In this raw, sardonic, and strangely uplifting solo rant, Mookie Spitz revisits his own metamorphosis from a self-flagellating perfectionist to a liberated creator. Framed through the lens of Franz Kafka’s existential nightmares, The Cockroach as Critic is part homage, part exorcism, and part manifesto for late-life reinvention.
Mookie draws parallels between Kafka’s bureaucratic dread and the generational trauma of growing up under a father who weaponized criticism. Through his signature dark humor and biting introspection, he reads a short story he wrote decades ago: a twisted inversion of The Metamorphosis, where a talking cockroach becomes the voice of his own inner saboteur. What begins as absurd comedy spirals into something eerily honest: a meditation on isolation, self-critique, and the trap of confusing suffering with creativity.
But this isn’t a pity party, instead a declaration of freedom. Mookie grinds that cockroach — literal and psychological — underfoot and reclaims joy in creation. The episode becomes a celebration of rebirth as the artist learns to share, to give back, to enjoy his output without apology. Kafka’s hunger artist finally eats.
Along the way, expect rants about Max Brod’s betrayal (or salvation), the absurdity of self-importance in art, the emotional cost of perfectionism, and a surprisingly tender reflection on fatherhood and gratitude. By the end, Mookie connects his late-life creative surge to something universal: that the “metamorphosis” isn’t about decay, but about finally hatching into yourself.
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