As noted last month, I'm collecting my published work for one massive entry here. I'll update it as additional work comes out, but I won't write new posts for The Slippery Fish because I have a myriad of deadlines, limited health and, of course, Facebook and Twitter have made blogs somewhat superfluous.
It's taking awhile to accrue everything, so I'm adding pieces incrementally, mostly in reverse chronological order.
If you'd like to reach me, please contact me at ldremousis at yahoo dot com. My Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/litsa.dremousis and I frolic on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/LitsaDremousis (@LitsaDremousis).
Diving in:
Smith Magazine HarperCollins anthology, It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-word Memoirs, video via Smith Magazine, reading my accompanying essay at Seattle's University Bookstore, January 14, 2010
Slate, "Love in Three Photos", mine was among the 20 photo essays selected for this moving, funny and decidedly non-cheesy Valentine's Day series, February 13, 2012:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2012/02/valentine_s_day_love_stories_slate_readers_as_told_in_three_photos_.html
Nerve, "Love Lessons from Estelle", the newest installment of my Nerve pop culture column praises Estelle's new album All of Me for being the rare collection of love songs that's smart as well as moving:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/love-lessons-from-estelle
Nerve, "Love Lessons from 'The Descendants', the newest installment of my Nerve pop culture column, is up in conjunction with the Oscar nominations, January 24, 2012:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/love-lessons-from-emthe-descendants
Nerve, "Love Lessons from '30 Rock'", the newest installment of my Nerve pop culture column is up. Getting paid to write about Tina Fey is like my dog getting paid to eat steak, January 11, 2012:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/love-lessons-from-30-rock
Jezebel, Nerve, Jezebel and I worked out an agreement so Jezebel could reprint "Hell Hath No Fury" with permission. On Jezebel, it's called, "I'm Mad at You Because You're an Idiot, Not Because I'm a Woman". On Nerve, it has been ranked their #1 story since yesterday. It was Jezebel's lead story for several hours today and as I write this, it has garnered 537 Facebook "Likes", 51,069 page views and 441 comments on their site. Plus, it has received 227 "Likes" on their Facebook page. [After it had been up a week on Jezebel, it had received over 1000 Facebook "Likes", more than 94,000 page views and 727 comments.] So that's rather nice, January 10, 2012:
http://jezebel.com/5874459/im-mad-at-you-because-youre-an-idiot-not-because-im-a-woman
Nerve, my essay "Hell Hath No Fury", accompanied by the deck, "If you say something idiotic, I'm getting mad because you're an idiot, not because I'm a woman", January 5, 2012:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/true-stories-hell-hath-no-fury
The Nervous Breakdown, my essay "Ivory Christmas", wherein I recall how bringing my first boyfriend home for the holidays resulted in viscous liquid, a looming background check and King Crimson riffs, January 2, 2012:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2012/01/ivory-christmas/
Nerve, debut of my new bi-monthly column on the intersection of pop culture, love and sex. We kick off with "Love Lessons from American Horror Story", December 21, 2011:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/love-lessons-of-american-horror-story
MSN, interview with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. Smart, engaged, funny and grounded. One of my favorites. Among topics discusses: why the Black Keys don't take their success for granted, how licensing is the new radio and where Kurt Cobain's money actually went, December 6, 2011:
http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=687814&icid=MUSIC1>1=MUSIC1
The Onion's A.V. Club, interview with legendary comedy writer, Merrill Markoe. The original head writer of "Late Night with David Letterman" and best-selling novelist and essayist discusses pilfering her dead mom's journals for material, her groundbreaking career and inadvertently getting dragged into a certain talk show host's sex scandal. Quite pleased with how this turned out, November 1, 2011:
http://www.avclub.com/articles/merrill-markoe,64309/
MSN feature-length review, "Feist Extracts Junk-Shop Wisdom from 'Metals', October 5, 2011.
Excerpt:
"Listening to Feist's new disc, Metals (Cherrytree/Interscope), is much like wandering through a botanical garden. The dozen songs that comprise her follow-up to the 2007 smash The Reminder are both lush and impeccable. Her fourth studio outing (not including collaborations with Broken Social Scene and other contemporaries) finds her re-teaming with longtime musical allies Chilly Gonzales and Mocky to explore vast and complex emotions, but always with a seeming layer of remove, a veneer of politesse. And therein lies the problem: ideas that might have been more captivating had they been allowed to flourish often feel manicured. The blossoms are coiled around the trellis."
Link:
http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=673575&icid=MUSIC1>1=MUSIC1
Nerve essay addressing one of love's more complex questions, "Dating My Ex's Friend: Should I Have Expected Trouble?" (also pondered: polio-curing vaginas), August 29, 2011:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/true-stories-dating-my-exs-friend
The Seattle Weekly, a short one on The Crocodile Cafe's successful music industry happy hour series, "The Croc's The Office Happy Hour Series with the Three Imaginary Girls Kids", August 22, 2011:
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2011/08/the_crocs_the_office_happy_hou.php
The Seattle Weekly, wholly invigorating interview with Jesse Sykes of Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter re her masterful new record, Marble Son, "Might as Well Jump", August 3, 2011:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2011-08-03/music/jesse-sykes-might-as-well-jump/
The Nervous Breakdown, essay in which I explore the statute of limitations on past sexual hijinks, "Hot Tub Rebellion and Naked, Soggy Nachos", July 29, 2011:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2011/07/hot-tub-rebellion-and-naked-soggy-nachos/
Nerve essay, sex, seizure, a giant dog suit--what's it like dating with a chronic illness?, "Taking Off Our Costumes", May 26, 2011:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/true-stories-taking-off-our-costumes
Nerve essay, cross-dressing, bad foreplay and a math teacher with a secret, "It's Always the Quiet Ones", April 8, 2011:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/true-stories-its-always-the-quiet-ones
The Nervous Breakdown, interview with Mike Sacks, author of Your Wildest Dreams Within Reason, "Mike Sacks Really Wants a Meat Pocket", March 13, 2011
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2011/03/mike-sacks-really-wants-a-meat-pocket/
Nerve essay, "Grand Gestures Gone Wrong: A Foray into the Domestic Arts", February 14, 2011:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/grand-gestures-of-love-gone-wrong?page=4
The Seattle Weekly music feature, "An Incomplete History of Clutch Douglass' Journey Back to the '80s", January 19, 2011:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2011-01-19/music/an-incomplete-history-of-clutch-douglass-journey-back-to-the-80s/
Nerve essay, my partner alive and dead, "After the Fire", January 10, 2011:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/true-stories-after-the-fire
The Huffington Post, "Six-Word Memoirs: New Year's Resolutions", January 3, 2011:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-smith/six-word-memoirs-new-year_b_803327.html?ref=fb&src=sp#s218347&title=Finish_manuscript_click
KEXP, I was interviewed along with Matthew Caws, Ken Stringfellow, Dow Constantine and others I was hugely flattered to be included among for "New Year's Resolutions from the Seattle Music Scene: Part 1" by Jon Harthun:
http://blog.kexp.org/blog/2010/12/30/seattle-music-scene%E2%80%99s-new-year%E2%80%99s-resolutions-pt-1/comment-page-1/#comment-389563
Paste Magazine, interview with musician John Vanderslice, "John Vanderslice Dresses As Santa, Acts a Fool for Seattle Charity Event", December 15, 2010:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/giving_back/2010/12/john-vanderslice-dresses-as-santa-for-three-imaginary-girls-fundraiser.html
The Seattle Weekly, short feature on musician John Vanderslice, indie rock enthusiasts Three Imaginary Girls and their benefit for Teen Feed, "Three Imaginary Girls Holiday Party", December 15, 2010:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-12-15/calendar/three-imaginary-girls-holiday-party/
MSNBC.com, I was interviewed in "Nation of Whiners: We Want Everyone to Feel Our Pain" by Diane Mapes. Obviously, I am assiduously anti-whining. December 7, 2010:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40281993/ns/health-pain_center/
KUOW (Seattle's NPR affiliate), an untitled piece I delivered in front of a live audience as part of the lauded A Guide to Visitors story-telling series. My story about my late partner and I growing as Seattle did is archived in Hour 6 and it's the fourth one in. October 18, 2010:
http://kuow.org/specials/aguidetovisitors.php
The Nervous Breakdown, interview with Mike Sacks, co-author of Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk by the Association of the Betterment for Sex, "Mike Sacks Co-wrote 2010's Funniest Book, Earned Jon Stewart's Praise and for Now, at Least, Preserved His Infant Daughter's Mental Health", October 6, 2010:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2010/10/mike-sacks-co-wrote-2010s-funniest-book-earned-jon-stewarts-praise-and-for-now-at-least-preserved-his-infant-daughters-mental-health/
The Seattle Weekly, interview with musician Shelby Earl, "Donuts and Dogs with Shelby Earl", October 6, 2010:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-10-06/music/donuts-and-dogs-with-shelby-earl/
The Seattle Weekly, music feature on the Reverb Festival, "Hattie's Hat", October 6, 2010:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-10-06/music/hattie-s-hat/
The Nervous Breakdown, interview with Kurt B. Reighley, author of United States of Americana, "Kurt B. Reighley, Author of United States of Americana, Makes You Want to Make Things", October 1, 2010:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2010/10/kurt-b-reighley-author-of-united-states-of-americana-makes-you-want-make-things/
Emergency Press and Flickr, The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience, Seattle Edition (in the Jewelbox Theater at the Rendezvous) which I oversaw and at which I read, shot by Emergency Press photographer, the eminently talented Kymberlee della Luce, September 23, 2010:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unbridled_expression/sets/72157624914530461/
City Arts Magazine recommends The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience, which I oversaw and at which I read, and says, "All these folks are funny and sharp, and it's quite a show to see them reading all in one place", "Catch This: The Nervous Breakdown Literary Series", September 23, 2010:
http://www.cityartsmagazine.com/blog/2010/09/catch-nervous-breakdown-literary-series
KOMO4.com, The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience, Seattle Edition, which I oversaw and at which I read is referred to as "a half dozen of the city's most lauded authors", "Seattle's Best Authors Come Together for Literary Event", September 21, 2010:
http://downtownseattle.komonews.com/content/seattles-best-authors-come-together-literary-event
The Stranger raves about The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience, which I oversaw and at which I read, "This is a big goddamned reading of local authors that serves as a west-coast franchise of the popular online magazine for writers" in their events section, September 16, 2010:
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Event?event=4882845
The Nervous Breakdown, interview with Wahajat Malik, my friend doing relief work in the aftermath of Pakistan's devastating floods, "Pakistan Drowned in the Water of the Lion River", September 13, 2010:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2010/09/pakistan-drowned-in-the-waters-of-the-lion-river/
The Nervous Breakdown, feature on what, exactly The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience, Seattle Edition, had up its sleeve, "Be There or We'll Talk About You", September 7, 2010:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2010/09/announcing-the-nervous-breakdown-literary-experience-seattle-edition/#comment-99898
Nerve, interview with my parents re their surprisingly rebellious courtship for Nerve's "Before You Were Born" series, September 1, 2010:
http://www.nerve.com//before-you-were-born/the-dremousis
The Nervous Breakdown essay, the surreality of my high school reunion as it intersects with grief, "The Mirror Maze", August 4, 2010:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2010/08/the-mirror-maze/
The Seattle Weekly, short feature on Justin Henderson, author of Grunge Seattle, July 27, 2010:
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2010/07/book_signing_with_justin_hende.php
KOMO4.com, "Starbucks on Olive off Summit: Soon with Booze", July 24, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/starbucks-olive-summit-soon-booze
The Nervous Breakdown essay on Seattle's literary scene (scroll down), "The View from the West, Volume 4", July 18, 2010:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/blisti/2010/07/the-view-from-the-west-vol-4/
KOMO4.com, "Panevino: Broadway's Most Successful New Restaurant", July 13, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/panevino-broadways-most-successful-new-restaurant
The Nervous Breakdown feature, Adam Kellner has been missing from the Los Angeles area since November 2007 and his mother, Sherrill Britton, and I discuss the horrific ramifications, "Adam Kellner is Somewhere", June 29, 2010:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2010/06/adam-kellner-is-somewhere/
KOMO4.com, "Vivace al Fresco: One of Broadway's Most Resilient Establishments", June 23, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/vivace-al-fresco-one-broadways-most-resilient-establishments
The Seattle Weekly music feature on Horace Pickett, "Dabbling in Bliss", June 23, 2010:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-06-23/arts/dabbling-in-bliss-horace-pickett-s-dark-whimsical-and-hook-laden-tunes/
The Seattle Weekly music feature on the Inside Out Jazz Awards, including interviews with David Pierre-Louis and the legendary Clarence Acox, "206 Swing at Inside Out Jazz Awards Show", May 26, 2010: http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-05-26/music/206-swing-at-inside-out-jazz-awards-show/
KOMO4.com, "Environmentalism or Laziness?", May 16, 2010: http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/environmentalism-or-laziness-0
KOMO4.com, "Broadway Market Video: Succeeding in the Netflix Era", May 3, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/broadway-market-video-succeeding-netflix-era
KOMO4.com, "The Anne Bonny: Proud Member of a Dying Breed", April 26, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/anne-bonny-proud-member-dying-breed
The Seattle Weekly, music feature on The Posies, including interviews with Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer, "The Posies: Revenge of the Wimps", April 14, 2010:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-04-14/music/the-posies-revenge-of-the-wimps/
KOMO4.com, "The Baguette Box: Unique Comfort Food", April 12, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/baguette-box-unique-comfort-food
KOMO4.com, "Volunteer Park after the Hail: An Unexpected Pocket of Tranquility", April 9, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/volunteer-park-after-hail-unexpected-pocket-tranquility
KOMO4.com, "Pilot Books Successfully Champions Independent Publishers, Authors", March 28, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/pilot-books-successfully-champions-independent-publishers-authors
KOMO4.com, "It's a Whole Different World in the Sun", March 24, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/its-whole-different-world-sun
KOMO4.com, "Self-publishing Author Succeeds on Own Unusual Terms", March 20, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/self-publishing-author-succeeds-own-unusual-terms
KOMO4.com, "Burritos: A Recession-Proof Investment?", March 17, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/burritos-recession-proof-investment
KOMO4.com, "Apocalypse (Almost) Now", March 15, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/apocalypse-almost-now
KOMO4.com, "Slats, Longtime Seattle Musician and Capitol Hill Denizen, Has Died", March 14, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/slats-longtime-seattle-musician-and-capitol-hill-denizen-has-died
KOMO4.com, "Capitol Hill's Whimsy in Full Bloom", March 13, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/captiol-hills-whimsy-full-bloom
KOMO4.com, "Tashkent Park at Dusk", March 12, 2010:
http://capitolhill.komonews.com/content/dusk-taskent-park-boylston-ave-east
Huffington Post, feature on Smith Magazine's HarperCollins anthology It All Changed in An Instant, in which I'm included (along with Frank McCourt, Gloria Steinem and others I revere):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/26/six-word-memoirs-james-fr_n_466011.html
Six Sentences, short (short) story, "Jess' Expiration Date", February 21, 2010:
http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/2010/02/jesss-expiration-date.html
Smith Magazine, editor's feature re the book tour for the HarperCollins anthology, It All Changed in an Instant, includes video of my University Bookstore reading, "Scenes from the Six-Word Book Tour", January 14, 2010:
http://www.smithmag.net/sixwordbook/2010/01/14/life-is-hard-eat-more-chocolate%E2%80%94scenes-from-the-six-word-book-tour/
The Nervous Breakdown, "Suggestions, Verities and Such", October 5, 2010:
http://archives.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2009/10/suggestions-verities-and-such/
Susie Bright (acclaimed author of bestsellers Full Exposure, The Sexual State of the Union and others), I covered Mary Kay LeTourneau and Vili Fualaau's "Hot for Teacher Night" at a downtown sports bar for Susie Bright (please note I didn't choose the feature's title), May 26, 2009:
http://susiebright.blogs.com/susie_brights_journal_/2009/05/mary-kay-letourneau-fualaau-appeared-to-be-a-sweet-happy-gregarious-vision-of-beauty-with-an-aura-of-compassionate-mother.html
Nerve, "The Nerve Interview with 'Humpday' Director Lynn Shelton", July 17, 2009:
http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/scannerhttp://entertainment.nerve.com/2009/07/17/the-nerve-interview-humpday-director-lynn-shelton
Hobart, short story (one of my favorites), "Defending Reggie", April 2009:
http://www.hobartpulp.com/website/april/dremousis09.html
Six Sentences, (short) short story, "No Such Luck", April 1, 2009:
http://sixsentences.blogspot.com/2009/04/no-such-luck.html
Smith Magazine, tongue-in-cheek essay on the anachronistic tossing of the bridal bouquet, "Tossers!", March 27, 2009:
http://www.smithmag.net/mylifesofar/story.php?did=58058
Three Imaginary Girls, I'm interviewed alongside other writers and musicians re which record I'd choose to write about for the legendary 33 1/3 series, "What Would Your 33 1/3 Be?" by Chris Estey, April 9, 2008:
http://threeimaginarygirls.com/features/2008apr/whatwouldyour3313be
Monkeybicycle, short story, "Pizza Day", July 2008:
http://www.monkeybicycle.net/archive/Dremousis/pizza.html
Light in the Attic Record label, I'm interviewed alongside Robert Christgau, Greg Dulli and other writers and musicians re my Top 5 records of 2007, December 27, 2007:
http://lightintheattic.net/news/?p=339#more-339
The Nervous Breakdown and The Kitchen Sink, "Fifty Questions for God", this ran online on The Nervous Breakdown in November 2007 and in a print-only version in The Kitchen Sink in June 2005:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/litsa_dremousis/2007/11/fifty-questions.html
The Seattle Channel, video of me telling my story, "Chocolate Santa", in front of an audience at the Rendezvous, "A Guide to Visitors, Volume 9", broadcast October 4, 2007:
http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/watchVideos.asp?program=aGuideToVisitors
The Nervous Breakdown, essay on my sadness for Nancy Reagan, who'd lost three of her closest friends the previous week, "Words I Never Thought I'd Write", August 2007:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/litsa_dremousis/2007/08/words-i-never-t.html
Esquire, "How About a Little Hope? 20 Scientists, Actors and Sundry Individuals Answer, 'What Gives You Hope?'" (I love that I pursued this idea nearly seven months before then-Senator Obama entered it into the vernacular), July 30, 2007:
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/opinion/hope071907
Hobart, short story (one of my favorites), "The Cousinfucker", June 2007:
http://hobartpulp.com/website/june/dremousis.html
Esquire, interview with reclusive and legendary soul singer, Betty Davis, "The Soul Singer in the Shadows", May 31, 2007:
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/music/betty-davis-053107
Filter Magazine, review of Betty Davis reissues Betty Davis and They Say I'm Different, May 24, 2007:
http://www.filter-mag.com/index.php?id=14465&c=3
Filter Magazine, interview with singer-songwriter Annie Stela, May 24, 2007 (print issue Winter '07):
http://www.filter-mag.com/index.php?id=14508&c=2
Single State of the Union anthology from Seal Press, my essay "The Great Cookie Offering" is included alongside pieces from Margaret Cho, Chelsea Handler and others, April 12, 2007:
http://singlestatebook.com/about-the-book/
Paste Magazine, review, Annie Stela's show at Seattle's Tractor Tavern, April 9, 2007:
http://pastemagazine.com/action/article/4018/annie_stela
Hobart, short story, "Sandy Koufax 1964", April 7, 2007:
http://hobartpulp.com/website/april/dremousis.html
Cranky, short story, "A Young Irene Dunne, Maybe" [originally ran in Issue #5 of the print version, Spring 2005]:
http://failedpromise.org/Issue_Five/Dremousis.html
Esquire, feature on post-mortem legal wrangling, "Get in the Fucking Ground Already", March 8, 2007:
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/death030707
Pindeldyboz, short story, "Day 341", March 8, 2007:
http://www.pindeldyboz.com/ldday341.htm
Esquire, feature on the calculated risks of mountain climbing, "When Idiots Go Climbing", March 1, 2007 [As anyone the least bit media-savvy knows, editors, not writers, craft non-fiction headlines. TJ loved this feature and sent it to everyone. After he died, I received "anonymous" emails as loathsome as they were idiotic, blaming me for the title of this piece. I didn't write it nor did I have any say in the matter, you clueless fucks.]:
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/idiots022707
The Believer Magazine, interview with Demetri Martin, February, 2006:
http://www.believermag.com/issues/200602/?read=interview_martin
The Seattle Weekly, interview with Colin Meloy and feature on the Decemberists, "Simple Key", November 16, 2006:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2006-11-15/music/simple-key/
Seattle Sound Magazine (now City Arts Magazine), essay, "New York Will Have to Wait", about having CFIDS while being part of Seattle's music community, print-only, featuring a full-page color portrait shot by the enormously talented Laura Musselman, September 8, 2006
The Believer Magazine, interview with Wanda Sykes (one of my favorite pieces so far), September 2006:
http://www.believermag.com/issues/200609/?read=interview_sykes
The Stranger, reaction to my print-only Seattle Sound Magazine interview with Harvey Danger's Sean Nelson, August 7, 2006:
http://lineout.thestranger.com/2006/08/harvey_danger_you_kn.php
McSweeney's, Reviews of New Food, "Dagoba's New Moon Organic Chocolate Bar with 74% Chocolate" (scroll halfway down the page; McSweeney's doesn't hyperlink or date these):
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-fourth-batch-2006
Paste Magazine, review of Nada Surf's Seattle show, October 19, 2005:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/2425/review/concert/nada_surf_say_hi_to_your_mom
Paste Magazine, Death Cab for Cutie cover story (the band's first), July 25, 2005:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/2078/feature/music/death_cab_for_cutie
The Believer Magazine, interview with the Long Winters' John Roderick, June/July 2005:
http://www.believermag.com/issues/200506/?read=interview_roderick
Paste Magazine, feature on the Long Winters' John Roderick, June 2005:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/1912/feature/music/the_long_winters
Paste Magazine, Nirvana Nevermind DVD review, June 2005:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/1887/review/music/classic_albums_nirvana_nevermind_dvd
NPR and McSweeney's, "An Open Letter to Keith Richards' Immune System", I recorded the piece for NPR's Weekend America and it ran in May 2005; the print version ran on McSweeney's in December 2004:
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/an-open-letter-to-keith-richards-immune-system
McSweeney's, "The Five People You Meet in Hell", January 2005:
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-five-people-you-meet-in-hell
Poets & Writers, interview with author Augusten Burroughs, December, 2004:
http://www.pw.org/content/interview_creative_nonfiction_writer_augusten_burroughs?cmnt_all=1
Poets & Writers, interview with author JT LeRoy, December 2004:
http://www.pw.org/content/interview_fiction_writer_jt_leroy
The Black Table, interview with author Augusten Burroughs, August 24, 2004:
http://blacktable.com/dremousis040823.htm
McSweeney's, "If Charles Bukowski Had Written Children's Books", May 2004:
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/if-charles-bukowski-had-written-childrens-books
ARCHIVING STILL IN PROGRESS.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Coming soon!
For the past month, I've been gathering all links to my work so that I can archive them here in one comprehensive entry. If I get super-ambitious, I'll scan my print-only features to my Flickr account and toss those links into the mix, too. I hope to complete said project soon, then I'll update The Slippery Fish only when I have a new piece go online or hit the stands.
'Tis best for two reasons: I have many features and larger projects in the pipeline and those are absorbing my attention. Also, Facebook and Twitter, combined with said work, have made The Slippery Fish superfluous.
I'd ruminate on where I was when I started this blog in 2003 and all that's changed for good and bad in the interim, but you know what? I don't have the time.
And that might be the perfect note on which to end things.
'Tis best for two reasons: I have many features and larger projects in the pipeline and those are absorbing my attention. Also, Facebook and Twitter, combined with said work, have made The Slippery Fish superfluous.
I'd ruminate on where I was when I started this blog in 2003 and all that's changed for good and bad in the interim, but you know what? I don't have the time.
And that might be the perfect note on which to end things.
Friday, April 08, 2011
Cross-dressing, bad foreplay, a math teacher gone wrong: my new essay for Nerve is here:
I love the title my editor chose, "It's Always the Quiet Ones", and that the guy in the accompanying photo looks like Radiohead's Thom Yorke.
Enjoying the responses this piece is garnering, even the one from a crazy dude.
Can any amount of vertical compatibility make up for incompatibility in the sack? Let's see:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/true-stories-its-always-the-quiet-ones
Also, Nerve doesn't require you to give your email address or any info when you comment, so if you want, feel free to join the discussion. XO.
Enjoying the responses this piece is garnering, even the one from a crazy dude.
Can any amount of vertical compatibility make up for incompatibility in the sack? Let's see:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/true-stories-its-always-the-quiet-ones
Also, Nerve doesn't require you to give your email address or any info when you comment, so if you want, feel free to join the discussion. XO.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
On Geraldine Ferraro:
I remember being so excited when Walter Mondale added Geraldine Ferraro to the Democratic Presidential ticket in 1984. With three terms in House of Representatives, she didn't strike me as the most qualified to be VP, but neither was she the least. And she reinvigorated the Democrats in a way Mondale couldn't. (Mondale couldn't invigorate a birthday party. As Dennis Miller, back when he was funny, said after the election, "Mondale got stomped like a narc at a biker rally.")
Ferraro endured the inane and persistent "Wally and the Beaver" and "each side has a Bush for VP" jokes like a pro. Being first makes history, but not necessarily for a lot of personal happiness. I remember being particularly impressed she didn't shiv the reporter who asked her about her dress size. I was on our school paper at the time and knew any of us would have been drop-kicked for asking anything so goddamned dumb. It embarrassed me this reporter was ostensibly a pro.
I didn't think about Ferraro a lot until the 2008 election, in which she supported Hillary Clinton. I understood her support for Clinton and if Barack Obama hadn't run, I would have backed Clinton, too. But Ferraro went further than attacking Obama's policies, which would have been fair game. She started making racist statements. Like, unambiguously racist. And she kept repeating them. She was positively and baffling irate at the way Obama carried the mic when onstage and spat out, "He acted like a stand-up comedian! Like a stand-up comedian!" (Um, what?)
Then she referred to the venerable Bob Herbert, longtime New York Times editorial writer, as "one of Obama's Black surrogates in the media". As if all Blacks know each other and were sitting around a table somewhere, thinking of ways to insult the Clintons. She played into the worst kind of White fear and it disgusted me. (Herbert didn't insult Hillary; he disagreed with her. Ferraro couldn't make the distinction.)
Ferraro was no longer the person who had inspired millions of girls and women in 1984. I never respected her again.
Still, when Mondale asked her, she accepted a slot on what everyone knew was a losing ticket and gave it her all.
Peace to her friends and family.
Ferraro endured the inane and persistent "Wally and the Beaver" and "each side has a Bush for VP" jokes like a pro. Being first makes history, but not necessarily for a lot of personal happiness. I remember being particularly impressed she didn't shiv the reporter who asked her about her dress size. I was on our school paper at the time and knew any of us would have been drop-kicked for asking anything so goddamned dumb. It embarrassed me this reporter was ostensibly a pro.
I didn't think about Ferraro a lot until the 2008 election, in which she supported Hillary Clinton. I understood her support for Clinton and if Barack Obama hadn't run, I would have backed Clinton, too. But Ferraro went further than attacking Obama's policies, which would have been fair game. She started making racist statements. Like, unambiguously racist. And she kept repeating them. She was positively and baffling irate at the way Obama carried the mic when onstage and spat out, "He acted like a stand-up comedian! Like a stand-up comedian!" (Um, what?)
Then she referred to the venerable Bob Herbert, longtime New York Times editorial writer, as "one of Obama's Black surrogates in the media". As if all Blacks know each other and were sitting around a table somewhere, thinking of ways to insult the Clintons. She played into the worst kind of White fear and it disgusted me. (Herbert didn't insult Hillary; he disagreed with her. Ferraro couldn't make the distinction.)
Ferraro was no longer the person who had inspired millions of girls and women in 1984. I never respected her again.
Still, when Mondale asked her, she accepted a slot on what everyone knew was a losing ticket and gave it her all.
Peace to her friends and family.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Whatever gets you through the night:
In the West, we never embraced funeral pyres and the cultures that did have largely done away with them.
Tonight, I would have to say this was a mistake. Count me as resolutely pro-funeral pyre.
Also, pro-Nutella and Valium.
Tonight, I would have to say this was a mistake. Count me as resolutely pro-funeral pyre.
Also, pro-Nutella and Valium.
Elizabeth Taylor RIP
In college, the above photo was among those I tacked on the bulletin board near my bed. A film buff, I was enamored of Giant, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Father of the Bride, Little Women and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. I was captivated by Elizabeth Taylor's talent and found her personal life eminently readable. No one who seemed both etched in marble and gloriously flesh and blood at sixteen, when this photo was taken, was going to lead an uncomplicated life. "Iconic" is overused, but regarding Elizabeth Taylor, no other word is apt.
Like all of us, she had her flaws. The excess of the Cleopatra era was ridiculous. Set aside the Krupp diamond, which I would have readily accepted, too. Nobody needs Chasen's chili flown halfway around the world just to have one's preferred nosh on set. And sometimes, these adolescent whims overshadowed what allowed Taylor such privilege in the first place: her extraordinary artistic gifts.
That Taylor was one of our preeminent beauties is beside the point. Her body of work, coupled with her bold and pioneering AIDS fundraising, will remain a fine legacy. I remember being moved by her love for Rock Hudson and how she resolutely stood by him when he announced he had AIDS. At this point, few public figures had spoken out in support of those with AIDS. Half the country still thought it was casually communicable and, of course, homophobia was rampant. Taylor's voice and her tireless fundraising helped change the national discussion and millions benefited as a result.
In recent years, like many near the end of life, Taylor had become somewhat of a caricature of herself and, clearly, the pills took their toll. But for decades, her work and bearing were majestic.
Sleep well, Ms. Taylor. There will never be another like you.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
He's here!
As of last night, I was authorized to reveal the great news!
Please join me in welcoming George and Jennifer's new son, Mom and Dad's first grandchild and the beautiful little boy who has made me a Thia: Nixon Henri Dremousis! (I know, my dear lefty compadres, his first name won't thrill you, but our family is delighted, so try and focus on that.) He's seven pounds, 14 ounces, 21 inches and sports a lovely full head of brown hair. Maybe the handsomest newborn ever!
He was born yesterday at 9:35 a.m. and both families spent a large swath of yesterday encamped at the hospital. I got to hold him for quite some time and he's enchanting.
Out the door to see our lad again. And while I don't believe in omens, Seattle's fiercer-than-usual rain has ceased for the past two days. Most obvious metaphor ever, but we have, in fact, had sun.
Please join me in welcoming George and Jennifer's new son, Mom and Dad's first grandchild and the beautiful little boy who has made me a Thia: Nixon Henri Dremousis! (I know, my dear lefty compadres, his first name won't thrill you, but our family is delighted, so try and focus on that.) He's seven pounds, 14 ounces, 21 inches and sports a lovely full head of brown hair. Maybe the handsomest newborn ever!
He was born yesterday at 9:35 a.m. and both families spent a large swath of yesterday encamped at the hospital. I got to hold him for quite some time and he's enchanting.
Out the door to see our lad again. And while I don't believe in omens, Seattle's fiercer-than-usual rain has ceased for the past two days. Most obvious metaphor ever, but we have, in fact, had sun.
Monday, March 14, 2011
We need a new word for "disaster":
I wish "hell" were divorced from religious connotations because it more aptly describes what has transpired in Japan since Thursday.
Everyone already knows where to donate by now and I have no idea if thoughts and prayers work, but I'll keep sending mine, just in case, to the victims, their loved ones and the first responders.
Of equal personal importance, a close loved one is back in the hospital for the second time in three weeks. Again, I send thoughts and prayers, hoping they help, unsure of their impact.
Life continues reminding us it is beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.
Everyone already knows where to donate by now and I have no idea if thoughts and prayers work, but I'll keep sending mine, just in case, to the victims, their loved ones and the first responders.
Of equal personal importance, a close loved one is back in the hospital for the second time in three weeks. Again, I send thoughts and prayers, hoping they help, unsure of their impact.
Life continues reminding us it is beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
My newest piece for TNB, "Mike Sacks Really Wants a Meat-pocket", is up now:
I interview Mike Sacks' about his new, wickedly droll and superbly reviewed essay collection, Your Wildest Dreams within Reason.
As I state in the intro after alluding to the horror unfolding in Japan, "In a world that will never make sense, we need smart people who make us laugh. So, thank you, Mike Sacks, for helping us keep the lids on our pill jars.":
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2011/03/mike-sacks-really-wants-a-meat-pocket/
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Because we're just a font of good news around here:
The Wall Street Journal's newest CFIDS piece, on whether it's safe for those of us with CFIDS to donate blood and the role the XMRV retrovirus might play in determining the answer:
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/03/07/xmrv-and-the-blood-supply-more-study-needed/
As I noted the other day, the Wall Street Journal's CFIDS reporting has been exemplary. If you have CFIDS, particularly an acute presentation in an advanced state like I do, even the thought of donating blood is criminally negligent. I would never risk inflicting this upon anyone, much less some poor bastard who needed a blood transfusion. Within the past year, the governments of the U.K., Canada, New Zealand and Australia have issued edicts legally prohibiting those of us with CFIDS from donating blood. In this country, the Red Cross announced last year, thanks, but no thanks. The FDA has been advised to do the same and we're waiting for their conclusion.
One of the things that fascinates me about this discussion is that it's finally being taken seriously. One of the first questions I asked after being diagnosed early in 1992 (I was egregiously ill nine months before I had a diagnosis) was, "Can I donate blood?" I followed these with, "Could I transmit this sexually?" and "If I were to get pregnant, could I give this to the fetus?" The answer I received from dozens of doctors was, basically, "Hell if I know." And they honestly didn't. But really, how fucking obvious was it that these were pertinent questions?
Twenty years later, with over a million Americans diagnosed with CFIDS and credible estimates running much higher, it's gratifying and vindicating the illness is increasingly treated with the seriousness it always deserved.
I can't help but ask, though, "What the hell took so long?"
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/03/07/xmrv-and-the-blood-supply-more-study-needed/
As I noted the other day, the Wall Street Journal's CFIDS reporting has been exemplary. If you have CFIDS, particularly an acute presentation in an advanced state like I do, even the thought of donating blood is criminally negligent. I would never risk inflicting this upon anyone, much less some poor bastard who needed a blood transfusion. Within the past year, the governments of the U.K., Canada, New Zealand and Australia have issued edicts legally prohibiting those of us with CFIDS from donating blood. In this country, the Red Cross announced last year, thanks, but no thanks. The FDA has been advised to do the same and we're waiting for their conclusion.
One of the things that fascinates me about this discussion is that it's finally being taken seriously. One of the first questions I asked after being diagnosed early in 1992 (I was egregiously ill nine months before I had a diagnosis) was, "Can I donate blood?" I followed these with, "Could I transmit this sexually?" and "If I were to get pregnant, could I give this to the fetus?" The answer I received from dozens of doctors was, basically, "Hell if I know." And they honestly didn't. But really, how fucking obvious was it that these were pertinent questions?
Twenty years later, with over a million Americans diagnosed with CFIDS and credible estimates running much higher, it's gratifying and vindicating the illness is increasingly treated with the seriousness it always deserved.
I can't help but ask, though, "What the hell took so long?"
Saturday, March 05, 2011
From the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CBS News and Elle Magazine, four new CFIDS features outstanding as they are pertinent:
1) Elle Magazine's gorgeously etched profile on Laura Hillenbrand, author of the acclaimed bestsellers Seabiscuit and Unbroken. A searingly honest and often funny look at what it's like to write each day while your body slowly unravels:
http://www.elle.com/Beauty/Health-Fitness/Chronic-Fatigue-Syndrome-A-Celebrated-Author-s-Untold-Tale
2) The New York Times continues its superb CFIDS coverage with this dismantling of the recent Lancet study in Britain and explanation why a reliable diagnostic test is crucial:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/health/research/08fatigue.html
3) The Wall Street Journal continues its superb CFIDS coverage with an examination of how the illness has continued to spread over the past 25 years, and again, why a reliable diagnostic test is of utmost importance. Written by a DePaul psychology professor who has had CFIDS for 21 years:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704507404576179031979295592.html
4) And the most buoying of all, the new study, lauded by Dr. Nancy Klimas, the nation's foremost CFIDS researcher, that has discovered 700 spinal fluid proteins unique only to those with CFIDS. This is the news that finally brings the diagnostic test within reach. Its importance can't be overestimated:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/23/eveningnews/main20035610.shtml?tag=stack
Again, profound thanks to my loved ones who always believed me and to those who met me later and stood by me. To those who doubted me, well, beware of Greeks with long memories.
http://www.elle.com/Beauty/Health-Fitness/Chronic-Fatigue-Syndrome-A-Celebrated-Author-s-Untold-Tale
2) The New York Times continues its superb CFIDS coverage with this dismantling of the recent Lancet study in Britain and explanation why a reliable diagnostic test is crucial:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/health/research/08fatigue.html
3) The Wall Street Journal continues its superb CFIDS coverage with an examination of how the illness has continued to spread over the past 25 years, and again, why a reliable diagnostic test is of utmost importance. Written by a DePaul psychology professor who has had CFIDS for 21 years:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704507404576179031979295592.html
4) And the most buoying of all, the new study, lauded by Dr. Nancy Klimas, the nation's foremost CFIDS researcher, that has discovered 700 spinal fluid proteins unique only to those with CFIDS. This is the news that finally brings the diagnostic test within reach. Its importance can't be overestimated:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/23/eveningnews/main20035610.shtml?tag=stack
Again, profound thanks to my loved ones who always believed me and to those who met me later and stood by me. To those who doubted me, well, beware of Greeks with long memories.
Monday, February 28, 2011
"Time travel is lonely..."--John Vanderslice
Because it's an effective writing warm-up but mostly because it's fun, I post six-word stories on Smith Magazine nearly each day. (As noted last year, I had a piece included in Smith's latest HarperCollins anthology, It All Changed in an Instant and read at the University Bookstore stop of their tour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV8VpKj50Ds)
Went to post this morning and discovered one of mine is Story of the Day again, which is always pleasing, only it's the one I wrote about last year's Oscars: "Will miss watching Oscars with him.":
http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/story.php?did=103474
That held equally true last night, of course, but I'd spent the afternoon w/ two of my oldest and dearest friends and had run into a pair of my favorite colleagues and was putting a better face on things this year, because I can. I still hurt unremittingly but the shock has dissipated and I'm not shattered in the way I was at first. (I still hate the outcome and will hate it until I'm dead. But that's gotta be self-evident to anyone with a functioning brain stem.)
So it's strange how time has again folded in on itself, which it does all the time with grief and, also, if you're a writer.
So much for this year's half-dozen words on Aaron Sorkin.
Went to post this morning and discovered one of mine is Story of the Day again, which is always pleasing, only it's the one I wrote about last year's Oscars: "Will miss watching Oscars with him.":
http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/story.php?did=103474
That held equally true last night, of course, but I'd spent the afternoon w/ two of my oldest and dearest friends and had run into a pair of my favorite colleagues and was putting a better face on things this year, because I can. I still hurt unremittingly but the shock has dissipated and I'm not shattered in the way I was at first. (I still hate the outcome and will hate it until I'm dead. But that's gotta be self-evident to anyone with a functioning brain stem.)
So it's strange how time has again folded in on itself, which it does all the time with grief and, also, if you're a writer.
So much for this year's half-dozen words on Aaron Sorkin.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
And the laurel-resting continues:
One of my dear lefty colleagues recently chided me for being too hard on Greece and its ongoing economic debacle. I explained to him nearly each Greek-American I know had predicted the motherland's implosion and while creating the building blocks for contemporary democracy, math, theater and Western philosophy remains equally inspiring and astounding, toppling the EU is kind of a huge fucking deal.
Today, the latest from Forbes on Greece's new "I Won't Pay" movement:
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/02/22/general-eu-greece-i-won-apos-t-pay_8319311.html
Today, the latest from Forbes on Greece's new "I Won't Pay" movement:
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/02/22/general-eu-greece-i-won-apos-t-pay_8319311.html
Monday, February 21, 2011
Magic:
The Washington Square Hotel posted this photo on its Twitter feed today:
http://twitpic.com/42a0vu
Yes, I know New York winters permeate one's bone marrow and they're damned near impossible to navigate with a cane, but dear god, I remain entranced. (The last time I was in New York, it was 10 degrees F with wind chill, I had a 100 degree fever and needed the cane the entire trip and it was still completely fucking worth it. But did you expect me to reach any other conclusion?)
http://twitpic.com/42a0vu
Yes, I know New York winters permeate one's bone marrow and they're damned near impossible to navigate with a cane, but dear god, I remain entranced. (The last time I was in New York, it was 10 degrees F with wind chill, I had a 100 degree fever and needed the cane the entire trip and it was still completely fucking worth it. But did you expect me to reach any other conclusion?)
Monday, February 14, 2011
My new essay for Nerve, "A Foray into the Domestic Arts", is up now! Cookies, sex and the intersection of the two!
First off, thanks so much to everyone for your delightful birthday wishes yesterday. Imbibed the leftover cake from Kingfish this morning and am experiencing a sugar crash not unlike the opium madness Burroughs wrote of in Naked Lunch. ("I've got the fear!")
If we've known each other awhile, you know this is the fourth version of this essay that has run in the past ten years. And if we know each other well, you know the full story behind it, which is even funnier, though I'll omit select details here. Let's just say a certain someone used to repeatedly mention I left out the part how we'd already dated on-and-off before this story begins and that I'd broken up with him the previous time. I'd playfully retort, "Maybe you should write your own essay then."
When a longer version of this piece was published in the Seal Press anthology, Single State of the Union, alongside essays from Margaret Cho, Chelsea Handler and some fine writers who happen to be dear friends of mine, the latter group of us were asked to do readings at Elliott Bay Book Company, the University Bookstore and at Queen Anne Books. He attended the Queen Anne Books event with my folks, clapped louder than anyone, then Mom and Dad took us to dinner afterward.
Obviously, we did get back together again, but I never did bake cookies again:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/grand-gestures-of-love-gone-wrong?page=4
If we've known each other awhile, you know this is the fourth version of this essay that has run in the past ten years. And if we know each other well, you know the full story behind it, which is even funnier, though I'll omit select details here. Let's just say a certain someone used to repeatedly mention I left out the part how we'd already dated on-and-off before this story begins and that I'd broken up with him the previous time. I'd playfully retort, "Maybe you should write your own essay then."
When a longer version of this piece was published in the Seal Press anthology, Single State of the Union, alongside essays from Margaret Cho, Chelsea Handler and some fine writers who happen to be dear friends of mine, the latter group of us were asked to do readings at Elliott Bay Book Company, the University Bookstore and at Queen Anne Books. He attended the Queen Anne Books event with my folks, clapped louder than anyone, then Mom and Dad took us to dinner afterward.
Obviously, we did get back together again, but I never did bake cookies again:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/grand-gestures-of-love-gone-wrong?page=4
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Prompting nacho comsumption to fall drastically:
Hey, straight guys!
If you'd admit you're a wee curious about fucking each other, the NFL would become superfluous.
As would bar fights and any film in which Hugh Jackman transmogrifies.
Think it over and get back to me.
Happy Superbowl Sunday!
If you'd admit you're a wee curious about fucking each other, the NFL would become superfluous.
As would bar fights and any film in which Hugh Jackman transmogrifies.
Think it over and get back to me.
Happy Superbowl Sunday!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
As usual, the inability to empathize has disheartening consequences:
Everything about this bill is revoltingly sexist, out-of-touch and cruel. I'm not a fan of Speaker Boehner (obviously) but I praised his eloquence when Congresswoman Giffords was shot. I don't foresee praising him again.
From New York Magazine, "New Bill Reportedly Proposes Restrictions on Federal Funding for Abortions":
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/01/abortion.html
Contained: a radical redefining of rape and incest.
A thousand times no.
From New York Magazine, "New Bill Reportedly Proposes Restrictions on Federal Funding for Abortions":
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/01/abortion.html
Contained: a radical redefining of rape and incest.
A thousand times no.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Egypt's brave writers risk imprisonment, torture and death:
Well-researched and detailed new piece on the pernicious forces battling Egyptian writers who are calling for democracy:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41285248/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/
All power to them. And goddamnit, we are so lucky to live here.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41285248/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/
All power to them. And goddamnit, we are so lucky to live here.
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience, Seattle Edition #2!
The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience, Seattle Edition #2 is Friday, April 8, 7 p.m. in the Jewelbox Theater at the Rendezvous!
Last time, the Stranger called us "a big goddamned deal"; KOMO4.com deemed us "the six best authors in town" (a wee hyperbolic but a lovely compliment nonetheless); and City Arts said we were "funny and sharp".
Best not fuck this one up.
The brilliant Jonathan Evison whose latest novel, West of Here, just received a starred review from Booklist and--hold on to your hat!--Vanity Fair christened "a booming, big-hearted epic" is on board and I'll reveal the rest soon.
Five bucks at the door. We had a sold-out house at the premiere in September--hope to see you on April 8!
Last time, the Stranger called us "a big goddamned deal"; KOMO4.com deemed us "the six best authors in town" (a wee hyperbolic but a lovely compliment nonetheless); and City Arts said we were "funny and sharp".
Best not fuck this one up.
The brilliant Jonathan Evison whose latest novel, West of Here, just received a starred review from Booklist and--hold on to your hat!--Vanity Fair christened "a booming, big-hearted epic" is on board and I'll reveal the rest soon.
Five bucks at the door. We had a sold-out house at the premiere in September--hope to see you on April 8!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Seriously, it's got the makings of a Discovery Channel documentary:
I'm fairly certain the emails in all three inboxes are now asexually reproducing. While it's objectively fascinating and, more importantly, the content contained therein is humbling, moving and gratifying, despite returning scads each day, I'm still not caught up. "After the Fire" has, in fact, caught fire and I'm really kind of speechless at the response it has engendered even if--and this goes without saying--I'd much rather write of him alive.
Again, if you haven't heard back from me--and I'm positive your life continues unabated in the meantime--you will very soon.
Happy Sunday, all.
Again, if you haven't heard back from me--and I'm positive your life continues unabated in the meantime--you will very soon.
Happy Sunday, all.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
My new Seattle Weekly feature is online and on stands now!
My new Seattle Weekly feature, "An Incomplete History of Clutch Douglass' Journey to the '80s" is out now:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2011-01-19/music/an-incomplete-history-of-clutch-douglass-journey-back-to-the-80s/
Fun being funny again!
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2011-01-19/music/an-incomplete-history-of-clutch-douglass-journey-back-to-the-80s/
Fun being funny again!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
A brief catch-up while dinner is in the oven:
- The Nerve essay (see previous post) generated a volume of letters as large as it was unforeseen. Completely bittersweet, given the piece's topic, and deeply humbling that people have chosen to share their own stories of loss. Each missive deserves a thoughtful response and all three of my inboxes have been overflowing for the past 10 days. I'm nearly caught up, but if you haven't heard from me yet, you will soon.
- Re Dr. King's birthday on Monday, those who think we live in "post-racial" nation now that we have an African-American President should read the comments on any well-trafficked site whenever said President is mentioned. As one of my friends says, "The only people who think this is a 'post-racial' society are always white."
- I'm going to concentrate on the astoundingly good news Congresswoman Giffords stood up today and momentarily ignore the House repeal of health care reform, which the Senate, of course, has no intent to take up. The only thing the House GOP understands less than health care reform, apparently, is health.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
My new essay for Nerve, "After the Fire", is up:
Hard to write; much harder not to. Deeply touched by the insightful comments:
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/true-stories-after-the-fire
http://www.nerve.com/love-sex/true-stories/true-stories-after-the-fire
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Hard to know where to begin:
Since first watching CNN's "Breaking News" report yesterday while nestling with the puppy and returning emails, i.e. engaging in unremarkable Saturday morning behavior, I've been incredibly saddened and upset by the horror that unfolded in Tuscon.
I feel awful for the victims and for their loved ones. I send Congresswoman Giffords and each survivor prayers and healing thoughts and wish them recovery with minimum trauma and maximum resiliency. The families of the deceased will always bear the scars and I hope they are able to find as much peace as they can. Found out today Judge John Roll was a longtime friend of a family friend and if we gauge others by the company they keep, Roll was a very good man indeed. And while it's hardly without precedent, I still can't wrap my mind around someone shooting a nine year-old girl. Or the level of hate required to shoot Giffords point-blank in the head.
Much discussion has resulted about the increased political vitriol of recent years and whether the gun cross-hairs Sarah Palin placed on 20 "targeted" opponents, among them Giffords, was a contributing factor to the actions of the deranged Jared Loughner. I'm 43 and those my age who are politically active have frequently commented in recent times we have never seen this kind of hate in U.S. politics. We feared someone would get killed or severely wounded. (For the record, and this should be obvious, but I would be equally horrified had a Republican congressperson been shot. Our elected officials shouldn't have to risk their lives.) Loughner bears the ultimate responsibility but I do think Palin and those who engage in sustained and pernicious "targeting" of their political opponents shoulder some of the blame. A sane person could view Palin's cross-hairs all day everyday and be unmoved to shoot one of the listed. But it's kind of fucking obvious not everyone is sane. And when you have roughly two and a half million Facebook supporters, as does Palin, keeping such a graphic on your page is spectacularly unwise. Whether Loughner was influenced by it remains to be seen; even if he wasn't, well, so what? Said graphic accomplished nothing except the notion it's valiant to dehumanize your opponents. And if history teaches us anything, it's that it's easy to harm those you dehumanize.
Speaking of Facebook, one of its most disheartening elements is the way in which some almost reflexively lunge for the jugular in political discussions. I'm openly, unabashedly lefty on most issues but quite vocal when I think Republicans have a good point (for instance, I'm not a fan of Boehner's and have made several jokes at his expense, but he has handled this tragedy with leadership and compassion). I have Republican loved ones, each of whom is well-informed and carefully considers the issues. On the left, we frequently accuse the right of lockstep thinking and it's often an accurate portrayal, but there's a whole lotta group think on the left, too, and in some ways it's even sadder because we insist we're the intellectuals. I enjoy healthy debate and most of the discussions on my page are just that. But it's assinine how many times in the two plus years I've been on Facebook I've had to chide someone for writing on my page they want to kill Sarah Palin. As I noted three months ago during the '10 camgaign when a colleague said his hypothetical slogan would be, "Kill Dino Rossi", this is the kind of thing that (rightfully) outrages us when some dipshit posts it about President Obama in comment sections everywhere; we can't do the inverse but somehow think it's okay because we have a million reasons we loathe Rossi because the comment section dipshits feel the same about Obama. None of us should advocate killing our opponents. Period. Why isn't this self-evident?
The fact Loughner was turned away from the military but still able to legally purchase a gun will forever baffle me and all sentient beings. This wasn't a question of the Second Amendment but of common sense: if your mental health problems preclude you from carrying a weapon overseas, they preclude you from carrying one to a Safeway parking lot.
We can do better than this. We'll have to.
All thoughts and prayers to those whose lives were ruptured yesterday.
I feel awful for the victims and for their loved ones. I send Congresswoman Giffords and each survivor prayers and healing thoughts and wish them recovery with minimum trauma and maximum resiliency. The families of the deceased will always bear the scars and I hope they are able to find as much peace as they can. Found out today Judge John Roll was a longtime friend of a family friend and if we gauge others by the company they keep, Roll was a very good man indeed. And while it's hardly without precedent, I still can't wrap my mind around someone shooting a nine year-old girl. Or the level of hate required to shoot Giffords point-blank in the head.
Much discussion has resulted about the increased political vitriol of recent years and whether the gun cross-hairs Sarah Palin placed on 20 "targeted" opponents, among them Giffords, was a contributing factor to the actions of the deranged Jared Loughner. I'm 43 and those my age who are politically active have frequently commented in recent times we have never seen this kind of hate in U.S. politics. We feared someone would get killed or severely wounded. (For the record, and this should be obvious, but I would be equally horrified had a Republican congressperson been shot. Our elected officials shouldn't have to risk their lives.) Loughner bears the ultimate responsibility but I do think Palin and those who engage in sustained and pernicious "targeting" of their political opponents shoulder some of the blame. A sane person could view Palin's cross-hairs all day everyday and be unmoved to shoot one of the listed. But it's kind of fucking obvious not everyone is sane. And when you have roughly two and a half million Facebook supporters, as does Palin, keeping such a graphic on your page is spectacularly unwise. Whether Loughner was influenced by it remains to be seen; even if he wasn't, well, so what? Said graphic accomplished nothing except the notion it's valiant to dehumanize your opponents. And if history teaches us anything, it's that it's easy to harm those you dehumanize.
Speaking of Facebook, one of its most disheartening elements is the way in which some almost reflexively lunge for the jugular in political discussions. I'm openly, unabashedly lefty on most issues but quite vocal when I think Republicans have a good point (for instance, I'm not a fan of Boehner's and have made several jokes at his expense, but he has handled this tragedy with leadership and compassion). I have Republican loved ones, each of whom is well-informed and carefully considers the issues. On the left, we frequently accuse the right of lockstep thinking and it's often an accurate portrayal, but there's a whole lotta group think on the left, too, and in some ways it's even sadder because we insist we're the intellectuals. I enjoy healthy debate and most of the discussions on my page are just that. But it's assinine how many times in the two plus years I've been on Facebook I've had to chide someone for writing on my page they want to kill Sarah Palin. As I noted three months ago during the '10 camgaign when a colleague said his hypothetical slogan would be, "Kill Dino Rossi", this is the kind of thing that (rightfully) outrages us when some dipshit posts it about President Obama in comment sections everywhere; we can't do the inverse but somehow think it's okay because we have a million reasons we loathe Rossi because the comment section dipshits feel the same about Obama. None of us should advocate killing our opponents. Period. Why isn't this self-evident?
The fact Loughner was turned away from the military but still able to legally purchase a gun will forever baffle me and all sentient beings. This wasn't a question of the Second Amendment but of common sense: if your mental health problems preclude you from carrying a weapon overseas, they preclude you from carrying one to a Safeway parking lot.
We can do better than this. We'll have to.
All thoughts and prayers to those whose lives were ruptured yesterday.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
The world grows increasingly interconnected with each passing year and...
...this would be horrible news under any circumstances, but one of my best friends for the past 23 years just moved to London yesterday, so I find this particularly disturbing.
Wishing the Brits best of luck and very much hope this is a false alarm. In particular, I want my friend and his wife to be safe. And holy hell, what fucked up news to receive the first day in your new city:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/01/06/london.terrorist.attacks/index.html
Wishing the Brits best of luck and very much hope this is a false alarm. In particular, I want my friend and his wife to be safe. And holy hell, what fucked up news to receive the first day in your new city:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/01/06/london.terrorist.attacks/index.html
Monday, January 03, 2011
And now, thanks, Huffington Post and once again, Smith Magazine!
Fun piece in which to be included and a rollicking good way to launch 2011:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-smith/six-word-memoirs-new-year_b_803327.html?ref=fb&src=sp#s218347&title=Finish%20manuscript%3B%20click%20heels%3B%20drink%20heavily.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-smith/six-word-memoirs-new-year_b_803327.html?ref=fb&src=sp#s218347&title=Finish%20manuscript%3B%20click%20heels%3B%20drink%20heavily.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thanks, KEXP!
KEXP interviewed a bunch of us re our 2011 resolutions. Fun being included with Ken Stringfellow, Matthew Caws, King County Executive, Dow Constantine and others whose work I admire and/or with whom I'm friends. Plus, an added bonus: my younger brother is actually impressed:
http://blog.kexp.org/blog/2010/12/30/seattle-music-scene%E2%80%99s-new-year%E2%80%99s-resolutions-pt-1/comment-page-1/#comment-389563
Special thanks to KEXP writer Jon Harthun for eliciting my answers.
May 2011 kiss all of us on the cheek. Best to you and yours!
http://blog.kexp.org/blog/2010/12/30/seattle-music-scene%E2%80%99s-new-year%E2%80%99s-resolutions-pt-1/comment-page-1/#comment-389563
Special thanks to KEXP writer Jon Harthun for eliciting my answers.
May 2011 kiss all of us on the cheek. Best to you and yours!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Salut!
- To my loved ones and colleagues who helped assuage the searing grief to manageable levels, I remain forever and deeply grateful. I've written of this before but it's worth repeating: there's so much good in the world and I was surrounded by it and that made all the difference. The shock wore off months ago and the "new normal" everyone kept referring to continues to take shape. I incorporate his memory daily and will miss him 'til I'm dead, but in incremental ways, I'm getting the hang of the second half of my life.
- To everyone wise enough not to inject their religious or philosophical beliefs into another's grief. The most salient card I received read, "It's always too soon." Really, that's all anyone needs to say.
- I feel he helped look after me in the early months after his death. I realize some lose a partner or close loved one and experience their total absence. I'm not disputing their accounts; merely relaying mine. And I know I might be wrong.
- I worked with a particularly fine crop of editors and producers this year and will be working with each of them throughout 2011 and that's high-five and heel-click prompting.
- To the five conventionally married couples who like as well as love each other: nice job. Share tips with your friends; save the rest of us the headache of listening to another conversation delineating the ways in which marriage is not a porridge of rainbows and gold-leaf crumbles.
- I loved my rabbits boundlessly and when the last one died in May, my home started to resemble a catacomb. So it's been pretty fucking great that my puppy, Thomas, is every bit as sweet, smart, life-affirming and reflexively goofy as I'd hoped he'd be. Thomas Puppy!
- To each citizen and administration official who worked tirelessly to pass health care reform and to repeal DADT. So much left to accomplish, but this is a damned fine start. And I'm still glad I raised money and voted for President Obama.
- There is some good news in the offing I've shared with almost no one because I'd rather unveil it when the ink is dry. Still, it's pleasant having things to look forward to again.
- I am profoundly lucky my family, friends and colleagues are, in fact, my family, friends and colleagues. Much love now and forever.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Why the Jimmy Carter comparision makes no sense whatsoever:
As during the Carter years, there's a recession akin to a bloodbath; joblessness persists; house values keep plummeting and the nation's mood remains cranky as hell.
But to borrow Joe Biden's oft-quoted phrase, here's the huge fucking deal: Carter's one term held few historically notable successes. Obama's first two years contain a pair of gigantic victories: health care reform and the repeal of DADT. Also, the combat phase of the Iraq war is essentially over (not that we can breathe easy yet, but we're moving in the right direction).
No, Gitmo isn't closed and Obama hasn't devised a way to divide loaves and fishes or walk on water, but it'd be useful if my fellow compadres on the left took a sec, breathed deep and momentarily enjoyed what the administration has accomplished so far. The "to do" list still scrolls to the floor, but focusing on success builds momentum, which in turn leads to more success.
And for god's sake, media outlets, you must chill: no one is challenging him from the left in '12. With so many actual stories to cover, it's assinine to speculate where none exists.
But to borrow Joe Biden's oft-quoted phrase, here's the huge fucking deal: Carter's one term held few historically notable successes. Obama's first two years contain a pair of gigantic victories: health care reform and the repeal of DADT. Also, the combat phase of the Iraq war is essentially over (not that we can breathe easy yet, but we're moving in the right direction).
No, Gitmo isn't closed and Obama hasn't devised a way to divide loaves and fishes or walk on water, but it'd be useful if my fellow compadres on the left took a sec, breathed deep and momentarily enjoyed what the administration has accomplished so far. The "to do" list still scrolls to the floor, but focusing on success builds momentum, which in turn leads to more success.
And for god's sake, media outlets, you must chill: no one is challenging him from the left in '12. With so many actual stories to cover, it's assinine to speculate where none exists.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Guy walking by absorbed by your Kindle...
...unless it contains Pakistan's nuclear codes and you've heard rumors President Asif Ali Zardari has an itchy trigger finger, you appear less intellectual, not more.
The smartest and most insightful response is usually to engage in the world surrounding you.
The smartest and most insightful response is usually to engage in the world surrounding you.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
All thoughts and prayers for my friend and her family, please:
I'll heading out the door soon for Part #2 of the Christmas cacophony but my thoughts are with my good friend, whose sister died yesterday after a long bout with brain cancer. She died at home surrounded by her loved ones and for the past two weeks, each of them knew this would arrive any moment.
While her sister's suffering is over, there is a tragedy and, from where I sit, a meaningless to such deaths. Randomness is as brutal a force as the tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of individuals on this day six years ago.
I'll be seeing my friend soon and we've been there for each other through previous bouts of unfettered awfulness, but everything about this passing is spectacularly unfair and I know whatever comfort I can provide is di minimis and the whole point of this holiday seems perverse and darkly ridiculous right now.
While her sister's suffering is over, there is a tragedy and, from where I sit, a meaningless to such deaths. Randomness is as brutal a force as the tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of individuals on this day six years ago.
I'll be seeing my friend soon and we've been there for each other through previous bouts of unfettered awfulness, but everything about this passing is spectacularly unfair and I know whatever comfort I can provide is di minimis and the whole point of this holiday seems perverse and darkly ridiculous right now.
I'm massively fortunate to have...
...so many deeply thoughtful, extraordinarily intelligent, boundlessly talented and ridiculously super-cute friends and family members.
That said, my dear friend and colleague, Jade, just gave me an autographed first-edition Joan Didion, so unless someone wants to gift-wrap Bono and/or Jon Hamm, I think this is the gift-getting pinnacle.
That said, my dear friend and colleague, Jade, just gave me an autographed first-edition Joan Didion, so unless someone wants to gift-wrap Bono and/or Jon Hamm, I think this is the gift-getting pinnacle.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
I'm going to skip year-end reflections...
...because much of them would incorporate you-know-who and I long ago opted to withhold from the grief-mongers whatever it is they think they'll find here. (Seriously, when certain individuals do searches on his name here several times a week, it's not a question of loose screws so much as the degree of looseness.)
Instead, I'll offer a holiday piece I filmed for the Seattle Channel three years ago. (He and I watched it together on my living room couch when it first aired. There--I'll throw you a grief scrap.)
Re the piece itself, about the Christmas torment my brother unleashed on my high school boyfriend, what good are the holidays if you can't needle your younger sibling and remind him that even on the cusp of fatherhood, he remains your baby bro? Ah, payback, a quarter century later. I start at a minute and 17 seconds:
Instead, I'll offer a holiday piece I filmed for the Seattle Channel three years ago. (He and I watched it together on my living room couch when it first aired. There--I'll throw you a grief scrap.)
Re the piece itself, about the Christmas torment my brother unleashed on my high school boyfriend, what good are the holidays if you can't needle your younger sibling and remind him that even on the cusp of fatherhood, he remains your baby bro? Ah, payback, a quarter century later. I start at a minute and 17 seconds:
Seattle Channel Video can be played in Flash Player 9 and up
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
My new interview with John Vanderslice for Paste Magazine is here:
The lauded singer-songwriter and all-around swell guy on philanthropy, Three Imaginary Girls, Teen Feed and playing Santa:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/giving_back/2010/12/john-vanderslice-dresses-as-santa-for-three-imaginary-girls-fundraiser.html
I've had a spate of interviews lately I've really enjoyed and this ranks high among them. My editor made an error, though, and one of JV's answers makes a lot less sense without the question preceding it. So here's the full exchange:
PASTE: The Three Imaginary Girls told me how thrilled they were you stepped up with little notice to play Santa at their holiday concert benefiting Teen Feed, the non-profit that provides meals for homeless youth, and that you'll perform at the event, as well. The night before Three Imaginary Girls' soiree, you're joining your frequent compadres, the Mountain Goats, to play a live show accompanying a silent film in the Castro. So you're playing an intricately involved affair in your home city, San Francisco, then immediately hopping a plane to Seattle to help hungry teens. Few artists of your stature would put themselves through the rigors of performing the shows sequentially. What compelled you to say, "Yes"?
http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/giving_back/2010/12/john-vanderslice-dresses-as-santa-for-three-imaginary-girls-fundraiser.html
I've had a spate of interviews lately I've really enjoyed and this ranks high among them. My editor made an error, though, and one of JV's answers makes a lot less sense without the question preceding it. So here's the full exchange:
PASTE: The Three Imaginary Girls told me how thrilled they were you stepped up with little notice to play Santa at their holiday concert benefiting Teen Feed, the non-profit that provides meals for homeless youth, and that you'll perform at the event, as well. The night before Three Imaginary Girls' soiree, you're joining your frequent compadres, the Mountain Goats, to play a live show accompanying a silent film in the Castro. So you're playing an intricately involved affair in your home city, San Francisco, then immediately hopping a plane to Seattle to help hungry teens. Few artists of your stature would put themselves through the rigors of performing the shows sequentially. What compelled you to say, "Yes"?
JOHN VANDERSLICE: Well, when Three Imaginary Girls calls, you best answer, “Yes.” I'm there for Three Imaginary Girls and Teen Feed! I'll fly in that night and don my suit in the mini-van (Town car? Limo? Ha!) on the way to the show. Teen Feed is a tremendous charity doing necessary work so helping them has to be a good thing. John Darnielle [of the Mountain Goats] asked me a few days after I had accepted the invitation to come to Seattle. I would have done both shows either way. I feel lucky to have such good people who want to do things with me!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Vanderslicer! Three Imaginary Girls! Teen Feed!
My new Seattle Weekly piece on Three Imaginary Girls' holiday benefit for Teen Feed, featuring the endlessly swell John Vanderslice, is online and on stands now:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/events/three-imaginary-girls-holiday-party-1168315/
http://www.seattleweekly.com/events/three-imaginary-girls-holiday-party-1168315/
Saturday, December 11, 2010
If you need a respite from holiday-induced madness, loved ones and/or deadlines:
The deeply talented and industrious Diane Mapes has a new feature on MSNBC.com in which I'm among those interviewed. Bemused that a number of my friends recalled the person in question right away:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40281993/ns/health-pain_center/
And Thomas was featured on Capitol Hill Blog a few months ago, but I had a bunch of deadlines and neglected to post it:
http://capitolhillseattle.com/2010/09/28/hillcats-2010
Hooray, puppydog!
The countdown to January 2nd resumes.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40281993/ns/health-pain_center/
And Thomas was featured on Capitol Hill Blog a few months ago, but I had a bunch of deadlines and neglected to post it:
http://capitolhillseattle.com/2010/09/28/hillcats-2010
Hooray, puppydog!
The countdown to January 2nd resumes.
It was his birthday on Wednesday...
...but I'm not writing about it here.
You can stop doing word searches on his name.
You can stop doing word searches on his name.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Well, yeah, that makes sense:
The American Red Cross is now forbidding people with CFIDS from donating blood:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/03/AR2010120305888.html
England and Canada implemented the same measure earlier this year. I've never donated blood in the 19 years I've had CFIDS, even in the early years when my doctors said I could (they've informally advised against it for awhile now), because I figured whatever was making me this ill didn't belong in the blood supply.
Glad the Red Cross is taking this step and I hope the Centers for Disease Control and NIH follow suit.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/03/AR2010120305888.html
England and Canada implemented the same measure earlier this year. I've never donated blood in the 19 years I've had CFIDS, even in the early years when my doctors said I could (they've informally advised against it for awhile now), because I figured whatever was making me this ill didn't belong in the blood supply.
Glad the Red Cross is taking this step and I hope the Centers for Disease Control and NIH follow suit.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
It's almost too easy to deem birther Texas State Representative Leo Berman (R) a racist, clinically paranoid...
...and skull-dented withered old man, but it's accurate on all counts, so what are you going to do?
Anderson Cooper dismantles Berman's inaccuracies in an exemplary televised interview that should inspire more journalists how to remain calm while shredding totally fabricated crap:
http://www.nerve.com/news/politics/watch-anderson-cooper-mops-the-floor-with-republican-birther
Anderson Cooper dismantles Berman's inaccuracies in an exemplary televised interview that should inspire more journalists how to remain calm while shredding totally fabricated crap:
http://www.nerve.com/news/politics/watch-anderson-cooper-mops-the-floor-with-republican-birther
Monday, November 29, 2010
I'm pretty damned fortunate nearly everyone in my life...
...understands at least the basics of CFIDS, including its severity and unpredictability.
Which is hugely appreciated, as I was too ill to attend Thanksgiving (marking the first time I've been so incapacitated I skipped a major holiday) or my friends' dinner party Saturday night. Except to walk the puppy, I've been unable to leave the house for days. Still on track with my upcoming deadlines, but I'm in so much pain it hurts to lift my head.
If you know me, you know this isn't a bid for sympathy. Far from it. I remain open about CFIDS because there are so many misconceptions surrounding it; the only way this changes is if those of us with the illness are honest about how we live. And it's as pointless to dwell on it as it is to hide it.
Really touched that my dad brought by holiday leftovers and that several friends volunteered to do the same. I'd gone grocery shopping before the worst of it hit, so I'm well-stocked, but still: I'm super-lucky in a lot of ways and this is one of them.
Laura Hillenbrand, lauded author of Seabiscuit and "A Sudden Illness", her essay detailing her life with CFIDS, has a new novel, Unbroken, receiving wide acclaim. (You can read a fine excerpt in this month's print version of Vanity Fair.) In yesterday's Washington Post, Hillenbrand discusses the intersection of CFIDS and writing:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/28/AR2010112803533.html
And in the new Newsweek, the XMRV retrovirus and its possible causative or correlative role with CFIDS is examined:
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/28/could-a-virus-cause-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.html
I'm reminded of Chris Rock's line, that the last time science cured anything, "I Love Lucy" was still on the air, but like most of us, I'd be mighty thrilled with an even somewhat reliable treatment.
Good thing I can do my job lying down.
Which is hugely appreciated, as I was too ill to attend Thanksgiving (marking the first time I've been so incapacitated I skipped a major holiday) or my friends' dinner party Saturday night. Except to walk the puppy, I've been unable to leave the house for days. Still on track with my upcoming deadlines, but I'm in so much pain it hurts to lift my head.
If you know me, you know this isn't a bid for sympathy. Far from it. I remain open about CFIDS because there are so many misconceptions surrounding it; the only way this changes is if those of us with the illness are honest about how we live. And it's as pointless to dwell on it as it is to hide it.
Really touched that my dad brought by holiday leftovers and that several friends volunteered to do the same. I'd gone grocery shopping before the worst of it hit, so I'm well-stocked, but still: I'm super-lucky in a lot of ways and this is one of them.
Laura Hillenbrand, lauded author of Seabiscuit and "A Sudden Illness", her essay detailing her life with CFIDS, has a new novel, Unbroken, receiving wide acclaim. (You can read a fine excerpt in this month's print version of Vanity Fair.) In yesterday's Washington Post, Hillenbrand discusses the intersection of CFIDS and writing:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/28/AR2010112803533.html
And in the new Newsweek, the XMRV retrovirus and its possible causative or correlative role with CFIDS is examined:
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/28/could-a-virus-cause-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.html
I'm reminded of Chris Rock's line, that the last time science cured anything, "I Love Lucy" was still on the air, but like most of us, I'd be mighty thrilled with an even somewhat reliable treatment.
Good thing I can do my job lying down.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
It speaks to how bad Seattle's snow situation is right now...
...that a man killed a stranger with an axe Monday morning a half-mile from my home in full view of school children and it has barely made the news.
In a strange and awful coincidence, the murderer lived on my street and was treating at the mental health facility on Olive; both were true of the 2007 knife-wielding New Year's Eve murderer.
Like everyone, I feel for the victims' families and wish no one had to suffer such horror.
And not to point fingers, but the mental health facility on Olive might want to step up its standard of care.
In a strange and awful coincidence, the murderer lived on my street and was treating at the mental health facility on Olive; both were true of the 2007 knife-wielding New Year's Eve murderer.
Like everyone, I feel for the victims' families and wish no one had to suffer such horror.
And not to point fingers, but the mental health facility on Olive might want to step up its standard of care.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Particularly the drunk guys riding their bikes in the snow:
Don't get pieces like this because so much of the dogs vs. cats debate comes down to the genetics and environment of the individual animal:
http://jezebel.com/5697229/science-says-dogs-are-smarter-than-cats
That said, Thomas, of course, is smarter than most two-legged creatures roaming the planet.
http://jezebel.com/5697229/science-says-dogs-are-smarter-than-cats
That said, Thomas, of course, is smarter than most two-legged creatures roaming the planet.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sleep well!
Several inches of snow have fallen since this afternoon, which is fine for those of us who work from home. Thanksgiving is probably canceled for a large chunk of the city, though, as most of it is a series of hills. Local news is reporting two buses just spun out on I-5 and are blocking three lanes then they showed my neighborhood, which is too snowed over for cars at all. Not that this has stopped a cabal of drunken sledders from commandeering the nearby hills as they did two years ago. I'm bemused, but the puppy is calling total bullshit on these antics and for now, at least, I've kept him distracted.
Much more importantly, a friend of mine just posted Wall Street Journal reports that North Korea and South Korea have exchanged fire and it's utterly horrifying:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703904804575631763523837910.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter
So this is all really useful because slumber tonight was looking too peaceful.
Much more importantly, a friend of mine just posted Wall Street Journal reports that North Korea and South Korea have exchanged fire and it's utterly horrifying:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703904804575631763523837910.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter
So this is all really useful because slumber tonight was looking too peaceful.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
And vegans will like pizza, too:
There will be peace in the Middle East before non-writers understand how we write and why.
(With a few notable exceptions, of course.)
(With a few notable exceptions, of course.)
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Belated good news re The Nervous Breakdown:
Fellow TNB colleague and pal Aaron Dietz reads from his new and well-received novel, Super, tonight at The Hideout. Details:
http://www.aarondietz.us/?page_id=423
Hope to see you there!
Also, this appeared in my Google alerts yesterday a month and a half after the fact, but in addition to rave previews from The Stranger and from KOMO4.com, it turns out The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience Seattle Edition also received a swell write-up from City Arts Magazine:
http://www.cityartsmagazine.com/blog/2010/09/catch-nervous-breakdown-literary-series
Retroactive high fives to all.
http://www.aarondietz.us/?page_id=423
Hope to see you there!
Also, this appeared in my Google alerts yesterday a month and a half after the fact, but in addition to rave previews from The Stranger and from KOMO4.com, it turns out The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience Seattle Edition also received a swell write-up from City Arts Magazine:
http://www.cityartsmagazine.com/blog/2010/09/catch-nervous-breakdown-literary-series
Retroactive high fives to all.
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Two reasons John Edwards remains useful:
1) Aaron Sorkin is writing a screenplay based on the Edwards biography, The Politician. The odds it will be less than brilliant and wildly entertaining are roughly the same John Boehner will forgo bronzer.
2) New York Magazine is reporting via the National Enquirer (yeah, I know, but the Enquirer has been dead accurate throughout Edwards' protracted imbroglios) that Rielle Hunter is now fucking around on him:
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/11/enquirer_claims_rielle_hunter.html
Still bummed those two opted to procreate. Nearly seven billion humans roaming the earth; we were fine without their contributing to the gene pool. (Not that it's their kid's fault, of course. I'm sure she's lovely.)
2) New York Magazine is reporting via the National Enquirer (yeah, I know, but the Enquirer has been dead accurate throughout Edwards' protracted imbroglios) that Rielle Hunter is now fucking around on him:
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/11/enquirer_claims_rielle_hunter.html
Still bummed those two opted to procreate. Nearly seven billion humans roaming the earth; we were fine without their contributing to the gene pool. (Not that it's their kid's fault, of course. I'm sure she's lovely.)
Friday, November 05, 2010
In seven short hours! Woo hoo!
I'm telling a story tonight as part of Annex Theatre Company's "60 Seconds Max", 11:00 p.m., 1100 E. Pike St., $10 at the door. Forty-six performers and readers and a panoply of great and good things. Also, ample booze on the premises.
Netflix can wait 'til tomorrow night!
[Saturday morning postscript: crackling and compelling show! Really enjoyed being part of it. More on Annex Theatre, one of Seattle's best and longest running:
http://www.annextheatre.org/]
Netflix can wait 'til tomorrow night!
[Saturday morning postscript: crackling and compelling show! Really enjoyed being part of it. More on Annex Theatre, one of Seattle's best and longest running:
http://www.annextheatre.org/]
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Onward!
We knew this was coming.
The best strategy? Take a deep breath and begin the fight for 2012.
And please forgo infantile "I'm moving to..." wailing. It accomplishes nothing, reinforces the perception we're crybabies and insults all who have fought real oppression.
My dad has Nazi shrapnel in his leg. I think I can begin and end my days with John Boehner as House Speaker. And history will vindicate Nancy Pelosi and her arduous work on behalf of health care reform.
Learn and move forward.
The best strategy? Take a deep breath and begin the fight for 2012.
And please forgo infantile "I'm moving to..." wailing. It accomplishes nothing, reinforces the perception we're crybabies and insults all who have fought real oppression.
My dad has Nazi shrapnel in his leg. I think I can begin and end my days with John Boehner as House Speaker. And history will vindicate Nancy Pelosi and her arduous work on behalf of health care reform.
Learn and move forward.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Then sniffing a bunch of glue:
The one thing we know for certain is that in 75 years, everyone reading this will be dead.
Some will die from accident, homicide, suicide, "act of God" (hurricane, et al), but the overwhelming majority of us will die from illness. And most of those illnesses will be protracted and probably grisly.
But yeah, President Obama's health care legislation backed by the Democrats was a "pet issue".
The electorate is gargling bongwater.
Some will die from accident, homicide, suicide, "act of God" (hurricane, et al), but the overwhelming majority of us will die from illness. And most of those illnesses will be protracted and probably grisly.
But yeah, President Obama's health care legislation backed by the Democrats was a "pet issue".
The electorate is gargling bongwater.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
With two days left until the election...
...Patty Murray and Dino Rossi, Washington State's senatorial candidates whose positions overlap not at all, are tied in polls at 47% to 47%. (It's axiomatic that King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties tilt heavily toward Murray but, of course, there's that pesky rest of the state.) The Tea Party, which I loathe, includes women to a greater degree than do Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, whose work I love and admire.
The person closest to me and I got drunk Election Night '08 and I think I might drink on Tuesday, but for entirely different reasons.
The person closest to me and I got drunk Election Night '08 and I think I might drink on Tuesday, but for entirely different reasons.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
The Rally to Restore Sanity:
Jon Stewart's closing remarks were incredibly salient and could have stood alone.
In three hours, though, three women performed, one briefly, none solo.
"Sanity" apparently has a ball sack.
In three hours, though, three women performed, one briefly, none solo.
"Sanity" apparently has a ball sack.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Nostalgia is fruitless and the Nineties were fraught with their own complications...
...but it's astounding it was a mere decade ago we had reasonable expectations flights and elections would go off without a hitch.
Monday, October 25, 2010
From New York Magazine, "Dogs Looking Depressed in Their Halloween Costumes":
Photo slideshow of the annual Halloween dog costume extravaganza at Tompkins Park, with dogs looking understandably pissed off:
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/10/dog_halloween_parade.html?%3Fmid=facebook_nymag#photo=1x67315
To each their own and all that, but I'd never dress up Thomas because he's already one of history's cutest creatures and it'd just be gilding the lily. Plus, as the pictorial demonstrates, dogs don't want to wear your grandfather's fedora.
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/10/dog_halloween_parade.html?%3Fmid=facebook_nymag#photo=1x67315
To each their own and all that, but I'd never dress up Thomas because he's already one of history's cutest creatures and it'd just be gilding the lily. Plus, as the pictorial demonstrates, dogs don't want to wear your grandfather's fedora.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Caroline Leavitt's new novel, Pictures of You:
I'll be writing more about this in at least one upcoming piece, but when Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt (Girls in Trouble) is released January 25th, you'd be foolish to overlook it. Leavitt's is the best kind of literary fiction: vivid and warm and depicting a heightened reality while prompting one to read in lieu of eating or sleeping. I'm a slow reader (I remember nearly everything I read, but I imbibe it slowly) and I finished my advance copy in a few days. And sure, we're friends, but I'm close with dozens of writers and not all of them elicit this degree of enthusiasm. More on Leavitt's work:
http://www.carolineleavitt.com/
http://www.carolineleavitt.com/
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
I still believe Anita Hill:
Debate has ensued whether Anita Hill should have publicly disclosed Ginny Thomas' voicemail.
Hill was right for three reasons:
1) It demonstrates the bizarrely contorted views of harassers and those who defend them.
2) She prevents Ginny from publicly relaying an untrue version of events.
3) Hill demonstrates nearly two decades later she is resolutely unapologetic because she did absolutely nothing wrong.
I've always deeply admired Anita Hill and my respect for her has grown.
Hill was right for three reasons:
1) It demonstrates the bizarrely contorted views of harassers and those who defend them.
2) She prevents Ginny from publicly relaying an untrue version of events.
3) Hill demonstrates nearly two decades later she is resolutely unapologetic because she did absolutely nothing wrong.
I've always deeply admired Anita Hill and my respect for her has grown.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
My KUOW piece is archived online now:
Much thanks to the A Guide to Visitors producers. And in addition to emails from friends and family, I've received a few from strangers. Buoying when the Internet uses its powers for good.
My piece is archived in "Hour Six" and it's the fourth one in:
http://kuow.org/specials/aguidetovisitors.php
My piece is archived in "Hour Six" and it's the fourth one in:
http://kuow.org/specials/aguidetovisitors.php
Monday, October 18, 2010
KUOW, 8:00 tonight:
I have a piece airing on KUOW 94.9 FM (Seattle's NPR affiliate) at 8:00 tonight. Part of the stellar A Guide to Visitors series.
Details:
http://kuow.org/program.php?id=21278
Details:
http://kuow.org/program.php?id=21278
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Finally:
A federal panel has urged changing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome's name to reflect the illness' serious and multi-systemic nature:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Health/panel-pushes-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-change/story?id=11891485&page=1
I spent most of my twenties having people ask me, "So, are you tired all the time?" The above news is overdue and vindicating.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Health/panel-pushes-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-change/story?id=11891485&page=1
I spent most of my twenties having people ask me, "So, are you tired all the time?" The above news is overdue and vindicating.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Sometimes it's almost too easy mocking Mitt Romney but...
...it doesn't make it any less fun.
The latest? The once and future GOP presidential candidate who spent $40 million of his own cash to come in third behind Mike Huckabee in the '08 race has made it a condition of his speaking engagement contract that hosts purchase several thousand copies of his new "book", No Apology:
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/10/15/mitt_romney_book/index.html
Say what you will about John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, but you gotta like that by all accounts they consider Romney a pretty-boy, flip-flopping stuffed shirt.
All sides can agree on something after all.
The latest? The once and future GOP presidential candidate who spent $40 million of his own cash to come in third behind Mike Huckabee in the '08 race has made it a condition of his speaking engagement contract that hosts purchase several thousand copies of his new "book", No Apology:
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/10/15/mitt_romney_book/index.html
Say what you will about John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, but you gotta like that by all accounts they consider Romney a pretty-boy, flip-flopping stuffed shirt.
All sides can agree on something after all.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wishing the Chilean miners and their families all the best in the years ahead:
Everyone with a soul was moved by yesterday's astoundingly good news. Will things get a bit more complicated physically, psychologically and financially in the upcoming months? Undoubtedly. For now, though, it's glorious to revel in humanity at its best.
In context, this is de minimis, obviously, but my six-word memoir on the event was chosen by Smith Magazine as their Story of the Day:
http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/
Permalink to the story:
http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/story.php?did=154666
As always, thanks to editor Larry Smith and everyone at his eponymous mag for consistently generating compelling web content.
In context, this is de minimis, obviously, but my six-word memoir on the event was chosen by Smith Magazine as their Story of the Day:
http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/
Permalink to the story:
http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/story.php?did=154666
As always, thanks to editor Larry Smith and everyone at his eponymous mag for consistently generating compelling web content.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
My TNB interview with Vanity Fair's Mike Sacks, who co-authored Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk with...
...some of his friends who write for "The Daily Show", The Onion and for Conan O'Brien:http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2010/10/mike-sacks-co-wrote-2010s-funniest-book-earned-jon-stewarts-praise-and-for-now-at-least-preserved-his-infant-daughters-mental-health/
OBOJ is like a bowl of pistachios: so tasty, you forget it's good for you. No mere "humor" book, it's brilliantly crafted and elicits the kind of laughs that might get you involuntarily committed.
Like everyone, I'm watching the Chilean mine workers' rescue and...
...it's impossible not to be moved by the courage and tenacity of all involved. Thinking of the miners, the rescuers, all of their families and everyone anywhere in the world who remains unable to walk free.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Dogs and donuts and, of course, the rock: my two newest Seattle Weekly features:
My interview with the eminently talented singer-songwriter, Shelby Earl:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-10-06/music/donuts-and-dogs-with-shelby-earl/
And all about the Hattie's Hat line-up for the Reverb Festival:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-10-06/music/hattie-s-hat/
These came out last Wednesday but for obvious reasons, I didn't post them. The tete a tete with Earl was a total kick and I really enjoyed covering the Hattie's Hat roster. Skipped the festival on Saturday--again, for obvious reasons--but have heard swell reports.
Under the circumstances, things are as good as can be.
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-10-06/music/donuts-and-dogs-with-shelby-earl/
And all about the Hattie's Hat line-up for the Reverb Festival:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-10-06/music/hattie-s-hat/
These came out last Wednesday but for obvious reasons, I didn't post them. The tete a tete with Earl was a total kick and I really enjoyed covering the Hattie's Hat roster. Skipped the festival on Saturday--again, for obvious reasons--but have heard swell reports.
Under the circumstances, things are as good as can be.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
A year ago today...
...TJ's body was found.
An elderly man on a fixed income lived in TJ's building for decades. For 10 years, the man couldn't cover rent. TJ paid the remainder so the man could forgo assisted living and stay in his home. TJ never told anyone except me.
It's worth sharing now.
(As I did at his memorial last year.)
An elderly man on a fixed income lived in TJ's building for decades. For 10 years, the man couldn't cover rent. TJ paid the remainder so the man could forgo assisted living and stay in his home. TJ never told anyone except me.
It's worth sharing now.
(As I did at his memorial last year.)
Friday, October 01, 2010
My interview with Kurt B. Reighley, author of the wholly engaging and critically lauded new book...
...United States of Americana went up earlier tonight at The Nervous Breakdown:http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/ldremousis/2010/10/kurt-b-reighley-author-of-united-states-of-americana-makes-you-want-make-things/
Of the dozens of folks I've interviewed, Reighley is among my favorites. Our culture is a better place for his work. And he's got a killer recipe for homemade pickles, rendering most books the poorer for lacking one.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
"Well we all shine on/ like the moon and the stars and the sun!"
For an upcoming feature, I need sources who remember where they were when John Lennon was killed. Particularly, but not exclusively, New Yorkers.
Feel free to share. Thanks!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Photographic evidence!
TNBLE Seattle Edition, shot by super-talented Emergency Press photographer, Kymberlee della Luce:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unbridled_expression/sets/72157624914530461/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unbridled_expression/sets/72157624914530461/
Rocky Votolato's "White Daisy Passing":
Especially resonates tonight.
"Please slow it down
there's a secret magic past world that you only notice when you're looking back at it
all I wanna do is turn around
I'm going down to sleep on the bottom of the ocean
because I couldn't let go when the water hit the setting sun
passing white daisies taking turns
close the door walk into the street
catching raindrops on your tongue
and for a minute it all stops but it won't last man
it's just a passing moment gone
please slow it down
there's a secret place that I know where I could dig a grave out and climb underground for good
all I want to do is turn around
I'm going down to sleep on the bottom of the ocean
because I couldn't let go when the water hit the setting sun
passing white daisies taking turns
all those evenings on the back deck of our first apartment
they meant everything but the wind just carried em off
and you can't go back now just a passing moment gone"
"Please slow it down
there's a secret magic past world that you only notice when you're looking back at it
all I wanna do is turn around
I'm going down to sleep on the bottom of the ocean
because I couldn't let go when the water hit the setting sun
passing white daisies taking turns
close the door walk into the street
catching raindrops on your tongue
and for a minute it all stops but it won't last man
it's just a passing moment gone
please slow it down
there's a secret place that I know where I could dig a grave out and climb underground for good
all I want to do is turn around
I'm going down to sleep on the bottom of the ocean
because I couldn't let go when the water hit the setting sun
passing white daisies taking turns
all those evenings on the back deck of our first apartment
they meant everything but the wind just carried em off
and you can't go back now just a passing moment gone"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Stumble It!