I’m gonna guess that Jonathan Ames has a lot more money than I do. I’m going to also guess that he has more money than about 85% of the readership of this blog. That is why I gotta ask if he is becoming one of those people who has hefty bank accounts, that needs to “feel something,” so he does illegal stuff like breaking into Broadway shows: Mr. Ames sent a text message on Monday evening: “Meet at Algonquin and […]
Conversation: Michael Hearst
By Jason Diamond Michael Hearst has one of the most impressive resumes of just about anybody I can think of. His band One Ring Zero had Denis Johnson, Jonathan Ames, Michael Chabon, Myla Goldberg, and others contribute lyrics to the album, As Smart as We Are. He’s involved in the Cassette From my Ex project, a multi-instrumentalist that has toured with The Magnetic Fields, a writer that has contributed to McSweeney’s, and from what I gather, a pretty nice guy. […]
Jonathan Ames Will Make Vigorous Love to You
Bites: Ames and Haspiel Have a Talk, N+1 on Avatar, the Sucking of the Last Decade, Blue Moons, and More
Jonathan Ames and buddy Dean Haspiel have a conversation. At N+1, Caleb Crain comes right out and says Avatar gave him a “four-hour headache” in the first sentence. Fictionaut talks to Nicki Pombier Berger from Underwater New York. Slate takes a look at A Separate Peace at 50 years old. 3:AM Magazine talked to quite a few folks in 2009. The Millions calls Christopher Isherwood’s The Berlin Stories, “a book for years end”. Dangerous Minds sums up why the last […]
Non Gender-Biased Dudes of the Year
Sure, Ben Bernake won Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year”, but who should win our prestigious “Non Gender-Biased Dude of the Year” award for 2009? Dave Eggers Our pals at Deckfight pointed out our penchant for news involving Mr. McSweeney’s, but why not? The dude is a mensch. Jason Schwartzman Chalk it up to family ties, but his uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, tapped him to design the newest issue of Zoetrope: All-Story. Also of note: Could anybody other than Schwartzman […]
Bites: Willy Loman Gets Some Respect, Gladwell Writes a Letter, Chomsky’s Eye, Beth Ditto as a Hero, Oprah Fucks Over the Book Industry, and More
“He’s not the finest character that ever lived. But he’s a human being”. Actually Linda Loman, I think in regards to your husband, it’s the other way around. According to this list, your husband Willy stands alongside The Wandering Jew, Betty Boop, and Shylock as the 100 most influential people who never lived. Lit. Gore Vidal rips William F. Buckley. No response from Buckley, because he’s dead. Leo Tolstoy is also dead. Today is the anniversary of him dying. Malcolm […]
Happening: A Night at The Highline
Tonight, The Rumpus and Tin House team up for an epic night whose lineup reads like a laundry list of people we really, really like: Stephen Elliott hosts an evening that features (among others) Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry, Rick Moody, Starlee Kine, and Jonathan Ames, at The Highline Ballroom. Considering a few of those people have had pretty big years, we would like to think they might get some of their even more famous friends to show up, making this […]
Bites: Natalie Portman Likes Jonathan Safran Foer’s Book, NY Times Likes Electric Literature, Ames Kvetching on Twitter, The Watson Twins, and more
Natalie Portman went vegan thanks to Jonathan Safran Foer’s new book, Eating Animals. She writes about it for Huff Po. Makes the confusing statement, “I don’t believe in rape, but if it’s what it takes to please my dinner hosts, then so be it.” Lit. New York Times give mad props to Electric Literature. A Sherlock Holmes handbook. Maybe a good gift for Robert Downey Jr.? (Thanks Mental Floss) Rick Moody and a parkway in Connecticut. Jonathan Ames kvetches on […]