August 23rd, 2010 / 4:25 pm
Snippets
Snippets
Blake Butler—
@ Urlesque, Mark Baumer is interviewed about his walk across America: “Q What surprised you about your trip? A: People are good and god might be real.”
this is a great interview. congratz to mark.
really enjoyed this.
How’d he get back?
Aw! I edit Urlesque and my roommate/employee Cole (not at all awkward!) conducted that interview. It’s an unusually deep piece for us, thank you so much for noticing!
It’s interesting to see people doing this endeavor, and my mind jumps to “Peace Pilgrim”, a woman who suddenly junked her ordinary American life and traversed the country ceaselessly. Eventually she amassed a cadre of followers, despite her humility and quietness. Baumer contrasts her demeanor in a way that rubs me (see the two-below Antosca thread), though I couldn’t criticize his efforts, success, (nor humor!). Peace Pilgrim’s followers put out a book, which you can get for free, “in her own words”, though I lament they sort of Christianized it in editing. For an alternative, more humane account, the San Francisco Free Print Shop put out another tome, hand-bound, which can be sought, uh, for free, of course.
flew in a plane
Ah yes. Thanks. Somehow I missed that.
The new “backpacking in Europe” thing.
deep love for the baumenator
i think it’s nice to see people traveling the US again.
I bet people never stopped.
he couldn’t have done it without the good people – nice.
i like this experience. before walking across the country, he hitchhiked, which only took 2 weeks.
walking seems cooler than hitchhiking. i like the idea of doing it on a bike the most. running across the country would be cool, too.
i think if i walked 2,500 miles, i’d start running for most of the way. . . not really, no, i wouldn’t. walking seems right. or biking. not running.
either way, this experience is nice, whereas “into the wild” isn’t.
i love that word, “nice”, it’s a pretty empty word, but i use it all the time, and i mean it when i say it.
nice, baumer.
this is a great interview. congratz to mark.
really enjoyed this.
How’d he get back?
Aw! I edit Urlesque and my roommate/employee Cole (not at all awkward!) conducted that interview. It’s an unusually deep piece for us, thank you so much for noticing!
It’s interesting to see people doing this endeavor, and my mind jumps to “Peace Pilgrim”, a woman who suddenly junked her ordinary American life and traversed the country ceaselessly. Eventually she amassed a cadre of followers, despite her humility and quietness. Baumer contrasts her demeanor in a way that rubs me (see the two-below Antosca thread), though I couldn’t criticize his efforts, success, (nor humor!). Peace Pilgrim’s followers put out a book, which you can get for free, “in her own words”, though I lament they sort of Christianized it in editing. For an alternative, more humane account, the San Francisco Free Print Shop put out another tome, hand-bound, which can be sought, uh, for free, of course.
flew in a plane
Ah yes. Thanks. Somehow I missed that.
i bet you’re right.
The new “backpacking in Europe” thing.
deep love for the baumenator
i think it’s nice to see people traveling the US again.
I bet people never stopped.
he couldn’t have done it without the good people – nice.
i like this experience. before walking across the country, he hitchhiked, which only took 2 weeks.
walking seems cooler than hitchhiking. i like the idea of doing it on a bike the most. running across the country would be cool, too.
i think if i walked 2,500 miles, i’d start running for most of the way. . . not really, no, i wouldn’t. walking seems right. or biking. not running.
either way, this experience is nice, whereas “into the wild” isn’t.
i love that word, “nice”, it’s a pretty empty word, but i use it all the time, and i mean it when i say it.
nice, baumer.
i bet you’re right.
Pretty fucking epic.
Don’t know him but beers on me.
I’d love a post on how empty and effective the word “nice.”
Pretty fucking epic.
Don’t know him but beers on me.
I’d love a post on how empty and effective the word “nice.”
Some asswipe left an asshole comment on the other site and all I can think is: Who the hell would confuse interview answers for creative writing? Which is also to say: Asswipe ruined what was otherwise a positive reading experience and that makes me mad.
I would never be able to do what Mark did. I think it’s incredible and thank God he’s still alive.
Some asswipe left an asshole comment on the other site and all I can think is: Who the hell would confuse interview answers for creative writing? Which is also to say: Asswipe ruined what was otherwise a positive reading experience and that makes me mad.
I would never be able to do what Mark did. I think it’s incredible and thank God he’s still alive.