For the second time in three years I jumped at the opportunity to check out a live interview with author and pop culture kingpin
Chuck Klosterman. His books include the wonderful mish-mash of essays titled "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs," and his first book about his own adolescence, "Fargo Rock City." Klosterman's general m.o. is to write non-fiction books and articles about what he knows... small towns, drinking, drugs, girls, and music. More specifically, metal music. Even though I myself am not a big fan of metal, I find Klosterman's writing to be extremely entertaining. As expected, the man himself does not disappoint.
Klosterman recently released his first fiction novel, titled "
Downtown Owl." During his interview with The Pioneer Press' Ross Rahalia, Klosterman admitted that writing fiction was pretty tough. Even though Klosterman hasn't strayed too far from his own background of small town inhabitant, he still found it more difficult to write someone else's history. The story revolves around various characters who live in the small (fictional) town of Owl, North Dakota. I'm not going to be the one who gives you the summary off the dust jacket, and since I just got my copy of the book, you can read more about it
here.
Klosterman and Rahalia discussed a myriad of topics, ranging from what was probably happening during the Vice Presidential debates to what was probably happening at the My Morning Jacket concert taking place on the other side of town. Apparently we (those in attendance) were the kind of people that didn't care about politics or MMJ, but instead flock to a nightclub to hear a crazy man rant about whatever the hell came into his head.
It is always interesting to hear the animated Klosterman talk about his writing. Rahalia asked whether this style of writing about metal, or even just music in general, would exist without "Fargo Rock City." Klosterman's opinion was that most things in life are cyclical - metal was due for a comeback and he was in the right place at the right time to write about it. Although this may be partially true, it takes a talent to really make this shit interesting to a wider audience. There are many self-professed rock critics and writers out there, but not many who do it well enough to garner the well-deserved attention Klosterman has received.
After Rahalia's interview, the audience was asked to throw out questions for the author to answer. They ranged from the absurd (something like whether time travel or thinking liquid metal were actually going to happen - Klosterman vehemently declared time travel completely implausible, and so opted for the alternative), to the expected ("What was Britney Spears really like?"). All questions were taken seriously and answered regardless of topic, because Klosterman actually has fun with his audience. Some expressed disappointment that he chose not to read from his new novel - and in fact his new book was only briefly mentioned twice during the entire night. Those members were promised an audiobook to make up for their trouble, which I thought was extremely generous.
As I end this string of ramblings about an author I adore, I leave you with a direct quote from the man himself via
New York Magazine. Hopefully this gives you some idea of why I read his books.
So, how do nerdy guys get chicks? "Well," Chuck said, "it's like this. You used to be able to tell the difference between hipsters and homeless people. Now, it's between hipsters and retards. I mean, either that guy in the corner in orange safety pants holding a protest sign and wearing a top hat is mentally disabled or he is the coolest fucking guy you will ever know."
miniStories is a juried short story competition hosted by mnartists and coordinated by Electric Arc Radio's Geoff Herbach. Stories are selected, judged, and finalists get a reading that's open to the public before the final selections are published in access + ENGAGE.
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