- I take the idea of “live radio” seriously——even if the live radio is streaming 70s cheese from a different time zone. [rest of thought deleted. Friday evening deleted]
- I use twitter, for some reason. I throw links and thoughts onto it throughout the day. It’s more pointless than this blog by a factor of 0.3.
- I wrote a psychotic gender play and set it to ‘private’ because I was worried people might think I hated women, or something. When I was ten, I told my mother, “Someday I want to write Mark Leyner-meets-Neil LaBute–style dialogues on the Internet.” She just smiled. Just kidding.
- I told McMüller I was going to “blog” about this image and he remembered and asked me about it a week or so later. That’s tantamount to a “commission.” So:
The cover of the New York Times Book Review from Aug. 20 was this image:
whoops! just cradding! there’s a lot of crazy garbage on my “desk-top”! here it is:
The review was called “Meet, Pay, Love,” the book is called HOS, HOOKERS, CALL GIRLS, AND RENT BOYS: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex. The question: what the fock is depicted here? Clearly we have a female body — I see breasts, legs, an arm, some haunches. It says $100000 on the weird newspaper-roll thing she’s standing on. What’s happening in her crotch, though????
McMüller was the only/first person of the several “publishing professionals” I asked who didn’t make a cop-out or totally insane guess. His answer:
It’s an old-timey fountain pen!
But a pen that’s all splay-legged, ready for lovin. On top of a roll of bills.
Wait what am I “blogging” to do what hey
In conclusion, this is an attractive but exceedingly difficult-to-read image.
Back to work….
Kind regards,
Scott McLemee’s ersatz ghost-puppy
Why are you worried that people will think you hate women? Are you just worried men will think you hate women (because it will mean you are a closet homo) or that women will think you hate women (bc it means you are a closet homo)? Or both?
I’m a gender studies major in Texas and stumbled across this blog. I think I will use it in a class presentation.
Gender studies has changed a lot in the past, say, 18 months. I mean, women aren’t really worried about men hating them anymore, right? What is the worst that can happen if a man (who suffers from detumescence or whatever it is that makes him hate women) hates a woman?
Share the play with the public. Keeping it private means that you don’t play well with others.
Your loyal feminist reader,
Sara
i saw the NYT book review cover and i was also took me a second to figure it out. yeah, it’s a pen. classic trope. the kreffinator should have caught it…
http://www.softskull.com/images/softskullpress_3.gif
Hi Sara!
I am not so much a closeted homo as I am a… bed-ridden homo? Just kidding, you raise interesting questions. Unfortunately I lobotomized myself recently so I can’t answer any of them. I will drive to Texas for your class presentation, just let me know when it is. Has Gender Studies really changed so much in the past 18 months?? That sounds exciting. That sounds like a revolution! Or at least the cover of TIME magazine.
At any rate, I will share the “play” with you. It’s password-protected; your password is Texas Feminism.
With many thanks to you,
I remain,
Internet Pseudonym Lobotomy Man
I said it was a spread-eagle compass. Maybe not a classic trope, but hey, f u guys.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Compass_(drafting).jpg
Professor Plays Well With Others
Hi Quilty,
The Times should give you a blog devoted to decoding artwork from its very pages.
“PEACE OUT”
Quality
PS Good luck with the lobotomy recovery!