JESS GIBSON + NICK FRADIANI
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Jess Gibson, a Canadian-born Yale PhD art historian, reveals how her global upbringing and academic training in art history shaped her debut novel, *The Good Eye*—a collection of stories where perception, misperception, and the uncanny blur the line between reality and illusion. Drawing from films like *Let the Right One In* and Italian neorealism, as well as her own experiences as a cultural outsider, Gibson crafts narratives that challenge readers to question what they see, echoing the very act of art interpretation. Her work, finished during the quiet introspection of the pandemic in Toronto, embraces ambiguity—leaving endings open, much like a painting that invites multiple readings. Meanwhile, Nick Fradiani, the American Idol winner and star of *A Beautiful Noise*, shares how stepping into Neil Diamond’s role transformed his career. Despite not growing up in musical theater, Fradiani found a deep sense of artistic camaraderie in the stage, where authenticity—like playing his own guitar on stage—became central to his performance. He reflects on the grueling discipline of eight shows a week, the emotional weight of disappointing fans, and the profound privilege of connecting with Diamond himself, who still demands perfection decades into his legacy. Both guests explore how identity, memory, and art are shaped by time, place, and the quiet power of presence.
Perception is the central theme of *The Good Eye*—characters misread reality, and readers are left to decide what truly happened, mirroring how art is interpreted differently by each viewer.
Jess Gibson wrote her debut novel during the pandemic in Toronto, finding clarity and productivity in quiet, introspective isolation after years in academia.
Nick Fradiani plays Neil Diamond on stage with authenticity—performing live guitar and vocalizing the evolution of Diamond’s voice across decades.
Fradiani’s career shift to musical theater began in 2019 with *The Bronx Tale*, where he rediscovered the communal joy of artistic collaboration he’d missed after American Idol.
Despite the physical toll of 8 shows a week, Fradiani maintains vocal health through rigorous discipline, including daily gym sessions and steam room routines.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Introducing Jess Gibson and Her Debut Novel
“I wrote the stories over a number of years, but I finished them all in Toronto during COVID. I did most of the finishing by which point I had stopped teaching and I also have a child who was a little bit older during the COVID period so but I found being in Canada for that time was much more productive than my previous sort of settled moment of running around New York City.”
The Cinematic and Artistic Influences on Gibson's Writing
“There's a movie, there's a Swedish vampire movie called Let the Right One In, which I like a lot. Me too. I love that movie. I've watched it many times and I wasn't really aware of it, but there's a little girl or young woman in one of my stories and the feeling of that young woman. I wasn't really aware of it when writing it, but... you know, but the feeling of that girl, what I was unintentionally going for was something like The Little Vampire from Let the Right One In.”
Global Upbringing and the Theme of Perception
Gibson reflects on how her childhood in multiple countries instilled a deep sense of cultural uncertainty and the constant question of whether one is perceiving reality correctly—central to her book’s narrative.
The Role of Ambiguity and Open-Endedness in Fiction
“I like clues and red herrings and twists, in part because as a reader I like that. I like trying to figure out what's going on. But a number of the stories are left in a place where the reader has to decide what has actually happened so that there is this sense of perception that is that... like either somebody has been murdered or they haven't.”
Nick Fradiani’s Journey into Musical Theater
Fradiani shares how he transitioned from a music and sports background to becoming the lead in *A Beautiful Noise*, discovering a new sense of artistic community through theater.
“I got a text from his wife and she said, hey, we're in room so-and-so at this hotel where this big award ceremony was going to be. She said Neil wants to go over the song. So I went into the room with a guitar wearing a hoodie and sweatpants and we just jammed out on Sweet Caroline. And I just remember looking at him going, this is the craziest thing.”
“I get a lot of my friends are like, you know, I do the show eight times a week. And yeah, the show's about two and a half hours. And I'm on stage for two of them, I'd say, because we have the intermission. But yeah, the biggest thing is, you know, sometimes the show isn't the hardest. Sometimes it is getting yourself ready for the entire day or preparing, you know, the stress you get of like, you know, today I woke up and I'm like, my allergies are bothering me. So I'm like, dang, why is my throat?”
“I wish now I knew that I could say no to a lot of things. And there's not a lot they could do about that. I was very scared to say no and do... I basically just did what I was told. And that's not really good for creativity or to find who you are as an artist.”
Host
Guests
Jess Gibson
person
Nick Fradiani
person
Richard Krause
person
Neil Diamond
person
A Beautiful Noise
other
Margaret Atwood
person
American Idol
other
Princess of Wales Theatre
other
Let the Right One In
media
Mirvish.com
product
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