July 2nd, 2010 / 2:42 pm
Author Spotlight

Tao Lin News x 2 re via scare quote hamster with 3 x killing scare rampage quote potential

Today is Tao Lin’s birthday. He is 27 years old.

Also, according to his blog, today is the last day of operations for The Tao Lin Store. If a person was a person who enjoys Tao Lin, or in some respect ‘supports’ his existence, this might be a fine day to lend some ‘existential’ ‘support’ in the ‘form’ ‘of’ ‘purchasing’ one or ‘more’ ‘i’te’m’s’ ‘f’r’o’m’ the Tao Lin store. One item ‘you’ might ‘want’ is a ‘copy’ of the ‘2nd’ edition of Sometimes My Heart Pushes My Ribs by ‘Ellen’ Ke’nn’edy. Early ‘reports’ suggest ‘5 x fixed typo,’ and an ‘updated’ copyright page. You could also pre-order a copy of Richard Yates, either at the bn.com ‘link’ ‘I’ ‘just’ ‘offered’ or you could get your ‘copy’ early if you join the Rumpus Book Club, because ‘RY’ is ‘their’ next ‘selection’.

IS THERE A ‘CONNECTION’ BETWEEN TAO’S BIRTHDAY AND THE ‘CLOSING’ OF HIS ONLINE STORE? Stephen and Marshall will be moderating a discussion on this topic in our comments section. Wild speculation is encouraged. Happy birthday, friend.

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67 Comments

  1. James Spaders

      Maybe he’s closing it because he’s not a very good writer.

  2. and then a plank in reason broke and i dropped down and down

      ‘i’te’m’s’ ‘f’r’o’m’ made me smile. thanks.

  3. thomas

      maybe he’s ‘closing’ it because he’s run out of ‘random shit’ from his ‘room’

      or maybe he’s closing it because he needs money and will ‘reopen’ it after ‘reconsidering’ his ‘decision’ in a few weeks

  4. andrew

      It’s cuz he’s going to commit suicide. Isn’t that obvious?

  5. D.W. Lichtenberg

      That would be a shame.

  6. marshall

      Yellow card.

  7. marshall

      I considered the “fake retirement scheme” a la Jay-Z, but he does say that “there is a 99.5% chance that it won’t open again.” It seems uncharacteristic of Tao to try to deceive people. It’s probably just that it’s not worth his time, in a financial sense. Maybe he is switching business models.

  8. Joseph Marcure

      Running a store is tiring. Not that this is why he’s closing it.

      ‘i’te’m’s’ ‘f’r’o’m’ made me smile too.

  9. muumuu house

      if anyone who writes for htmlgiant or who has been interviewed or reviewed on htmlgiant wants a free copy of the 2nd edition of ellen’s book email muumuuhouse@gmail.com your address and it will be mailed to you

  10. James Spaders

      Maybe he’s closing it because he’s not a very good writer.

  11. and then a plank in reason bro

      ‘i’te’m’s’ ‘f’r’o’m’ made me smile. thanks.

  12. thomas

      maybe he’s ‘closing’ it because he’s run out of ‘random shit’ from his ‘room’

      or maybe he’s closing it because he needs money and will ‘reopen’ it after ‘reconsidering’ his ‘decision’ in a few weeks

  13. andrew

      It’s cuz he’s going to commit suicide. Isn’t that obvious?

  14. D.W. Lichtenberg

      That would be a shame.

  15. Jimmy Chen

      dfw’s story ‘oblivion’ uses excessive single scare quotes in the same indignant/sarcastic manner; it always weirds me out because i associate that use with lin, though that story came way before.

  16. Guest

      Yellow card.

  17. Guest

      I considered the “fake retirement scheme” a la Jay-Z, but he does say that “there is a 99.5% chance that it won’t open again.” It seems uncharacteristic of Tao to try to deceive people. It’s probably just that it’s not worth his time, in a financial sense. Maybe he is switching business models.

  18. Joseph Marcure

      Running a store is tiring. Not that this is why he’s closing it.

      ‘i’te’m’s’ ‘f’r’o’m’ made me smile too.

  19. Paul

      i feel sad that it’s tao lin’s birthday and people are talking about the off-ing of his ‘self’

  20. Jimmy Chen

      dfw’s story ‘oblivion’ uses excessive single scare quotes in the same indignant/sarcastic manner; it always weirds me out because i associate that use with lin, though that story came way before.

  21. Paul Cunningham

      i feel sad that it’s tao lin’s birthday and people are talking about the off-ing of his ‘self’

  22. listening to 'muumuu haus' with a neutral facial expression

      where is stephen. have not seen a comment by him yet. worried about you bro. send out an ‘sos’ so we all know yr alive…

  23. I. Fontana

      There could be a lot of reasons. Tao may be moving to Helsinki. Or to Copenhagen. Nairobi. Odessa. The other Odessa. The Odessa everyone forgets. Sacramento. Ottawa. Miami Beach. Tangier. Berlin. Pittsburgh. San Jose. Ciudad Juarez. Manila. Bordeaux. Lausanne. Khartoum. Monrovia. Istanbul. Belgrade. Juneau. Guam. Des Moines. Plano. Barstow. Flagstaff. Cadiz. Barcelona. Sfax.

      It’s possible that he’s getting married soon to Sasha Vanderbilt, Sasha Bouvier, Sasha Ovitz, Sasha Chirac, Sasha Frick, Sasha Iococca, Sasha Vidal, Sasha Amin, Sasha Schroeder, Sasha Phoenix, Sasha Borg, Sasha Mandela, Sasha Farrow, Sasha Beefheart, Sasha Chen, Sasha Bellow, Sasha Phoenix, Sasha Van Sant, Sasha Cheney, Sasha Carol Oates, Sasha Morrison, Sasha Lieberman, Sasha Cooper, Sasha Ellroy, Sasha Bryant, Sasha Jordan, Sasha Federer, Sasha Jagger, Sasha Zappa, Sasha Ceaucescu or Sasha Moon.

      Or he’s joining Medecins Sans Frontieres.

  24. zusya17
  25. listening to 'muumuu haus' wit

      where is stephen. have not seen a comment by him yet. worried about you bro. send out an ‘sos’ so we all know yr alive…

  26. I. Fontana

      There could be a lot of reasons. Tao may be moving to Helsinki. Or to Copenhagen. Nairobi. Odessa. The other Odessa. The Odessa everyone forgets. Sacramento. Ottawa. Miami Beach. Tangier. Berlin. Pittsburgh. San Jose. Ciudad Juarez. Manila. Bordeaux. Lausanne. Khartoum. Monrovia. Istanbul. Belgrade. Juneau. Guam. Des Moines. Plano. Barstow. Flagstaff. Cadiz. Barcelona. Sfax.

      It’s possible that he’s getting married soon to Sasha Vanderbilt, Sasha Bouvier, Sasha Ovitz, Sasha Chirac, Sasha Frick, Sasha Iococca, Sasha Vidal, Sasha Amin, Sasha Schroeder, Sasha Phoenix, Sasha Borg, Sasha Mandela, Sasha Farrow, Sasha Beefheart, Sasha Chen, Sasha Bellow, Sasha Phoenix, Sasha Van Sant, Sasha Cheney, Sasha Carol Oates, Sasha Morrison, Sasha Lieberman, Sasha Cooper, Sasha Ellroy, Sasha Bryant, Sasha Jordan, Sasha Federer, Sasha Jagger, Sasha Zappa, Sasha Ceaucescu or Sasha Moon.

      Or he’s joining Medecins Sans Frontieres.

  27. Steven Augustine

      I wish I still had my pet rock, pyramid hat, mood ring and signed first edition of that book by JT Leroy… they’d all be worth something now.

  28. Chloe Cooper Jones

      I offered Tao $5 to read me a bedtime story, but he said that wasn’t enough money. Maybe he’ll sell bedtime stories for $30 or something.

      Last night Tao and I saw Larry David in Washington Square Park, but it wasn’t exciting as I hoped it might be. I wanted Tao to have a really good birthday story. Like someone would say, “hey, how was your birthday?” and then Tao could tell a really good story about hanging out with Larry David. Oh well.

  29. Steven Augustine

      I wish I still had my pet rock, pyramid hat, mood ring and signed first edition of that book by JT Leroy… they’d all be worth something now.

  30. ZZZIPP

      ZZZZIPP HAS NOTHING AGAINST TAO BUT IT DOES NOT SEEM UNCHARACTERISTIC OF TAO TO TRY AND DECEIVE PEOPLE. HE HAS FUN DECEIVING PEOPLE WITH TECHNICALITIES.

  31. ZZZIPP

      CCJ TELL US ABOUT ONE OF YOUR OTHER FRIENDS. I’D LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT A NIGHT OUT WITH ANOTHER FRIEND OF YOURS.

  32. Steven Augustine

      Televangelism has just the right quotient of reverse-hip to it. And you can do it without any talent while pretending to do it “without any talent”.

  33. jonny ross

      seems more ‘ironic’ than ‘anything,’ ‘or something’

  34. osmon steele

      book is terrible no one do it

  35. Chloe Cooper Jones

      I offered Tao $5 to read me a bedtime story, but he said that wasn’t enough money. Maybe he’ll sell bedtime stories for $30 or something.

      Last night Tao and I saw Larry David in Washington Square Park, but it wasn’t exciting as I hoped it might be. I wanted Tao to have a really good birthday story. Like someone would say, “hey, how was your birthday?” and then Tao could tell a really good story about hanging out with Larry David. Oh well.

  36. marshall

      :/

  37. Chloe Cooper Jones

      That’s very sweet. Thanks for asking. See, everone keeps telling me how snarky Internet comments can get, but here you are defying that tired trope. It’s so refreshing.

  38. Trey

      you too! and now me also! sweet!

  39. ZZZIPP

      ZZZZIPP HAS NOTHING AGAINST TAO BUT IT DOES NOT SEEM UNCHARACTERISTIC OF TAO TO TRY AND DECEIVE PEOPLE. HE HAS FUN DECEIVING PEOPLE WITH TECHNICALITIES.

  40. ZZZIPP

      CCJ TELL US ABOUT ONE OF YOUR OTHER FRIENDS. I’D LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT A NIGHT OUT WITH ANOTHER FRIEND OF YOURS.

  41. Steven Augustine

      Televangelism has just the right quotient of reverse-hip to it. And you can do it without any talent while pretending to do it “without any talent”.

  42. jonny ross

      seems more ‘ironic’ than ‘anything,’ ‘or something’

  43. osmon steele

      book is terrible no one do it

  44. Guest

      :/

  45. Chloe Cooper Jones

      That’s very sweet. Thanks for asking. See, everone keeps telling me how snarky Internet comments can get, but here you are defying that tired trope. It’s so refreshing.

  46. Trey

      you too! and now me also! sweet!

  47. ZZZIPP

      CCJ THIS IS A GOOD FEELING.

  48. ZZZIPP

      CCJ THIS IS A GOOD FEELING.

  49. Donald

      I’m sure you can see where he’s coming from, though, Chloe. That was fairly namedroppy / apropos of next to nothing.

  50. Chloe Cooper Jones

      Thank you for the helpful feedback.

  51. marshall

      Can you give an example of this deceit? Maybe I’m wrong.

  52. ZZZIPP

      WELL THAT CONTEST BSG RAN IS ONE NOTABLE EXAMPLE. TAO SEEMS KIND OF SLIPPERY, LIKE AN EEL. JUST DOING HIS THING.

  53. Steven Augustine

      More like “name-felching” than dropping.

  54. Steven Augustine

      I’d like to get Richard Gere’s gerbil in on this discussion. He’s old but well-preserved.

  55. Justin RM

      Well, I finally watched the ending of Pink Flamingos where the tranny eats dog shit fresh from the dog’s ass.
      And no sir, I don’t like it.
      I don’t like it at all.

  56. Donald

      I’m sure you can see where he’s coming from, though, Chloe. That was fairly namedroppy / apropos of next to nothing.

  57. ZZZIPP

      STEVEN THAT’S A REALLY CONFUSING SIMILE.

  58. Sean

      Maybe he is ‘tired’ of ‘money’

  59. Chloe Cooper Jones

      Thank you for the helpful feedback.

  60. Guest

      Can you give an example of this deceit? Maybe I’m wrong.

  61. ZZZIPP

      WELL THAT CONTEST BSG RAN IS ONE NOTABLE EXAMPLE. TAO SEEMS KIND OF SLIPPERY, LIKE AN EEL. JUST DOING HIS THING.

  62. Steven Augustine

      More like “name-felching” than dropping.

  63. Steven Augustine

      I’d like to get Richard Gere’s gerbil in on this discussion. He’s old but well-preserved.

  64. Justin RM

      Well, I finally watched the ending of Pink Flamingos where the tranny eats dog shit fresh from the dog’s ass.
      And no sir, I don’t like it.
      I don’t like it at all.

  65. ZZZIPP

      STEVEN THAT’S A REALLY CONFUSING SIMILE.

  66. Sean

      Maybe he is ‘tired’ of ‘money’

  67. Rogwilsmith

      good one. nice and good site