Tao Lin’s readership quantified him into fame at the end of this squalid century’s first decade when he stripped every literary conceit (abstracted lingual pretenses and absurdist Joy Williams / Lorrie Moore whimsies) from his work and governed the hip with a Gmail transcript they could all instantaneously relate to before turning thirteen. One method of throttling cliché is to be as incessantly literal as an online talkbalker. That is how Lin embarrasses his detractors: he repeats the terrible fact […]
Afternoon Bites: Ben Watt, New Lucy Knisley, Tao Lin and Sheila Heti Talk Twitter, Morbid Anatomy Singles, and More
Thoughts on the latest from musician and author Ben Watt, Sheila Heti talks Twitter with Tao Lin, new work is on the way from Lucy Knisley, an interview with Mike Cooper, and more.
Morning Bites: Thoughts on “Little Failure,” Whiskey Books, Patricia Lockwood Interviewed, Tao Lin on 2014, and More
In this morning’s reading: the Times reviewed Gary Shteyngart’s memoir; Tao Lin looks at literary 2014; Steve Gunn shares what he’s been listening to; Patricia Lockwood talks with The Rumpus; and more.
Afternoon Bites: Thurston Moore at The Stone, Adam Wilson Fiction, Christmas Farce, Dave Van Ronk, and More
This afternoon: Tao Lin reviews Anne Marie Wirth Cauchon’s Nothing, looking at the life of Dave Van Ronk, new fiction from Adam Wilson, Thurston Moore does a residency at The Stone, and more.
We’ll be off tomorrow and Wednesday, returning with new posts on Thursday, 12/26.
Weekend Bites: Bathroom Reading, “Wolf Hall” Miniseries, Nick Antosca Interviewed, Frank Hinton’s Next Novel, and More
Kafka & bathroom reading; Frank Hinton’s next novel is announced; Nick Antosca chats with The Rumpus; and more,
Cracked iPhones, Angry Gavin McInnes, And Replacing Fiction With Fact: Talking “Taipei” With Tao Lin
After Tao Lin and I decide on a place and time to meet and discuss his new book, Taipei, exchanging cell numbers “just in case,” the author sends me a screenshot of a text conversation from October 10, 2010, accompanied by a lone “Lol.”
Lexicon Devils: What Exactly is Alt Lit? A Conversation With Frank Hinton, Noah Cicero and Stephen Tully Dierks
What does it mean to affix the “alt” tag to something? Is it a reaction? A sign of the changing times? That’s the very question we’re asking about alt lit.
Afternoon Bites: Bill Murray Says Tilda Swinton Can Do Whatever She Likes, Philip K. Dick Is Still Amazing, Kristen Stewart Reads 50 Shades of Grey, and More
Attention Philip K. Dick fans: these articles on his sweet, sweet crazy are not to be missed. “But that’s the way shit goes when you sell millions of records but you’re dying inside.” Jessica Hopper interviews Heart’s Ann Wilson and it’s too real. A possibly intoxicated Bill Murray makes our hearts flutter by walking us through the set of Moonrise Kingdom. How to become a literary translator, according to the guy who put Laurent Binet into English. (Our review of […]