FANZINE

“GENTLEMEN, GENTLEMEN…” Brief Times With Robert Culp

03.26.10

I read this motto today in the LA Times: "Gentlemen, gentlemen, be of good cheer, for they are out there and we are in here." It’s a great toast by men of character and taste; the words attributed to actor Robert Culp and spoken by the likes of Hugh Hefner. Unfortunately I had to read this in the Times’ obituary for Robert, who died Wednesday after falling outside of his home. Robert was the father of a good friend of mine, a friend himself, and part of what I considered my surrogate West Coast family. I was always welcome in his house and his generosity and class were unmatched. It’s a sorrowful farewell to a man who was a great friend to many, though I remain thankful that chin had such powerful genetics.

That Song – Chilton Pt 2

03.23.10

That Song – Chilton Pt 2

Poetry: Amy McDaniel: Selected Adult Lessons

03.22.10

Saw Amy McDaniel read the other evening in East Atlanta – bit of fiction and some poetry from her new collection Selected Adult Lessons on Agnes Fox…

Reading: Dennis Cooper, James Greer, Mark Gluth, West Coasting

03.19.10

(Okay so the following has moved on up to Portland Thursday and Friday Seattle with Gluth and Greer doing two more readings)  Let’s raise one…

Glory Holes and Hot Tubs: Dan Hoy and Jon Leon in Conversation

03.18.10

Mal-O-Mar Editions recently published Glory Hole / The Hot Tub, a double-sided book of poetry from Dan Hoy and Jon Leon. In honor of the occasion Fanzine presents this wide-ranging conversation between the two authors on such subjects as messianic time, Baudelaire, Henry Hazlitt, Dante’s Inferno, Native American Potlach traditions, Return on Investment (ROI), crowd-sourcing, anemia, Citysearch movie theater reviews and, of course, hot tubs. Hoy and Leon also helpfully explain the difference between fuck-it-all and who-gives-a-fuck. 

The Time of the Men with Guns: My Life with the Taliban by Abdul Salam Zaeef

03.17.10

In December the Obama administration brought 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, attempting a surge strategy similar to Bush’s in Iraq, and, with the escalation of the war, the Taliban has found its way back into public debate. Abdul Salam Zaeef was the Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan, where he was captured in 2002 and held in the Guantanamo Bay prison facility until 2005. Michael Busk reviews Zaeef’s recent autobiography, which brings up troubling questions about the conduct of the U.S. government but also what the appropriate response to theocratic despotism might be.

For further Afghanistan reading, check out William Vollmann’s out-of-print Afghanistan Picture Show, which recounts his time as a naive young buck fighting alongside the Mujahdeen against the Soviets. Also, recommended is Love and War in Afghanistan, a collection of oral histories that shows that region’s conflicts from many wildly different perspectives.

Everybody Loves Ramen

03.16.10

So you’re a fan of Ray Romano eh? Yes No Maybe? Well fuggetabouthim and reflect for a moment on that other show, you know the ‘controversial’ and hugely popular, metafictiony, Wong family sitcom known as Everybody Loves Ramen? Jimmy Chen tells the tale of a show still basking in the aether of our retro-consciousness (whether you know it or not). Watch for falling boom mics, and enjoy.