Monthly Archives: December 2009

Bites: Philip Marlowe, Kevin Sampsell Picks, “Literary Hipsters”, Titus Andronicus on The Awl, and More

An essay on Raymond Chandler’s iconic character, Philip Marlowe. (Thanks 3:AM Magazine) Kevin Sampsell picks 9 of the best books from indie publishers. “Literary hipsters” Blake Butler, Tao Lin, Stephen Elliott, and Miranda July’s favorite books of the year. One … Continue reading

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This Might be a Promo for Zachary German’s Eat When You Feel Sad

Thanks Dennis Cooper

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Burn Collector Returns

Over at The Rumpus, I discussed new zines by Aaron Cometbus and Aaron Lake Smith, and made mention of Tobias coining the term “post-Cometbus generation of punk rock memoirists“.  A good link between Cometbus and Lake Smith would be Al … Continue reading

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Bites: My Chemical Goethemance, Talking About Eggers One Last Time in ’09, The Ramone Poet, Cassettes, and More

New York Review of Books cartoonist David Levine has passed away. Virginia Woolf: difficult to read. Goethe, Byron, and My Chemical Romance? Maybe for the last time in 2009, we have some Dave Eggers news via this interview. Dee Dee … Continue reading

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Steampunk + Kafka =’s Bar?

Somebody in Prospect Heights is trying to open a “steampunk bar”, but can’t get a liquor license.  The whole process is described by the bar owner as: Kafka meets Catch 22. Fortunately, I haven’t woken up as a giant cockroach… … Continue reading

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Bites: Leo Tolstoy in Chechnya, American Translations, Loving Zadie Smith, and More

Chechnya loves Leo Tolstoy. PRI on the evolution of Sherlock Holmes. James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins is a fan of Christopher Hitchens. The Millions review Richard Rushfield’s Don’t Follow me I’m Lost. The Faster Times breaks down where America … Continue reading

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Top Ten Documents of Old and Forgotten Sounds in 2009

By Jason Diamond 1. A Fine Romance (Nextbook) takes a look at the very hefty Jewish contribution to the Great American songbook. The work of names like Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and others is explored in this lovingly … Continue reading

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Reviewed: Lucinella by Lore Segal

Melville House (reissued 2009), 154 p. Reviewed by Tobias Carroll It begins as a comedy of manners among writers: the protagonist Lucinella spending time at Yaddo amidst a succession of shifting relationships and fluctuating power dynamics. You could be forgiven … Continue reading

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Henry Miller vs. Carlton Fisk for Dec. 26th Birthday Supremacy

With all due respect to Mr. Miller, Carlton Fisk inspired this…

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“in 1991 i moved to Athens ,Georgia in search of god, but what I discovered instead was Vic Chesnutt. hearing his music completely transformed the way i thought about writing songs, and i will forever be in his debt.” -Jeff … Continue reading

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