Ben Tanzer's Blog, page 103

Gigantic Sequins 4.2 happening soon.

These Books Will Change Your Life - Whiskey Pike and Turban Tan by the Jeff Phillips.

There are these people you meet and they seem to have so much going on. Outwardly certainly. With their various projects and pursuits. But internally as well. Maybe it's the questions they ask, or how they seem to be absorbing everything around them. Or maybe it's more simple, you see them read or perform and they appear to be teasing through so many ideas. So they become intriguing and you may want to know more, and possibly even consume them in some fashion. Or maybe that's just us? Maybe, probably, still all of this brings us to Whiskey Pike and Turban Tan by the Jeff Phillips. Because Phillips is one of those people for us. He's a comic, he makes videos, he seems to be involved in theater, so many things, all of which possess a literary bent. 
Which brings us to the fact that he is also an author and there are these books. Which are not outright stabs at humor, as we expected. Or especially theaterish, which we thought might be a possibility. And no we don't know exactly what that means. What we found is more akin to fables. Whiskey Pike is almost old-timey, a bedtime story about the history of one family, their moment in the sunshine as distillers of fine whiskey and their ultimate implosion. It reminded us of a song. Then there is the Turban Tan. Also a fable of a kind, but one with espionage and new world orders. It is both forward looking, and timely, with all the stories about the NSA and spying appearing everyday. And so we ask ourselves, how does all this hang together? We see these books as a means for Phillips to bring order to the world, but also as a means for organizing a mind full of ideas. Now might this just be a projection? Or some need of our own to organize the world ourselves? Yes, sure, maybe. Which means there is more intrigue, but also soon, a podcast, hopefully, definitely, with questions. Until then there are these stories. Which you can read, and should, because they just might change your life.  

Housley. Pawelek. Williams. Tanzer. Four Fathers. Where You Should Be. Cobalt Press.

"The candor is blistering." You Can Make Him Like You gets HTMLGIANT'd. And likes it. A lot.

Very much really. So big thanks to the Peter Tieryas Liu and the whole HTMLGIANT crew for the very generous verbiage. And drinks soon, on us, for sure, yes? Yes. Excerpt? Cool.
"Ben Tanzer’s You Can Make Him Like You bursts off the opening page with an intense stream of prose swathed in Hold Steady songs. The thirty-something narrator, Keith, is frenetic with lust and desires, and he also wants to have sex with his wife more often. Terse sentences spit out observations that meander between pithy and neurotically self-conscious. When confronted with an attractive intern who seems to be flirting with him, he wonders: “Why did I mention my wife. Why wouldn’t I mention her? The intern twirls her hair a little. Fuck, twirling hair is not good. Not good.”

Always/Siempre Happening Soon Yes Wow.

Dang. R.I.P. James Gandolfini.

"All writers are vampires." James Gandolfini (1961-2013)

We are The 27th Mile.

It is quite an honor to be one of the contributors to the awesomely stellar The 27th Mile anthology. All proceeds go to the The One Fund Boston, so please do buy a copy, share the links, tell your friends and family, all of it. Because while doing so just might change your life, it will certainly change the lives of others. Thanks.

"One knock-out punch of a line after another." My Father's House gets NAILED. And likes it. A lot.

Big thanks to the John Barrios and the whole NAILED crew. And drinks on us, many, soon, somewhere, some how. Excerpt? Cool.

"To this reader, it feels as though a lesson is learned in every chapter. The narrator may not always understand what he is processing, but the reader has a deep sense of the working of the narrator’s mind. It is a good place to spend an afternoon. Ben Tanzer displays his ability to balance the darker moments of grief with a humble sense of humor. It is not only Tanzer’s sensitive wit, but the timing and delivery of his humor within the structure of the narrative, which helps ensure the impact of the more dramatic moments."

What do Richard Simmons, Vanilla Ice, George H.W. Bush, Corey Feldman, Evel Knieval, and Darth Vader have in common?

I AM. Artistically Declined Press. July 16th. Pre-order love.

"It felt like a cleaning of the slate and of properly saying goodbye." My Father's House gets a much appreciated Father's Day Fiction shout-out from TNBBC's The Next Best Book Blog.

Digging it we are and quite thrilled to be included with such fine company as well. So please do take a look and drinks on us Hettler whenever, and wherever, we next meet. Excerpt? Cool.

"And I felt it was a true reflection of the chaotic feelings that rush through you from moment to moment, day to day, when preparing yourself for the ultimate and unavoidable loss of someone you can't imagine living without."