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Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders) artwork
Comedy

Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders)

Full Release with Samantha Bee by Lemonada Media

Feb 5, 202662:12Comedy

Author George Saunders joins Sam to talk about his new book Vigil and why people are so obsessed with turning him into a secular saint (and his childhood role of church guitarist). George explains that even though he’s n...

About This Episode

Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders) is an episode from Full Release with Samantha Bee by Lemonada Media. Author George Saunders joins Sam to talk about his new book Vigil and why people are so obsessed with turning him...

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This episode belongs to Full Release with Samantha Bee.

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Episode Details

Published Feb 5, 2026, 62:12 long, audio available.

Questions About This Episode

What is Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders) about?

Author George Saunders joins Sam to talk about his new book Vigil and why people are so obsessed with turning him into a secular saint (and his childhood role of church guitarist). George explains that even though he’s not on social media he still finds ways to doom scroll, how the current government could have learned empathy if they bothered to read a few books, and how he found inspiration for Vigil without sounding too preachy. They talk about the importance of “vomit drafts” and the process of revisions, how his writing approach is about minimizing his anxiety, the choice to turn on or off some of the voices in your head, early rejection from The New Yorker, and choosing not to get killed just to be a great writer. They explain how they both put their choices up against the deathbed test, and how being compassionate doesn’t always mean being nice. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.

Where can I listen to Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders)?

You can listen to Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders) online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Which podcast is Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders) from?

Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders) is an episode from Full Release with Samantha Bee by Lemonada Media.

How long is this episode?

This episode is 62:12 long.

When was this episode published?

This episode was published on Feb 5, 2026.

Can I save Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders) for later?

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Are there related episodes from Full Release with Samantha Bee?

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Full Release with Samantha Bee when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.

Quick Answers About This Episode

Where can I listen to Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders)?

You can listen to Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders) on this page when the episode audio is available from the podcast feed.

Which podcast is this episode from?

Secular Saint or Church Guitarist? (with George Saunders) is from Full Release with Samantha Bee by Lemonada Media.

What are the episode details?

Published Feb 5, 2026 and 62:12 long