Ben Tanzer's Blog, page 197
March 11, 2011
Impress Me With Your Live Skills, Author. Velvet Podcast Episode 14 goodness.
Quite thrilled we were, and are, to have participated in the ongoing goodness that is the Velvet Podcast, in this case Episode 14, Impress Me With Your Live Skills, Author, where TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer got to talk live readings with the stellar crew of Caleb J. Ross, Brandon Teitz, Nik Korpon and the Ryan W. Bradley. Big thanks to Caleb, and yes we are quite Caleb this week, feels good, for organizing this and now we encourage you to go enjoy some Velvet Podcast action, who knows it just might change your life. A lot.
March 10, 2011
March 9, 2011
"Honest and real." 99 Problems gets some Ludlow Goodreads love.
Indeed. There is a most generous review of 99 Problems at the Goodreads from author Lavinia Ludlow and we are most appreciative. Drinks on us for sure whenever, and wherever, we finally meet."It's every writer's goal to become such a fantastical storyteller that the reader dissolves into the narration and lives through the story. Tanzer has managed to perfect that in his stories such as those found in 99 Problems. His narration is honest and real, relate-able. Certainly a great publication from Tanzer and CCLaP. Definitely worth checking out now."
March 8, 2011
This Book Will Change Your Life - Life After Sleep by Mark Brand.
Life After Sleep is the new novella by TBWCLY, Inc. favorite and This Podcast Will Change Your Life podcastee Mark R. Brand. It is also the new joint from CCLaP Publishing, which means, first, that 99 Problems is officially archived, which we're okay with, really, because not only has it been a good run, but we are quite geeked about Life After Sleep, which we are certain will change your life; and second, that the brain trust at CCLaP has asked our team here to write a "Passing the Torch" essay for the CCLaP site as they seek a gentle transition from one book to the next. We in turn would like to share a slightly tweaked version of the essay here as well, which we hope is cool with you? Great.There is the belief that we should temper our reaction to things, that caveats are required, and biases should be identified, that it's okay to love something as long as we explain how and why that love may be impacted by the personal, by history and preferences. But we would rather not take that approach to things. We suppose this eliminates any hope we have of being perceived as any kind of legitimate critic, but being a critic has never been the goal. In fact our primary goal is to embrace the sheer fanboyness of our day to day existence and not be so embarrassed by our exuberance for the things we love and that which we have any kind of personal association with.
Which brings us to Life After the Sleep, the new book by Mark Brand which is being released by the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography. Mark Brand is a friend. We have read together and edited one another's work. Mark Brand is also quite attractive, and we, like you are drawn to attractive people, that's just evolution so please don't fault us for that. Mark Brand writes science fiction, love the science fiction, always have, and that's not changing.
Further, CCLaP has released two joints of ours and we are indebted to them for that. CCLaP's director Jason Pettus and TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer have also drank any number of beers together and we greatly appreciate his discerning and critical eye, even when we disagree, which isn't often, but it happens.
Hello, Requiem for a Dream. What the fuck?
But we digress.
We are also drawn to any author that matures with his work and grows more nuanced as his vision expands, as well as, any publisher who understands what he likes, yet continues to try and capture that like in as many disparate ways as possible.
Which also brings us to Life After Sleep, a book by a maturing, and yes, dammit, attractive writer, being published by an ever evolving publisher, and our unabashed excitement by all facets of this project, none of which should diminish the work itself, a comment on who we are now and where we might be, but still remains grounded in all things recognizable as real, work stress, PTSD, family dynamics, and mostly, finally, sleep, how we get it, why we need it, and what happens when we can't find it, something else I am terribly biased about, but as we said, we are not critics, we're are fanboys, and we are all fan when it comes to this book and all it represents.
March 7, 2011
We are new piece at the Knee-Jerk.
Super geeked we are to have a new joint up at the Knee-Jerk, one of our most favorite Chicago lit zines. The piece "Notes for the Honorary Oscar Speech I'll Never Give" was first conceptualized, or is it conceived, for the CCLaP "An Evening with Nathan Rabin" event and will also make an appearance in our upcoming collection thing This American Life, and while we think it has the potential to offend we remain quite thrilled with the reception."It's not like I haven't suffered – the days and nights lost to alcohol and drugs, the ratty hotel rooms, the hookers, the suicidal urges, sleeping on the street, not to mention desperately doing blow off of John Belushi's sweaty ass in the driveway of the Chateau Marmont, hands shaking as the last specks of coke either of us possessed drifted off into the haunting Hollywood night.
But, as they say in Al Anon, "Trace it, face it and erase it," and I am happy to erase it, all of it, and I think you are as well or I wouldn't be here tonight, right?
You don't need to answer that.
That said, is it not also true that great art can happen in spite of the chaos and confusion in our lives, and that from our darkest moments real beauty can emerge like that of a roaring Phoenix manifesting itself in life-changing bursts of creativity that speak to some higher power, be it God, Allah, or Harvey Weinstein?"
March 6, 2011
The You Can Make Him Like You interview. A Myles and Ben Tanzer joint production.
Interview Sundays? Hells yes. And today we have a joint production between TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer and his son Myles where they talk You Can Make Him Like You and The Hold Steady their fourth interview in their now long running efforts to most self-servingly talk new Tanzer books.
March 5, 2011
There is Demon Boy.
So excited we are at the launch of The Demon Boy the new project from long time TBWCYL, Inc. favorite Michael Paige Glover who is not only quite a stellar dude, but also the artist who did the endlessly lauded cover for Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine. Bam.
March 4, 2011
Byloos. Bosworth. Interview madness. Or is it loveliness?
No it isn't Sunday, which may screw-up our new found interest in highlighting interviews we are digging on Sundays, but when we came across this interview, discussion really, between long time TBWCYL, Inc. favorite and This Podcast Will Change Your Life podcastee Mel Bosworth and new favorite Matty Byloos from the quite compelling Small Doggies we just felt like we couldn't wait one more minute to post something, frankly, we can barely get through the post itself, so here it is, enjoy, excerpt, loveliness, all of it.
Matty Byloos: Talk to me about your writing process. I always find that it takes something absurd, monumental, curious, or otherwise completely off-putting for me to feel like using the writing process as a kind of pseudo-journalism, a way of unpacking the human experience and speaking to things that we all share. Is this something that sounds familiar? Or is writing a totally different experience for you, in practice?
Mel Bosworth: Yeah, no, that totally sounds familiar to me. Sometimes I'm inspired to write when I have one of those — and I hate to say it — "a-ha" moments, and I'm curious if I can translate that moment well in written form. And it doesn't necessarily have to be some earth-shattering revelation, although it can be that, too. It could be something as simple as an overheard conversation, or a simple line, even, like a mother saying to her kid in the grocery store, "Put that back on the shelf." Maybe the kid can't have "that" because he's obese, or maybe because there's some ingredient in "that" that his body can't tolerate, or maybe they can't afford "that," or maybe "that" reminds the mother of her dead child's favorite cereal.
But yes, it definitely takes something, something external, something I've experienced, personally, to lure me to the desk. It's when I actually have an idea that the writing comes easily. When I don't have an idea, and I come to the desk, let the pointless, loathsome, time-wasting Internet laps begin. And it's at these empty times that I have to remind myself to walk away, to read a book, to go outside, to go to a grocery store, to… live.
I have to remind myself to get out and live. Sure, much can be learned (and experienced) from a life of solitude and deep contemplation, but it's damn fun sometimes to bounce myself off of other people, like, people I can poke and annoy, maybe even love. That's where the good writing juice is, I think.
March 3, 2011
The new edition of This Zine Will Change Your Life is live, all Hivner and so freaking tight.
The new edition of This Zine Will Change Your Life is live and so freaking tight. We have a new poem, Tight Black Pants by Chris Hivner, which we are way excited about, and, (almost) as always, photo action from Adam Lawrence, music curation from Jason Behrends and no longer defending DOMA prose love from Pete Anderson. We hope you enjoy this edition and we appreciate all shout-outs and links. Finally, please note, we are hoping more of you will submit comix, and music, and art, and video, yes, video, and combinations there of. And most finally, feel good, spring is approaching post haste.
