Lost is awesome, also a to-read list

Lost is amazing for many (many, many many) reasons, but up there are the regular allusions to great books and great ideas. The writers are incredibly well read and have fabulous taste in books, and drop tons of hints and insight into the characters and plot:

If one book was most influential on the show, it was probably “Alice in Wonderland.” "To say there is only one is unfair," said Lindelof, "but we keep coming back to 'Alice in Wonderland' thematically. That was a book that both Carlton and I remember very specifically as children. It was a gateway drug to sci-fi and fantasy in many ways."

Professor of vice, scholar of debauchary

It turns out academics do more fun stuff that I had previously thought. First we found this analysis of the ethics of vampirism (and part 2 is up!), and now we have Mara L. Keire of Oxford, who writes about American red light districts. She says:

I wanted to write a history of American drug culture, but I soon discovered that if I wanted to talk about the regulation of drugs, I really needed to understand the regulation of alcohol. And to understand the limitations on drinking, I needed to grapple with people’s attitudes toward saloons. Once I started reading the anti-saloon literature, I soon realized that reformers were more concerned about men drinking with prostitutes than with workers grabbing a beer. In other words, step by step I found that I was studying red-light districts: the environment for vice, not simply vice itself.

So. Smart. Please be my friend!

Oh my goodness Bill Watterson speaks

Bill Watterson, illustrator of Calvin and Hobbes and notorious recluse, has done a rare interview, about the strip, his life, and his legacy. He says:

I just tried to write honestly, and I tried to make this little world fun to look at, so people would take the time to read it. That was the full extent of my concern. You mix a bunch of ingredients, and once in a great while, chemistry happens. I can't explain why the strip caught on the way it did, and I don't think I could ever duplicate it. A lot of things have to go right all at once....Readers will always decide if the work is meaningful and relevant to them, and I can live with whatever conclusion they come to.

Hurray Bill, for writing something so awesome, knowing when he was done, and keeping his values strong (I would have sold out to merchandising day one, reader types. Just saying).

James Patterson could be Jesus

We all knew this was a possibility, people, and it's time to call a spade a spade: James Patterson is probably not human. He puts out like 3,000 books a week, and he came up with the slogan, "I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us kid." The man is a bajillionaire and we should all aspire to Patterson-dom. You can feel the jealousy rolling off Jonathan Mahler, the article writer:

It’s no surprise that Patterson loves what he does. What’s not to love? He plays golf most mornings on Donald Trump’s Palm Beach course and spends the rest of the day working on guaranteed best sellers for which he is paid millions.

So here's the plan. Write several bestsellers. Morph into James Patterson. Profit. Anyone in?

You like Jane Austen? You are probably wrong

Fran Lebowitz does an interview with the Morgan Library about why people like Jane Austen for the wrong reasons, and learn to read the wrong way. "A book," she says, "is not supposed to be a mirror. It's supposed to be a door."

She says Jane Austen shows us human nature in a true way, she's intelligent, and she uses class structure to her advantage, and that is why she's so successful, not because she's full of lovely romance. Thoughts?

"Would you go to the doctor and have him take out your spleen for nothing?"

A wise man once said, "If you're good at something, never do it for free." I know I've been guilty of this sin, but, damnit, no more, thanks to Harlan Ellison and his delicious rant below.

This video is NSFW, based both on Ellison's language and the incredible bubbly feeling you will get as he threatens to burn Warner Brothers to the ground for not sending him a free DVD with his interview on it.

I might make "What is Warner Brothers? Out with an eye patch and a tin cup on the street? Fuck no!" my cellphone ring.

Pimping to the center

Pre-comment-disclaimer: I recognize that there is a lot of America between California and New York. I recognize your existence, non-coasties. You are the delicious inner brownie to the crispy brownie edges (do you prefer "innies"? The coast types can be "outies"). I think you are super great.

Anywho, Nick Reding said his publishers discouraged him from doing book promotion in flyover states, because they don't believe that innies buy books. Boo to that. Also, if you read the longer interview, I don't think that calling your publishers "dumb fuckers" helps your future with said publishers.

Innies, I know you're out there reading (I have Google Analytics on this sucker, and it comes with a sweet map overlay). What say you? Do you feel the disdain of outie publishers?

Cormac McCarthy, my new hero

Generally speaking, I hate author interviews. I don't like it when author personalities intrude in my reading space. In my imagination, authors are little writing machines, who have names only to keep me from confusing them with each other. I don't want to hear about their personal lives, their favorite football teams, or their tragic childhoods (I'll read the thinly veiled version in their novels, thank you very much).

But.

Cormac McCarthy's interview at the Wall Street Journal was just so, so brilliant that I can't not link to it. A favorite excerpt:

There are signed copies of [The Road], but they all belong to my son John, so when he turns 18 he can sell them and go to Las Vegas or whatever. No, those are the only signed copies of the book....So occasionally I get letters from book dealers or whoever that say, "I have a signed copy of the 'The Road,'" and I say, "No. You don't."

And:

People apparently only read mystery stories of any length. With mysteries, the longer the better and people will read any damn thing. But the indulgent, 800-page books that were written a hundred years ago are just not going to be written anymore and people need to get used to that. If you think you're going to write something like "The Brothers Karamazov" or "Moby-Dick," go ahead. Nobody will read it. I don't care how good it is, or how smart the readers are. Their intentions, their brains are different.

And perhaps the best gem here:

I'm not interested in writing short stories. Anything that doesn't take years of your life and drive you to suicide hardly seems worth doing.

Cormac McCarthy, you have just made my hall of heroes (and what makes me love you more is knowing that you don't give two shits if I like you or not). Read the whole thing—it's absolutely worth it.

Loving an older man

A 2,000 year old man, to be exact.

Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner are putting out a 50th anniversary, 4 disc special of their 2,000 Year Old Man routine. As someone who lived through many a family road trip only because of these CDs, I say: thank you, gods of commerce, putting this out just in time for holiday gifts.

The New York Times has an article with an awesome interview. And, for those unfamiliar with sketch, check out a video below:


(And no, I don't plan on regularly blogging on the weekends. ...I just got excited.)