The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast · Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey

PEL Presents NEM#247: John S. Hall (King Missile): Daily Poet

·1 hr 22 min·5 clips

John S. Hall treats cannibalism as a logic problem and a vegan exception.

1. The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast episode centers on John S. Hall, King Missile, and a new set of songs built from poetry and collaboration. 2. Mark Lint Meyer hosts John S. Hall, who is the singer, poet, and writer behind King Missile, and Hall says he has published 50 books of poetry. 3. The episode asks how Hall's daily poetry, ukulele learning, and old King Missile methods turn into songs like "Her Cock Is True" and "Eating People." 4. Hall says a Nashville label approached him about re-releasing King Missile material about five years ago, which led to a 2023 City Winery Loft show. 5. He says he and Dog Bowl started doing duo shows again in early 2024 after Dog Bowl sent him a demo of a Facebook poem with music. 6. Hall says Dog Bowl produced the new record at his studio, and he expects the project to use the name Quest for Fire. 7. Hall explains that the new album mixes Hall-written words and music, Dog Bowl-written words and music, and songs where each wrote only part of the material. 8. He says Rebecca R.B. Corbett plays bass on the new record and Susan Wong sings on several tracks, which gives the project more female vocals than earlier King Missile releases. 9. Hall contrasts that collaborative setup with his earlier experience of bringing poems to musicians who then shaped them into song forms. 10. He says "Her Cock Is True" began as a poem written in 2024 and became a song after Dog Bowl quickly added music. 11. Hall says the song is a praise piece about a woman with power who takes what she wants, and he links the title to the idea of a "real thing" that is actually artificial. 12. He connects the track to earlier writing about strap-ons, the Village Voice, and a National Lampoon essay called "Penis Pity." 13. Hall says the music for "Her Cock Is True" needed a light, jaunty, driving feel, and he likes that the vocal parts sound like a live studio party rather than files sent over the internet. 14. He says King Missile can also get serious, citing "The Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes," which references Stan Brakhage and an autopsy-related Greek phrase. 15. Hall estimates that about a third of what he writes these days is funny, and he says a King Missile record probably works best with about two-thirds funny material. 16. He uses "Pickaxe" as an example of a song that people like but do not usually name as a favorite, even though it was popular live and got some college radio play. 17. Hall and Meyer also discuss how the major-label years pushed King Missile vocals into the mix, especially on "Detachable Penis," "Martin Scorsese," and "The Way to Salvation." 18. Hall says loud live bands made it hard for audiences to hear the words, which led to yelling, frustration, and a poor fit for a poet fronting a rock band. 19. Listeners who like John S. Hall's poetry, King Missile history, and songcraft behind absurd premises should get a lot from this episode. 20. Listeners who want a conventional career retrospective or a short, music-only interview will probably skip it.

As heard by us

A loose, funny interview that uses Hegel, absurdity, and self-mockery to make philosophy feel intimate.

John S. Hall treats absurdity as a serious route into Hegel, using the master-slave section to think through how people try to know one another.

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Why you'd press play

You want a songwriter interview that veers into Hegel, self-mockery, and a very odd cannibalism joke.

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