Hanging Out vs. Being Hanged: An Interview with Jarett Kobek
Jarett Kobek is the author of ATTA, from Semiotext(e), and the forthcoming If You Won’t Read, Then Why Should I Write? on Penny-Ante Editions.
If You Won’t Read…, often referred to by Kobek as “The Sex Tapes Book,” is a collection of the coincidental dialog from celebrity sex tapes (and some other hyper-media-based ‘tapes’) transcribed and presented as a text. Included alongside these transcriptions is the criminal records of the celebrity whose dialog is on display. Riding a fine line between conceptual writing, humor, gossip, and ‘alt-lit,’ the book ends up being hilariously funny while resonating with an intense cultural relevance.
I sat down with Jarett one afternoon at a café in San Francisco’s Mission District to talk about his new book. The hour-long conversation, covering everything from Normal Mailer to Jennifer Lopez to Miley Cyrus’s shamanic trip, is available to listen to below:
Interview with Jarett Kobek, Part 1
Interview with Jarett Kobek, Part 2
Pre-order If You Won’t Read, Then Why Should I Write? at Penny-Ante Editions.
elimae’s tits
Without Google, it would be impossible to bring Boob Friday and Indie Lit—two rather arbitrary associations—together, which is what I’ve done.
If one were to google “tits elimae,” one would find this and this. (Incidentally, Blake’s blog is the third domain result.)
This first one, Untitled by Aaron Winslow, concerns saying pick-up lines under the influence. It’s a gem: funny, unexpected, and a little sad:
last nite i had a dream that i was all liquored up and i was walking around this bar saying things to women like, “is your father a thief? ‘cuz i’d like to jizz all over your tits.” and “do you wash your clothes in windex? ‘cuz i want to put my thumb up your ass.” and then i would laugh and laugh. and the best part was that the ladies thought it was funny too. those are the only two that i remember, but i think i said a bunch of them.
The second one, Military Courtesan by Mark Yakich, is a strange poem I do not understand. I only know it fills me up with experiences that feel lived, which is why I think I read:
In the world of small arms,
She offers a pair of tits. And you
Put them on like epaulets.She offers milk with vodka.
She offers you Eve without
Ivy, and a red in tender
That doesn’t mean raw.
I chose elimae for two reasons: 1) they are one of my favorite journals, and 2) I knew the pieces wouldn’t be too long.
Speaking of things not being too long, everyday is Dick Friday for me.
Uncategorized / 2 Comments
October 17th, 2008 / 5:33 pm
October 17th, 2008 / 5:33 pm
Boobs Friday for Internet Literature
Friday. I think Friday is okay? Friday actually kind of sucks for internet land because it’s the beginning of the weekend and during the weekend people aren’t at work all day jacking off on the internet not doing their real job and they are actually out like talking to people and being with real life friends. Fuck all that. The weekend is like my reverse weekend. I have a weekend through the week and the weekend feels like the week.
Internet literature definitely suffers on the weekends, there are less emails, less updates, stop being real people, mmk?
To combat the weekend slump of weekend, HTML Giant is pleased to present some tits.
As a gift to internet literature from our very own Kendra Grant Malone, here are Kendra Grant Malone’s boobs.
This hopefully will be the beginning of what I’d like to think of as Boobs Friday for Internet Literature.
Submit your boobs for future Fridays, get an acceptance to like elimae or Wigleaf via karmic booyah.