Alex, Isaac Asimov, Vivian Hallinan, and Kilgore Trout while being kept back from returning to his Earthly body by the crotchety bureaucrat St. Peter. This provocative exploration about who and what we live for shines a light on the uplifting truth Vonnegut embraced in life. “Everything was beautiful. Nothing hurt.”

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

17 ratings

Contact Kurt Vonnegut: Reporter on the Afterlife

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.