Kyle Beachy's Blog, page 5

Proof, further

I didn't participate in any of last or early this year's many outpourings of memorial affection following Dave Wallace's death, aside from a short note of sadness and thanks that appears to have vanished from this site' archives. But as I'm preparing to teach Infinite Jest at SAIC, and write an essay of my own about rivalry, athletic fanhood, and envy, I've found myself back deep into "Consider the Lobster", both the book and (right this second) the essay, and I've reached this moment here...

A Video Asterisk

Well, I have done it. I've completed my first ever iMovie with footage from my Panasonic Lumix handheld camera thing, a sleek black camera I bought for the sole fact that the Crailtap guys told me to, meaning I fell prey to a celebrity endorsement, the simplest and most transparent of all advertising ploys. Who cares.

Here's the video enjoy it please!

Conrow Joe from Edsel Denk on Vimeo.

Re: Dude Life, the always reliable Pretty Blog provides explanation here, but Ryan's quote bears repeating:

...

New Work: Podcast and Video

I mean sorry! Sorry! Been working, busy writing and teaching and traveling and being as complete and whole a person I can manage. Leaves holes in the blog though, don't it?

Here's something: a recording from last week's reading (mine) at the Parlor Reading Series, there in the Busch and pretzeled home of Green Lantern Press. Many thanks to all who came and heard me read for thirty minutes from my novel in progress, especially the skateboarders who don't normally frequent readings. It was a...

New Work: A Podcast

I mean sorry! Sorry! Been working, busy writing and teaching and traveling and being as complete and whole a person I can manage. Leaves holes in the blog though, don't it?

Here's something: a recording from last week's reading (mine) at the Parlor Reading Series, there in the Busch and pretzeled home of Green Lantern Press. Many thanks to all who came and heard me read for thirty minutes from my novel in progress, especially the skateboarders who don't normally frequent readings. It was a...

November December

I've got a few events upcoming. Starting Wednesday this (Nov. 11), with a round table discussion at the Sullivan Gallery of SAIC (33 S. State St.) running from 4:30 until 6:00.

Then on Sunday, November 15, I'll join Patrick Somerville, Mary Hamilton, Lindsay Hunter and Laura Pearson for a special Knee Jerk collabo at the Orange Alert Reading Series. That's 6:00 on a Sunday at The Whistler in Logan Square, surely the neighborhood's favorite gently-lit music and cocktail venue.

And finally...

Simple Machine

I used to be a gamer. In fact I used to go with buddies to Tropicana Lanes in St. Louis and post up at the Mortal Kombat II machine and slaughter any and all comers, bitches, including the one we called Pig and others too, even, once or twice, the legendary John Choe whose skill in the form was matched only by the lore which dripped from his very name. I heard there's a polar bear that emerges from the slime if you do THIS. Choe told me. My Liu Kang was not to be fucked with, but for real...

Collective, Judgmental

Can we agree that if Texas had an iPhone, it would most certainly be an iPhone with a picture of Texas stuck to its back?

Nothing but wonderful things to say after returning from Austin. Many thanks to Odie and Maggie for hosting and providing Lone Star. And of course Amelia and Stacy at Five Things for providing one giant Lone Star and much laughter. Also to the Death Match for the chance to read "Terror, Not Terror" to a packed church and a celebrity judging panel. Here's American Short...

Hell Yeah, Texas

Big big trip this weekend down to Austin for this year's massive edition of the Texas Book Festival. I'm dumb honored to be included, and excited for a whopping three events on Saturday. First is an 11:30 panel discussion, "Writing in the Shadows" with Dan Chaon, Scott Blackwood, and personal buddy, Amelia Gray. We will drop dimes.

Then at 2:30 I will slay the shit out of Amelia*, Jeff Martin, and Owen Egerton at a TBF version of the world famous Opium Magazine Literary Death Match. The...

Old New Yorker

Here is David Denby describing the prevailing domestic setting of the Coen Brothers' new film, A Serious Man:

It's the suburban nightmare that keeps showing up in ambitious American movies as the banality of evil itself. The low ceilings, the schlocky décor are meant to be of a piece with the endless family bickering and emotional blackmail—satirically enhanced signs of mediocre, soul-punishing middle-class taste, Jewish division.

In the film, the suburban Home and Neighborhood setting is one o...

Of Whom

Confused.

There on a summer afternoon research mission, I found myself confused re: of whom to be wary. The gate says one thing, the window another…these bricks and white accents and I think just take a picture and figure it out later.