Stay Away From Matthew MaGill
4.9/5
Critic Rating
When Matthew MaGill died alone in the woods on the Florida-Georgia border, he left behind a box filled with the artifacts of an incredible life: from Broadway in the 1970s, to a 747 hijacking, to the culture of drugs and luxury cars in 1980s Florida. A series of coincidences leads reporter Eric Mennel to the box, sending him on a five-year search to understand the truth about its owner. But as Mennel learns who Matthew MaGill really was, he is confronted with questions about his own life, his own mistakes, and his own family secrets.
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Lauren Passell • Podcast The Newsletter • Jan 15, 2024
"Stay Away from Matthew MaGill is kind of confusing, it’s two separate stories. It was jarring to go from one to the other, but I found myself unable to stop listening. It’s honest and produced in a way that feels so handmade that it’s underproduced, to the point it feels totally perfectly produced and lovely."
Score: 4.8
Jessa Crispin • The Spectator • Jan 15, 2022
"It’s one of those ‘they don’t make men like that any more’ stories — and they don’t for probably pretty good reasons...the vicarious thrill of hearing about a man living life on a big scale, even if he was not someone you’d want to trust with your heart or your wallet, is still potent. It plays a bit too much like a morality tale at some points...I can listen to it, safe in the knowledge that this is not how I am going to die."
Score: 5
Thomas Adam Curry • Another Mag • Dec 24, 2021
"If you’ve ever listened to Criminal, StartUp, Embedded or The Catch And Kill Podcast you’ve likely come across Eric’s work. Of all the stories he’s reported, Stay Away From Matthew MaGill is without doubt one of his best...Stay Away gradually evolves, beginning to explore an altogether different query..."
