Welcome to Night Vale cocreator Joseph Fink learned storytelling from Grim Fandango 

Joseph Fink is the cocreator and cowriter of Welcome to Night Vale, arguably the astir important fabrication podcast ever. He’s besides the creator of the noir podcast Unlicensed and Alice Isn’t Dead, which takes immoderate of the conspiratorial cosmic scary of Night Vale and turns it into fodder for a much superior bid astir relationships, trauma, and the unfastened road. There’s besides a sequel bid retired now called Don’t Tell Alice that takes the communicative down an moreover darker way successful which protagonist Keisha is the 1 pinch a secret.

Joseph is besides an accomplished author. In summation to co-writing the 3 Welcome to Night Vale novels, he’s besides penned the Alice Isn’t Dead caller and The Halloween Moon. His latest activity is The Nudge, which features immoderate gorgeous illustrations from Jessica Hayworth, who besides provides the creation for Night Vale, hits shelves connected September 1st. It’s a little and unsettling novella astir a man trying to outrun immoderate mysterious evil.

What is the first app you instal connected a caller telephone aliases computer?

Podcast Addict. It’s an Android-only podcast app made by 1 feline named Xavier, and it is truthful overmuch amended than immoderate different podcast app that it’s the main logic I tin ne'er move to an iPhone. I’m possibly the 1 feline successful the full state who chooses phones based connected really they play podcasts.

Which societal media level do you usage the most?

I usage Bluesky, which I utilized to for illustration because nary 1 was location and truthful nary 1 publication my posts, which is really the perfect societal media for me. Now location are much group there, and sometimes group publication and respond to my posts, which is simply a drag.

What crippled do you person the fondest memories of?

My full knowing of storytelling is astir apt shaped by Grim Fandango, a 1999 escapade crippled astir a sad sack grim reaper navigating a movie noir afterlife. There are lines and images from that crippled that will unrecorded successful my caput forever, moreover if a batch of them were parodies aliases references to classical films I wasn’t moreover alert existed erstwhile I first played that game.

What creation are you astir proud of?

Our Audible show Unlicensed was 1 of those fewer projects that turned retired precisely really I wanted it to successful my head. A enigma bid group successful the slightest cool parts of Los Angeles, the parts wherever the existent group live. I didn’t want it to beryllium “good for 2 writers who usually don’t constitute mysteries.” I conscionable wanted america to constitute a damn bully mystery, and I deliberation we did. We sewage 3 seasons retired of Audible, but past they mostly unopen down their original shows department, and that was it. If I had my prime though, I’d happily walk the remainder of my life penning Unlicensed.

What’s the champion portion of proposal you’ve ever received?

I precocious watched a talk pinch Meshell Ndegeocello, and she described having to shush a chap student successful a guitar shop who was noodling connected his guitar while the coach was trying to show something. Meshell said: “As a musician, it doesn’t matter really good you play if you can’t listen.” I don’t cognize if it’s the champion proposal I’ve ever received, but I deliberation it’s damn bully proposal and applies to a batch of things extracurricular of music.

What’s the past portion of beingness media you bought?

I bargain excessively galore books, constantly. I for illustration to bent retired successful bookstores, and I’ve ne'er near 1 without buying astatine slightest a mates of books. I’m mostly not a beingness media guy, I person nary liking successful owning records aliases DVDs, but I’ll build an summation to my location earlier I get free of immoderate books.

What would the tagline for your biopic be?

“It turns retired watching a feline constitute audio fabrication connected his machine is boring, this movie was a correction sorry, we’re sorry.”

What’s the past GIF aliases meme you used?

I don’t really usage GIFs aliases memes. I’m very overmuch a matter guy, which is why I instrumentality to matter societal media mostly, moreover though that doesn’t really thief you waste books aliases worldly for illustration that.