MetaChat - Diagnosing Chuck Klosterman.

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07 November 2008

Diagnosing Chuck Klosterman. (Salon).→[More:] I have an advanced readers copy of Downtown Owl but I haven't read it yet, since I have a gazillion other books I bought for a buck ahead of it. But this is a good article. Chuck's become somewhat popular with the hipster set recently, but I'm not ready to panic that they've devoured him. I still like his populist strek, his sports fandom, and, of course, there's the Metal thing. The Sun records t-shirt he's wearing made me smile, too. I saw one just like it the back of Rolling Stone when I was fourteen and ordered one, but got envelope back with an explanation that the company making them had gone under. Plus this quote from the article: ""I know that I've never been to a greenmarket in my life. I know that I like processed foods. Processed foods taste good to me." The fact that the artcle retorted to this screed made me happy, too.

Full diclosure: I met Chuck once when he did a reading at KGB in the East Village. He was very cool when we briefly. Even though he went over well with the audience, I think I was the only person in the room who was an unironic fan of the music he wrote about in Fargo Rock City. He saw my Destroyer jersey and signed my book "Jon, go home and listen to Music From The Elder. I said that the book didn't mention Twisted Sister enough and he said that when he went on House Of Hair, Dee Snider told him the same thing. and the passage of Chuck's that I quote here still stands as one of the most insightful pieces of cultural criticism I've ver read.

Anyways, one of my first ever MeCha posts was about Chuck, so I'm coming full circle.

I'm babbling I realize, but what's everybody's thoughts on this guy?

post by: jonmc at: 14:20 | 16 comments

I think that Greil Marcus could take him in a cage match. He looks soft to me. But those farm boys can be deceptive. They're all like laconic and aw-shucks and then BAM, you're on your knees collecting teeth.

I'm also suspicious of any essayist not named Montaigne.

I have not read Chuck Klosterman.

But Greil Marcus was behind me in a bagel shop once, and he smelled like a freshly-washed puppy.

posted by BitterOldPunk 07 November | 15:11

I think that Greil Marcus could take him in a cage match.

Marcus is interesting sometimes, but too often he wanders of into the ether. And any man who realizes unironically, why the death of Robbin Crosby was important is an interesting guy.

posted by jonmc 07 November | 15:15

Greil Marcus is the only name I recognize in this discussion so far.

posted by BoringPostcards 07 November | 15:21

I'm one of those who really enjoys Klosterman. His dissection of the cultural significance of Barry Bonds was one of the most intelligent things I've ever read about any sport ever.

posted by middleclasstool 07 November | 15:25

I like his memoir and autobiographical writing (Fargo Rock City, that dead-celebrities/relationships books) a lot. As for his essays and cultural criticism, well, I used to think of him like Wynton Marsalis--somebody whose writing I enjoy, although I don't share many of his tastes and preferences and opinions and whatnot. And somebody where, the less I know about the subject, the better I like his writing about it (e.g., I still like him on sports). These days, though, it seems like his range might be a little more limited than I first thought it was.

Also, he worked at the Akron Beacon Journal, which was, I believe, his first post-college journalism job, when I attended the University of Akron and worked for the student newspaper. We had a lot of friends and acquaintances in common and whatnot, but I don't recall ever meeting the guy.

Also: the Chuck Klosterman Opinion Generator.

posted by box 07 November | 15:27

Goshdarnit, I've almost read Klosterman, but every time the opportunity presents itself for me to get one of his books, I pass.

Like, now I've got three books in my reading queue, adding a fourth would just be too much. I really, really want to read his stuff, but I keep sticking him on the back burner.

posted by hellojed 07 November | 15:30

I like him. He ranges from very perceptive to very silly, sometimes too silly, but he's never a waste of my time. For instance, here is a paraphrased version of a question he poses in a chapter of a book that is a series of these types of questions:

You have a gotten your hands on a Dream VCR. This machine will record your dreams. The only catch is, if you want to replay your dreams, you must do so in the presence of your friends and family members. Do you watch the VCR?

and another:

You are at a banquet. The guests consist entirely of all the people you have ever slept with. You must make a speech of five to fifteen minutes. What do you say?

Anybody? Anybody?

posted by rainbaby 07 November | 15:36

I should add that I disagree strongly with him on a bunch of things, but he does what a good writer of cultural criticism should do: articulate ideas that are floating out there in the ozone better than you could.

You are at a banquet. The guests consist entirely of all the people you have ever slept with. You must make a speech of five to fifteen minutes. What do you say?

I supposed I'd open with "Was it good for any of you?" and then nervously ask "You aren't comparing notes, are you?"

posted by jonmc 07 November | 15:39

Ah, jon, you're assuming that the banquet guests know why they are there.

I think I'd speak of my new Charity Effort or do a strange home-sale presentation and hit them up for money, not saying a word about the assembly of the guest list.

posted by rainbaby 07 November | 16:12

Hate'm. Can't stand his stuff. Find him grossly self-conscious. Sorry Jonmc.

posted by loiseau 07 November | 16:13

I kinda like him. When I was subscribed to Esquire, I'd read his column every month. But I let my Esquire subscription expire and I haven't really been jonesing for my monthly Chuck.

I do kinda miss the one or two interesting articles in each issue of Esquire. They had some great Iraq articles. But now that I don't get it, I think I manage to read more of each issue of the New Yorker--so maybe that's a good trade off.

posted by mullacc 07 November | 19:22

Ah, jon, you're assuming that the banquet guests know why they are there.

I think they'd figure it out pretty quick. 11 intelligent talkative women with little else in common can be pretty good deducers.

posted by jonmc 07 November | 19:33

I liked him, but then I really burnt out on him a year or two ago. It's hard to explain exactly why, but it seemed like his essays started to go in circles where they seemed like they were making a point, but where a second read showed that he hedged his words and never committed to anything.

posted by drezdn 07 November | 23:05

You're the only reason I've ever even heard of the dude.

posted by Eideteker 07 November | 23:14

Always just found him boring. Sorry.

posted by arse_hat 08 November | 00:34

11 intelligent talkative women with little else in common can be pretty good deducers.

I think I should count twice. ; )

My favorite social commentary is still Wallace's piece on cruise ships. Brilliant. (And yet I still want to take a cruise. But I'd be thinking of him at the buffet table.)

posted by Pips 08 November | 09:41

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